Ever since I started working for Airsoft GI, I’ve heard this question at least 3 or 4 times per week. Does it hurt as much as paintball? The answer to that is no. A single shot does not hurt anywhere near as much as paintball. Although you can also say yes, because a lot of times, your average paintball guns aren’t capable of achieving over 20 balls per second (BPS).

From a single shot aspect your average airsoft gun (for outdoor play) will be shooting with about 1.48j (j=joules) or shooting a .20g BB at 400FPS (Feet Per Second). Joules is the amount of energy the BB has as it leaves the muzzle and the higher the joule rating the more pain is felt. Most paintball fields in Southern California have an FPS limit between 285-300FPS with a .68 caliber paintball. The average paintball (Some are denser than others) weighs 2.8g. At that speed and mass your typical paintball marker is shooting with 10.51-11.64j of energy. 7 times more energy on the lower end of the average FPS limit.

                                                                              Joules = 1/2 mass X velocity^2

 1.48 = .10 X 121.92^2                                                                                                                                           10.5 = 1.4 X 86.87^2

In paintball they hit much harder due to a bigger, heavier projectile being sent down range. Although, Airsoft is capable of having a much higher rate of fire due to the feeding systems being much better. Your typical high-end airsoft gun ($300-$400 USD) should be more than capable of hitting 20+ RPS (Rounds per second) on an 11.1v LiPo battery. The cost to make a gun shoot an incredibly high rate of fire is no where near as high to get a paintball gun to shoot close to 30. For the same price as an ultra-high-end paintball gun you can get an Airsoft gun to rip at 70 RPS reliably.

Airsoft hurts in volume while paintball hurts in every single hit. They’re different types of pain but both are more than manageable. Personally, I started in paintball and switched to Airsoft because the guns looked cooler and a day of playing as so much cheaper. Pain had absolutely nothing to do with it. If pain is a deciding factor for you Airsoft more than likely will be your choice.

While scrolling through the thousands of videos of Airsoft Snipers on YouTube, such as Novritsch, Swamp Sniper, The House Gamers, Jet the Desert Fox, and plenty of other channels with similar sniping content. You find yourself thinking more and more “Damn I want to get those sick shots”. So you walk into your local store or search the interwebs for an Airsoft Sniper Rifle and you come across Airsoft GI’s Best Airsoft Sniper Rifle Starter Package. You see everything this package comes with at the awesome price of $189.99 and before you know it you’re getting that knock at the door an UPS is giving you the Best Airsoft Sniper Rifle Starter Package. Now before you take that out to your local fields to get those long Novritsch kills there’s a few things we want you to keep in mind while you’re doing that. You have to know how to move, how well your gun can perform, and that patience is a virtue.

Knowing how to move is key to doing well. Not just as a Sniper, but as a player in general. If it’s dead quite in the woods then suddenly the squad of guys you’ve been stalking hears random twigs and leaves crack you might end up with a high cap getting dumped in your general direction. While moving you want to avoid dry, dead brush as much as possible to give off as little sound as possible. Using your environmental noises to your advantage is also key. If the field is near train tracks move when a train passes by, if someone’s car alarm goes off cover as much ground as possible before they turn it off, throw a rock in a completely different direction as you to get their attention off for just a split second.

We all want to be able to say that our gun can clear any map it walks onto but the reality is that Airsoft Guns have their limitations. Knowing whether your gun can hit a target or not is one of the most important things to know as a player and especially as a sniper. If you take a shot at someone and it falls way short but they see the round land that gives them the potential to spot you if they can remotely trace it back to it’s point of origin. However, knowing what your gun is capable of will keep you from making those simple mistakes and maximize your effectiveness on the field.

Lastly the practice of patience, and this mainly goes for sniping at bigger events, is probably the most important thing you can practice as an airsoft sniper. Sitting back and knowing when to shoot and when not to shoot can mean the difference between getting killed and getting your team the information to take over the game. A lot of people who have played the sniper role at bigger events know fully that they will primarily focus on getting intel with maybe taking a handful of actual shots over the entire weekend. If you shoot too soon you might alert several patrols as to where you might be at. Waiting for all of the right circumstances will reward you with quite possibly the most satisfying kill you have ever confirmed in airsoft.

Airsoft sniping is a very glorified role that is not for everyone. If you think you can go out and rock it, take these tips into consideration. Snipers offer a huge advantage to the team that knows how to use them properly. If you find your new love please let us know! You can find us on Instagram @airsoftgidotcom and on Facebook under “Airsoft GI”. We’d love to hear your Sniper stories.

There is not a single reason why I love Airsoft. There’s quite a few actually. It gets me outside, it takes strategizing, I usually interact with others, and it’s a ton of fun. While these seem like typical reasons why anyone would say they love anything it really is the way I genuinely feel about Airsoft.

Being outside is one of my favorite things to do. Whether I’m playing Airsoft, going on a hike, playing a sport with my friends; I’d much rather be outside doing something rather than being at home getting progressively more bored as the day goes on. Yes, Airsoft can be played both indoors and outdoors. I personally prefer outdoors because I don’t get as fogged or stuffy in the air while playing outdoors. In-between rounds you can get the breeze on your face to help cool you off. The smell of the fresh air after landing that 250 ft. shot that went through 2 windows to hit the guy just above his plate carrier. Nothing can beat it.

While playing it takes a lot of strategizing in order to complete your objective. Most games are just a force vs force (Team Deathmatch Styled) the objective styled games are what I truly enjoy the most. The key to winning an objective based game is trying to predict what your opponent would do. The path they are likely to take, the points they are likely to hold, the weak points they may leave exposed. After playing at a field for so long you learn the lesser travelled routes and you can expose weak points that people rarely defend. Using this knowledge can help you with taking control of any objective based game.

Every time I go to play Airsoft it is almost always with a group of people. It gives us the opportunity to work together and get to know how we react and where our weak points are. We work together to cover the others weaknesses and maximize our strengths. After playing and working with someone for so long it becomes second nature on how to communicate with minimal words and almost becomes instinct with what to do. The few times I go to a field by myself I’ll try to find a small group to join up with for the day. Communicating with them as much as possible so by the end of the day we kind of have a bit of chemistry to where we can effectively work without saying anything. This also opens the door to making new friends to play with so you always have someone to play with.

We all play Airsoft for one important reason. It’s an incredibly fun hobby! We get to be with our friends, plan out our attack/defend strategies, and being in the great outdoors. There’s always a great experience awaiting with every round of Airsoft you get in. So pick up your gear and get out and play!

In a sea of guns, it may seem like an impossible task to pick the right gun for you. There’s too many brands, models, price points, accessories, features, blah blah blah. There are a few key points in choosing the right gun for you. Sticking to these points will help you pick the best gun and minimize buyer’s remorse. How much are you looking to spend on the gun? What role do you play on the field? What features does the gun offer?

What are the reviews on the gun? Sticking to these 4 questions can keep you focused on making the best purchase for you.

The primary thing that often causes buyer remorse is their budget. Obviously everyone’s financial situation is different and cheap for you might be a lot of money for someone else. Whether you want to spend $100 or $1000 be sure to maximize your budget space and look at the options that are within your price range. If you tell yourself, “I will not spend over my budget” live by it. Just because you can be $20 under your budget because you want to save that, think about the quality you will be getting if you did spend that full budget amount rather than saving a few bucks.

One thing that most people seem to think is the most important but often don’t go in this direction is the role they play on the airsoft field. I’ve seen countless times working in the store where somebody who plays primarily at an indoor field wants a full 16 inch rifle just because it looked cool in the store. If you are a longer range player than get the longer barreled M16, if you play indoors and need maneuverability get the MP5, if you’re the guy that keeps people’s heads down and is always on the trigger get the 249. If you know how you play equip yourself in the best way possible so you can be as effective as possible on the field.

Something that is often the main point of people’s decision to buy one gun over the other are features the gun comes with. You have several different companies that offer a micro-switch trigger, a programmable trigger unit, ambidextrous controls, a fancy rail, etc. The primary thing to consider is how often will you use those features. What’s the point of having a gun that can switch between full auto and burst fire modes if your field only allows semi automatic. Now that’s not to say they don’t have their place but it’s something to consider when you purchase a gun specifically to fulfill a particular role. You should be looking at features that you know you will be utilizing and making your decision based on that.

Lastly, what is the general consensus on the particular product in question. If you’re looking to buy a gun then suddenly someone comes in to return the exact gun you were looking at and it makes you think what happened there? It’s never a bad idea to ask around to get multiple opinions on products. Keep in mind when gathering opinions to get the insight that they have. If it was one time and they absolutely hated the gun because they just happened to get the one bad apple of the bunch. Does the product perform up to their expectations? If they expect a stock $150 gun to be on par with their several hundred dollar build then they’re outright crazy.

Deciding what specific gun to go with for you might be a very hard choice. If you stay on task and pay attention to what people who actually own the product and you’ll be ok. Finding a gun is not impossible and you shouldn’t be intimidated by it.