Plink Vs. Splat

“Plink vs. Splat”

The modern world knows two major mock combat assault games; airsoft and paintball. I and a few of my colleagues believe airsoft to be the superior of the two. Before I begin, allow me to define the sports of airsoft and paintball. Paintball as defined by dictionary.com as “A game in which players on one team seek to eliminate those on an opposing team by marking them with a water-soluble dye shot in 0.68 caliber capsules from air guns.” Airsoft is defined as “a sport or recreational pastime in which players participate in the simulation of military combat using smoothbore airsoft guns designed as replicas of real firearms that fire 6mm in diameter spherical projectiles (also known as bbs)” at wikipedia.org. In both sports the teams use combat techniques that are used in both the military and law enforcement.

Airsoft guns have 3 basic sources of power. Most airsoft rifles are electric using a 9.6 volt or an 8.4 volt battery. Most airsoft pistols and a few select rifles are gas powered. There are 5 types of suitable gas for airsoft guns. One could use co2, propane, green gas, red gas, or 134a gas in their airsoft gun. Co2 is simply the same carbon dioxide that is commonly used in paintball guns. A propane converter can be purchases that would allow one to use common gas grill propane in airsoft guns. Green gas is a special gas invented specifically for airsoft guns and consists of propane and a silicone oil mixture. Red gas is actually Chlorodifluoromethane a hydrochlorofluorocarbon (HCFC). It is better known under its code names of HFC-22, Freon 22, and is commonly used in air conditioners and has a secondary use as a more powerful airsoft propellant than green gas (wikipedia). 134a gas is the weakest gas available and the least popular. The majority of airsoft pistols are gas powered but there are a few that are just spring powered. These are the cheapest because they are the weakest and are usually made entirely of plastic. Most fielded airsoft guns are fired at a velocity of 400-500FPS (Feet per Second), but certain sniper rifles have been known to shoot at an excess of 800FPS.

Paintball guns are most often made of aluminum although the cheapest of them are made of plastic. Paintball guns are most always powered by co2 (carbon dioxide), and are fielded at a maximum velocity of approximately 280-300FPS. Paintball guns are entirely unique in their design and have no obvious resemblance to any actual firearm. The sport of paintballing was invented in the United States in 1981 as a variation of hide and seek tag (wikipedia).

Airsoft guns were invented in Japan in the late 1980’s as an alternative for actual firearms because actual firearms are illegal to be privately owned in most Asian countries. Because of the Asian gun hobbyists desire to make guns that would be easily mistaken for actual firearms they placed a heavy emphasis on making accurate replicas of real firearms. (Wikipedia)

Airsoft guns are far superior to paintball guns because they are more realistic. Most airsoft guns are made as exact replicas of real guns. An expensive airsoft gun may be such a good replica that it even has the full trademarks of the real gun. This realism allows the user to become comfortable with the weapon, even to get used to the weapon. A familiarity with guns would be beneficial to people who might