Thread: Training with Airsoft?

Anyone out there train with Airsoft weapons (and I don't mean those plastic toys). I just picked up my first blowback pistol last week. All steel "Caspian" 1911. I made a BB trap and have been practicing. Basic stuff like sight picture and trigger pull (always been an issue for me - short fingers ).
I know it's not the real thing but for the price, and time savings it seems like a great deal.

BTW I originally bought the Airsoft for the "cool fun" factor (and to help convince some local wildlife to stay out of my garage) but have been completely impressed with the quailty "trigger time" I'm getting.

Any opinions?

I saved my money for a real gun.

I do enjoy shooting my airsoft cheapies. I do have a CO2 one that will shoot clean through a full cereal box. Can't find anyone to shoot at though, most are afraid of that badboy.

Anytime spent behind a firearm is a great training opportunity- but it should never REPLACE any range time with an actual firearm.

Paintball guns and Airsoft guns give you training and realism that you wouldn't normally get from traditional firearms. Especially with the economy, range fees and ammo prices- any way to get some trigger time is never wasted money in my opinion. Nevertheless, immitation firearms and toys create bad habits that only true firearms can remind you about.

"Shoot em up!" I say, just remember to pick up the real thing once in a while as well!

I could see the use of high-quality airsoft would be force on force training. But since I have no desire to have any gun pointed at me (much less shot at me), regardless of what it shoots, I have no use for them. But if it works for you, have at it.

For trigger control and sight picture, I prefer real shooting and dry-firing.

All right!

Just to set the record straight. I never suggested that airsoft would/should replace my regular range time. It's just that I can't set up a live fire range in my pool room .
I still will, and do practice with my EDC weapon and several other of my "go to" weapons as much as possible- including dry fire and live fire.
Since I'm pretty old school and these new fangeld BB guns are new to me I just was wondering if anybody had been using these high quality airsoft in a training capacity.

I think I'm going to set up my trap and put a couple of hundred holes in some targets after the kids get to sleep.

Originally Posted by Sawdust

Anyone out there train with Airsoft weapons (and I don't mean those plastic toys). I just picked up my first blowback pistol last week. All steel "Caspian" 1911. I made a BB trap and have been practicing. Basic stuff like sight picture and trigger pull (always been an issue for me - short fingers ).
I know it's not the real thing but for the price, and time savings it seems like a great deal.

BTW I originally bought the Airsoft for the "cool fun" factor (and to help convince some local wildlife to stay out of my garage) but have been completely impressed with the quailty "trigger time" I'm getting.

Any opinions?

I want to get a real high quality 1911 Airsoft gun to train for IPSC in the comfort of my home.

The ones I want are expensive, and they seem to be hard to find locally. (Vancouver)

Where did you get yours?

Check ebay?

http://cgi.ebay.com/UPGRADED-TM-Toky...item2a04d98e01

Originally Posted by coctailer

I want to get a real high quality 1911 Airsoft gun to train for IPSC in the comfort of my home.

The ones I want are expensive, and they seem to be hard to find locally. (Vancouver)

Where did you get yours?

there is an airsoft shop in cornelius about 10 minutes from hillsboro gunshow they have everything and let you test fire ask gunkata he knows the way

Originally Posted by coctailer

I want to get a real high quality 1911 Airsoft gun to train for IPSC in the comfort of my home.

The ones I want are expensive, and they seem to be hard to find locally. (Vancouver)

Where did you get yours?

I don't know that these will meet your standards but I got mine from a shop in Tualatin. Here is a link to the site.

http://airsoft.paintball-online.com/

As Mountainbear said, they are great for force-on-force training. It does sting quite a bit at closer ranges. It would be considered the next step up in tactics training from a one way killhouse with live ammo. The targets shoot back at you and adapt to your moves.

I can't imagine even with the blow back effect it offers much honest training. Sort of like the Xbox first shooter games. Fun to play but not training for the real deal IMHO.

I believe that any form of training, especially with no recoil type guns is extremely effective. An old friend of mine" God rest his soul" used to be professionally trained for chuckar hunting shooting offhand with BB guns

There are a lot of things that can be worked on and refined but also keep in mind that IRL what you can consider cover in Airsoft will most likely mean dink and you'll probably be engaging at longer ranges. That said... certainly there are things that can be learned from it if you make it real enough...

How do you react to adrenalin pumping through you?

How do you react when caught off guard?

How effective is your method of communication with your team?

Use small mags with real ammo limits.

For more information about getting connected up with a local team and training/playing check out http://www.airsoftpacific.com/

For a list of upcoming events: http://www.airsoftpacific.com/viewforum.php?f=10

-d

Snap caps are a lot cheaper.

Airsoft can be another piece of the training puzzle but it is not a complete solution. Another great tool is Threat Dynamics here in Hillsboro, we are lucky to have such a great facility available. Use all the tools available to you to train. Take classes, live fire, snap caps, and whatever else you can think of. All have value and all have limitations.

Airsoft is a fantastic training tool. Safe way to work on basic skills while at home, say in the garage. As stated, force on force is one area airsoft is great. If you have never done any force on force with another shooter, this is your chance.

Airsoft can be used to hone your get off the x and shoot skill, and greatly improve your ability to hit targets fast and accurately, and while you or it is moving.

If you are going to get shot, the stats say that there is a 90% chance of that happening at less than 15 feet. So, learning how to shoot fast and accurately at CQ distances makes sense to me.

It takes some practice, but not that much to move and shoot and/or hit moving targets, even aerials (pop cans tossed in the air), with an airsoft pistol.

When shooting aerials in particular, there is no time to use the sights or squeeze the trigger. Gives real meaning to the phrase, just point and shoot.

Here's a link to more info and a video of me shooting aerials: http:www.pointshooting.com/1aerials.htm

Don't try it with a real gun.

As to caliber, think .22

With a 9mm you obviously couldn't shoot the second shot and third shots as quickly as with a lesser recoiling gun.

Maybe a .22 would actually be the superior and practical caliber for use for CQ shooting, and particularly if you or the target is moving.

Would make a good seperate thread if you like kicking hornets nests to see what will happen next.

i learned a lot playing paintball. i started when i was a kid, and learned how to "pie the corner" correctly, before i even started watching home defense videos years later and learned that it was a real skill. you learn how to seek out and use cover effectively (even if there would be a lot less cover in a real fight), and you learn how to out think an opponent who is trying to "kill" you. these are things that cannot be book learned, you have to do them. you have to learn that the shooter does not always go where you think he will, and you have to learn how to adapt and keep yourself from getting boxed in. nothing teaches that quite like getting shot in the back a few times.

paintball and airsoft are the only sports where men can learn how to actually engage other men with no real consequences, even if the tools of the engagement are not exactly like in real life. i honestly feel that if you really believe in personal and community defense you need to train with paintball or airsoft, preferably with real life simulation as the goal (none of that speedball stuff). ****, the military even used paintball as an effective training measure, until they got more expensive and realistic toys.

I played airsoft for years and years, but stopped once a bunch of old, out of shape fat guys with minivans started playing, with guns that were more expensive than their cars.

It was hard to compete when they would sit in some corner and pick you off from a ways away and your gun couldn't touch them. Not only did it become a financial investment, it became a dress-up party where more time was spent "reloading" than playing the game.

Thumbs down, play woodsball instead. More gaming, less "reloading/dress up/showing off REAL MILITARY EQUIPMENT ZOMG"

The airsoft bb itself doesn't have enough momentum to be accurate, so you would have to fire a ridiculous amount of bbs, even with .25 or greater weight bbs to hit...and that's if people even called their hits.

Ugh.

I second that, I was into airsoft when I was in 5th grade, those guns were fun but not anything near as good as the real ones I can own now, I heard about tactical teams playing airsoft to learn drills and such. For real world situation with let's say a jammed gun, in airsoft you just rack the slide back, give it a shake and your good to go, you don't get the whole situation awareness like a real firearm, and if swat teams did play airsoft to learn routines, I'm sure we would have more dead LE out there, do to the fact everyone crossfires and points their guns straight to the back of fellow teammates. It's a great kids game that can flourish to love for firearms but keep it at that.