http://www.gonetcom.com/~aaatacti/index www.aaatacticalairsoft.net - Nothern Illinois Airsoft Forums - Home of the Toxic 6 Ghost Marines en-us http://www.gonetcom.com/~aaatacti/index/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=5 The paintoall market is still making a big splash for the army/navy retailer, out now the airsoft craze has crashed the party. A very interesting transformation is taking place in the army/navy market in the continuum between the paintball and airsoft markets. While just a few years ago it was paintball that found favor in the army/navy community, within the past couple of years it has ceded ground to interest in the airsoft community. For those in the industry who attend the ASD/AMD Trade Show in Las Vegas, it has even become apparent from the obvious increase in airsoft vendors that the sport is growing rapidly in this country. While paintball is still growing as a sport, airsoft has surpassed it in rate of growth. Cost of participation is one reason why paintball has faded somewhat. Airsoft is economically for affordable for the casual fan. Airsoft is considered to have started in Japan in the 1980s, partly in response to laws against gun ownership. One of the main appeals of the sport to enthusiasts (and to the law enforcement community) is the realistic, scale-accurate relationship between airsoft guns and their real-life counterparts The fact that airsoft guns are purposely styled to mimic actual weapons (size, scale, appearance and even weight in some cases) draws both sporting and professional devotees. "The hallmark of airsoft is MilSim (military simulation) and tactical game-playing," according to Dan Jordan of AAA Tactical Airsoft, a manufacturer and distributor of paintball and airsoft guns and accessories. Although Dan agrees that airsoft is supplanting paintball in the market, there is really no crossover between the two sports. "People who leave the paintball hobby are not necessarily moving into airsoft. Airsoft is attracting its own customer base," Dan noted. While the military and the law enforcement community incorporate both paintball and airsoft into their training programs, the type of products they use tend to differ significantly from the consumer-level market, especially in airsoft. For the army/navy retailer, supplying the sporting side of the airsoft and paintball market is probably the best way to go, but if a dealer has a strong relationship with local law enforcement organizations, becoming an airsoft supplier on a higher level can be achieved. One of the primary differences between playing paintball and airsoft is the real-life tactical approach on the airsoft side. Paintball games are held more out in the open, with players often in brightly colored uniforms. Airsoft games involve a much more clandestine approach, in which camouflage, stealth and size of the playing area take on a more significant role. This is one reason why there are now many professional paintball leagues, while airsoft remains a less organized and corporatized sport. "As a spectator sport, airsoft is not as suitable as paintball. Airsoft is very tactical and players are difficult to follow. They don't wear the garish outfits that paintball players wear, and there isn't the obvious splat of a paintball hitting the target for a spectator to watch," according to Dan. Airsoft attracts new participants for many reasons, one being that it's safer (and less messy) to be hit with an airsoft BB than a paintball. "It's the escapism, the camaraderie, the teamwork that people enjoy about airsoft. It's also great exercise, more realistic and even less painful than paintball," said Dan. Happiness is a working gun One of the factors that hurts both the paintball and airsoft markets is the proliferation of poorly made guns and ammunition, particularly in general merchandise, mass market stores. "Some of cheaper products out there will break quite easily, which then discourages the new player and leads them to drop the sport," Dan noted. He recommends that retailers and consumers invest in equipment and supplies from well established manufacturers, and to avoid buying solely on price. AAA Tactical Airsoft Inc. markets airsoft guns at every level, including a line of airsoft guns that are affordable for the beginner but equally suited for the enthusiast as a step up from entry level. Let's go to the Hop-up There are three basic types of airsoft guns: Spring-powered: the least expensive type, with a pull-back loading mechanism and single-shot capability. The BB is propelled by an internal spring and piston mechanism. Automatic Electric: also referred to as AEGs, this is the next level and generally the most popular. They are battery-operated (usually rechargeable) and incorporate an electric motor that drives the firing mechanism. Unlike the spring-powered weapons, AEGs are capable of fully automatic fire at rates comparable to real automatic weapons. Gas-powered: just as it sounds, it is a gun operated by pressurized gas from an on-board cartridge. The gas is injected into the firing chamber where its expansion propels the BB. Many airsoft pistols are gas-powered, and some produce a realistic "blowback" effect when fired that enhances the "just like the real thing" feeling that attracts many participants to the sport - and makes airsoft guns excellent training tools for law enforcement and military personnel. But while rate of fire, accuracy, distance and velocity are all important considerations when buying an airsoft gun, there is one more important factor that really determines the quality of a given airsoft gun. "It's not a direct equation that the more expensive the weapon, the harder or straighter the weapon shoots. What you get with the better guns is durability, upgradability, repairability and most importantly, consistency," said Dan. One of the special features of higher-end guns is a HOP-Up mechanism (High Operating Power) which adds backspin to the BB, giving it better accuracy and more stable flight. However, it reduces muzzle velocity, so it is removable and/or tune-able on certain guns. It's all in the ball Airsoft weapons fire 6MM plastic BBs, and the quality of the BB itself goes a long way towards making or breaking the sport for the enthusiast. "Lower grade BBs jam in the gun, and the consumer blames the gun," explained Dan. He cautions against buying BBs on price. Poorly made BBs have rough, ridged surfaces (left over from the manufacturing process). "The level of post-manufacture polishing and finishing determines the price and the quality of the BB. The goal is to make a rounder, smoother BB that won't jam in the gun and will fire more accurately," said Dan. Dan recommends the sale of extra BB magazines as the most useful accessory sale when selling an airsoft gun and supplies to the new buyer. Protective equipment is not as comprehensive for the airsoft skirmisher than for the paintball player. While paintball playes must have full protective head gear, the only must-have protective equipment for airsoft is a pair of ANSI-rated eye goggles.