Air Soft: Another form of Paintball
November 21st, 2008Like paintball, air soft is become increasingly popular among the young generation. What is air soft? Air soft is very similar to the game of paintball, but instead of shooting ball so of paint, air soft guns shoot out BB bullets. The air soft game is actually modeled after the concept of a real gun. Players are in dressed in camouflage uniforms and together as team, try to win against the opposing team. The game is very competitive, especially among teenagers.
Electric powered guns and automatic electric guns, also known as AEG are a battery that enables the shooting device to work. These two electric guns are the most expensive because of the size, lightweight aspect, and the long battery life. The high quality of the gun also adds to the costly price. Gas powered guns are the alternative to electric guns, these are also not as expensive. The gas powered guns’ design is similar to the paintball guns, the hose from the gun is attached to the gas canister, which powers the gun to release the BB bullets.
‘Blowback’ is a feature only available on a gas powered gun that gives an advantage over the electric guns. The blowback releases a small portion of gas and then reloads the device again. Even though the gas powered guns use up more gas, the speed at which it shoots the BB bullets are much faster. Little people know about spring-loaded guns. Why is that? Spring-loaded guns do not have the same or even greater functions compared to electric guns and gas powered guns. Like an old fashioned gun, you have to reload the gun every time you shoot, which can be a great hassle since speed is a factor for every player in the game.
BB bullets can cause serious injury since it is traveling at an extreme speed of hundreds of feet per second, especially if the body is exposed to skin or the eyes. Safety equipment is absolutely essential when playing this dangerous game. I highly recommend wearing a eye protection at all times, I usually wear whole face masks because they cover every area of your area. Also, when you are in uniform, make sure every area of your body, head, neck and even your hands are covered, this will reduce the likeliness of you getting injured.
When you are playing air soft, always keep in mind that your gun is loaded, even if it is not, treat the gun as it is. BB bullets are really small, so it is difficult to see if the gun is loaded in the first place. Keep the gun in the safety mode if you are not using it, if you are, but not actually aiming at anything, keep your finger off of the trigger. This will help keep everyone safer and reduce accidents. The most important tip is not aiming the gun at something when you are not in the game, there could be a possibility that the gun is loaded, even though it is not, it best to keep the gun down. When you are not using the gun, store it in a safe place where young children cannot get a hold of. Many accidents in the past have happened where young children found a gun and fiddled around, which ultimately caused a serious injury. I highly recommend locking it up somewhere, such as a closet. Also, take out the BB bullets out of the gun and keep the bullets separate from the gun, just in case somewhere accidentally fiddles with the gun.
Air soft guns look very similar to real gun, many people can be mistaken it as a real gun, even law enforcement officers cannot see the difference. That can be a major problem for you, so I suggest only using the air soft gun in safe environment, but stay in air soft gaming zones to be on the safer side. If you plan on playing in an environment, I suggest you contacting a local law enforcement officer in the area you are going to play just to let them know you are you such mechanics. Air soft is a competitive and extreme game, but it can also be a very hazardous if safety rules are not enforced.