airsoft blowing up?

[CON]

If im honest , I havent been airsofting long enough to make this statement, so , do you guys think airsoft is growing in popularity?

It just seems a lot of people have started doing it and the communitys seem to be growing, I think maybe a lot of this is because all of these x youtube gamers have started airsofting so turning their communitys from gaming to airsoft, plus all the other publicity.

 

Whats your guys opinions, and do you think its a good or bad thing?

[Lord_Metile]

Where I live, paintball is the beez kneez. Only some people who have looked into it play airsoft. I feel it's growing with more kids. Not many codsofters.

[TacMaster]

We get a lot of new airsofters down south- the facilities are there as many sites round me do U18 game days- however because of this influx there are more kids who turn up with JBBG special 2tones, who then need re-education in professional airsoft consumerism.

[DX115FALCON]

Keep seeing more and more people turning up at sites like Section 8 and The Fort than I did when I first started. That said, ScoutTheDoggie does film there frequently, so they get a lot of free advertising!

[BrightCandle]

Last nights game one of the players was really young, possibly 12-14. That was a surprise to me, by far the youngest player I have come across. He was actually pretty good according to my team mates, although I must admit I barely saw him all night.

 

I don't know how relatively popular the hobby is, I suspect a retailer might tell you if business were up or down year on year if you asked nicely. My local site got a lot busier in the last couple of weeks but then the second closest site shutdown so that has caused an influx in refugees.

 

I found the sport after I saw a game from levelcapgaming (he plays Battlefield 4 mostly) on youtube, that was what convinced me it was for me. But really the push for me was a trip to Nevada USA a couple of months ago where I spent an afternoon in a range firing lots of real steel guns, fired around 800 rounds from 9mm pistols all the way up to an M60. On the trip back I decided I was definitely going to retake up my shooting hobby after years of not doing it (first law change in the 90's stopped it the first time) so I found out about local rifle clubs, looked into what guns I could own and use and also came across airsoft probably looking at pellpax (real steel guns but they also do airsoft guns). I do play CS /COD/Battlefield/Arma and have done for many many years, but that isn't really where the interest started.

 

So I can't say that in my case a few key gamers converting to airsoft was what kicked it off, it was actually my own trip to the USA. But certainly good quality and well edited gameplay videos from my local site and the gamers in the USA sold on wanting to do it pretty quickly.

[Russe11]

It's all The Mighty Jingles fault for me. He does World of tanks and War Thunder videos mainly. He does the occasional video about airsoft and I ran out of War thunder videos one day...

[Mack]

For me I was looking to go paintballing for my birthday with a bunch of friends. While searching for a site I seen airsofting and thought that it was a lot cheaper. Out of the 8 of us that went I was the only one to return and have been playing 4 years now. The site I play at is very popular bringing in around 50 people average a weekend and a hell of a lot of rentals.

[ak2m4]

haha I've seen some of the Jingles vids - nice chap. For me first played paintball at 15 1989 I think, loved it for years but was too expensive looking back. Got into airsoft 10 years ago now - just don't have the time now to play as much as I'd like. Enjoy it while you can....

[ForestFighter]

As i'm really a beginner to this whole thing, my interest in airsoft really began with videogames.

 

I used to play CoD all the time, which then evolved into Battlefield and if I could run any of their damn games properly, I'd be well into ArmA, too.

 

I think for me, my gaming interest gradually moved more and more towards the realism side of things, until discovering airsoft, where buying myself a gun and doing it for as real as possible without having to join the army and actually kill people, seemed the next logical step. Also, I too was recently drawn in by the likes of The Mighty Jingles, LevelCap and the forums' own Bullet4MyEnemy who do a really great job of explaining the sport and showing just how fun and good-spirited it really is.

 

I remember back in 2006 when I first had my interest piqued, there was barely anything on youtube in the way of reviews, videos or much of anything to do with airsofting but recently, when I went back to take a look at airsofting content, I found reams and reams of airsoft content from reviews, to game helmet and gun cams to commentaires, which I think is really great for allowing people to see what it's all about. The fact that there is a TON of stuff out there now seems to suggest that this is becoming more popular.

[Zak Da Mack]

Just thought, yogscast recently did a ww2 video in which they use airsoft guns. Wouldn't be surprised if that introduced a few new players.

 

I don't really like lvlcap's airsoft videos. He seems to act like he knows more than he actually does. Probably the crap GI feed him

[BrightCandle]

Just thought, yogscast recently did a ww2 video in which they use airsoft guns. Wouldn't be surprised if that introduced a few new players.

 

I don't really like lvlcap's airsoft videos. He seems to act like he knows more than he actually does. Probably the crap GI feed him

 

He seems to get a very healthy K/d ratio and he certain shifts when he is moving up. The games are usually exciting and he has good cameras. But he is not the right person to listen to about guns as he doesn't show any knowledge of the internals etc. His loadout video is useful just for the discussion of sights, scopes, mag pouches and chest rig but its not the best guide either. He is fun to watch rather than it being informative.

[TacMaster]

He doesn't seem to understand the value of the guns & gear he's given either and he's usually given ridiculously high spec guns by retailers, such as airsoft GI, for absolutely free. That sort of unawareness and almost ignorance really annoys me

[CaptainSwoop]

Watch the videos that Northern Alliance post on their Facebook Page. Highlights of a weekends play. They are incredibly fast and furious.

 

 

And of course our own Bullet4myenemy

[CON]

He doesn't seem to understand the value of the guns & gear he's given either and he's usually given ridiculously high spec guns by retailers, such as airsoft GI, for absolutely free. That sort of unawareness and almost ignorance really annoys me

 

Yes thats what annoys me, its probably jealousy, but they havent and dont understand the pain, sweat and tears of getting your ukara and battling through the budget guns, and cheap clunky kit.

[DX115FALCON]

I can actually remember how I got into airsoft. I had been playing paintball with a friend for his birthday and started to wonder what paintball would be like without a huge gas canister, and with more realistic guns. A few months later, I saw this bit of footage from a local site (linked below). I remember thinking: "Holy crap! I have to get into that!".

 

Then I made the horrible error of buying from JustBBGuns, and now- two years and a couple hundred pounds later- I'm here.

 

[CaptainSwoop]

That's the same clip that got me in to airsoft via my son!

He wanted to get in to it since he was about 10. He watched the same film and thensome of the US films.

Anyway when he got to 12 I took him to our local site to have a go, they started at 12 years.

After a couple of visits I had a go myself

[Lord_Metile]

Just thought, yogscast recently did a ww2 video in which they use airsoft guns. Wouldn't be surprised if that introduced a few new players.

I don't really like lvlcap's airsoft videos. He seems to act like he knows more than he actually does. Probably the crap GI feed him

I think level caps videos are done to good quality. They're entertaining and informative. He plays at SC village so he probably knows the GI guys.

[Zak Da Mack]

His videos are good but I feel like he doesn't know much about airsoft apart from their real steel counterparts. He had a video where he was using a DMR and said the longer barrel helps him shoot a lot further than regular guns etc.

[Unrustle_Thine_Jimmies]

Levelcap sort of bother me since his lack of knowledge on gun tech is just regurgitating all the crap that was dying down on to the younger player generation,like longer barrel=Longer range and accuracy but saying nothing about cylinder volume to barrel length and all that stuff which is very important in a gun. I can accept Just not knowing how airsoft tech works and 'just playing' but spreading lies & false facts about airsoft tech and with that especially of a large audience just rubs me the wrong way.

 

That,and levelcap has no real concept of value for the stuff he's given(Then again I do hold a lot of higher end guns to a very low value due to manufacturing standards not exisintg and some stuff being overpriced,but that's another story. I know polarstar Fusion engines are common in the USA but treating it like it's 'um pretty cool' or nothing really unique I don't also like.

 

If I want informative airsoft videos I search for a producer who knows their stuff- If I want gameplay videos and just general voiceover then I'll look at things like levelcap.

 

I do notice airsoft is blowing up,especially about younger guys,around 12-13. The town I live in is where a fairly popular retailer is located so you can expect the airsoft playing minority to be a bit larger. I do hear lots of cringey tidbits of airsoft discussion,lots of stuff about popular youtubers and vidya gaems, on the bus to school from time to time but I generally keep my mouth shut and leave all my silly babble to vent on game days. It's good that people are getting in and expanding the community but in my area it's all divided to a site catering to U18s and a more 'core' site so the overall playerbase feels small even though it is not.

[Fumps]

That's the same clip that got me in to airsoft via my son!

He wanted to get in to it since he was about 10. He watched the same film and thensome of the US films.

Anyway when he got to 12 I took him to our local site to have a go, they started at 12 years.

After a couple of visits I had a go myself

Similar situation to me, my son had been to paintball a few times & saw people coming in from an airsoft skirmish & thought it looked much cooler that Paintball. he started asking me for a BB gun so I started looking into the legality of the whole thing.....found the community & decided to have a blast myself......we now do it once a month as a father & son thing.

 

It's a good escape from being a grown up for a day.

[CaptainSwoop]

Airsoft is always popular with youngsters but how many become long term players?

 

Several of my sons friends started to play after he did. all but one stopped after a few months.

 

At the sites we go to there seems to be a regular 'churning' of new young players.

 

it's the same with any hobby or pastime, you dabble and then something else catches your attention.

 

It's all part of growing up.

[Fumps]

the above is why I think rentals are a great way of getting into airsoft.

I'm still surprised there are not any events for kids (10-12 years old) to play in low fps games dotted around the country. My son was playing paintball & coming home with some savage bruises (he was proud of them). the cost for his day was ridiculous

but I paid it because he loved doing it.

 

Now we have airsoft to do together it's taken things to a whole new level, it's a sport he can take part in where his age & his height (He's a short arse) makes little difference. for instance I've seen him in gun battles with grown adults & he has got the better of them. He really looks forward to going & loves being treat like everyones little brother.

 

Airsoft is a great community & I'm so happy I found it

[NH Shooter]

I would greatly imagine there's a massive throughput of kids... My local place is 45 for the day... That's not a tiny amount for a kid... And to get your own rifle?... You need adult money, I think... To get yourself a nice setup may cost you £500 notes... Plus range fees and ammo.

 

It's an expensive hobby...

[Fumps]

I would greatly imagine there's a massive throughput of kids... My local place is 45 for the day... That's not a tiny amount for a kid... And to get your own rifle?... You need adult money, I think... To get yourself a nice setup may cost you £500 notes... Plus range fees and ammo.

 

It's an expensive hobby...

It cost more than £45 for paint balling,My son was costing close to £70 for the day (When you add ammo,lunch,travel cost etc)

I can take me & my son out doing airsoft for £50, that covers both of us for the day & you get lunch included. At one point my son was doing Tae-Kwon-Do which was £50 a month (Not including pads, uniform & belts). I knew one dad who's son was doing that & BJJ which was another £60 on top of that (So he was paying £110 a month & he had two sons).

 

I know for a fact parents would pay £45 for the day no worries at all.

 

Coming back to airsoft for a moment My son's loadout, with an Ares M4 cost less than £200. I think that's a bargain, considering I'm a recent convert from mountain biking where my gear system cost me £450 & my wheels cost close to £900.....my bike frame is worth over £1000, then you have kit to wear etc.....on mountain biking over the space of 3 years I spent over £4000 (and I could still be adding to it now if I have not realised what I was doing), also adding travel cost's to go to bike centres all over the country (Wales, Scotland etc)......So I really don't see airsoft as expensive.

 

I think you'd be surprised, If I had the know how & a business brain I'd definitely consider setting something up on a Saturday afternoon.

[CaptainSwoop]

We started with rental guns and surplus DPM from Ebay..

We got lucky when Gun-Ho closed down. On the last Skirmish they sold off their ex rental gear and we got a couple of Classic Army M15A4s for £25 that I have been refurbing as those who have followed the appropriate thread will know

 

Airsoft seems to be expensive at first glance but compares well with other outdoor sports like fishing, archery, mountainbiking etc.