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5 Common Airsoft Beginner Mistakes
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Avoid these 5 Common Airsoft
Beginner Mistakes
Airsoft is an amazing community that one can easily join. There aren’t a lot of barriers to entry but there are some common mistakes you see with new players from time to time.
Here are the five biggest mistakes that new airsoft players make.
Sniper as a First Gun
It’s pretty common for those new to airsoft to go the sniper route, but this is also one of the most common mistakes for several reasons.
Sniping in airsoft is nothing like sniping in the real world. Airsoft sniper rifles don’t shoot very far, BBs can be disrupted by leaves, and often an airsoft sniper rifle isn’t any more accurate than any other airsoft rifle. Good airsoft sniper rifles are also expensive and have a slower rate of fire.
Real sniping can be quite tiresome as it involves a lot of patience and stillness. And there is no guarantee that you get to snipe anyone.
Trust me, it's a lot more fun to run and gun than to snipe. If you want some extra range and a sniper-like role, look into being a designated marksman.
A DM moves with a regular squad but may hang back in a firefight to make well-placed shots. In a pinch, they can instantly swap to a normal infantry role and start laying down fire.
Accessorising Too Much
It’s a lot of fun to have a rifle that can accept accessories. It’s very tempting to slap everything you possibly can on a rifle and roll with it. This includes an optic, a laser, flashlight, bipod, angled foregrip, and more.
While some accessories can be handy for some roles, they aren’t always needed. They tend to increase the weight of your gun and increase its price too. Before you begin slamming accessories on a rifle, examine how you play.
• Are you in the prone position a lot? If not, a bipod is useless.
• Do you play at night? If not, the flashlight is useless.
• Can you see and use the laser?
You see where I am going here? The two accessories I’d recommend are a good sling and a decent little red dot. The red dot is optional.
Not Focusing on Physical Fitness
Airsoft is an action sport. It requires a lot of moving, shooting, sprints and more. If you want to be a serious player, it’s good to be in shape. You need to be able to transition between multiple shooting positions rapidly.
Being healthy and physically fit isn’t just important to be a good player, but also to avoid injury. This includes little injuries like pulled muscles and more severe tears and pulls.
You are likely going to be playing outside and in the heat. If you aren’t in solid shape, acclimated, and eating and drinking healthy, you can sustain a heat injury. This includes heat stroke which can put you in the hospital.
Remember to focus on your physical self to be a safe and be and efficient player.
I’m a big proponent of spending wisely on your first airsoft gun. I’d never recommend some high-end 700-dollar gun to a newbie.
At the same time, I see new players investing in no name airsoft guns sold at flea markets and dollar stores. These guns are often junky Chinesium that usually break and fail. This frustrates new players all around and often turns them away from the sport.
One of the best beginner guns is the G&G Combat Machine M4. It’s affordable, reliable, and widely available. Spend about $100 to $200 on your weapon. There is a very simple saying we use, “Buy once, cry once.”
A good rifle is all you need to begin playing airsoft. Then after some time, you can get a handgun or even invest in another primary weapon. Starting with a rifle allows you to experiment with different roles and learn how the game is played.
Know Your Batteries
Batteries in AEGs can be finicky. You have to take care of these systems, and the cells are sensitive to neglect and abuse. Here are a few things to remember about AEG batteries.
• Only charge them for the recommended time.
• While playing, swap batteries if one becomes hot.
• Take the battery off the charger if it gets warm.
• Remove the battery when you’re done playing.
• A smart charger is an excellent idea if you’re absent minded about batteries.
Five Simple Rules
These five simple mistakes are easy to avoid so you can make your entry to airsoft smooth and easy.
It is important that when you make a mistake, learn from it. Never be afraid to ask questions. Airsofters are some of the friendliest people out there and most are more than willing to lend a hand when they can.
Article written by Outdoor Empire.
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A Guide to Essential Airsoft Cleaning & Maintenance
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A Guide to Essential
Airsoft Cleaning & Maintenance
Airsoft gun maintenance is important for keeping your kit in prime condition; here’s a quick guide to some basic maintenance and cleaning.
Airsoft guns can take a battering during a skirmish; this is something which is fairly unavoidable. Crawling through muddy forests can take its toll on your beloved rifles, so giving them some TLC is important.
Knowing how to keep your airsoft gun clean, which ammo is best to use and how to unblock them are all key to keeping your guns in good condition.
With this in mind, here is a quick guide to airsoft gun maintenance, which should help you to keep your kit in prime condition.
When it comes to cleaning your airsoft gun, it is important that you steer clear of strong cleaning products. These can damage the exterior of the weapon, stripping it of its paintwork and potentially damaging the delicate mechanisms that keep it firing. To keep it clean, you should only need to use a soft, damp cloth and a bit of elbow grease!
The exterior of airsoft guns will only require minimal cleaning, but the barrel is one of the most important parts of the gun and will need fairly regular attention and lubricating.
To properly clean the barrel, spray a small amount of 100% silicone spray onto a cleaning patch on a cleaning rod and insert into the barrel AFTER you have turned off the hop up. If the hop up is on, you can damage it, and the cleaning rod can become stuck.
In fact, it is better for the barrel if you completely remove it from the AEG and hop rubber. However, this can damage the hop rubber if done improperly or too often; it is not recommended to do this every time or if you are not completely confident in what you are doing.
When it comes to cleaning the barrel, use a back and forth motion, and then remove the cleaning rod. Once you are satisfied it is clean, attach a new, dry cleaning patch to remove any excess residue. Once the patch comes out clean, test fire the gun and re-set your hop.
Note - If you wish to perform maintenance on the interior of the gun’s gearbox, it is strongly recommended that you use a professional, as doing it yourself could result in damage to the gun or the risk of voiding the warranty.
Only use high-quality BBs, as poor-quality brands can damage both your gun and the barrel. High-quality airsoft guns are designed to use 0.2-gram BB’s or heavier. Any BBs lighter than this can jam or break in the gun, and cause over hopping and inaccuracy.
It is also important that you NEVER reuse your BBs, as they become deformed once fired which can contribute towards breaking your airsoft gun.
Taking Care of Magazines
Before you load your magazine, you should always check the user manual of your gun and follow their advice, even if you are the most seasoned of airsofter. However, there are a couple of general rules worth remembering:
• Keep your magazines and BBs away from dirt and debris. This will help to ensure no foreign bodies get stuck in/on them.
• Only use new, clean BBs. Dirty BBs or ones which have been fired before and are now deformed can harm the mechanisms of your gun, causing magazines to jam and potentially causing severe damage to your gun.
What to Do in Case of a Jam
Unfortunately, no matter how well you look after it, your gun will jam. When this happens, it is important that you know what to do. If a BB jams in your gun, you need to stop firing immediately. If you continue firing, it could lead to a broken gear or piston, which is a much bigger (and more expensive!) problem to fix.
Next, you should completely turn off your hop up and insert the reverse end of your cleaning rod (which should be angled) into the barrel with the angle facing the feed tube in the magazine well.
Turn the gun upside down, look inside the magazine well and gently move the rod inside the barrel. By doing this, you should see the BB pop out of the feed tube and then see the end of the cleaning rod. Test fire the gun, and if it sounds good, crack on! If not, or if there is more than one BB stuck inside the barrel which you can’t remove, cease firing again and get in contact with a professional.
Although frustrating, it is sometimes important that you leave it to the professionals, as you could cause irreversible damage by poking around inside the gun.
Hopefully this guide has given you plenty of information to go on and use in the future!
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