Extreme Sports
Beginner adventure

They’re not in the same category as a kids toys but airsoft pistols are an ideal hobby for any adult or young adult. Unlike paintball guns or normal airguns airsoft hanguns are designed to look just like the real thing. This has posed a problem for airsoft gun owners over the years due to airsoft pistols being used in “armed” robberies. Believe me when one of these is pointed in your face it looks just like the real thing. To combat this danger airsoft manufactures are now making many of their airguns in clear plastics and/or with an orange flash at the tip of the barrel to counteract this problem.

Your airsoft pistol is capable of firing a 6mm plastic bb at speeds of up to 300 feet per second which while not dangerous to exposed arms or legs could definitely cause damage to unprotected eyes. Always, always use safety glasses when firing an airsoft gun indoors or outdoors. A ricochet can happen quite easily and the results can be horrific. The actual power of your handgun will depend on the firing mechanism used. Your choices are spring, gas and electric. Spring and gas offer the highest power range but the newer AEG blowback handguns look pretty neat too.

Bear in mind too that a spring airsoft gun will need to be cocked for every single shot whereas the gas and AEG models offer fully automatic fire rates. The spring pistols will be cheaper but are a little bit more clumsy to use. The gas blowback models really mimic the real thing - especially when the topslide flies backwards after each shot.

One thing you won’t need to worry about when buying an airsoft handgun is finding your favourite weapon. The choice is truly staggering with all the popular brands making an appearance - Glock,Beretta and the Desert Eagle being amongst the most popular. For the true airsoft nut you can even get the Robocop M93R handgun - although these are getting tough to find nowadays.

Just like the real thing your airsoft handgun needs to be loaded before firing so you’ll need to fill the clip with bbs before you can start target practice. The bbs themselves are available in a variety of colors and styles - including paintball and glow-in-the-dark; so there’s a bb to suit everyones taste.

Indoor or outdoor airsoft handguns offer a fun and entertaining hobby that can be enjoyed safely by just about the entire family. As always these guns are not really toys and should not be used by children unattended.

Also please do check local laws in relation to owning an airsoft handgun - they are banned in some countries. Check your local, state and national laws to ensure that possessing an airsoft pistol isn’t against the law. There have been several cases of airosft guns being mistaken for real weapons by police forces worldwide - sometimes with tragic consequences.

Ron Fowler said it feels like being hit with a wet towel. Bryan Vasaris said it’s like being snapped with a rubber band or stung by a bee. Being shot by a paintball gun doesn’t sound very fun. So why is paintball one of the fastest growing sports in America, according to the National Sporting Goods Association? “It’s a stress relief, because you can go out and shoot at people and not dangerously hit them,” Vasaris said. “But it’s also being with a group of guys that you like to hang around with.”

The most commonly played paintball game is “capture the flag.” There are rules variations, but the object is for a team to capture the opposing team’s flag while protecting its own. Players eliminate opponents by shooting them with their paintball guns.
The games can be played outside in an open field or forest, or inside at a specially designed facility with inflatable bunkers and other obstacles. “It’s not the hide-and-seek game everyone thinks,” Vasaris said. “It’s really action-packed and fast-paced.” Players use carbon dioxide- or nitrogen-powered guns that fire thin, gelatin capsules filled with non-toxic paint - the “paintballs.”

Vasaris, 22, who has been playing paintball since he was in high school, will be a senior at the University of Cincinnati this year and is the president of the school’s paintball team. He said getting shot isn’t as bad as it seems. “After the first time, I didn’t even think about getting hit,” Vasaris said. “There is such an adrenaline rush that you don’t even feel it.”

For those who want to experience that rush, there are plenty of paintball facilities around Cincinnati. A good place to start for beginners is the Hueston Woods Paintball Club at Hueston Woods State Park.

Tom Arvan, who has been the paintball club’s general manager for 12 years, likes to promote the game to new players. “My personal enjoyment is seeing the kids play and seeing first-time players come off the field with a grin on their face,” Arvan said.
Hueston Woods is open every Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and offers two fields, including one that is wooded with some constructed obstacles. The cost to play is $27, which includes a gun, a carbon dioxide tank, 200 paintballs and protective gear. Players who have their own equipment pay $12. The fields are open Monday through Friday by reservation for groups of 15 or more. Arvan said Hueston Woods has catered to birthday parties, bachelor parties, fraternity and sorority parties and corporate outings. “We have had high praises from corporate groups for team-building,” Arvan said. “It’s a game that really fosters some friendship and sportsmanship.”

Arvan said his paintball field is open to players of all skill levels. “Paintball is a sport that isn’t dominated by youth and physical size,” Arvan said. “We’ve had mom, dad, grandma and grandpa out here.”