Airsoft for training?

B

BOOGIE the oily

New member
So, this may be a dumb question, but... hey, I'm a noob...!:D

Anyway, while I'm waiting for payday, so I can finally blow my card at Bersashop, I'm spending my time watching videos, reading, and... thinking. Read a lot of stuff on dry firing (both for and against it), and, while I agree that the advantages of practicing it far outweigh its potential disadvantages, I'm still not 100% comfortable with doing 100's, maybe 1000's of shots a week like that.
And that got me thinking (yeah, I know it's dangerous, but I don't do it often :p): there are some replica airsoft pistols in the market that not only are about the same weight and size as the real ones, but even provide a measure of recoil when shot. And, to boot, they're much cheaper than their big sisters, and actually allow you to have a visual feedback of your shooting technique and aim, since you can, silently and safely enough, poke holes in a paper target, in the comfort of your living room.

So, what do you guys think of that. Is it a valid option for training at home, or should I rather stick to dry firing, and spend my money on bullets?

Of course, all opinions are appreciated. Thanks in advance.:)
 
Airsoft is a wonderful training tool, especially if you can find a gun that matches your carry gun. A good replica will even fit your holster, which means you can do draw and fire drills using the same equipment you will be using when you carry. Go for it.
Of course, you will still want to make sure you are highly familiar with the actual gun, so dry fire and live fire practice are still invaluable, but the airsoft gun can help a lot, and they are fun, too!!
If you can't find one in the exact model of your carry gun, make sure that whatever you get has the same basic features. For example, if your carry gun has a manual safety, make sure that the airsoft has one, too, so you can practice turning it off every time you draw.
 
Last edited:
A resounding YES.
Airguns, especially the blowback versions with decent recoil and accuracy, are a great tool for everyday practice.
I've been using them for decades with excellent results.
So much that I've been able to cut way back on live fire practice with all the savings in time and money there in..
Not only airsoft, but the pellet versions with rifled barrels.
I now have nine of them, pistols, revolvers and rifles and use them far more than my firearms.
And air guns are guns in every respect, they're just not firearms. :)

P.S.
Air guns have allowed me to also greatly reduce the need for rimfires for practice.
So much so that the recent shortages and high prices for rimfire ammunition had little effect on my practicing.
I used to rely on rimfire for much of my range practice, but haven't even missed them.
If you can find a duplicate of your "real" firearms, you can also reduce the amount of dry fire.
I have a couple of airguns that are so much like the real thing, that it's fun to confuse my shooting friends with them.
Especially the looks they give when I invite them to just go out into the garage for a shooting session. :eek:
 
Last edited:
I've found them to be most useful in becoming efficient with the controls of the gun. I shot and played a lot of airsoft through high school but once I was able to purchase my own hand guns it still took a lot of live fire practice to hit my target consistently.
 
^^^
For best results, airguns should be used exactly like a firearm.
Same techniques - grip, stance, all of it.
Playing with them like a toy will not help.
 
"Airsoft is a wonderful training tool, especially if you can find a gun that matches your carry gun. A good replica will even fit your holster, which means you can do draw and fire drills using the same equipment you will be using when you carry. Go for it."

I basically agree with the caveat that you practice all the safety procedures same as with a real firearm.
Our house is littered with air soft BB's remaining from the period when I used an airsoft pistol to teach my blind Son to draw and aim instinctively.
 
With proper safety equipment (glasses, padded clothing), they can be good for tactical training (home defense). It's better than chasing each other around and shouting, "Bang! Bang!" I had classmates who, while in the Army, did that as part of their house clearing exercises. :D
 
Dry fire is great. Do it a lot.

Airsoft is great for Force on Force. Beyond FoF, it has some benefits, but not so many as to make it worth it to me.
 
"...Airsoft is a wonderful training tool..." No, they aren't. Airsoft 'guns' are toys. They are not the same thing as air powered pistols, some of which are Olympic class tools.
Dry firing is a long recognized training technique for practicing trigger control, sight picture and breathing. Not done with rimfires at all.
 
No, they aren't. Airsoft 'guns' are toys
Click to expand...
You have repetitively said that.
Have you actually tried a modern blowback airgun replica?
If they were actually the toy you imagine, all those folks who use them for serious practice, trainers and competitive shooters, wouldn't be using them.
And they most certainly do.
 
Not sure what they cost. But for me, I would rather put the money on a 22, which has some real use. Snap caps can be slow to reload, I get it.

I would not be afraid to do holster drills with an unloaded gun, in a safe place.


It they were super cheap I might get one, but I bet they are not.

I suppose air soft are quite, which may have an advantge. I am just not toys. Dont play video games since I discovered women. Except for a short stint in my 20s.
 
Good quality airsoft and pellet blow back replicas cost in the $100 to $150 range.
Not in the toy category, but far less than a .22.
And the ammo and gas cartridges are but a fraction of rimfire ammo.
If you have doubts about their usefulness, check out the road test videos at pyramydair.com and youtube.
Unless you're one of the lucky ones with a backyard shooting range, being able to get in regular practice with airguns any time you want is a definite advantage.
Kind of like having your own gym, right in the house.
 
Last edited:
Not done with rimfires at all.
Click to expand...
Yes it is. Old rimfires categorically should not be dryfired without snap caps. Some modern ones shouldn't. Some modern ones are designed to be dry-fired. The 10/22 being one of those "modern" designs.
They can and are all dry-fired with snap caps. I have the snap caps and always use them on rimfires and centerfires to be safe, but it is not always necessary.

Airsoft is not a toy. Like a pellet gun you can cause injury with them and safety procedures and equipment need to be in place.

I can draw down on old Refri in the prvacy of my home with a triple checked empty center-fire. Whenever I draw and fire at the range people at the range around me seem to think they want to try it and I quickly find myself either leaving or taking a break until they leave. Quite inconvenient.

I can draw and fire in my garage with an airsoft gun.

Many people seem to think shooting a firearm while moving their feet is very dangerous. Doing so with an airsoft is much more widely accepted.
 
Tried the concept in BB.

I thought like you back in 2012 and bought a blow back slide SIG 226 in BB cartridge. Was fun to shoot, felt like a .22 and enjoyed the slide rolling back on each shot, used it at the range and in my apartment. It did not last long, made out of pot metal it wore fast, paid over $125.00 for it, then one day it just gave out and used up the CO-2 cartridge in one shot, with a hissing sound. Out of warranty too. Threw it into the garbage can.

Also, bought a pot metal "Colt" brand model of a rare Model 1911 that did not have the slide movement, fun shooter, around $100.00 but the magazines had plastic assemblies that broke quickly, contacted the warranty station for it and they sent me a new magazine, but it too had the cheesy plastic construction, and then it broke in short order. Threw it away after trying to sell it online.

I kept records of the amount shot with the BB's and I managed to get my money back, and then some compared to what I would have had to spend on center fire ammo and range fees. So can't complain too much.

But I am burned on the CO-2 pistols, don't plan to buy any more, shame as I wanted the Tokarev pistol and the Mauser Broom Handle CO-2, but was worried it too would expire quickly. I suppose one of the cheap all plastic replicas might be ok, but would not have the same metal feel as the original.
 
Recoil, your luck is awful.
Some of my CO2 powered airguns are many years old and still work fine.
No doubt it depends on the quality of the manufacturer, just like firearms.
I've only ever had two bite the dust.
One was just worn out after what must have been thousands of rounds fired.
The other one broke the first day and the store replaced it that afternoon.
The replacement has been working fine for probably six years.
Luck of the draw.
I've had worse luck with "real" guns.
 
Thank you all for the replies. That's kinda what I thought.:)

But I should apologize for not providing all the data, so you could fully understand where I'm coming from.

So I live in Argentina. EVERYTHING in here is either very expensive, or non existent, and very difficult or impossible to bring in.

As an example, the airgun I'm thinking about is this one:

https://www.midwayusa.com/product/699299/beretta-92a1-full-auto-blowback-air-pistol-177-caliber-bb-black

Now, since airguns are legally catalogued here as "toys", buying them online is not really a big deal, other than the final price being about twice what the list price is. However, a similar airgun in here is in the U$S 400 to 500+ range.

Unfortunately, the "real" gun I'm about to buy is a Bersa Thunder 9 Pro xt, so there aren't (to my knowledge) any guns like that one (shame on YOU, Umarex :D). But the 92fs should be close enough, I think.

In any case, that Bersa is, in Brownells, U$S 780, while here is about U$S 1000 to about U$S 1150, depending on the shop. Kinda weird, if you think about it, that a gun would be cheaper halfway around the world, than it is 10 miles away from the factory. But that's the way it is in here. :rolleyes:
Meanwhile, a "real" Beretta 92fs is in the U$S 1200 (the blued one) to U$S 1400 (for the "INOX") range.

And the same happens with ammo. In 9mm, the ONLY brand that's fairly consistently available is Magtech. A 500 rd box of 124gr FMJ's is ON SALE, for AR$ 5000 (about U$S 312.50), while, if you want to buy them by the 50 rd box, the best price for the same ammo is AR$ 550 (U$S 34). If you want JHP's, the box of Guardian Golds (20 rd) is AR$ 360 (U$S 22.50).

And then you have things like snap caps, that are just nowhere to be found in here. And good luck buying them somewhere else, and trying to explain the customs idio... err... official, that they're not "real bullets".:rolleyes:

So that's about where I'm at, right now. I've been saving for the last 8 months, and this whole month I've been working 16 to 18 hour shifts with no days off, to be able to buy the gun. If I have U$S 200+ left, spending them on an airgun is not gonna be "fun", but if it helps me keep the "real" one in better condition, and, better yet, if it helps me save a bit on ammo, it's gonna be a good investment. :)

And yes, I'm thinking about reloading, ASAP, but that's another quite different can o' worms. Just to give you guys an idea, a Lyman Crusher II is, again, best price, U$S 500 here... :eek:

OH!, and yeah, I plan to use the airgun EXACTLY as I would use the real one.
 
AirSoft

I have several Airsoft copies of my real pistols and use them all the time in my yard or shop.
As to how long a good one will last , my oldest KSC Glock 19 has over 10,000 BB's through it.
KSC /KWA makes some of the best blow backs you can buy and prices are not bad if you purchase overseas. A KSC Glock copy will run you about $100.00 including shipping delivered to the USA. I usually purchase mine from Rainbow Airsoft in Hong Kong .

I use Coleman propane bottles to power all mine at less than $3.00 ea. and in warm temps you can get over 6.000's shots per bottle and you can recharge them if you want from a larger Propane tank like you use with a grill .

Another training tool I use is a Laser Cartridge that fires when you pull the trigger.
Also I have .22 LR AA Conversion kits for my Glocks and 1911's that work great but I only use them while at the range.

The Airsofts get the most use because I can use them at home and get almost as good practice as at the range with real pistols

As for snap caps , if you can find someone who reloads they can make better ones than you can buy.
Resize and de-prime the empty , seat a bullet , fill primer pocket with Silicone Sealer , wipe level with the base and let set up . They will last a very long time.
I have them for all my pistols and centerfire rifles.
 
Last edited:
If you are doing force on force with it, just be aware of actual cover against real bullets not airsoft BBs. This sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many Simunition training events turn into a paintball fight with no actual attention paid to real cover, just what will prevent a bruise.
 
As for snap caps , if you can find someone who reloads they can make better ones than you can buy.
Resize and de-prime the empty , seat a bullet , fill primer pocket with Silicone Sealer , wipe level with the base and let set up . They will last a very long time.
I have them for all my pistols and centerfire rifles.
Click to expand...

:D:D
OH, damn! I was actually thinking of doing something along those lines. I didn't yet because I thought silicone sealant wouldn't hold against the pin's beating... :D:D

If you are doing force on force with it,
Click to expand...

I've just been reading on it. Too bad it doesn't exist here, it would be cool to be able to train like that...:cool:
 
I've made it a point in life to not live in city limits. I work hard, and will move if I have too. Not just so I can avoid air soft guns.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top