Is Airsoft a threat to Paintball?

Bucketman · 05-15-2011, 09:28 PM

Airsoft is a fun backyard game to pick up and play with your friends. Its much cheaper than paintball but it will never be as competitive.

nuf said

Blue_Cobra · 01-23-2012, 09:10 PM

I have read several posts and I got to agree, airsoft is a cheaters paradise. I used to play airsoft quite a bit and played paintball once every few months because of the cost. But with playing airsoft, you have to have a high end gun so people hurt enough to go out. And then if you hit them and they spin on you, they yell at you for not going out. IT'S REDONKULASS!!!

So I got a Thomson airsoft gun and the first one I had broke and I took it back and got another one. That one lasted a long time, then sold it to my little brother. I then bought a MP5K for $40 and during that time I was getting into speedball. I did a superman slide and cracked the gun from the magazine being ripped out, I then traded it for an upped Tippmann '98 Custom and put $20 into that. Then I traded that for an '07 PMR.

I just couldn't stand the cheating in airsoft. I liked that in paintball it left a mark so you know for a 100% that you got them or didn't and if they cheated or not. So now I am a Paintballer and get made fun of by airsofters. Because they are like "Paintball is sooo unrealistic because of the hoppers." I am into real guns and after shooting a M16, M4, Ak-47, PSL, and many others the "realness" wasn't the same, the accuracy and range were horrible. I know they aren't real but still, with the feel of the real it just sucked!

So paintball is where my home is now and it is a legit sport. My airsofting friends are like "airsoft is a sport" I'm like "How? In China?" It's just annoying that they don't want to play paintball at least once a month with me when I play airsoft with them. I only play airsoft to spend time with my friends cuz I don't get much time to spend with them.

Back to the topic: Airsoft will not and cannot take over Paintball, yes in some areas maybe but overall? No, Paintball has actual Leagues like the PSP, NPPL, and many others. If paintball started going into other areas (like Washington state in Lewis County) then that would help Paintball.

Airsoft is cheaper yes, but it doesn't have the quality of Paintball.

I noticed that someone posted that what if paintball manufacturers made airsoft guns? Man I deffinently would get a speedball version of one. The durability would be amazing! If they made Airsoft guns run off paintball tanks, I would deffinantly get one. But the airsofters I know are like "that would be unrealistic" I am dead serious that they said that. The tank would make a great stock and you wouldn't have to pay a ton for all of those little CO2 canisters.

Rob66 · 01-23-2012, 11:13 PM

OP- why not host airsoft days at your field that you plan on opening up. that way you get both and could posibly convert airsofters to paintballers and paintballers to airsofters

RealDarkTemplar · 01-25-2012, 01:10 AM

That is exactly what I'm gonna do. Other field owners around here complain that they are losing customers to airsoft. None of them allows airsoft on their fields. What gives? How silly can you get? As a business owner, I mean.
It's like a bar that sells only beer starts complaining that it is losing customers to wine bars.

TheHef · 01-25-2012, 02:36 AM

Airsoft is fun when you are drunk and bored and want to shoot at some friends inside your house. It sucks when someones tooth busts in half though.

Hellf1ghter22 · 01-25-2012, 09:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealDarkTemplar

That is exactly what I'm gonna do. Other field owners around here complain that they are losing customers to airsoft. None of them allows airsoft on their fields. What gives? How silly can you get? As a business owner, I mean.
It's like a bar that sells only beer starts complaining that it is losing customers to wine bars.

lol, so true.

Blue_Cobra · 01-25-2012, 11:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RealDarkTemplar

That is exactly what I'm gonna do. Other field owners around here complain that they are losing customers to airsoft. None of them allows airsoft on their fields. What gives? How silly can you get? As a business owner, I mean.
It's like a bar that sells only beer starts complaining that it is losing customers to wine bars.

Personally, I don't like airsoft, but from a business point of view that makes sense. Although, if there are airsoft bbs all over the field they might say something about that and vise versa. So you could have a rule that only bio-degradable bbs can be used and paint is pretty much bio to my understanding. Idk, just an idea.

RealDarkTemplar · 01-26-2012, 12:56 AM

Personally, I don't like Airsoft either. I think it is like paintball for kids and, to be honest, it kind of surprises me that grown up people actually go out and dress up and pretend to shoot each other. You might just as well not put anything into those plastic guns and go: ''Bam, bam! You're dead, mate!''
But anyway, that's just me. It's just not my cup of tea.
From a business point of view, however, I am forced to cater for that market as well, because money from airsoft players are the same as money form paintball players.
Besides, I think somebody else mentioned this - if I can get them on the field I will show them how a real marker shoots and how it feels like. I guarantee at least some of them will start wondering ''what the frack have I been doing up untill now?''

hunterisabeast · 01-30-2012, 06:37 PM

im one of the2 ballers in my school and ive done both air soft sucks but its cheap i love paintball and will play till i have no money to play any longer

Blue_Cobra · 01-30-2012, 08:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hunterisabeast

im one of the2 ballers in my school and ive done both[,] air soft sucks but its cheap[,] i love paintball and will play till i have no money to play any longer

That is signature worthy right there. I agree with you 100%.

foughtwolf · 01-30-2012, 09:25 PM

One is not any more a threat to the other. Both sports could take some notes from one another and be better off. In fact exlusing speedball in an airball format, the two sports are the same, just played with different tools.

Blue_Cobra · 01-31-2012, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by foughtwolf

One is not any more a threat to the other. Both sports could take some notes from one another and be better off. In fact exlusing speedball in an airball format, the two sports are the same, just played with different tools.

I see your point and agree with half of what your saying. In a whole airsoft isn't a threat to paintball, but in certain areas it is a threat. Like where I live there is hardly anyone who plays paintball very often, but know a ton of people who play airsoft all the time.

I am just so glad that a paintball field is opening in March here where I live.

Flatliner68 · 05-10-2012, 03:31 PM

In my area, I don't know ANY adults that play airsoft. In fact, I heard someone tell an airsofter in my church that "Paintball is airsoft for grownups..." That said, being a mil-sim guy, I think there are some things we could learn from the airsofters to put some more fun into paintball...

Horizon · 05-10-2012, 04:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Flatliner68

In my area, I don't know ANY adults that play airsoft. In fact, I heard someone tell an airsofter in my church that "Paintball is airsoft for grownups..." That said, being a mil-sim guy, I think there are some things we could learn from the airsofters to put some more fun into paintball...

I've only seen adults play airsoft here, no kids.