Unbiased comparison between airsoft and paintball

By: Kevin Lai

Note: Skirmish did not write this article nor provide/check resources.  We did edit some grammar.

If you agree or disagree with Kevin, please post!!!

Beginnings:

Paintball: Founded in 1976 in the United States by Charles Gain and Bob Gurnsey. The concept of paintball was based on The Most Dangerous Game by Richard Connell. Original games were based on Capture the Flag. The duo soon founded the National Survival Game company, which sold paintball equipment.
Airsoft: Founded in late 1970’s in Japan, although it is arguable that it started earlier, as far back as the 60’s. This was in direct response to firearm restriction laws imposed on the Japanese, which basically states that no civilian may own firearms. Needless to say, demands for firearms skyrocketed, but with the firearms ban, companies soon began making replicas of famous firearms. Most notably, the M4 and the AK47.

Evolution:

Paintball: Although play style, rules, and safety regulations have changed very little since its founding in 1976, paintball markers themselves have gone though HUGE advancements in technology. They were originally very simple, with their propulsion being an internal gas reservoir with manual bolt action loading. This was then replaced with a pump action. The major leap came in external High Pressure Air rigs and automatic loading. Today, these are the standard among paintball markers.
Airsoft: Airsoft developed completely independently from paintball. However, Daisy Outdoor Products, an American company most known for their pellet guns, took airsoft in its early stages to the U.S., where it was slow to catch on in part due to the popularity of paintball. However, airsoft THRIVED in Japan were paintball was outlawed. The simple spring loaded mechanisms of early airsoft guns were soon replaced by gearboxes. These gearbox mechanisms were driven by a motor to turn a series of gears and pull back a spring loaded piston, effectively creating an automatic airsoft gun. Today we have three leaders in the airsoft industry; Tokyo Marui, Maruzen, and Marushin.

Rules and Regulations:
The general rules of paintball and airsoft are very similar. You get hit by a BB or paintball, call yourself out, return to respawn, and continue the fight.  And of course, don’t cheat. However, the similarities pretty much end there.

Paintball: Requires a full seal facemask. FPS (Feet per second, basically the speed) is generally limited to 280 FPS for rec ball and 290 FPS for tournaments. Finally, paintball markers are usually restricted to semi- automatic.

Airsoft: Doesn’t require a full seal facemask. Only full seal goggles. FPS limits are 400 for automatics and 500 for spring guns (a.k.a. sniper rifles).
Pain:

While neither activity is overly painful, a major debate between airsofters and paintballers is about pain. Paintballers usually claim that paintball hurts more, because it is a larger ball. This is highly contentious due to the fact that full automatics are not only allowed but are in fact the norm with airsoft and with there is also no ROF (rate of fire) cap in airsoft so you could be in for some legitimate pain.

Energy is measured in Joules. A paintball marker at 280 FPS can range from 2-10 joules. However, in airsoft, joules rarely exceed 4, even with 500 FPS set ups. For the sake of argument we will assume that, more joules=more pain. Keeping in mind that joules are a measurement of energy in much the same way that a calorie is. Further, one must understand that because paintball is semi automatic, it is much harder to land successive shots on target. Less paintballs on target equals less pain. Also, paintballs splatter on their targets, dissipating some of its energy over a wider area, which means less pain.

Airsoft, although rarely exceeding 4 joules (most airsoft guns rating in at 1.5 joules) can also be relatively painful. A solid BB means that all its energy will be transferred to a small area, unlike paintball, where it can dissipate to a larger area.  Also, the fact that fully automatics are allowed with NO FIRING CAP means that A LOT of bb’s can be landed on a target in a shorter amount of time.

On the topic of firing cap, paintball markers rarely exceed 20 SPS (shots per second), with some going as far as 30 SPS, which is relatively rare and very expensive. However, airsoft guns can easily exceed 20 SPS and can go up to 60 SPS with some custom tech work. The world’s fastest airsoft gun fires at 116 SPS. That’s SEVEN THOUSAND rounds per minute. Granted, it is really rare, as the only commercially available airsoft gun that shoots that fast is the Strafer MK4, retailing at $1400.
I’m not trying to say that one hurts more than the other. There are certain times when paintball hurts more than airsoft and times when airsoft hurts more than paintball. What I am saying is the debate about pain should END!

Realism:

This is the part when airsoft and paintball really split. No matter how much ANYONE (paintballers or airsofters) love their sport, there is no denying that airsoft is MUCH more realistic. Case and Point:

Super realistic airsoft guns can be found as cheap as 360 dollars, emulating EVERY feature on a real m4, except for its ability to fire real bullets. Don’t believe me? Look up videos of the King Arms gas blowback m4.

For paintball guns to achieve a similar level of realism you are looking at tons of aftermarket parts and possibly some custom work. Plus when you’re done you will still be capped on ROF at any legitimate field.

Use as training:

There is a common misconception that the U.S. military uses paintball guns as training tools. They use something called simulation. It’s basically a paintball loaded into a 9mm cartridge. This hurts way more than any normal paintball or airsoft marker. They do use paintballs but they do NOT use paintball markers. They use modified M16 standard issue assault rifles. Paintball is used by the police but not to the extent of airsoft. Airsoft is cheaper, more realistic, and that is the reason why law enforcement is getting away from paintball and substituting airsoft as training tools.

Paintball is still used in riot and crowd control situations. They normally use Tippmann products for this application.

Competition:

This is a serious advantage paintball has over airsoft. Paintball can be played professionally but airsoft cannot. Because of the unmistakable paint mark a paintball makes, cheating is very hard. It is however, very easy to cheat in airsoft. This is the only reason why airsoft cannot be played professionally. Everyone will start cheating once they know money is on the line.

International markets:

Paintball is predominately in the U.S., Canada, South Africa, Europe, and India. Outside of these countries, paintball is almost none existent. Airsoft on the other hand, is truly an international sport. The U.S. is a relatively small market for airsoft compared to Japan, Taiwan, and Hong Kong, where every toy store has an entire section dedicated to airsoft. Countries like South Korea, UK, and other European countries are filled with airsoft players. Airsoft, especially in the UK and Russia, is extremely popular.

Note: Skirmish did not write this article nor provide/check resources.

We did edit some grammar.

If you agree or disagree with Kevin’s point of view, please post!!!

Skirmish Paintball’s Bandito Field.

The field is located on the northern half of the property and is approximately 4 to 5 acres. Keep in mind that the northern half  is drier than most and as a result of the lack of water has almost no pine trees. This field is comprised of thin deciduous trees that only paper Mario could hide behind. Most of the cover is manmade stick bunkers with a few pallets and plastic bunkers spread throughout. This is the field for an apex or other similar sniper type rig as it has long shooting alleys.

Bandito is also an excellent field for beginners as it is nearly impossible for anyone to get within a 10 ft radius of you without your knowledge, invisibility cloak or not.  All in all a good field where I have had some great games with larger than average groups.

BYOG (Bring Your Own Gun) and receive 500 free paintballs! That’s right, if you have your own gun and book/pay in advance you get your own free bag of paint on us! This is a once a year offer so make your reservations today! 1-800- Skirmish (754-7647) or book online.

5-Man Woodsball Tournament.

$99.00 per team entry,
$74.00 case paint
Round Robin Format
7 – 9 games per team
Free N2 Fills, 16 team max
$1000 in cash or silver bullion, plaques, and passes will be given as prizes.

A Wulfpak/G-Force Scenario Game

limited to 250 players with intense missions, multiple objectives, and a ton of different roles.

$39.95 per person, pre-registered by 08/29/12.

If you have a group of 25+ players, the rate is $34.95 per person,

pre-registered. ($49.95 if you register late or at the gate).

Paint is $74.00 per case no matter what quantity is purchased.

Open to Rookie tournament teams that have played in less than two previous tournaments.

5-man teams
$75.00 per team entry
$74.00 case paint
Round Robin Format
7 – 9 games per team
Free N2 Fills
16 team max

Plaques to the top four finishing teams.

5-Man Woodsball Tournament.

$99.00 per team entry
$74.00 case paint
Round Robin Format
7 – 9 games per team

Free N2 Fills, 16 team max.

$1000 in cash or silver bullion, plaques, and passes will be given as prizes.

This is your chance to come and demo the full line of Tippmann products. Weekend activities include: Tippmann Marker Demos, Pistol Duel, Paint Grenade Toss, Accuracy Competition, & Gun Tech Classes.

More Information and Details will available after March 10th (Stalingrad)

Free Castle Nights game for pre registered I.O.N. players only on Friday the 13th. The game takes place Saturday and Sunday.

24-hour scenario game. Rates are as follows:
• $59.95 per person, pre-registered/paid in full by May 31st
• $64.95 per person when you pre-register/paid in full from June 1st to July 1st
• $79.95 per person pre-registered/paid in full from July 2nd to game day.
If you pre-register a group of 25 or more people, you will receive $5.00 off registration rate per person. FREE N2 air fills

To pre register click here or call at 1-800-SKIRMISH (1-800-754-7647)

Invasion of Skirmishistan: Operation Overcome – AIRSOFT GAME!!!

When: 1/8/2012

Skirmish Paintball Directions

211 North Meckesville Rd

Albrightsville, PA 18210

Official Skirmish Waiver there will be waivers to fill out at skirmish, but it is recommended that you fill it out beforehand to save time.

GAME MAP

Vendor:  Full Auto Airsort

Cost: $30.00: 5.00 deposit and 25.00 cash at the field, Paypal payments should be made to me with the appropriate information. My Paypal address is pa1peter1@aol.com

Please include the following info with payment:

1. Real name

2. Callsign

3. Team name

4. Color you want to be

Timeline:

9:00-10:15-Registration and Chrono

10:30-5:00- AIRSOFT GAME!

AIRSOFT RULES:

-all players must have a barrel cover, they will be available for sale at skirmish

-all players must have FULL SEAL GOGGLES, NO MESH! NO GLASSES! If you do not bring the appropriate eyewear you will not be able to participate

-FPS limits are 400fps with .25’s for AEG’s, 500fps with .25’s for spring guns

-all players are required to wear the correct color camouflage for the team they sign up on. United Coalition will be Tan (multicam, DCU, ACU, ATACs, desert marpat, ect…) and Skirmishistan will be Green (olive drab, woodland, marpat, ect…)

Registration ends January 3rd, or when slots fill up.

In the last game at Skirmishistan, the United Coalition obtained proof of a nuclear weapon in Skirmishistan. This gave the UC legitimacy and the UC has begun preparation to launch another campaign with the goal of toppling the government of Skirmishistan.

Skirmishistan has learned of this planned attack, and has devised a method of defeating the Coalition forces. Skirmishistan’s military plans to take the UC’s supply hub in JimThorpia, which would make the war untenable for the UC. As January 8th draws near, the entire world watches to see who will control Skirmishistan.