Even though you can have quite some fun at the shooting range, trying out your favorite weapons or some classics – like the Desert Eagle or the Magnum – there will be a point where you’ll want to do more.
In short, you’ll want to feel the thrill of the fight – but without risking injury or injuring others. Of course, when it comes to such desires, there’s only one thing that can provide you with the same satisfaction of a real battlefield – naturally, we are talking about airsoft.
However, if you are a beginner, you will have no idea what guns or other equipment to buy. Luckily, we are here to help you – here are our picks for airsoft guns and equipment. You might not be “working” with the best air rifles out there, but the experience is still thrilling.
- Choose Your Role Properly
If you’ve just got into the world of airsoft, then it is recommended that you choose yourself a role that you like and have fun playing, so to speak. This is because you will want to buy a weapon that fits your role – and not buy one for every single role available.
Usually, an airsoft team is made of a leader (a.k.a. auxiliary), sniper/designated marksman, and a support gunner. The role you choose to play will determine not only the guns you will use but also the rest of your equipment.
As a sniper, you will always rely on a proper sniper rifle and on a handgun – for close-quarters combat. In terms of gear, you can go as far as wearing a ghillie suit. The leader will have an automatic weapon, such as an assault rifle, while the support gunner will rock a minigun or a SAW-style gun that allows them to rapid-fire and cover their teammates.
If you go for high-end gear, you won’t have a problem in buying the equipment to fit a single role. This is why finding out what you like best is recommended before putting a lot of cash into airsoft equipment.
- Pay Attention to Your Magazines
When it comes to magazines, you will have almost as many opportunities as in terms of guns or wearable equipment. You can go for low- or high-capacity clips while keeping in mind their weight and FPS. There’s really a lot of things that can be said only about your weapon and its magazine.
You can go for spring guns, gas guns, automatic electric guns, or electric blowbacks. While the ammo – usually referred to as BBs – you will use in these is similar, either 0.2g or 0.25g BBs, you will always need an extra item, specific to your gun.
Before the start of a round, make sure you have enough ammunition with you, as well as extra BBs, and even a magazine or two full, loaded, and ready to go.
- Wear Proper Personal Protection
Even though it’s the guns that make airsoft shine, you don’t have to skip the part where you properly equip your body for battle.
In this respect, we’ll start with the goggles. They are required and must be worn at all times. They must also be impact-rated – namely, meeting or exceeding ANSI standards. At the same time, they must be fully sealed. Moreover, you have to wear full-face protection – a paintball mask or a balaclava that covers your mouth and ears will do.
It doesn’t matter if you wear a ghillie suit or anything else that covers mainly your body and limbs – when it comes to face gear, you have to wear the above or you will not be allowed on the field.
Keep in mind that airsoft hurts. Any weapon with 300FPS or higher will most likely feel just like a bee sting and, depending on where it hit you, it can leave blood boils, welts, and scars. The key here is to get used to being shot!
- The Airsoft Gun
As mentioned above, there are a few types of weapons that you can buy when it comes to airsoft. Namely, those powered by green gas, CO2, compressed air, or by a battery. All of them use the same type of ammo – but, as you know, the gun matters more!
The gun matters more because you will have to decide how exactly you want to prepare before a game. Beginner players are recommended to start their airsoft session with an AEG – automatic electric gun. When using such a weapon, all you need to power it is a battery and a charger.
For other guns, you will have to buy an air tank, green gas, or CO2 whenever you play. If you are not accustomed to gas-based weapons, we strongly recommend you an AEG.
For example, the gas tank might have issues powering your weapon – it either fails to release the gas or simply jams. If this happens, you will most likely have to rely on your handgun or on one of your teammates to borrow you a gas tank.
- Decide Over FPS
FPS means feet per second and is basically the speed of the BB when it is being shot out of your airsoft gun. Most people want to own powerful, high-FPS weapons – mainly because they think they are better.
In some scenarios, such weapons may come with some advantages. However, keep in mind that most airsoft fields do come with an FPS limit. This is because depending on the FPS allowed on the field people will know what gear to buy to protect themselves.
For example, you cannot use a 400FPS weapon with the appropriate BBs on a field that allows a max of 200FPS and where people wear basic protection gear.
So, before buying a weapon and even protective equipment, decide over the FPS you will be playing at. Also, keep in mind that, for some weapons, you can use heavier BBs to lower their overall FPS.
The Bottom Line
While airsoft is an amazing experience that can provide you with tons of memories and a good time, there are a few things that you have to consider before actually starting to play.
You will have to put some money into it, but if you like the sport, it is all worth it! After all, who wouldn’t want to get in a 50 versus 50 battle on a large field, where they can expect anything from snipers to infiltrators and so on!
