Airsoft Beginners Guide: Everything You Need To Know About Airsoft

For our first post, we decided to start from the beginning and give you the ultimate airsoft beginners guide. We’ll explain what airsoft is, give you a little bit of history, talk about safety, rules, and terms, and what type of gear you’ll need if you’re just starting with airsoft. In, short you’ll learn everything you need to know about airsoft. So let’s get started.

What Is Airsoft?

Originating in Japan in the early 1970s, airsoft is a popular sport activity similar to paintball in which competing teams eliminate opposing players with round plastic projectiles launched via replica air weapons called airsoft guns.

These non-metallic projectiles are called pellets or „BBs“ and are typically made of plastic and usually measure around 6 mm (0.24 in) in diameter and weigh around 0.12–0.40 g.  Many airsoft users call them “BBs”, which could be a little confusing for beginners as the same term is used for the 4.5 mm metal projectiles that BB guns fire. You can’t use these metallic projectiles with airsoft guns.

Airsoft, depending on game type, is more tactical and strategic and falls into the category of “war simulation”. Participants are playing different military scenarios or police actions with realistic replicas of real-life weapons. Airsoft is a very fun but also a physically demanding activity.

History Of Airsoft

Airsoft originates from Japan. In the early 1970s, Ichiro Nagata wanted to make model guns which shoot projectiles that could not kill. These guns were originally called “soft air gun” which referred to the compressed Freon-silicone oil mixture that was used as a propellant. This was much weaker than the carbon dioxide used in proper airguns like BB guns. Freon-silicone oil mixture was later replaced by a propane-silicone oil mixture known as “Green Gas”.

Airsoft guns were initially designed for target shooting, but as their plastic pellets can’t kill or hurt humans, airsoft became popular for casual wargames, also called survival games by the Japanese.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, airsoft spread to the UK but the guns were sold in pieces and had to be assembled before they were capable of shooting pellets. Soon it spread through Europe, North America, and the whole world and while its popularity was well below paintball in the start it has seen a surge in popularity in the last 15 years.

Many military units and police in the United States now use Airsoft for force-on-force training drills.

What Is The Difference Between Airsoft And Paintball?

Although airsoft may look very similar to paintball in concept and gameplay, there are actually some differences. For start, while paintball guns look more like a toy, airsoft guns are far more realistic, often having the exact same look, scale, and even the real weight of a real rifle. Most airsoft rifles are powered by an electrically wound spring, as opposed to CO2 tanks found in paintball guns. Also, airsoft guns are more accurate than paintball markers even at long distances.

Airsoft pellets are much smaller, don’t hurt, and don’t leave bruises as paintball pellets. Sure, if you’ve hit on the exposed skin they’ll leave a mark (red contusions or “welts”) and hurt but not as a paintball pellet. I was shot multiple times on the bare skin with airsoft pellet (neck, arms) and I can tell you it definitely doesn’t hurt as much as paintballs. Although it left a mark on my neck for two weeks.

Airsoft pellets are not filled with color like paintballs and don’t leave a visible mark on their target. As hits are not always apparent like in paintball, airsoft game relies on an honor system. Each participant is expected for calling themselves out when hit.

Airsoft game is a little more tactical and airsoft participants have specific tasks because of the rules of the game. Also airsoft participants dress similarly to real soldiers and wear vests, boots, goggles, or grenade-carriers. On the other hand, the paintball participants wear overalls and a full face mask to protect the paint from exploding on the face.

Also, airsoft gear, from guns to BBs, is cheaper and more affordable than paintball gear.

Is Airsoft Legal?

The answer to this question depends on where do you live. While airsoft is legal in most parts of the world, there are some countries where airsoft is illegal, like in Australia and Malaysia, or banned, like in China, Singapore, and the Philippines. In India, airsoft is actually not recognized as a sports activity while in Israel, airsoft guns are illegal to import, manufacture, and sell. So if you live in these countries, stay away from airsoft.

Otherwise, airsoft is a perfectly legal and fun outdoor activity. But note, that even some countries where airsoft is legal, they still have some restrictions so check your local laws before playing airsoft. For example, in some countries, there is a maximum muzzle velocity and in most countries, airsoft guns can’t be sold without an orange tip to distinguish them from actual firearms.

But whatever the laws are in your country, never brandish your airsoft gun in public.

How Do Airsoft Guns Work?

Airsoft guns are air-powered guns that shoot 6 or 8mm plastic round projectiles. Most airsoft guns are realistic replicas of existing firearms that fire BB pellets at a high speed, but not high enough to kill. So they are used for military simulations, in recreational games and so on.

There are three types of airsoft guns or three different mechanisms to be more precise – spring, electric, and gas. Each firing mechanism has its own strengths and weaknesses so it’s not an easy decision to choose between them. For example, if you’re a close-combat type of players you’ll want electric or gas mechanism and if if you’re playing with a sniper, then a spring-based mechanism is best for you. Let’s check how each type works.

Gas-powered Airsoft Guns

Gas airsoft guns use compressed gas to propel the BB out of the gun. This compressed gas is usually propane, green gas, or CO2. When you pull the trigger, gas is released and forced through the chamber to the BB which is then forced through the barrel.

There are two types of gas guns, GBB (Gas Blow Back) and NBB (Non-Blow Back). NBB guns don’t have recoil. GBB guns have a pretty realistic recoil. In GBB guns, the gas build-up in airsoft gun which pushes pellet out results in a nice kick-back feeling or recoil. And this kick-back feeling is what makes gas airsoft guns different from electric guns and more enjoyable to use since they provide a feeling similarly when firing a real gun. This is the main advantage over the other options. You can read more on this subject in our other article if you’re interested which airsoft guns have the most realistic recoil.

Other advantage of gas airsoft guns is that they don’t require an electric source to fire.

The biggest disadvantage is that gas systems are more expensive as they require frequent replacement of the chambers. Also, they are not the most reliable options during colder temperatures.

The gas-powered mechanism is usually used in pistols and some high-end rifles and shotguns.

Gas: Blowback & Non-Blowback  FPS: 250-500+

Spring-powered Airsoft Guns (“Springers”)

Usually referred to as “springers”, spring-powered airsoft guns use a spring to push the BB and must be manually cocked before each shot. Once the spring is pulled back or cocked, the BB is pushed into a chamber, and when you pull the trigger air forces BB out.

Spring-powered airsoft guns are mostly entry-level and considered as beginner weapons. Of course with the exception of sniper rifles with a higher FPS and some shotguns.

Spring-powered airsoft guns are probably easiest to handle and don’t require manufactured power like a battery that is used in electric guns. But they must be manually cocked before each shot, have a slower rate of fire, and are weaker with a shorter range than other types of airsoft guns.

Spring  FPS: 125-500+

Electric Airsoft Guns (AEG)

Electric airsoft guns, or more commonly known as AEG (Automatic Electric Guns), are battery-powered Airsoft Guns that work very similar to spring-powered guns. The only difference is that you don’t have to manually pull back the spring, as an electric motor, which is connected to the rechargeable battery, is used for this. When you pull the trigger the piston is pulled back and the air that was inside the cylinder is forced out resulting in BB being forced out through the barrel.

Electric guns or AEG are the most popular and common types of airsoft guns (assault rifles, SAW, or SMG). They don’t provide you with a realistic feeling like gas-powered guns but are much cheaper to operate. Also they able to fire at an increased rate. The higher-end AEGs lets you switch between automatic and semi-automatic fire.

The main advantages of AEGs are that they are cheaper and more affordable than gas-powered guns, easy to maintain, they don’t have to be manually cocked like spring guns, they are also pretty reliable, and are good for close combat and distance battles. But they don’t provide you with recoil like GBBs and you must carry some extra battery packs for every case. Actually you can still get recoil if you buy EBB (Electronic blowback) gun, but most of them can’t compare with GBB as GBB is more realistic and provides a better sound when shooting. You can find more info on recoil in our article Do Airsoft Guns Have Recoil?

AEG FPS: 115-450

Airsoft Game Types And Scenarios

Although we can say there are only 3 main types of airsoft games, skirmish, MilSim, and Speedsoft, there are so many different variations and scenarios. They often range from team deathmatch, capture the flag, close-quarters battle, king of the hill, or MilSim (military simulations). Airsoft games can range from short skirmishes to full weekend events. In reality, when you go play airsoft, you’ll probably see a mix of all these types present.

Airsoft game is played both in outdoor and indoor scenarios and in some game types combat situations may involve the use of military tactics to achieve objectives. Before the match, an airsoft gun projectile speed or muzzle velocity (feet per second or FPS) is measured because some countries and playing fields have projectile velocity restrictions. You can read more on this subject in our article What’s The Highest FPS Airsoft Gun And Does FPS Even Matter?

There are around 20 game types but we’ll take a look at some of the most popular airsoft game types:

• Team Deathmatch (TDM) – this is maybe the most popular and commonly played airsoft game type. Fans of video games will be familiar with this airsoft game type. In team deathmatch teams fight each other until all the players on one team are eliminated.
• Capture the Flag (CTF) – one more pretty popular airsoft game type that will be familiar to video games fans. In CTF or Capture the Flag game type each team has its own flag and the goal of each team is to capture the other team’s flag and bring it back to their base. This is a more objective-based type than TDM.
• Military Simulation (MilSim) – as its name suggests, this is a more serious, strategic, and slower-paced objective-based game modeled after real military scenarios. MilSim game type encompasses different objectives and tends to be more realistic. One match can last from one hour to 40+ hours and this type of airsoft game is something that really sets airsoft apart from other shooting sports like paintball.
• King of the Hill – in this type of airsoft game, one team is positioned at a specific location, commonly a hill, while other team attacks their position. This designated location has a flag, and the winner of the game is the team that is closest to the flag when the time is out.
• Close Quarters Combat (CQB) – this is actually a pretty straightforward game in which the objective is to eliminate the other team. It’s like a TDM but it is played in close quarters as the name indicates. Commonly played with airsoft pistols or SMGs.
• Bomb – in this type of game, one team must take a bomb with a timer into the other team’s base and defend it until time runs out. The opposing team must eliminate their opponents and dismantle the bomb. The bomb can be considered as the opposite of Capture the Flag.
• Hostage Rescue – in this game mode, one team plays as rescuers while other team as hostage guards. The hostages are left without equipment and are placed at the enemy team’s base or on various locations with guards around them. Rescuers must release the hostages and escort them to a specific area while the guards must prevent them from rescuing the hostages.
• Speedsoft – a fast-paced competitive type of game that stands in stark contrast to MilSim. Speedsoft is not realistic as MilSim and it’s more like paintball with airsoft guns. There are no so many restrictions like in MilSim and the pace, amount of ammunition, and rate of fire is much higher than in the MilSim game. If you want a fast, aggressive, and pulse-pounding type of airsoft game, Speedsoft might be for you.

There are even more different types of airsoft games, like the president, zombie, free for all, or police shootout.

Is Airsoft Safe?

This is a common question regarding airsoft. Airsoft is as safe or dangerous just like many other outdoor activities, from paintball, riding a bike, rafting, rock climbing or snowboarding. If you follow safety procedures and wear protective gear, yes, it is pretty safe. And if you don’t follow safety procedures you can get hurt, just like in any other activity.

You should treat an airsoft gun as a real gun at all times. Most of the manufacturers will tell you the same thing. Most guns have an orange tip on the barrel for safety purposes as it helps distinguish them from real weapons. So don’t point them at anybody if you’re not playing a game, turn the safety on and take a magazine out. Even better keep your weapon in a holster or put “barrel bags” or barrel blockers over the muzzle of the gun.

If you wear proper clothing it won’t hurt much if you get hit, but it will hurt if you get hit on the exposed skin and will probably leave a mark (red contusions or “welts”). The most important thing is to wear an eye protection – ANSI rated goggles. That’s the minimum of recommended protective gear you should wear. You can play naked if you want (although I wouldn’t recommend it) but please, please wear goggles.

Also, make sure that the field where you’re going to play has velocity guidelines. Muzzle velocity is an airsoft gun projectile speed measured in feet per second (FPS) and it can vary depending on the type of game or gun. For your safety make sure that the field is checking velocity using Airsoft shooting chronograph. Most indoor fields limit a muzzle velocity to 350 FPS, while outdoor fields to 400 FPS.

One more important safety factor is engagement distance. Engagement distance is a minimum distance that players can shoot at each other and it depends from field to field. Most indoor fields enforce a minimum engagement distance between 10 and 15 feet, while outdoor fields between 10 and 20 feet.

But muzzle velocity limit and engagement distance vary from country to country and from field to field.

What Protective Gear Do I Need To Play An Airsoft?

As I already said, the most important thing is to wear fully sealed ANSI rated goggles that are without gaps between the goggle and your face. You can also wear a full face mask like in paintball because you don’t want to be shot in your face or teeth either but masks are not necessary. In many Airsoft fields if you’re underage you’ll be required to wear a full face mask. If you’re not going to wear a full face mask then you can protect the lower part of the face with scarves, mesh neoprene, and gum shields.

And please go and buy proper airsoft goggles as your cool sunglasses or traditional prescription glasses won’t suffice as they are not designed specifically for use with airsoft or paintball marker. They may break upon being hit, causing serious injury to the eye. And if you’re not going to wear a full face mask than maybe it’s not a bad idea to wear a helmet.

I also suggest that you buy a decent pair of gloves, proper footwear depending on the terrain you will be playing, and elbow and knee pads. Also if you’re not going to buy a proper uniform at least wear durable and comfortable clothes that cover as much skin as possible. I would also suggest buying a tactical vest as it doesn’t only offers extra protection but makes carrying all the gear a lot easier.

Can My Kids Play Airsoft?

The answer to this question actually depends on a few factors. How old is your kid, how mature is he, and what are the laws in your country? If the laws in your country permit underage kids to play airsoft and you follow proper safety procedures then yes, your kids can play Airsoft. But it really depends from child to child. If your kid is immature and he doesn’t understand that he could seriously injure someone than don’t give him airsoft gun no matter how old is he. Also, you should check with the field where you’re going to take your kid as many fields have an age restriction. The recommended age to start playing airsoft is 12 or 13 years old.

But before taking your kids to play airsoft, please first read our article How Old Do You Have To Be To Play Airsoft? where you’ll going to find all the necessary information, like safety tips and rules, benefits of airsoft, laws in each country, and list of safety gear you should get for your kid.

Airsoft Rules

Before you can go and play airsoft there are some rules you should know. There are some general rules in airsoft and there are also rules that depend on the game scenario and fields where you’re going to play. Here we’ll cover some general rules.

• Honor system – as we already said airsoft BBs don’t leave a visible mark like paintballs so players should call themselves out when hit. Yell „HIT“, raise your arm and proceed to the safe area.
• Wear eye protection – you must wear eye protection at all time, in the battle and around the battlefield
• No blind firing
• No point-blank range firing – keep in mind engagement distance. If your opponent is too close you can ask him to surrender instead of shooting at him or you can tap someone with your gun if you’re close enough.
• No physical contact – it’s forbidden to hit anyone with guns or hold
• Hit from an airsoft BB anywhere on your body is considered as an elimination
• Friendly fire counts
• Avoid head shots – aim for the body or legs of the opponent as headshots are dangerous
• Think about safety – in safe zones, turn the safety on, and take a magazine out. Even better keep your weapon in a holster or put “barrel bags” or barrel blockers over the muzzle of the gun.
• No shouting and no foul language – if you have problems with other players inform marshall
• Don’t camp out at re-spawn locations

Airsoft Terms

Before playing an airsoft game, you should familiarize yourself with some of the airsoft terms as airsoft is full of acronyms and terms that can be difficult to understand for new players. We’re not going to cover all of them here, just the main ones but you can find many more in our article Airsoft Glossary: 55 Airsoft Terms You Should Know.

AEG – AEG stands for Automatic Electric Guns, and is one of the most known airsoft terms. AEGs are electric-powered guns that use batteries and is the most popular type of airsoft gun for a skirmish.

AEP – AEP stands for Automatic Electric Pistol.

Barrel – hollow metal tube of a gun that the projectile travels through

BB – BB stands for Ball Bearing. This is ammunition we use in airsoft. They are plastic pellets, usually measure around 6 mm or 8 mm with various weights ranging from 0.20g to 0.45g+. Not to be confused with BB guns.

Clip – another name for the magazine.

CQB – CQB stands for Close Quarters Battle. Type of airsoft game in which the objective is to eliminate the other team and it is played in close quarters.

EBB – EBB stands for Electric Blow Back. EBB offers recoil on electric guns but it’s not realistic as GBB mechanism.

FPS – stands for Feet Per Second and represents airsoft gun projectile speed or velocity. It’s the speed at which a BB leaves an airsoft gun’s barrel. You can read more about it following article.

Full Auto – stands for Full Automatic. When you squeeze and hold the trigger it will result in the constant firing until all the ammo is exhausted.

GBB – stands for Gas Blowback and it’s a feature of gas-powered guns. GBB gives you a realistic recoil.

Green Gas – propane-silicone oil mixture used to power airsoft gas guns, both GBB and NBB.

High Cap – stands for High Capacity magazines. High Cap magazines usually contain from 200 or 300 BBs up to 1000 BBs and more.

Hop-Up – stands for High Operation Power Up which is a mechanism that creates a back-spin effect on airsoft BBs to increase their range and accuracy through a Magnus effect.

Low-Cap – stands for Low Capacity Magazine. Contains less than 100 rounds.

Magazine – fixed or removable part that holds ammunition.

Mid-Cap – stands for Mid Capacity Magazines. They usually contain between 100 to 200 rounds which is more than Low-Cap but less than High-Cap magazines.

MilSim – stands for Military Simulation. More serious, strategic, and slower-paced objective-based game modeled after real military scenarios.

NBB – stands for Non-Blow-Back. Gas-powered airsoft guns without recoil.

ROF – stands for Rate of Fire. The number of BBs fired from an airsoft gun in a given time. Usually measured in rounds per second (RPS) but it can be also measured in rounds per minute (RPM).

RPM – stands for Rounds Per Minute. The number of BBs fired from an airsoft gun per minute.

RPS – stands for Round Per Second. The number of BBs fired from an airsoft gun per second.

Semi-Auto – stands for Semi-Automatic. Fires a single shot with each squeeze of the trigger without having to manually reload on each shot.

Springer – stands for Spring-Powered Airsoft Guns. Single-shot weapons that need to be cocked manually after each shot.

Airsoft Gameplay Roles

In Airsoft there are many gameplay roles. When you’re just starting with airsoft you don’t need to have a role and it’s actually better to play a variety of roles. After some time you’ll see which role suits you the best and play that role. Roles also depends on the type of scenario you’re playing, but these are some of the commonly used roles.

Squad Leader is usually the most experienced player on the team. Squad leader must have good judgment and needs trust from his teammates. He knows the best tactics to win the game, gives orders to the team, usually works closely with a radioman and gets information from other team members before deciding on a strategy.

The runner is a designated role that is decided before the battle. Runner must make it to a specific point without getting hit.

Medic’s role is to heal his teammates and is mostly unarmed or in a best-case maybe carrying pistol only (but without extra ammo). So he must be protected by his teammates.

Protector is a heavily armed player whose main responsibility is protecting his teammates. Sniper usually works alone and needs to patiently observe things on the battlefield. Sniper usually positions himself on top of a hill and watches enemy movements and relay that information to his team.

These are only some of the roles in airsoft and there are more, from rifleman, scout, grenadier, designated marksman, and support gunner.

Airsoft Ammunition

Airsoft guns fire round plastic projectiles called „BBs“ and are typically made of plastic and usually measure around 6 mm (0.24 in) in diameter and weigh around 0.12–0.40 g.  Many airsoft users call them “BBs”, which could be a little confusing for beginners as the same term is used for the 4.5 mm metal projectiles that BB guns fire.

BB weight is an important factor as it influences things like velocity, kinetic energy, and pellet trajectory. Some of the most common weights are 0.12g, 0.20g, 0.25g, and 0.30g. 0.12g BB is a highly common ammo weight used for low-grade AEG’s and spring guns under 250 FPS. These pellets are pretty inaccurate and notorious for breaking inside high-powered guns. 0.20g BBs is Second-most common weight and are a good choice for the majority of airsoft guns that shoot in the 250-370 FPS range. 0.25g BBs is  Third-most common weight and more accurate than 0.20g BBs but they don’t have the range of 0.20g BBs. Used for airsoft guns that shoot in the 350-425 FPS range. 0.30g BBs are used for most sniper rifles that shoot over 425 FPS.

Although the majority of pellets are made of plastic there are some variants of airsoft BBs, like biodegradable pellets or tracers, just to name a few.

And I suggest that you use quality pellets as some low-cost pellets can actually cause irreparable damage to the internals of the gun.

What Equipment Do I Need To Start Playing Airsoft?

If you never played airsoft I would suggest that you first go to some local field and rent guns and safety gear before buying any equipment. Play a couple of rounds with your friends and if you like it then go and purchase airsoft equipment. Here’s a list of airsoft equipment you should get:

1. Airsoft replica – I would suggest that you get a decent AEG which is the most popular and common type of airsoft gun. They are cheaper than gas-powered guns, easy to maintain, pretty reliable, and are good for close combat and distance battles.
2. Face protection – get a full-face mask or safety goggles. If you decide to purchase safety goggles instead of a full-face mask, then I would recommend getting some additional gear to protect the lower part of the face, like a half-face mask or scarves, mesh neoprene, and gum shields.
3. Gloves – get a decent pair of gloves to protect your hands.
4. Tactical vest – besides providing extra protection, tactical vest makes carrying all the gear a lot easier.
5. Elbow and knee pads – get these pads to protect yourself when jumping or falling.
6. Footwear – purchase proper footwear with good traction depending on which type of terrain you’ll be playing.
7. Appropriate clothes – if you’re not going to buy a full uniform or camouflage clothes which includes trousers, shirt, jacket, cap, and helmet, wear thicker long sleeve shirt and pants.
8. Magazine – get a few extra magazines so you don’t have to refill your magazine every 5 minutes.

Summary

Airsoft is a pretty fun, engaging, and thrilling outdoor activity. Before playing please familiarize yourself with all the rules, safety tips, and terms. Also, don’t forget to get all the necessary safety equipment.

I hope you found all the information you were looking for and in case we missed something please send us an email or contact us via contact form and we’ll be glad to help you. Also, check our other articles as you’ll find many helpful information before getting into airsoft.

Photos credit: Pixabay.com (benjaminwgr0, 8089514)