A licensed Airsoft M&P from Airsoft GI alongside a customized 1911 frame with Simunition conversion kit, also customized with full dehorn, dovetailed sights, and refinish. The 1911 conversion kit is built on an actual Colt slide. It comes in at around $500 and that is before any of the above listed modifications.
Just the mention of the word “airsoft” and it will evoke images of an overweight mama’s boy fully covered in Multicam nylon manufactured and imported from your favorite third world country. In this article, it is my aim to critically examine whether or not the airsoft pistol has any place in serious training, or if it must permanently be relegated to a spot in an adolescent’s toy closet.
I am not an expert in airsoft offerings, but I am aware there are varying degrees of quality when it comes to the pistols. Jason from Airsoft GI was kind enough to allow me to evaluate a licensed copy of the Smith & Wesson M&P 9 imported by Cybergun. The pistol itself weighs in at 1 pound and 7 ounces, which is about four ounces shy of an actual unloaded M&P 9. The magazine holds around 20 pellets and is charged with a canister of compressed propane “Green Gas.” Given the weight and fragility of the magazine, I would probably recommend against dropping it on hard surfaces.
For training mechanical skills, this thing has some potential. It is somewhat accurate inside room distances, and the little inspection slip included in the box tells me the pellets come out the muzzle at 290 fps. My chronograph tells me they can come out as fast as 320 fps. The pistol fit perfectly into my Comp Tac kydex rig, so training presentations, target to target transitions, and other core skills is certainly possible. Due to the extra work of setting up the gas, loading pellets into the magazine, and of course, pellet cleanup, I don’t see this replacing my SIRT pistol from Next Level Training, but I can see its value in training young shooters in concepts such as trigger control, follow through, grip, stance, etc., And it is pretty amusing to blast away at a “plate rack” made of Ritz crackers.
As a tool for training Force on Force, airsoft is really a weak sister compared to Simunitions. Airsoft guns are significantly more fragile than a converted Sim gun, and there are no really good marking options for accountability. Simunition FX marking rounds have greater range and are significantly more accurate, which is no surprise since the muzzle velocity of a FX marking cartridge exceeds 600 fps, according to my chronograph. That is double that of an airsoft pellet, and a marking pellet has considerably more mass.
However, Simunition kits and cartridges are restricted by the manufacturer and are hard to come by on the open market. The marking cartridges are subject to Firearms Excise Tax, and are expensive even if you can find them. Cost ranges from 80 cents to a couple bucks a round! And while they are non-lethal, they can leave permanent marks or damage on walls, which can be an issue when training in certain venues.
Like any training tool, airsoft has its place as long as you know its limitations. All things being equal, I greatly prefer the use of Simunitions for Force on Force, but logistical and budgetary considerations are very real, and often cannot be overcome. Airsoft may be a viable option in certain cases. Just as I was writing this, I got a text message from my good friend Rob Haught, who advised he is attending active shooter training at his State Capitol, and guess what? They are using airsoft.
Sometimes we have to look past our own prejudices to make the best use of the training tools available to us.
SOURCE: Airsoft GI
EDITED: The Cybergun imported M&P by VFC is powered by Green Gas and not CO2 as originally reported. Sorry for the error!
I thinking that air soft training would enhance officer safety at the 3-2-1-0 yard lines for close distance defensive shooting. It hard to do that type of shooting on a range. A two dimensional static target. I think adding another person who is moving/shooting or attacking will add to the realism and hopefully speed up the defensive reaction if a close range attack is ever faced.
I’ve read that 50% of all shootings are within 5 feet. Why are we focused on the front site and can a defensive gun use actually look at the site when all the information is at the threat and its so close and the natural/instinctive decision is to look THERE?
I agree with your article and as the quality of those air soft guns increase, I think integration into the training academies with the right approach to realistic training is the future. I think that air soft manufacturers should concentrate now on the durability of the pistol. I think there is a large market for training for them.
We’ve been using marking cartridges for years but now, because of cost and the dwindling number of training venues that allow the use of marking cartridges (whether it’s cleanup or liability concerns), we’ve been looking at getting into airsoft. They can be fragile as you noted, especially the magazines. The worst part for us is that nobody makes an airsoft version of our issue handgun at the moment.
As far as the hit accountability, I’ve seen airsoft used with some degree of success in door entry/room clearing drills against paper or cardboard targets, or as miniature skill-builders in locations where live fire is prohibited (the Ritz cracker plate rack being a great example). Against live opponents, the best results come from smaller, carefully crafted scenarios where the trainer can clearly see where the pellets are going and arbitrate any disputes.
Pity that the manufacturers of Paintball guns can’t come up with a way to make a sturdier system that’s more close to what you get with a real gun.
Also, I’ve found there to be some actual metal Airsoft guns that are really really tough to break — I know, I break most things I touch! While not perfect, as you note, they’re great for practicing some skills. They’re also great for the 6 months of winter we get here in MI where going to the range is next to impossible and the Missus gets angry when you put holes in the wall.
Regarding the airsoft gun you picked, there are also slightly higher-end models that incorporate a better trigger (compared to the atrocious pull on the Cybergun product) and use some gas from the reservoir to cycle the slide for each shot, allowing mostly realistic loading/unloading drills. They even have recoil comparable to a .22LR pistol, and can be fed from inexpensive Coleman propane bottles. This blowback might be worth your consideration: http://www.airsoftgi.com/product_info.php?products_id=16873
Granted, it won’t solve all the accountability and fragility issues that you mentioned, but it does at least make for a more pleasurable and realistic training experience. Higher-end airsoft pistols, loaded with good BBs, can even approach the accuracy of the real thing, which makes them useful for even drills like Dot Torture– useful, especially with the current drought of .22LR ammunition.
It appears the link you recommended goes to the exact model I mentioned in my article.
Whoops! Sorry about that. I assumed (and we all know what people like to say about that word) that the blowback model ran on green gas/propane, and not CO2, so I jumped to conclusions.
If I can ask, what size groups do you believe the (airsoft) pistol is mechanically capable of at ~7 yards?
Not to be overly critical, but It’s actually a bit of a misrepresentation to state that airsoft pistols are fragile – this statement is indeed true with regard to certain brands though. There are other brands that are very well made and will withstand quite a bit of abuse (as much as you dare to throw at them.) The #1 biggest problem folks run into with airsoft pistols is when they attempt to pick up an airsoft copy of their chosen real steel model. Using your article as an example – you wanted an M&P copy. Unfortunately, this is still a rare airsoft gun, and it is manufactured only by 1 or 2 companies of whom have a less than stellar reputation in the airsoft world, especially as far as pistols go. Give it a few more years and the market will open up a lot more with regard to this particular model. Gas Blow Back pistols also need preventative maintenance to keep them in top shape – silicone lubricants and regular cleaning go a very long way towards maintaining longevity.
Basically, if you run an HK, Glock, Sig, Beretta, CZ, or 1911 you will be good to go with finding an excellent airsoft copy that will hold up long term. Step out of that range of pistols, and your quality choices descend rapidly. As an example, here is an article talking about one such aforementioned pistol (the author has used it heavily for 4 years and counting with plenty of abuse):
http://spokane-airsoft.blogspot.com/2013/11/4-years-with-kwa-usp-tactical.html
Just as an FYI, CO2 powered pistols are generally going to be of lesser quality than their green gas (propane) powered counterparts. Additionally, you must take into consideration that CO2 powered pistols can suffer from FPS “spikes” – on a hot day on a freshly punctured cartridge, you can see your FPS spike as high as 600+. This is why the majority of legitimate airsoft fields do not allow CO2 powered airsoft guns because they suffer inconsistent and unsafe FPS problems. That being said, some fields will allow them provided you fire off the first few shots and chronograph the pistol to determine if it will hold to a safe level of FPS.
I’ve attended several classes from former and current LEO/.MIL whom use airsoft as a tool for FOF training. Provided you have a good teacher who knows their stuff, students are very receptive towards airsoft as a training tool. It also hurts a lot less than simunitions or even paintball rounds. Simunitions are second-to-none for training ability and simulating recoil and so forth – but I’ve seen it where students will flinch and balk in expectation of getting hit and receiving pain. I would not necessarily say this reaction is such is a good thing from a training standpoint. Airsoft pistols seem to be a good bridge between full blown simunitions and blue gun FOF training.
As an Appleseed instructor, I’ve used airsoft guns to help students develop their skills offline. We have an M14 variant that’s accurate enough for me to practice my fundamentals at 20′, in an urban backyard. While shooting an airsoft might not afford the recoil effect, it’s good enough to develop some muscle memory and build shooter confidence that translates to the real thing.
Manny Bragg is a proponent of using Airsoft for training. However, he doesn’t use the projectiles, but instead uses just the reciprocating slide to practice multiple shots while tracking your sights. I find the cycle time on a Glock Airsoft pistol to fairly closely track cycling on the real pistol.