Why is air soft so popular? Is it to do with the T/A?

[MB675]

Hi out there. I been paintballing for 6 months and I,ve noticed quite a lot of air softers out there. Some who take it very seriously, A lot of them seem to have full army kit (barring proper guns) but even their guns are made to look authentic, I,ve even seen some with rubber knives! While I,m not dogging them in any way. The question I,ve been asking my self is this Has the fact that the Territorial Army has changed from being kind of a big weekend game with proper weapons to a serious part time profession where being placed in a real life or death situation on the frontline is very likely. Has this pushed a lot of people away from joining the T/A and in to weekend air softers? Or is it just me LOL

 

[Game]

very doubtfull its allways been popular

it proberly have more to do with the price of airsoft guns and the amount available in the market now

 

[Tom]

Airsoft is popular because people like to play it.
Ditto paintball, golf, etc

 

[renie]

Airsofters and paintballers will always tell you what they play is the best, Its up to the individual on what you preffer.
Some like to get in big arguements/debates but whats the point!
Some Airsofters say we run around with space guns and Some Paintballers say their wannabe soldiers.

Play what you enjoy the most

 

[jahlad]

airsoft is like paintball in loads of ways, in paintball we have the milsim guys who like to go all camo in the woods and we have the tourny guys.....the other way to look at the split is one half play a game, the other half play a sport.

now the airsofters are also split....its just not as easy to see the split, there are some airsofters who play air soft purely for fun, dont take it seriously just like to go shoot people on the weekend whilst the other group of airsofters like to treat is as a military simulation, the key for them is in the details, they will carry a back up gun, a first aid kit, a plastic knife, if that's what it takes to make his 'load out' as close to the real thing he is replicating. the big difference between paintballers and airsofters is its a lot harder to spot the casual airsofters from the 'wannabe soldiers'

ive played airsoft and a brilliant day, in some ways better than paintball in others not, i wasn't in to the woodland games we played ( i do like woodland paintball) but we also played some games involving clearing out a small building complex.....awesome fun that just wouldn't have been as good with paint

its horses for courses give it a go, there used to be a big 'thing' between paintballers and airsofters but it seems to be changing, i know loads of people who regularly play both

 

[Tony Harrison]

No. It's just you.

 

[MB675]

SAlot of you who replied seem to of missed the point! I,m not saying airsoft is not popular or ones better than the other. You can buy a shootgun for £500. And join a shooting club so its not about price and shooting rabbits. I know people who were in T/A and people who do air soft, before t/a changed you had weekend war games, real guns blank bullets. In airsoft you got weekend war games ,realistic guns shooting balls basically the same. It's all about the Buzz. With the T/A changed where would/will the people who thought/thinking about joining T/A go. If they heard of airsoft they would do that. I would really like to see the figures for amount of people who,ve joined airsoft clubs in uk since T/A started being sent to front line. Do,nt forget airsoft is nearest to old t/a. It's all about the Buzz .

 

[Tom]

It's been quite some time since the TA was just about turning up for drill nights/weekends and an annual camp.
(They don't get to play in the woods every time they attend the TA)

The TA have always been reservists and therefore available for call up. Some years back it was few & far between.
My old buddy was gutted when he signed off the regulars then Gulf war 1 kicked off. They wanted reservists but were only interested in specialists.

Things have changed in the TA considerably, a little while back they stopped all training other than operational, and people had the potential to miss out on their bounties. This got rid of a number of the 'wasters'
Anyone who gets through training is 99% guaranteed an operational tour, sign up to play soldiers on Salisbury Plain and you are in for a big shock.

 

[MB675]

Yes it was along time ago when i knew people in T/A. LOL showing my age. I wonder where do alot of these people who do,nt want it ca,nt do it end up?

 

[Missy-Q]

I don't get the STABs guys. They join the Stabs, because they want to do the army thing without giving up their day jobs, and then when they get a chance to turn fantasy into reality they shxt themselves. If you don't want to go to war - don't join the armed forces... The whole thing about the TA is that they may one day be called into action. They tell you this when you join, and its one of the things these guys boast about when they hit the pub - "yeah, you know I have to keep up with the training and all in case we get called up, and you know we have to train just like the regular troops, etc." - It all sounds so tough until they actually get asked to guard a few ammo-dumps in the Middle-east, then they run for cover (or switch to airsoft, apparently)