Airsoft Guns - Choosing the Right Weapon for the Skrimish

So you decided you want to get into airsoft, or your looking to purchase the next greatest airsoft gun. You've decided on manufacturer, build material type, and price. You visit a few on-line or local Airsoft Retailers and are suddenly overwhelmed by the multitude of weapon variations. So what do you choose? This guide will help you make the right choice based on how you plan to use your airsoft gun.

The first questions you need to ask yourself is what type of skirmishes will you participate in and what will be your role. Skrimishes can range from Urban Combat, to open battlefield re-enactments. A sampl of roles you can fill are rifleman, machine gun operator, or sniper. In this guide we will break down weapons into categories, list the types of Airsoft guns that fit those categories and correspond them to Skirmish types. Our catogories are:

• Side-Arms
• Personal Defense Weapons (PDW)
• Close Quarters Battle (CQB) Weapons
• Assault Rifles
• Sniper and Battle Rifles
• Machine guns, Squad Weapons, and Everything else

Side Arms mainly encompass handguns (automatics and revolvers). In the real world they are used by law enforcement, military, and security services. They are weapons that you carry in a holster to rely on as last resort or for very close quarters combat. airsoft pistols come in spring loaded (manual charging) and electric versions. Airsoft pistols tend to have shorter range due to their slower muzzle velocity. A side arm is best used under 25 feet, although many are accurate at longer ranges and some are battery operated fully-auto. Most Airsoft enthusiasts keep a side-arm at the ready in case they run out of ammo or their airsoft gun runs out of Juice. It should not be your main weapon on the Airsoft Playfield. Side-Arms are also great for target practice and teaching proper firearms handling.

The personal defense weapon (PDW) is a compact semi-automatic or fully-automatic firearm. They are similar to most assault rifles but usually have shorter ranges and sometimes higher rates of fire. The real steel is used primarily by security and special ops forces due to their compact size. Many of the PDWs fire armor piercing rounds that make them very effective for "quick hit" special ops. Many airsoft enthusiasts will argue that PDW can be considered side-arms due to their small compact nature. An Airsoft PDW can make a great back-up weapon (like a sidearm) or can be used as your primary weapon in close quarters combat scenarios (room clearing and urban ops). they tend to have high muzzle velocities, but are not as accurate at longer ranges. If you are participating in Urban ops, specifically indoor ops, you may want to consider a PDW. Weapon types that fit into the PDW category are:

• Belgian P90
• H&K MP7
• UZI
• MAC10
• Beretta 93R
• Scorpion
• Tech-9
• MP5-K

CQB is the latest buzzword in the airsoft and real weapon communities. This encompasses weapons that are best suited for Room-to-room, between building and confined space shooting. Many CQB weapons are favored by vehicular based soldiers/law enforcement as they provide good balance of maneuvrability, accuracy and range. Most CQB combat is incurred by small teams engaging the enemy at close range. Many CQB weapons are shorter barrel variants of the normal assault weapons, and sometimes even include collapsible or folding stocks. You may also hear CQB called MOUT (a military acronym for Military Operations on Urban Terrain). The CQB Airsoft guns are great for the above described skirmish types, but also give you decent range and accuracy in open and woodland areas. If you will be doing a combination of Close Quarters and open area Skirmishes, a CQB would be a good choice. Airsoft guns that fit the CQB classification are (some will also fit the PDW Category):

• M4 CQB
• MP5 (most variants)
• P90
• G36
• G3
• UMP
• 33
• AKS-74

An assault rifle is a rifle or carbine offering Semi or fully Automatic firing modes. Assault rifles fit between Machine guns and CQB Weapons, and are the preferred small-arms issued to most modern armies. Many of the CQB and PDW weapons are variants of full-sized assault weapons.They provide longer range and accuracy and are best suited for open area combat, Assault weapons are not very convenient or useful for close quarters combat. So, if you need something with longer range/Accuracy and the ability to lay down a lot of fire this may be the airsoft gun for you. Weapons that make great Airsoft assault Rifle choices are:

• M16
• 416
• XM8
• G36
• Steyr Aug
• AK-47
• M4 Carbine
• M4 CASV
• SCAR
• MP40

The next category encompasses the longer barreled sniper rifles and older model battle rifles. Most of these rifles are intended for single shot, long range firepower. However, many of them can be shot on full-automatic firing mode. The ability to hit your target outside of his/her weapon's maximum effective range is the strength of the sniper rifles. If you think you may be assigned as a sniper, these weapons make the best choice for you. Many of the Battle Rifles are usually period type rifles (WWII, Vietnam, etc) and are great for long range, accurate airsoft shooting. If you participate in any period airsoft battles Battle Rifles will suit your purpose. Many of the Airsoft sniper rifles and battle rifles available have mounts for a scope which gives you magnified sighting power. Keep in mind the sniper and Battle Rifle may be longer and bulkier that most Airsoft guns. This makes manuerverability low, but accuracy is through the roof! The most popular Sniper and Battle Rifles include (but not limited to):

• Soviet Dragunov Rifle (sniper)
• M1 Garand (battle Rifle)
• M14 Rifle (Battle/Sniper)
• M4 SPR Mod0/1 (Sniper)

An Airsoft machine gun, or Squad weapon is a fully-automatic portable or mounted firearm, designed to fire rounds at rapid rates. Usually the real steel weapons are fed by an ammo belt or high-capacity magazine. Rates of fire can be up to several hundred rounds per minute. They are usually good for base defense or laying down large amounts of cover fire on patrols. Many of these guns have vehicle mounts too. Their heavier weight makes them a bad choice for an individual weapon or Close quarters battle. What you get in fire power you lose in maneuverability. If you are doing patrol type skrimishes or need to defend your Ops Center a Machine gun or Squad automatic weapon is the perfect choice. Keep in mind that this type of Airsoft gun tends to be higher priced and can weigh over 15 lbs fully loaded. They can range from $300 to $900 depending on the model. Some available Airsoft Models are:

• M249 SAW (SAW, MKII and Civilian PARA)
• Soviet RPK
• M60 Machine Gun
• Vulcan Cannon (FYI...not a cheap airsoft weapon)

Other airsoft guns that do not fit into any of the above categories are:

• Airsoft Shotguns
• Airsoft Claymores (landmines)

These are specialized Airsoft weapons and have limited uses. Shotguns are usually used for close quarters battle and room clearing operations. Claymores are best used for base defense or bobby-trapping heavily traveled areas.

As you can see the Airsoft Weapon choices are available for all skirmish scenarios. You may find that you have interests in different types of airsoft play and you'll need more than one weapon in your arsenal. This is not uncommon in the airsoft circles and acceptable for most players. Recommendations from other players can be helpful too. Veterans of various playfields will know what works best based on terrain and skirmish types. Dont be afraid to ask. Forums are a good choice to bounce ideas off fellow airsoft players too.

Good luck in your selection process. We wish you a fun, safe time on the playfield!!! Of course, don't forget your eye protection!