Airsoft Guns

Any airsoft fanatic knows that the truly best military simulation sport out there is airsoft; however, some paintballers and non-players remain unaware of the benefits and advantages airsoft has over paintball. Here are the top 10 ways in which airsoft skirmishes trump paintball games:

1. Airsoft game play is more realistic than paintball play

Airsoft guns look like real guns, so much so that legally airsoft manufacturers must include a 6mm orange tip at the end of the barrel to identify it as an airsoft gun and not a firearm. Airsoft guns resemble real firearms in many aspects: their barrels, machinery, magazines and accessories more closely mirror firearms than paintball guns.

2. Shooting airsoft ammo allows for better accuracy than shooting with paintball ammo:

Airsoft bbs are smaller than paintball pellets, so they experience less wind resistance and therefore, are more accurate. Airsoft bbs are less visible to the opponent because of their smaller size, which adds to their accuracy. Also, when playing paintball, players may see the larger paintball pellet flying toward them and can take cover accordingly, which decreases your hit percentage.

3. Airsoft skirmishes are more tactical than paintball games

With the realism of the airsoft guns, tactics play a large part in airsoft battles. Players really feel as though they are on the battle field and must act strategically and intelligently to win a skirmish. With the ability to release large rounds of airsoft ammo quickly, bum rushing opponents and sloppy strategy will lead to a quick defeat; therefore, designating a chain of command (see reason #7) is vital. The highly tactical aspect of airsoft battle helps transcend the sport into a milsim reality.

4. Buying a quality airsoft gun is cheaper than getting a paintball gun

A quality electric starter airsoft gun costs around $22.95 and airsoft ammo is extremely cheap, too - $11.95 for a round of 4000 airsoft bbs. Paintball guns and ammo cost significantly more for comparable quality, around $79.95 for a beginner paintball gun. Paintball pellets also carry a bigger price tag at $59.98 for 4000 rounds of paintball ammunition.

5. Airsoft guns have greater usability than paintball guns

Airsoft guns vary in weight, ranging from as light as 2 pounds to heavier than 6 pounds. The airsoft ammo can be sized at .12 grams or as hefty as .28 grams; however, .20 gram airsoft bbs are the most common size. On the other hand, the average paintball gun on the light end weighs about 5 pounds and can reach more than 15 pounds for nicer, heavier-duty models. Maneuvering a paintball gun becomes clumsier and less agile than handling a lighter airsoft gun. Due to the lighter gun and airsoft bb weight, airsoft guns are easier to carry around, which increases their usability.

6. Rounding up a pickup game with airsoft guns is easier and less messy than assembling a paintball gathering

This airsoft skirmish advantage is pretty uncontested in the paintball verse airsoft world – it is much easier to get together an airsoft game than a paintball game. First, when playing airsoft, the location has fewer restrictions than when playing paintball. Playing airsoft is legal on private property, so you and a friend could easily have a one-on-one battle in someone’s big backyard or land. Second, airsoft play is much cheaper so it can be easier to rally people to play. Paintball play– because of the paint splatter – is much more restricted.

7. In airsoft games, having defined roles is important and commonly used

Airsoft skirmishes typically divide into two teams, with detailed and strategized roles for each player on the team. The main roles for airsoft battle include a team leader, tactical officer, rifleman, recon, sniper and heavy infantry; however, there are additional roles that can be designated to aid in the order on the field.

Paintball play sometimes involves a chain of command, but the structure is much more flexible and open to interpretation than in airsoft. Paintball teams normally just separate into three classes: frontmen, mid-players and back players.

Airsoft is a more realistic milsim game which explains why tactics, strategy and a defined hierarchical chain of command are used more frequently than in paintball games.

8. There are more options to upgrade your gun in airsoft

As discussed in reason #1, quality airsoft guns are cheaper than paintball guns; therefore, it is easier (and less expensive) to update and upgrade your airsoft gun than a paintball gun. Beyond the lower cost of tricking out your airsoft gun, more options for upgrades exist. External upgrades like fore grips, scopes, sights and switches are available at affordable prices as well as internal upgrades to boost performance like nozzles, fuses and gearboxes.

The best part about the low prices for airsoft parts and accessories is that you can get into the sport as a beginner without having to front a lot of money. Then, when you become more advanced, upgrading is easy and affordable.

9. Airsoft bbs shoot faster than paintball pellets

Airsoft bbs fly at speeds of 150 to 600 feet per second (fps), with an average speed of over 300 fps, whereas paintball pellets only achieve speeds of 200 to 300 fps on average.

10. The military practices with airsoft guns and ammo for training

Military personnel and police officers use airsoft guns during training before transitioning to real artillery. Just this month, officers in Dane County, Wisconsin used airsoft guns and rifles for their basic training at a closed-down public school.

We think these are the top 10 reasons why airsoft is better than paintball, but we’re sure you airsoft aficionados know many more!

About the Author: Mike Zhang is the President and COO of Airsoft Megastore, an online airsoft retailer offering electric and gas powered airsoft guns, as well as airsoft parts, upgrades and accessories. Visit Airsoft Megastore to shop for airsoft AEGs, full metal airsoft rifles or the right airsoft gas gun for players of any experience level.

Labels: airsoft ammo, airsoft and paintball, airsoft bbs, airsoft guns, airsoft shotguns

Most airsoft enthusiasts will agree, nothing beats a hardcore, heart-pounding airsoft battle. The trick to executing a successful airsoft skirmish is planning. Create your own epic airsoft battle by following this guide.

• 1st: Watch battle videos and get inspired. There are a number of awesome airsoft battle videos filmed everywhere from Texas to Scotland. Check around YouTube for the most exciting skirmishes and get an idea of how other airsoft enthusiasts have organized successful matches. With the right amount of planning and people, you can replicate and even improve upon these examples. Do a little research about other major airsoft games to find out what they did to make it work. Then, put your own spin on it and make it even more epic.



• 2nd: Figure out a way to market and advertise your epic airsoft battle. Make a Facebook event? Create a Facebook group? Mass text message all your airsoft friends? Strategize about how to get an epic crowd of airsoft gun aficionados and spread the word. You can get the ball rolling and determine interest before choosing a location and other logistical details.



• 3rd: Find an airsoft-friendly location with an open, flat field where mil-sim events are allowed. Paintball and airsoft fields are easy go-tos, as they already meet safety restrictions and have a challenging battle course with built in obstacles. Keep in mind that a truly epic airsoft battle might require a bigger area with more challenges and obstructions. If you do find a great location, make sure that airsoft guns are permitted and also ensure that you have been granted permission to use the location. Your next location-related task is to equip the space with realistic obtrusions – like bunkers, tunnels, mounds and walls. Try scouring your local warehouses or grocery stores for big wooden planks to set up on the field.



• 4th: Discuss and clearly outline the skirmish rules and safety guidelines. The two biggest kill-joys to an awesome airsoft battle are someone getting seriously hurt or players not following the rules. The rules and safety guidelines are fundamental to your event's success. It’s amateur, unprofessional and dangerous to just wing it and think you’re above the rules; so, be sure to discuss airsoft rules and safety beforehand.

Sample rules include:




• Gun safety on until all players have their goggles on


• Hands and gun in the air = neutral/safe, no shooting at that person


• Create a safe zone


• Decide a number of strikes per round before being considered “out”


• Determine length of rounds


• Decide upon game tactics and choose game type. For example, you might choose Last Man Standing or an objective-based format like Capture the Flag. You can check out more than 30 airsoft combat scenarios in the Airsoft Megastore player resource center.


• Basic safety gear: goggles, face mask (not mesh), heavy clothing

About the Author: Mike Zhang is the President and COO of Airsoft Megastore, an online airsoft retailer offering electric and gas powered airsoft guns, as well as airsoft parts, upgrades and accessories. Visit Airsoft Megastore to shop for airsoft AEGs, full metal airsoft rifles or the right airsoft gas gun for players of any experience level.

Labels: airsoft ammo, airsoft battle, airsoft shotguns, epic airsoft battle

The only thing worse than running out of ammo, or having a battery die on you in the middle of a firefight is not having a sidearm to switch to in those emergencies. Every serious airsoft player should carry a pistol with them, because you never know when you might need it. Choosing the right pistol for your game style and your budget is extremely important. There are two main types of gas powered airsoft pistols, gas powered blowback and non-blowback pistols. There are also two main types of gasses used as propellant in gas airsoft pistols, CO2 and Green Gas/ Propane. In this article, we will cover the basic differences between the two types of airsoft pistols and the two types of gas.

The major difference between non-blowback gas pistols and blowback gas pistols is the action of the slide when the trigger is pulled. Blowback pistols’ slide cycles back and forth after each trigger pull. This gives the gas blowback pistols a more realistic feel and look when they are operated. Gas blowback pistols are also normally designed to operate much more like real steel pistols, in which you have to rack the slide back to ready the pistol. Also, gas blowback pistols’ slide will normally lock to the rear when you are out of rounds, just like a real steel pistol. The advantages of having a gas blowback pistol are the realistic look, feel, and action of the pistol. The disadvantages of using a gas blowback pistol is that they use more gas to cycle the slide back and forth while operated.

Non-blowback pistols have a non-functional slide that does not cycle when the pistol is fired. This makes non-blowback pistols’ operation less realistic, however it also reduces the amount of gas used each time it is fired. This means that non-blowback pistols will be able to fire more rounds before having to refill it with gas. Non-blowback pistols are also generally quieter than blowback pistols, because the slide does not cycle back and forth. The advantages of using a non-blowback pistol are that less gas is used when firing the pistol, they are generally lighter than blowback pistols, they have a higher FPS, and they are much quieter than blowback pistols. The disadvantage of using a non-blowback pistol is the lack of realistic function and action when fired.

Gas powered airsoft pistols use two main types of gas to propel the BB; one is green gas (which is a mixture of silicone oil and propane gas), and the other is CO2 compressed gas. The type of gas used by an airsoft pistol depends on the pistol and magazine design; green gas designed pistols can only use green gas, and CO2 designed pistols can only use CO2; they cannot use green gas. Green gas is a specialty airsoft gas that can normally only be found at airsoft stores, though propane can be used in its place with an adapter that adds in silicone oil. Green gas cans are used to fill an internal gas reservoir in green gas magazines. The reservoir in green gas magazines normally only holds enough gas to fire the full capacity of the magazine, which means that after all of the BB’s are fired the magazine must be refilled with gas before it can be reused. Green gas has many advantages; it is quick and easy to refill your magazine, the silicone in green gas keeps the pistol and magazine lubricated, and the green gas magazines are generally less expensive. The disadvantages of using green gas is that refilling a magazine with green gas on the field can be cumbersome, green gas magazines normally don’t store enough gas for multiple reloads, green gas magazines do require regular maintenance, green gas does not perform well in very hot or cold temperatures, and green gas can be flammable.

The other widely used airsoft gas is compressed CO2, which comes in small 12g cartridges. These cartridges are loaded either directly into the gun, or into the magazine. CO2 cartridges are widely available at most sporting goods stores, and it is relatively inexpensive. Using CO2 has many advantages; a single CO2 cartridge can last for multiple magazine reloads which means you can reuse your magazine on the field, CO2 provides a slightly higher FPS than green gas, and CO2 is 100% non-flammable. The disadvantages of using CO2 is that CO2 magazines can be more expensive, reloading a CO2 cartridge is more time consuming and normally requires the use of tools, and CO2 does not lubricate your gun so regular care for CO2 pistols is recommended.

Choosing the right sidearm can be difficult because of the wide variety of options. Hopefully this guide will help you determine what type of pistol will work best for you. Don’t be caught out on the field without your airsoft bbs ammo and without a pistol as backup. Check out AirsoftMegastore.com‘s extensive selection of airsoft pistols.

To see our full selection of tactical gear and airsoft guns, visit AirsoftMegastore.com

About the Author: Mike Zhang is the President and COO of Airsoft Megastore, a growing online Airsoft retailer that carries airsoft guns and airsoft tatical gear. Airsoft Megastore offers a 125% low price guarantee on all new airsoft guns and airsoft ammunition.

Labels: airsoft ammo, blowback pistols, gas powered airsoft pistols, green gas, non-blowback gas pistols