Thursday, September 10, 2009

Teen cited for shooting at younger boys with Airsoft gun

MADISON (WKOW) -- Madison Police arrested a 16-year-old boy Saturday night for allegedly shooting two younger boys with an Airsoft gun.

One of the victims, a 13-year-old, told the officer the teen shot him in the arm and hand at close range. The second victim, an 11-year-old, says he was shot in the face from about 15-feet away.

Both told officers they did not provoke the suspect and weren't sure they it happened.

Police tracked down the teen and arrested him for two counts of Battery (with an airsoft gun).

This is obviously a poor example of airsoft gun safety and inproper usage of an airsoft gun.

Thursday, September 03, 2009

Safely Caring For Your Airsoft Guns

Proper operation and care of your airsoft guns can go a long way in maintaining the appearance and functionality of your weapons. The items needed are very inexpensive and readily available: damp cloth, silicon, cleaning rod, and barrels squabs.

Using a good quality BB in your airsoft gun will do more to insure its proper function than any other aspect of operation and maintenance. You need to insure that you use a high quality double polish BB. Using an inferior BB will introduce your gun to seams, burs, pits, and non spherical shapes, any one of these defects can jam your airsoft gun causing a cascade of mechanical failures.

Apply lubricant to your airsoft gun frequently. Remember to use one hundred percent silicon oil, as any other type of oil will have side effects on seals and other parts slowly decreasing your guns performance and reliability. For those models that utilize a hop-up, the application of silicon oil will help keep this critical piece of rubber from drying out and becoming useless. Apply silicon oil into the feed tube on electric models and for gas airsoft guns you will have to perform a partial disassembly in order to lubricate them properly.

The inner barrel of your airsoft gun will need to be cleaned religiously. Any dirt or debris within these tight quarters will at the very least decrease your range and accuracy of your airsoft gun. In the worst case scenario debris may be significant enough to cause a BB to jam. If a jam occurs, especially in an electric model, the subsequent BBs may cause severe damage.

The magazines used in your airsoft gun may periodically need a little silicon oil to provide proper feeding. For those using a large electric box magazine, you may find coating the inside of your box magazine with a very light layer of silicon will help with feeding and minimize jams. Remove BBs from your magazines before you store them, as BBs left in the magazine will keep the spring compressed and decrease its effectiveness overtime.

The externals of airsoft guns tend to require only a damp cloth to remove the dust and grime from playing. However, outer barrels, screw heads, fasteners, etc will need some form of oil from time to time in order to ward off surface rust and insure proper function.

Depending on how much you utilize your electric airsoft guns, it may be beneficial to have the mechanical box disassembled and serviced. This service usually includes replacing any items that show wear, re-shimming the gears for proper fits, and the application of a lubricant to gears themselves. Most players will use an airsoft shop for this service or have someone in their group that has experience in this type of service.

A few simple steps can be taken to insure you get the most out of your day’s game and increase the longevity of your equipment. Most steps can be completed with just a few low cost readily available items.

Wednesday, September 02, 2009

Replicas of Real Firearms – Airsoft Guns

Airsoft gun games: some basics.

Many on-line shooting game enthusiasts are turning to airsoft gun games as a way of taking their shooting skills to another level. Read on to find out why.

Some background

These types of gun were developed back in the 1980`s in Japan. At the time a real gun was actually difficult to acquire so the airsoft gun was developed as an alternative option for those who were enthusiastic about guns.

So what are airsoft guns? They are non-lethal reproductions of real fire arms, either in the original size or a smaller version. They are divided into three types according to the way in which they are powered. The three groups are spring-powered, electric powered and gas powered.

The first versions were spring-powered. Then came the electric powered guns and finally in the 1990`s we saw the growth of the gas-powered gun. Ammunition for these guns is plastic pellets varying size between 6mm and 8mm. These ?bullets? or ?bb?s` vary also in weight with the lightest being around 0.12 grams all the way up to 0.88 grams. Experts tend to use a bullet weighing around 0.2 or 0.25 grams as they are the best for accuracy and distance.

In the 1990`s fighting grounds developed where groups of gun enthusiasts could gather to indulge their interest in pretend ?war games?. Here two people could fight each other or teams could compete with each other. As interest has grown in this ?hobby? or ?sport?, rules and game formats have developed along with the guns and gun accessories. Specially designated fight areas have also developed. Commentators suggest that airsoft gun games developed out of the paintball game.

Airsoft Game Formats

There are a number of game formats that you can be involved with including:-

Prison Escape ? here you are a prisoner and you have to try to escape with a few other prisoners down an escape tunnel.

Capture the Flag ? two teams have their own flag that the other team is attempting to capture and take back to their base.

Other games include ? Stalkers, Manhunt and Last Player Standing.

The Rules

Although there are legal requirements around the use of the guns themselves, the rules for the game are more informal but contain some basic universal guidelines.

If the body or gear (but not the weapon) is hit, the player is out.

When hit, the player shouts ?I am hit? and raises his arm.

After being hit, the player must go to the safe zone.

After the hit, the players must not talk with each other

Friendly fire counts as a hit.

Safety: Some Basics

For your own safety and the safety of other bear in the mind the following:-

Do not show your guns in plain public view.

Play air soft games in designated areas and not public places like parks etc.

For personal safety wear goggles, a long sleeve shirt, and boots. Do not remove goggles while a game is in process.

When in the designated safe zone always keep your guns safety on. Failure to comply may get you banned from a particular location.

So, are you interested in airsoft games? Enthusiasts offer a word of caution. Soft may be the name, but it is not for the soft-hearted. Are you prepared to be shot or to spend your time dodging bb?s? Still interested? It is recommended that you look for a knowledgeable company who can advise you on the best model of gun for your requirements. There are many suppliers on the internet. Whether you are a rookie or full-blown enthusiast, try to look for a supplier of 2nd Generation Airsoft guns as they will have the most up to date information about gun quality and be able to supply the latest models of gun and accessories.

Tuesday, September 01, 2009

The Basics of Airsoft & Airsoft Guns

Airsoft is much like paintball, but no visible mark is left when you hit an opponent. This is because airsoft is played with guns that shoot small plastic 6mm BBs. All airsoft guns propel their plastic BBs from compressed air, but the air can be compressed in many different ways.

Some of the airsoft guns compress their air using an electronic gear box system, which simply pulls back a powerful spring/plunger (which then compressed the air). Then there are the single shot (usually airsoft sniper rifles) that use the same concept, but have no electrical gearbox (they simply need to be manually cocked for each shot). Lastly, some airsoft rifles use pre-compressed air (C02), or even compressed propane gas to fire.

The single shot spring powered airsoft sniper rifles are the cheapest of the 3 different types of airsoft guns, while the electric AEG airsoft guns and the C02/Gas airsoft rifles are far more expensive. Generally spring airsoft rifles cost about $80 – $130, while the electric and gas powered airsoft rifles tend to cost about $100 – $200 or more.

As far as the battlefields that airsoft is played in, they are usually very realistic. For example, many airsoft battlefields provide walls, bunkers, tactical towers, and in some cases even buildings. This makes for a very tactical experience, where it takes more than just good aim in order to win.

The role that you play in the airsoft games (or scenarios) generally depends on what type of airsoft gun you have. Airsoft snipers use powerful airsoft sniper rifles, while those who like to move around more (and get more action) use automatic electric airsoft rifles (also known as AEG airsoft guns). The most popular electric guns are the airsoft AK-47, airsoft M4, airsoft M16, and even airsoft M249 SAW rifles (which are used for heavy support).

The types of airsoft games can vary quite a bit, based on the location and amount of players. The most popular type of airsoft games are short matches (or “skirmishes”). However, military simulations are also pretty popular, along with a few other types of organized scenarios. Also, another fairly popular thing that airsoft guns are used for is reenactments of historical events (for example, a reenactment of Vietnam).

The rules involved with airsoft games are straightforward and simple. The main rule is simply to admit it when you have been hit by your opponent. There is actually an honor system that is used; you are expected to always call out and raise your hand when you know that you have been shot.

Being hit at close range can be painful. With that being said and done, if you sneak up behind an opponent you can just tap them on the back to get your kill, rather than blasting them from a few feet away. This is basically another part of the honor system, but it isnt a necessity.

All in all, airsoft is a sport just like any other, and is all about having fun, and being respectful to others. But rather than kicking or throwing a ball around, players shoot each other with plastic BBs. Strategy and using terrain correctly is essential, which makes airsoft a very realistic war simulation.

Airsoft Guns Are A Great Alternative To The Real Thing

Your typical weekend warrior wants the excitement of planning and executing paramilitary maneuvers in a nearby woodland without the danger and stress of actual military operations. Some people have turned to paintball to recreate the thrill of the hunt, but because of its popularity, paintball has become very commercialized.

Airsoft guns use plastic BB pellets instead of real bullets. These BBs are made of plastic (or occasionally a biodegradable material) and come primarily in 6 and 8 mm sizes. A slightly larger caliber is available for sniper rifles. Most of the time these pellets are brightly colored in yellow or orange, so there is no way you can mistake them for real ammunition.

Airsoft ammunition is typically bright orange or yellow plastic BBs. These BBs are found primarily in 6 and 8 mm caliber. It is only larger for sniper rifles, where the added weight helps the pellet fly true even through cross winds. These BBs will sting a little if you are hit by them, and can cause minor bruising if you are fired upon at point blank range. In most military simulations you are so far away from your enemy that if you are hit you may not even feel any pressure.

The only way a plastic BB could actually cause permanent damage is if it were fired into your eyes. However, people who engage in military simulations with airsoft guns are required to wear ANSI approved eye protection that is guaranteed not to shatter if impacted with a BB. This way you can have your fun without worrying about accidentally hurting someone.

The BBs can be fired out of airsoft guns in a variety of ways. The most popular is the gas mechanism. Green gas or pure propane is used to create a pocket of pressurized air that shoots the pellet out at just under 100 m/s. The kickback of a gas powered airsoft gun is closest to the kickback you’d get from the real thing, a major factor in their popularity.

This motor is used to create the force needed to fire the pellets. Electric guns are the mostly likely to get jammed, especially if you use them in damp conditions. Finally, the favorite propulsion mechanism for airsoft guns is gas. Green gas is most often used.

The next innovation in airsoft guns was the electric model. It utilizes a battery to power a small electric motor that propels the bullets forward. While you can achieve a higher rate of firing, it is not as consistently reliable as a spring mechanism. These days the most popular airsoft gun is gas powered. These guns most closely resemble real weapons. When you load your pellets, you also load a small pressurized gas canister onto your gun. The pressure released from the canister shoots out your bullets. Gas is used in nearly all machine airsoft guns.

Regardless of what type of airsoft gun you choose for your paramilitary games or range practice, know that you have chosen a proven and safer alternative to standard weapons.