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In my early years of college, I had some truly great experiences and some of the most fun I've ever had; and no, not those of the experimental nature. Me and a seriously awesome group of individuals played airsoft twice a month. Most of the guys were vets (marines, air force, and army,) others were hunters, a prepper was sprinkled in here and there, and a few "operators." If you've never had the pleasure to play airsoft, you are missing out on some of the most fun you'll ever have. Of course, there are a few key factors that are paramount in making the game great. First, you need the right group of guys. One or two bad apples can ruin the experience. You also need the players to have equipment that puts everyone on a somewhat level playing field. If one guy has a $300 full auto gun that shoots 400fps and another has a $20 pump action walmart special throwing down a fearsome 150fps, you can place your bets on who's going to come out on top. Lastly, you need an extraordinary place to play; our airsoft sanctuary was in Oregon City. Emmert International had the lovingly dubbed Graveyard. The graveyard was a 20 acre field littered with dilapidated school buses, fire trucks, manufactured homes, structural beams and more heavy equipment than you could shake a stick at; it was utterly perfect. We had the three key factors in making a perfect airsoft game, and we took full advantage of them.
I, not having any formal training or military experience, learned a handful of invaluable lessons from my times playing the game that will stay with me forever.
Lesson 1: Most "operator" tactics will get you shot.
There were three guys in the group that loved that tactical lifestyle. They attended carbine courses, ran drills before the match, stayed up to date on the latest tactical gear and religiously followed Instructor Zero. Unfortunately for them, these guys that tried the high speed-low drag were the first ones to get a face full of angry bees courtesy of a more methodical and thorough player. Disclaimer here: I'm not an expert in gunfightery nor do I pretend to be one on youtube, these are just my observations.
Lesson 2: Always bring more ammo than you think.
Though our airsoft guns would shoot full auto, and at an incredibly high rate of fire at that, we would often play in semi auto only matches. For one reason, it was more akin to the manual of arms of our actual firearms. Secondly, it placed the players on a hierarchy of skill by removing the unrealistic zero-recoil laser beams that are full auto airsoft guns. Those that could accurately and succinctly place shots on target were rewarded by not getting shot, but I digress. You use more ammo than you think in a firefight, and many times those rounds send down range are not actually intended to connect on target. Those rounds offer you time, and time is invaluable in these situations; time to move, time to communicate with your ally, time to let your ally move, etc. These rounds add up, and if you're not careful, you'll be kissing your rifle goodbye and resorting to your sidearm, or offering yourself as fodder.
Lesson 3: Make sure your gear is comfortable.
We would generally play for about 4 hours, and the vast majority of that time was spent in an active game. If your gear was an irritant, your mind was not "in the game." Annoying factors such as pants that fell down because you loaded them up with a sidearm and 6 extra mags, shoes that made your toes numb and didn't get enough traction, a gun that was too heavy or hit pressure points, or vests that limited your ability to move were all enough to make you lose a bit of focus. It was in airsoft that I learned that an Ar15 would cause a nasty blister on my right middle finger where the trigger guard rested. Something that never happened on the range as the duration did allow for me to make this discovery. In order to remedy this I had to search for a trigger guard that covered the ears of the receiver where the roll pin is held. Wilson combat is the only one I've found that solves this issue for me.
Lesson 4: Changing elevations will save your life.
It's human nature to look at eye level first. You can take advantage of this in a fight by removing yourself from that line of sight. I remember clearly walking through "the maze." This was a large collection of thick steel I beams that were configured in such a way that it created dubious corridors, dead ends, and narrow paths. It was somewhat of a death sentence to enter the maze, but from time to time I enjoyed testing my ability in there. In one particular instance, I was doing my best to clear each path as made my way through; slowly looking down the path, taking extreme caution to only allow my eye to be exposed before committing the rest of my body. I finally came to a four way intersection in which I had to use speed in order to safely continue on my way. A quick glance to the left told me I was clear. The path that lay ahead was all safe, and as I looked right, I took a quick breath of reprieve because it too was clear, or I thought. Though I looked straight and saw nothing alarming, I was rewarded by my mistake in the form of a chest full of bbs. On the ground lay my opponent, and by the time I saw him, he had already dropped me. From that time on, I didn't make that mistake again. Not only did I refrain from making such a mistake, I made sure others learned from my past experiences.
Lesson 5: Stay hydrated.
You're out in the field, having a blast, climbing this truck, running through this buss and crawling under this house on stilts, and all the while you're not drinking enough water. It's not until you're driving home are you hit with a near debilitating migraine, courtesy of your drought like watering practices. God, that was the worst headache of my life.
Lesson 6: Move
We had a couple guys that I called campers. They would find the perfect spot to sit in and hunker down for the long run. I hated campers, and I made it my one and only goal to weed them out. Why? Because it wasn't fun to get hit by a camper; it was akin to getting tackled by the waterboy during the superbowl. Camping took no skill, no thought, no courage. On top of that, the camper would never win the game. When you move in pairs, as we often did, nine times out of ten, the camper would hit one and get blasted by the second. Furthermore, the airsoft guns are loud enough in the dead quiet where once you shot, everyone knew where you were. With that said, it was beast practice to shoot, and then move. Yes, I found it more fun to essentially be in a constant state of motion, and no I definitely would not be that mobile if we were playing for pinks, but the truth is that those who moved fared better than those who camped.
I undoubtedly miss the heydays of my airsofting career. As I said, you need that perfect combination of three key factors to make it worth playing. I tried to keep playing once I moved; I attempted to get a college group together at OSU, but could never come close to recreating the magic. Guys not having the right mix of seriousness and informality, not admitting their hits, overactive trigger fingers, playing areas that were either too small or too big, and group sizes that never worked. Too many people would take forever to get staged and started, while too few made the game want for more diversity. While my best days of playing are currently behind me, I do have hopes of recreating some of the glory. I have the land, the time and the ability to play, now I just need those two other factors.
Thanks for reading, I was in the nostalgic mood and thanks to Mr. bourbon I felt the need to write.
I unfortunately don't have any pictures while playing, but I still have too many pictures of my once loved airsoft guns.
I, not having any formal training or military experience, learned a handful of invaluable lessons from my times playing the game that will stay with me forever.
Lesson 1: Most "operator" tactics will get you shot.
There were three guys in the group that loved that tactical lifestyle. They attended carbine courses, ran drills before the match, stayed up to date on the latest tactical gear and religiously followed Instructor Zero. Unfortunately for them, these guys that tried the high speed-low drag were the first ones to get a face full of angry bees courtesy of a more methodical and thorough player. Disclaimer here: I'm not an expert in gunfightery nor do I pretend to be one on youtube, these are just my observations.
Lesson 2: Always bring more ammo than you think.
Though our airsoft guns would shoot full auto, and at an incredibly high rate of fire at that, we would often play in semi auto only matches. For one reason, it was more akin to the manual of arms of our actual firearms. Secondly, it placed the players on a hierarchy of skill by removing the unrealistic zero-recoil laser beams that are full auto airsoft guns. Those that could accurately and succinctly place shots on target were rewarded by not getting shot, but I digress. You use more ammo than you think in a firefight, and many times those rounds send down range are not actually intended to connect on target. Those rounds offer you time, and time is invaluable in these situations; time to move, time to communicate with your ally, time to let your ally move, etc. These rounds add up, and if you're not careful, you'll be kissing your rifle goodbye and resorting to your sidearm, or offering yourself as fodder.
Lesson 3: Make sure your gear is comfortable.
We would generally play for about 4 hours, and the vast majority of that time was spent in an active game. If your gear was an irritant, your mind was not "in the game." Annoying factors such as pants that fell down because you loaded them up with a sidearm and 6 extra mags, shoes that made your toes numb and didn't get enough traction, a gun that was too heavy or hit pressure points, or vests that limited your ability to move were all enough to make you lose a bit of focus. It was in airsoft that I learned that an Ar15 would cause a nasty blister on my right middle finger where the trigger guard rested. Something that never happened on the range as the duration did allow for me to make this discovery. In order to remedy this I had to search for a trigger guard that covered the ears of the receiver where the roll pin is held. Wilson combat is the only one I've found that solves this issue for me.
Lesson 4: Changing elevations will save your life.
It's human nature to look at eye level first. You can take advantage of this in a fight by removing yourself from that line of sight. I remember clearly walking through "the maze." This was a large collection of thick steel I beams that were configured in such a way that it created dubious corridors, dead ends, and narrow paths. It was somewhat of a death sentence to enter the maze, but from time to time I enjoyed testing my ability in there. In one particular instance, I was doing my best to clear each path as made my way through; slowly looking down the path, taking extreme caution to only allow my eye to be exposed before committing the rest of my body. I finally came to a four way intersection in which I had to use speed in order to safely continue on my way. A quick glance to the left told me I was clear. The path that lay ahead was all safe, and as I looked right, I took a quick breath of reprieve because it too was clear, or I thought. Though I looked straight and saw nothing alarming, I was rewarded by my mistake in the form of a chest full of bbs. On the ground lay my opponent, and by the time I saw him, he had already dropped me. From that time on, I didn't make that mistake again. Not only did I refrain from making such a mistake, I made sure others learned from my past experiences.
Lesson 5: Stay hydrated.
You're out in the field, having a blast, climbing this truck, running through this buss and crawling under this house on stilts, and all the while you're not drinking enough water. It's not until you're driving home are you hit with a near debilitating migraine, courtesy of your drought like watering practices. God, that was the worst headache of my life.
Lesson 6: Move
We had a couple guys that I called campers. They would find the perfect spot to sit in and hunker down for the long run. I hated campers, and I made it my one and only goal to weed them out. Why? Because it wasn't fun to get hit by a camper; it was akin to getting tackled by the waterboy during the superbowl. Camping took no skill, no thought, no courage. On top of that, the camper would never win the game. When you move in pairs, as we often did, nine times out of ten, the camper would hit one and get blasted by the second. Furthermore, the airsoft guns are loud enough in the dead quiet where once you shot, everyone knew where you were. With that said, it was beast practice to shoot, and then move. Yes, I found it more fun to essentially be in a constant state of motion, and no I definitely would not be that mobile if we were playing for pinks, but the truth is that those who moved fared better than those who camped.
I undoubtedly miss the heydays of my airsofting career. As I said, you need that perfect combination of three key factors to make it worth playing. I tried to keep playing once I moved; I attempted to get a college group together at OSU, but could never come close to recreating the magic. Guys not having the right mix of seriousness and informality, not admitting their hits, overactive trigger fingers, playing areas that were either too small or too big, and group sizes that never worked. Too many people would take forever to get staged and started, while too few made the game want for more diversity. While my best days of playing are currently behind me, I do have hopes of recreating some of the glory. I have the land, the time and the ability to play, now I just need those two other factors.
Thanks for reading, I was in the nostalgic mood and thanks to Mr. bourbon I felt the need to write.
I unfortunately don't have any pictures while playing, but I still have too many pictures of my once loved airsoft guns.
