NEW TO AIRSOFT? CHECK HERE FOR INFORMATION!

Ok. So you have found this site and have some questions. If you are a brand new player looking to get into the sport of Airsoft or a returning veteran check this out:

For roles and rules see below...

What guns and gear to play with?
It depends on what role type you decide to play as… There are three main positions: Field/CQB, Heavy Gunner, and Sniper.

Field/CQB is the role for people assigned to do fast attacking runs, room clearing and general assaults. Probably 85-95% of people are included in this role depending on their loadout. Typical guns include M4/M16s, AK47s, G36s, MP5s, MP7s, P90s, and other semi or fully automatic rifles. These missions require mobility and accuracy.

Heavy gunners are responsible for protecting the other troops with unending firepower, taking a hit in accuracy. Covering fire and suppression of the enemy are necessary for the field/CQB players to accomplish their missions. Weapons commonly used for this role are M249s, usually called SAWs, M60s, and for the players with enough money, M2 Browning (Ma Deuce’s) and Miniguns are used. These guns usually do not fall under the magazine restrictions commonly placed on other weapons in larger games. Average ammo capacity is 2000-2500rnds per magazine. Probably 5-7% of players wield these. these weapons are usually heavy and cumbersome and mobiity can be an issue.

For the players with patience, a sniper rifle can make or break a battle. With the ability to reach out and touch someone at 200+ feet, and silent stealth shots, a player can remain hidden from the enemy, while slowly eliminating the opponent. Expect to do a lot of low crawling, and sneaking around to get the perfect shooting spot. Many dedicated snipers utilize a gillie suit to hide from view and blend in with the environment. Also a lot of snipers tend to use claymores and traps to alert them of the enemy presence. Very few people play as snipers... See below.

Our general opinion is although sniping is glamorized by movies, it is recommended you start with a Field/CQB weapon to begin with. Many people strive to become a sniper, get all the gear, and then move on to something else. If you notice the percentage of players in the Field/CQB role, you’ll see there is an obvious lack of snipers, and this may be why.

Rules and regulations/ safety gear: Safety glasses at a minimum for eye protection. For MINORS a full face mask is required at Sharsworld Firezone. It is also recommended that you wear as much skin protection as possible around the neck and face.

When gearing up for a game, remove your magazine and dry fire the gun once to clear the chamber. Always walk around with your gun aimed at the ground. Most people do not wear their protective goggles in the staging area and this is a very important rule to follow. When the game is started, put your "face" on.

The general Feet per Second or FPS limits at most fields are as follows with .20g BBs.
400FPS for fully automatic weapons/and support weapons.
500FPS for semi-auto sniper rifles.
550FPS for bolt action sniper rifles.

Rate of fire or ROF is never really restricted.

Minimum engagement rules:
At no point in time should anyone fire a weapon at another person less than 10ft away, and if your gun is on the hot side use caution and allow more distance. Yelling BANG is the universal signal for the up close and personal kill. Your gun must be pointed at the enemy when saying BANG or it doesnt count. If the enemy doesnt accept it, you may just have to shoot them. Center of mass shots if the person refuses the BANG out. No face shots in this range, even if thats all you have to aim at.

Blind-firing and randomly firing directly through doors/windows while standing just outside the building is strictly prohibited. This is probably the most anger inducing thing you can do on a field. Make sure you do not attempt this. People get MAD over this one. Dont be that guy!

Grenade rules are generally a 10 ft radius killzone on almost every field we play on. Never throw one at someone. Ask if pyrotechnics are allowed on any specific field, and depending on the time of year, it may be prohibited only at certain months regardless of prior allowances.

MAGAZINE RESTRICTIONS are sometimes a part of a scenario! Make sure you find out whether or not they allow winding high capacity magazines at a game BEFORE you drive out to a game. Heavy gunner weapons usually are not included in this regulation. Its best to find out though.

EQUIPMENT RESTRICTIONS are sometimes used to recreate a certain war in a certain time. For instance they didnt have night vision in WWI or WW2, Vietnam, etc, so it may be prohibited. This also goes for lasers, and certain scopes.

If and when you get shot... this is a game about honor, so call your hits. When you are hit make yourself known by doing two things: 2) Sling your weapon while raising your hands, 2) Yell HIT. dont expect to yell hit only and not be shot at anymore... sometimes you cannot hear HIT in the heat of battle and when you have a gun right next to your head firing.

Technically riccochets and gun hits do not count as deaths...! Again depends on the field.

Other important tools for the event of your death are these items...
A kill rag. Seen in the right of this picture...

For night games these things are awesome... GLowstick Flashlight Whistles ~$4


If you THINK you see someone NOT calling their hits, you just might not be hitting them. dont call them out unless you know for sure it was a direct hit. with trees, branches, and bushes around the firing area, not to mention the flight paths of BBs, you can never really know if you are hitting someone or not. If you are pinned down in a really bad position sometimes it is just a good idea to call yourself hit. If you get hit by a BB that may or may not be a riccochet, take the hit, because again you are probably in a spot where your death is inevitable. This is a game for fun, not real life. Remember sometimes people dont hear or feel the hits to their vests or helmets... Send a few more BBs in their direction to let them know.

The BBs tend to feel like a quick bee sting and depending on the distance from the shooter and the strength of their gun, it may leave small welts. Expect this to happen, a LOT.

Supplies to bring along if your smart...

Since some of these fields do not have bathrooms, toilet paper is handy. Ladies take note.
Water in a canteen or Camel-Bak, Gaterade or Powerade style drink.
Some snack food... Carbs or protein replenishing foods.
Spare BBs. Some fields require Bio-Degradable BBs.
An extra battery.
A speed loader.
A fold out chair after a hard game is a nice touch.
Kill rags.
Spare Clothes in case they get wet, ripped or incredibly dirty.
Simple first aid kit.
Sun tan lotion
Bug spray
A trash bag so you could take your junk with you. Dont litter.

A good attitude.

Here are the camo types...

WOODLAND


BLACK


TAN


OLIVE DRAB


MULTICAM


DESERT CAMO


DIGITAL DESERT CAMO


DIGITAL ACU


DIGITAL WOODLAND


DIGITAL ABU


TIGER STRIPE


GERMAN FLECKTARN


BRITISH DPM


CANADIAN CADPAT


AUSTRALIAN AUSCAM


DIGITAL URBAN


ITALIAN VEGETATO

Pretty soon we will have a gun testing section for those of you looking to purchase an airsoft gun.

Until then here are the places to look into:

Airsoftgi.com
Airsoftmegastore.com
Evike.com
Airsplat.com
Airsoftatlanta.com (quick shipping to FL for those last minute items)

Look for guns that are at least above 350FPS to be competitive enough to play without getting annihilated on the field.

For those of you looking to upgrade an existing gun, we have some "Airsmith's" on the site here.
FIREMAN
ERICSIXFOOTCOW
and a few others...

It is kind of convoluted but here are the basics:

To increase FPS and therefore range you'll need:
A better spring
(FPS Ranges approximate)
M120 - 380-420FPS
M130 - 420-450FPS
M140 - 450-500FPS
M150 - 500-550FPS
M160 - 550+
To compress the higher rate spring most guns require higher voltage batteries, Higher torque motors, hardened gear sets and bushings, stronger piston set ups, etc. Cost seems to go up exponentially at this point.

A tighter bore barrel helps, but remember you have to use better BBs if you do. A longer barrel using extensions/silencers tends to yield better accuracy.

A better hop up (puts backspin on the BB, kind of like spiraling a football) also helps accuracy.

Accuracy can be improved through the use of denser BBs. Here are some basic guidelines for BB use:
.20grams at a minimum for any AEG.
.25g for intermediate AEGs
.30g for advanced AEGs and some snipers
.35g for basic snipers
.40g and above for ranged snipers with high FPS ratings.
The denser the BB, the higher energy transfer, stated in joules. Heavier BBs tend to fly straighter and are less affected by obstacles like bushes and shrubs. No one uses .12g BBs because they have eratic flight patterns and less penetrating power. They also have a possibility to damage an AEG.

Rate of fire can be increased with higher voltage batteries, and because of the wear and tear most of the forementioned components must be upgraded, albeit with a high speed motor instead (versus high torque).

CHANGING YOUR BATTERY TO A HIGHER VOLTAGE DOES NOTHING FOR FPS! (SHAR!)
Battery Voltage and capacity can be read like this:
9V 1400MaH = 9volts of spring compressing power with 1400 MaH of duration in hours at a specific discharge rate, usually at 2/3 Milliamps.

LiPo batteries have excellent torque and duration characteristics, but require a gun to be rewired for it, and the necessary charger and monitor to use it.

So to recap:
The basic upgrades:
Stage 1 - Spring (one level above stock), battery with a slightly higher voltage or at a minimum higher capacity.

Stage 2 - Add a barrel and hop up.

Stage 3 - Upgrading the gearsets and bushings, pistons and heads.

Stage 4 - Upgrading the motor, another spring level, and battery level.

Fireman is currently the man to talk to about upgrading your switching system to a MOSFET, which drops current load on your switch, keeping it from burning up.

Hopefully i didnt miss anything...