Airsoft for training?

gunmetal · June 5, 2006, 02:39 PM

I've been wanting to pick up an Airsoft pistol for use around the house to practice shooting from cover, shooting while moving, etc. However, since I have absolutely ZERO knowledge of the Airsoft market I'm looking for some suggestions on what to buy.

I know there's the spring-loaded type which require a pull of the charging handle for each shot. I know I don't want that, I want to be able to fire semi-auto like a normal handgun.

But then there's CO2-based guns as well as some that apparently use "green gas" (mix of propane and silicone oil IIUC).

At Wal-Mart I saw a CO2 gun for $68, it was in a S&W semi-auto format. Online, I've seen similar items but that range from $80 to "really expensive." Some of those, mainly the more expensive ones I think, were green-gas based.

I am not interested in competition or anything like that at this time. It is just for my own practice at developing good habits and tactics on my own time. Would the CO2 gun be fine for my needs, or would I be better off with something else? I really don't want to spend more than $80 unless there is some major reason for doing so.

Thanks.

xjasilx · June 5, 2006, 03:10 PM

While I was still in high school I bought a few airsoft guns to play around with. I had a few - a spring loaded AK and Walther P99, and a green or red gas-operated KWC G17 semi-auto. I personally don't care much for the C02 guns, they aren't always made to spec and are flimsy. Spring loaded guns vary in quality as the price increases (generally speaking), but they are only single shot. You have to cock them each time you fire. They are also generally not as accurate as the gas loaded guns.

The G17 I bought was outside your price range - 120 bucks or so as I remember, but was built almost exactly to spec and had a metal slide. It also has hop-up, which is a system that uses a small allen wrench to manually adjust accuracy. Still not the most accurate thing, but much better than the springers.

If you want to get really intricate, you can get full-auto, battery operated replicas of everything from MP5's to AR-15's to M249s. Lots and lots of fun...and $$

I'm far from an expert, and others can probably tell you much more. Just sharing my experience.

They're fun toys, but they don't do anything a Red Ryder can't.

Greg Di · June 5, 2006, 10:06 PM

Get the airsoft equivalent of what you really shoot. You definitely want a gas blow back model (GBB). Most of the better GBB pistols are identical to the real firearm. They use green gas which is not CO2. It's a propane-type gas. Safe to shoot indoors unless you are around open flames. My USPc's are indistinguishable from one another and the decocker works too. While airsoft guns are not accurate at long distances, within 7 yards they are very decent.

Check out www.airsplat.com

The KWA and KWC brand of guns are good.

Mikeyboy · June 6, 2006, 08:27 AM

Do a search to see if there is an airsoft to match your model gun, then see if there is a "Heavy" version (almost the same weight as your real gun), and see if you can get some sort of blow back feature. If you can find all three, buy it because it will be the perfect training tool.

Bigfatts · June 7, 2006, 11:31 PM

I have a group of friends I play airsoft with. We limit ourselves to spring-powered rifles and pistols. I prefer them to the gas/co2 guns because the spring powered guns are more consistant. I also do not like the price of the gas guns, nor having to call a time out and give away my position to go get more gas 'cuz I ran out. A good quality springer will also be just as accurate, if not more so than a gas gun, provided it has the hop up system.

Hop up: a system that puts a backspin on the pellet to increase accuracy and keep it from dropping too soon. On some of the better guns it is adjustable so you can tailor your accuracy to different pellet weights.

My current general purpose gun is a UHC MP5 SD3, it spits a .2 gram pellet at a little under 300 fps. It hurts. It has a collapsable stock and adjustable sights. It is accurate enough that my buddy had to start wearing a full paintball mask instead of just goggles because the only part he would expose was his head. For a sidearm I use a S&W clone that spits a .12 gram pellet around 310 fps. If you want a more realistic spring powered gun, you can try UTG's clone of the 870 combat shotgun(pump action). They are powerful and accurate. I will soon be upgrading to the new CSI XM8 Sniper.

Since you are going to be training with it, you may want to spend the extra money and get a gas or electric gun. Since you want a pistol, gas may be the way to go.They are great for training and great fun. Get the best you can afford. They make some fine replicas in many different models of gun. They even make a Wilson Combat replica. I had one of the C02 guns from Wally World you spoke of, steer clear. Returned 2 of them, then I got my money back.

Check out:

www.Shortyusa.com They have a good selection of gas, electric and spring guns. Usually real reasonable prices.
www.Pyramidair.com

seth · June 8, 2006, 12:24 AM

I used to be very much into airsoft before I bought my real guns. I can say that I may even get back into it when I have the time and money (practically never!).

Airsoft is great; most of the higher end guns replicate the real-steel counterparts to the tee, with mag releases, decockers, and even the basic internal layout of the gun when disassembling.

Also, you can get together with a group on private land/airsoft field and shoot at each other without sending anyone to the hospital.

If you'd like to use airsoft as a training aid, I highly recommend you go with an FMV (full metal version) airsoft pistol, gas powered. One model in particular that is the best bang for the buck is made completely out of metal, and is an exact duplicate of the Beretta M92FS. Do a google search for "KJW M9 FMV" and shop around for the best price and finish you want (black/stainless).

More advanced players may want AEGs (automatic electric guns) and spring-powered sniper rifles, but both have zero recoil and, IMHO, not as realistic in operation as the gas-powered recoil-slide pistols/rifles.

time for you to go shopping. I recommend first stopping by www.shortyusa.com or these guys: http://www.hammermods.com/Impact.htm

good luck and have fun.

Steamboatsig · June 12, 2006, 04:03 PM

The standard for Airsoft guns is the Tokyo Marui brand.
Next if it is a pistol, you want a GBB (Gas Blow Back).
Lastly, do not buy the cheap ones from Walmart, they will disappoint you.

I shot my friends GBB Desert Eagle and it was amazing how accurate it was. Lots of fun.

Here is mine and I can tell you that it weighs, feels, and the dimensions are nearly identical to my real AR-15. It accepts most of the accessories for the real version as well. It has an all metal body, barrel, and rail system. It is dead on accurate and shoots 20 rnds/sec at 380 fps.

Bender711 · June 12, 2006, 04:18 PM

if you are looking for a good gas blow back, Personaly id get the KJW sig p226. It is all metal, same weight as the real steel, and has a very nice kick.

https://www.evike.com/Merchant2/merc...de=NEWARRIVALS
also i would recomend an Airsoft inovations propane adaptor, it allows you to use straight propane (about 10 times cheaper) in your gas guns.

June 5, 2006, 02:39 PM	#1
gunmetal Member Join Date: February 6, 2006 Posts: 67	Airsoft for training? I've been wanting to pick up an Airsoft pistol for use around the house to practice shooting from cover, shooting while moving, etc. However, since I have absolutely ZERO knowledge of the Airsoft market I'm looking for some suggestions on what to buy. I know there's the spring-loaded type which require a pull of the charging handle for each shot. I know I don't want that, I want to be able to fire semi-auto like a normal handgun. But then there's CO2-based guns as well as some that apparently use "green gas" (mix of propane and silicone oil IIUC). At Wal-Mart I saw a CO2 gun for $68, it was in a S&W semi-auto format. Online, I've seen similar items but that range from $80 to "really expensive." Some of those, mainly the more expensive ones I think, were green-gas based. I am not interested in competition or anything like that at this time. It is just for my own practice at developing good habits and tactics on my own time. Would the CO2 gun be fine for my needs, or would I be better off with something else? I really don't want to spend more than $80 unless there is some major reason for doing so. Thanks.

June 5, 2006, 03:10 PM	#2
xjasilx Member Join Date: April 7, 2005 Location: Buffalo, NY Posts: 50	Airsoft While I was still in high school I bought a few airsoft guns to play around with. I had a few - a spring loaded AK and Walther P99, and a green or red gas-operated KWC G17 semi-auto. I personally don't care much for the C02 guns, they aren't always made to spec and are flimsy. Spring loaded guns vary in quality as the price increases (generally speaking), but they are only single shot. You have to cock them each time you fire. They are also generally not as accurate as the gas loaded guns. The G17 I bought was outside your price range - 120 bucks or so as I remember, but was built almost exactly to spec and had a metal slide. It also has hop-up, which is a system that uses a small allen wrench to manually adjust accuracy. Still not the most accurate thing, but much better than the springers. If you want to get really intricate, you can get full-auto, battery operated replicas of everything from MP5's to AR-15's to M249s. Lots and lots of fun...and $$ I'm far from an expert, and others can probably tell you much more. Just sharing my experience. They're fun toys, but they don't do anything a Red Ryder can't. __________________ Remington SPS .223 Rem Winchester M70 Classic Featherweight .270 Winchester SX2 26"/Invector+ Gold Skeet Browning 12GA Pump Marlin 1894C Beretta CX4 Storm 9mm

June 12, 2006, 04:18 PM	#8
Bender711 Senior Member Join Date: September 20, 2005 Location: Florida Posts: 340	if you are looking for a good gas blow back, Personaly id get the KJW sig p226. It is all metal, same weight as the real steel, and has a very nice kick. https://www.evike.com/Merchant2/merc...de=NEWARRIVALS also i would recomend an Airsoft inovations propane adaptor, it allows you to use straight propane (about 10 times cheaper) in your gas guns. __________________ From a Mod "Seeing as how "butt Smurf" is not profanity in the usual sense and humorously creative, I'll leave this up for now"

June 5, 2006, 10:06 PM	#3
Greg Di Member Join Date: November 16, 2005 Location: Northern NJ Posts: 66	Get the airsoft equivalent of what you really shoot. You definitely want a gas blow back model (GBB). Most of the better GBB pistols are identical to the real firearm. They use green gas which is not CO2. It's a propane-type gas. Safe to shoot indoors unless you are around open flames. My USPc's are indistinguishable from one another and the decocker works too. While airsoft guns are not accurate at long distances, within 7 yards they are very decent. Check out www.airsplat.com The KWA and KWC brand of guns are good.

June 6, 2006, 08:27 AM	#4
Mikeyboy Senior Member Join Date: October 31, 2005 Posts: 1,231	Do a search to see if there is an airsoft to match your model gun, then see if there is a "Heavy" version (almost the same weight as your real gun), and see if you can get some sort of blow back feature. If you can find all three, buy it because it will be the perfect training tool.

June 7, 2006, 11:31 PM	#5
Bigfatts Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2005 Location: Lutz Posts: 1,528	I have a group of friends I play airsoft with. We limit ourselves to spring-powered rifles and pistols. I prefer them to the gas/co2 guns because the spring powered guns are more consistant. I also do not like the price of the gas guns, nor having to call a time out and give away my position to go get more gas 'cuz I ran out. A good quality springer will also be just as accurate, if not more so than a gas gun, provided it has the hop up system. Hop up: a system that puts a backspin on the pellet to increase accuracy and keep it from dropping too soon. On some of the better guns it is adjustable so you can tailor your accuracy to different pellet weights. My current general purpose gun is a UHC MP5 SD3, it spits a .2 gram pellet at a little under 300 fps. It hurts. It has a collapsable stock and adjustable sights. It is accurate enough that my buddy had to start wearing a full paintball mask instead of just goggles because the only part he would expose was his head. For a sidearm I use a S&W clone that spits a .12 gram pellet around 310 fps. If you want a more realistic spring powered gun, you can try UTG's clone of the 870 combat shotgun(pump action). They are powerful and accurate. I will soon be upgrading to the new CSI XM8 Sniper. Since you are going to be training with it, you may want to spend the extra money and get a gas or electric gun. Since you want a pistol, gas may be the way to go.They are great for training and great fun. Get the best you can afford. They make some fine replicas in many different models of gun. They even make a Wilson Combat replica. I had one of the C02 guns from Wally World you spoke of, steer clear. Returned 2 of them, then I got my money back. Check out: www.Shortyusa.com They have a good selection of gas, electric and spring guns. Usually real reasonable prices. www.Pyramidair.com

June 8, 2006, 12:24 AM	#6
seth Senior Member Join Date: May 8, 2005 Posts: 173	I used to be very much into airsoft before I bought my real guns. I can say that I may even get back into it when I have the time and money (practically never!). Airsoft is great; most of the higher end guns replicate the real-steel counterparts to the tee, with mag releases, decockers, and even the basic internal layout of the gun when disassembling. Also, you can get together with a group on private land/airsoft field and shoot at each other without sending anyone to the hospital. If you'd like to use airsoft as a training aid, I highly recommend you go with an FMV (full metal version) airsoft pistol, gas powered. One model in particular that is the best bang for the buck is made completely out of metal, and is an exact duplicate of the Beretta M92FS. Do a google search for "KJW M9 FMV" and shop around for the best price and finish you want (black/stainless). More advanced players may want AEGs (automatic electric guns) and spring-powered sniper rifles, but both have zero recoil and, IMHO, not as realistic in operation as the gas-powered recoil-slide pistols/rifles. time for you to go shopping. I recommend first stopping by www.shortyusa.com or these guys: http://www.hammermods.com/Impact.htm good luck and have fun.

June 12, 2006, 04:03 PM	#7
Steamboatsig Senior Member Join Date: December 20, 2004 Location: Los Angeles Posts: 170	The standard for Airsoft guns is the Tokyo Marui brand. Next if it is a pistol, you want a GBB (Gas Blow Back). Lastly, do not buy the cheap ones from Walmart, they will disappoint you. I shot my friends GBB Desert Eagle and it was amazing how accurate it was. Lots of fun. Here is mine and I can tell you that it weighs, feels, and the dimensions are nearly identical to my real AR-15. It accepts most of the accessories for the real version as well. It has an all metal body, barrel, and rail system. It is dead on accurate and shoots 20 rnds/sec at 380 fps.