[Pred the Penguin]

Don't see the appeal in that either. It's good enough to have a set of tactics that are actually useful while playing.

[Inquisitor]

I use airsoft guns to practice real guns, but entirely in a range setting (basement).

[Klaustrophobia]

i have no experience thus far with real guns, but i'd have to imagine it's entirely different from airsoft.  if i'm wrong, i guess i have a little bit of a leg up.  the sounds i assume to be gunshots i heard the other night suggest to me it might be wise to venture into weapon ownership.

[redsniper]

Well, airsoft won't prepare you for the recoil and noise of a real gun AFAIK, but it can still help you practice proper technique (not squeezing the trigger, not anticipating the shot, etc.).

As for home defense, I hear the best thing to use is a 12 gauge with buckshot, since it will do plenty of damage to an intruder without requiring you to be that accurate (which you won't be if you're scared awake at 4 AM or whatever). Plus it's not going to overpenetrate and hit your neighbors and their neighbors like a rifle would. Or you know, just get a bat or something.

[StarSlayer]

Airsoft is fun, I used to play it a lot. I'm not into the whole THIS IS THE REAL ARMY AND THAT IS FUN BECAUSE WE ARE PRETENDING TO BE SOLDIERS SALUTE ME WHEN YOU WALK PAST ME MAGGOT stuff. I know a lot of airsoft players get a kick out of pretending to be in the military, but I don't. I'm running around with a plastic gun that shoots BBs at people, I'm going to leave it at that.

That was my real concern with it.  I find the whole idea of acting like you're in the service bit disrespectful.  It's basically a sport and while wearing some tactical gear is beneficial to playing if your trying to dress up exactly like your in the Marines or something you need to get your head out of your ass.  My interest was more in line with learning how to properly bound, stack up and room clear and apply them in a competitive environment.  My friend at Kendo pointed me to the MA airsoft site and it looks like they put on some pretty cool events.  Unfortunately it looks like his team's schedule conflicts with riding lessons so I'll probably put this on the back burner.

That said I might still pick up a gas 1911 to practice with similar to Inquisitor.

[Dilmah G]

I find the whole idea of acting like you're in the service bit disrespectful.  It's basically a sport and while wearing some tactical gear is beneficial to playing if your trying to dress up exactly like your in the Marines or something you need to get your head out of your ass. 

I agree, that level of reenactment is a bit far for me. I'm pretty fine sticking to some comfortable cams or prebriefed team colours + helmet and tac vest for protection and utility. I'm not a digger and if you want to be one that bad, just f*cking enlist.

[Pred the Penguin]

Well, airsoft won't prepare you for the recoil and noise of a real gun AFAIK, but it can still help you practice proper technique (not squeezing the trigger, not anticipating the shot, etc.).

Didn't help me... then again I've never been particularly good at airsoft.

[Inquisitor]

Dry firing exercises. Not jump through the window Rambo practice. I also use them in firearm safety lasses I teach before handing the students real guns.

[StarSlayer]

Sorry I wasn't trying to infer you were jumping through windows.  We had an area setup in the basement to shoot BB guns at targets, I figured you were using air soft guns to practice shooting at home and not burning through expensive ammunition.  Like I said I'm not particularly interested in practicing Rambo unless its in a structured team environment and that simply doesn't fit into my schedule right now.  I might like to pick one up to practice shooting targets though.

[Inquisitor]

The good ones can build good trigger discipline etc, just like any airgun. Invest in a full weight, blow back model, some of them simulate about 1/3 recoil, which helps the whole exercise.

[Mars]

I had no idea there were airguns that simulated recoil

[Inquisitor]

Blowback. Some LEO simulators use CO2 blowback for recoil on some laser based setups. Same thing on some airsoft and action air guns.

[StarSlayer]

Good to hear, the one I was looking at was an all metal gas 1911.  It received consistently good reviews and to see it dissembled aside from the hop up and other airsoft specific parts you could almost think it was made by Kimber. 

[Inquisitor]

Many of those have all the right hardware, they take down like the real thing, they reload like the real thing, the present like the real thing, so, if nothing else, it will feel familiar if you ever get the real thing

Make sure it has a working grip safety if you go the 1911 route.  Most of hte all metal gas ones also lock the slide back when you run out of ammunition, you want that as well.

I got (and regretted) a fancy 1911 airsoft. I should have gotten one that looked like my real 1911. Too "cool" looking and I was weak.

My commander frame 1911:


My 1911 with my target grips:


And my airsoft 1911 that I use in safety classes:


Its decent, it fits in my 1911 holsters, and it has a decent recoil. Green gas annoys me so I picked up a couple CO2 magazines for it.

[StarSlayer]

The 1911 I'm looking at has a working beaver tail, an ambidextrous safety and the slide locks back.  What's the problem with green gas?  The model I'm looking at seems to take green, red and propane.  From my cursory research it seems that C02 is cited as putting a bit of strain on the weapon.

[Inquisitor]

Nothing, I just find it a PITA

YMMV

[S-99]

Airsoft guns are a great way to learn how to operate a real fire arm. Even the cheapos are still gun replicas despite even how crappy looking.

A lot of the guns have the safety switch in the same place as the real thing, put a projectile into the chamber like the real thing, pull the trigger like the real thing, and holds bb's in the clip like the real thing (although in a lot of airsoft guns, the clip is what is different a lot of times compared to the actual gun it's a replica of, for the most part, a lot of airsoft guns use clips that are like normal ones as compared to something funky like the speedload clip, or a clip that holds 180 rounds). A part from what other people mentioned that you do miss compared to a real fire arm such as recoil is the weight of the actual gun. A high end airsoft replica ought to do justice for that though from what i read of other people's responses and pictures shown.

I never got into the game for simulated military. That just doesn't sound like fun really. Getting normal people in there wearing whatever they want with the appropriate protective gear for some skirmishes and other game types is less rigid and more fun (in my opinion).