The Firing Line Forums - View Single Post - Does anyone use an AirSoft pistol for training against targets or mannequins?

valleyforge.1777 · November 2, 2012, 10:18 PM

I am looking into buying one of the AirSoft replicas of a Sig Sauer P229. The gun is all steel. It weighs 2 pounds. It has REAL DA/SA action, just like the real thing. It has a de-cocker, just like the real thing. It has a slide release just like the real thing. It locks back the slide on an empty mag, just like the real thing. And, it has recoil. I have not felt the recoil myself, but looking at the videos on YouTube, it looks like the shooter will perceive the recoil, not as much as with a real 9 mm, but not trivial either.

The purpose is to use a shooting dummy target to simulate CQ gun fighting. I can use it to simulate encountering a robber in my home. I can use it to simulate a mugging. Since it will not be a square range set up, I can grab an arm and get behind or along side the bad guy, and then draw and shoot from retention, etc. It will not be real in that he (the mannequin I am going to make) will not shoot back, and I can not strike him hard like a real bad guy, but if this works out I might spring for a real training target dummy that can be punched, hit, etc. We'll see how it goes. But I am satisfied that the AirSoft pistol I am going to get is "real enough".

November 2, 2012, 10:18 PM	#28
valleyforge.1777 Senior Member Join Date: June 2, 2011 Posts: 177	I am looking into buying one of the AirSoft replicas of a Sig Sauer P229. The gun is all steel. It weighs 2 pounds. It has REAL DA/SA action, just like the real thing. It has a de-cocker, just like the real thing. It has a slide release just like the real thing. It locks back the slide on an empty mag, just like the real thing. And, it has recoil. I have not felt the recoil myself, but looking at the videos on YouTube, it looks like the shooter will perceive the recoil, not as much as with a real 9 mm, but not trivial either. The purpose is to use a shooting dummy target to simulate CQ gun fighting. I can use it to simulate encountering a robber in my home. I can use it to simulate a mugging. Since it will not be a square range set up, I can grab an arm and get behind or along side the bad guy, and then draw and shoot from retention, etc. It will not be real in that he (the mannequin I am going to make) will not shoot back, and I can not strike him hard like a real bad guy, but if this works out I might spring for a real training target dummy that can be punched, hit, etc. We'll see how it goes. But I am satisfied that the AirSoft pistol I am going to get is "real enough".