Airsoft 101

Ok, so you've landed in Tokyo and you're on the hunt for a BB gun. Dont let your exitement get in the way of a few pointers. There are alot of brands, models and types of Airsoft. I will break down the basics so that you may be able to quicker get what you're after from the sport.

Brands:

Tokyo Marui

Tokyo Marui manufactured in Japan is the premier and original brand of Airsoft. Known for thier quality design in Automatic Electric Gun (AEG) motors and housings which look, feel and operate close to real guns.Very Extensive range and make up the bulk of Airsoft stock on the store shelves in Tokyo.

Now up to thier 8th generation electric motor they have released a new HC (High Cycle) 25 BB's per second, 30,000rpm motor. Two new models using this spec have been released in Dec '09, the MP5 A5 HC & HC G3 SAS models with 400/500 round magazines resepectively. The review of the MP5 A5 HC will be posted up shortly.

KSC
KSC Japan parent company, specialising in Gas Blow Back (GBB) style airsoft. The second most common brand of airsoft to be found on the shelf after Tokyo Marui. If you're after a Gas operated pistol or machine gun look no further. The first thing to be said about every gun in the KSC range is how realistic they are to operate and fire and how much fun they are to own.

Three models which really stick out of the bunch is thier Glock 18C, HK MP7A1 and M93R AUTO9C which you will recall being used by robocop. Review of the Glock 18C and HK MP7A1 to follow.

KSC are also at the centre of mass specualtion and forum posts on the net in regards to thier realtionships to other K branded airsoft guns from other countries outside Japan, especially KWA. I will share a secret in a separate post that not many have come across which will help to shed some light on the matter.

Maruzen
Maruzen, another venerable brand from Japan which is best known for its LA870 shotguns and Walther P99 movie prop gas blow back offering.

Classic Army

Classic Army manufactured in China/Hong Kong also has a very extensive range including the M134-A2 Vulcan Minigun which some of you may remember from the movie Predator!

KWA-USA

Kwa's USA counterpart, which sources its guns and parts from KWA in Taiwan. Offers a decent range but is considered OEM as original markings and features may not be present.

Model Specs:

When you go shopping for Airsoft it is important to remember not all guns are created equal.

Most of the writing will be in Japanese, but the important things to look out for are in English.

On the front of the box will be Brand Name of Airsoft Manufacturer and Model of Gun which are easily understandable.

Next thing you will most likely notice is things like:

25M/50M - This is the maximum distance your BB pellets will fly

0.12gBB -0.12gram BB is the default BB and is found for 10 years and older. Used in mni electric and spring pistols. Doesnt go very far and max range tends to be 25m with hop up enhancement

0.20gBB -0.20gram BB is where the fun begins for 18 years and older, and is the standard round for almost all velocity tests. Very commonly found in use on the target range, due to increased accuracy and quality

0.23gBB -0.23gram BB a hybrid between 0.20gram and 0.25gram BB's for people wanting a mix of characteristics between the two most popular types on the market. Comes highly recommended during the tuning (dial in) period of your gun.

0.25gBB -0.25gBB is the heaviest weight for lower powered AEGs blowback and spring guns up to 314fps (1joule). Tokyo Marui AEG, gas, and spring guns are set at the factory for 0.25 gram BB's and a sample of 200 comes in the box. It then depends on what mods have been performed as to accuracy and distance. There are heavier weights which tend to be for Sniper rilfes and certain brands of Airsoft which are designed round custom weights.

xxx10xxx - This means the gun is for 10 years and older, although likely will not be very powerful, full automatic handguns and sub machine guns are available

xxx18xxx - This means the gun is for 18 years and older, this will mean the gun is more realistic, have upgradeable/interchangeable parts, use heavier BB pellets etc.

Spring powered - This is where it all started for Airsoft guns the simple lock, load and shoot.

Gas operated - Either a picture of a symbol on the box will advise if gas operated model. Gas operation provides a more realistic blowback feeling, and is important to notice that due to cold gas filling a BB magazine can mean that the mag becomes so cold it may not fire properly, hence the hairdyers at the range and people warming their mags!

Due to Japanese restrictions the legal gas cannisters are HFC134a. Although in low temperature or modified situations HFC22 otherwise known as 'Green Gas' is more popular due to its higher propellant qualities it can acheive a higher FPS which in turn give the gun more realistic blowback. If using the much vaunted Green Gas best to make sure your gun has had an upgrade of the return spring mechanism and high flow gas valve, and also be aware of your surrounding temperature as if its a stinking hot day you may want to revert to HFC134a to avoid damage to your gun and I can attest that this gas works like a charm when warmed up!

Battery operated aka AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) - Either a picture or a symbol on the box will advise if battery operated and which type is used. Very popular due to low maintenance and can be found even in 10 year and older guns. Either take 4 AA Alkaline batteries or Ni-Mh (Nickel Metal Hydride) cells for the higher perfomance models. Recently a newer type of battery technology Li-po (Lithium Polymer) have started to be used as they are lighter, smaller last longer and have higher voltage and ampage, which again means less maintenance and more shooting time.

HOP-UP:

Many Airsoft guns now employ a 'Hop Up' system, and this is an aerodynamics trick which puts reverse spin on the BB pellet as it is being fired, which results in even air pressure on the top and bottom of the BB, meaning the pellet only succumbs to gravity and loss of velocity and will not prematurely drop during its flight due to air resistance. It will be clearly marked on the box if a model has Hop Up, with the more expensive models sporting adjustable hop ups for the intermediate/advanced shooter.

Pricing:

For a 10 years and older the price for Handgun and Sub Machine guns tends to hover around 2500 Yen up to 6500 Yen

For 18 years and older, gas operated, Ni-Mh, Li-Po Handguns and Sub Machine guns starts from 6500 Yen and can go all the way up to 80,000 Yen and beyond! Usually by this stage you will have owned a 10 years and older 0.12gBB model, or may have shot a few 18 years and older models at the target range and have an idea of what features you are looking for in an Airsoft gun.

Where do i start? From the beginning of course.

My first exposure to pellet (airsoft) gun as a sport came from a friend whose dad had 'aquired' a Colt 1911 and a Walther MPL from Hong Kong, I must have been about 12 years old at the time and thought there was an element of exitement with the whole thing.

This followed through with a passion for Ninja and Commando movies and all my mates were into the same thing, and we regularly played army in the local bushland areas which were abundant in our hometown. At first it was plastic replicas or cap guns and a eh eh eh eh eh, i shot ya!

Following this we graduated onto what was known at the time as boob tubes, which is basically a pvc pipe with a finger cut off a rubber washing up glove secured with electrical tape, and we used polished pebbles commonly found in peoples driveways or front lawns in the area as the ammo, stashed in a bum bag, and used handyman goggles for eye protection from the local hardware store.

As we headed towards mid to late teens the scene started to die off as people found other interests, for myself it has always been a great source of fun and something else to do besides play video games, which funny enough paralleled what we were doing already, going bush for a tatical shoot em up.

Around this era of time alot of things which were legal became banned in Australia including Fireworks and Replica Guns, I can recall Queensland had Airsoft guns legally for a few years after New South Wales banned them and ACT had fireworks but it seems that in the light of personal injury, or hurting somebody and the Twin Tower episode western society has clamped down on everything that made the magic of being young dissapear and the wrinkles of ageing set in from that point forward.

The strange thing I have found about getting older is that I am closer to my younger days now more than ever, right down to the full set of mame 'arcade emulator' roms which i must have pumped enough 20 cent and dollar coins in as a child to pay for a deposit on a house, lest we forget Lazerzone lazer gun range and happy hour on Sunday where you paid 10 bucks and allowed unlimited credits on your favourite games!

Airsoft guns have featured in both my trips to asia and have bought a tear to my eye when i have to leave them behind due to the current laws which lucky for me are girt by sea, as for fireworks well I saw a nice set at Tokyo Disneyland and that will have to do for now, so basically it may come down to young vs old, immature vs mature or what I reckon is fun vs boredom.

So in closing i think that banning of dangerous activities should be traded for controlled environments which people can participate in safely, and when you look at it Paintball is hypocritically allowed whereas Airsoft is not, and the scar on my head comes from being shot pointblank by a Paintball gun so to all those who think Airsoft is a lame second im sure local gun club members think anything besides the real thing is second best, for me I prefer Target Shooting and whether its a Video Game a paintball a BB pellet or a real calibre round makes no difference, I do it for fun and thats what got me into the scene in the first place.