Airsoft and Paintball- the differences?

dacookie

So what are the differences in Airsoft and Paintball?Ive only gone paint balling once, which was at a place called Frontline in Wicklow, I thought it was a blast, so im trying to find out which one I would prefer.

If someone could point out the differences, that would be great.

Side note: The place I was at, said headshots didn't count, what a bollocks rule seeing as most the barriers were designed that you would just have your head sticking out and your gun, is this just a safety rule or do headshots actually not count in paintball generally?They also had another rule where you couldn't shoot at someone from less than a certain distance, this is also generally a paintball rule?

Witcher

read the stickies for info the newbie sticky in particular

paintball=paintballs fired from weird looking markers


airsoft=6mm plastic bb's fired from devices which resemble real rifles,pistols etc


theres a minimum distance in airsoft too anthing closer than 10-15ft i think it is is a "bang" kill


:cool::cool::cool:

dacookie

Do you ever find many cheaters when playing airsoft compared to paintball?

Do BBs go much faster than paintballs?I found when I was playing paintball I could dodge them slightly if I saw where someone was before they shot them.Not easily though.And are BBs much smaller then paint balls?

Masada

i agree with regards the head shots in paintball, its a bit silly as you can just leave your head exposed and not worry about getting hit, then just pick people off, thats what i did last time i was paintballing., the distance rule makes sense though, its a safety preceedure to stop people from getting injured.,
airsoft has some similaritys to paintball, only we use realistic looking guns that fire 6mm BBs at a lower power of that a paintball gun would, (typically around 11-17j compared to 1j in airsoft = 328feet per second).,
in my opinion airsoft is far more tactical than paintball and is closer to military simulation than just plinking people.,. head shots also count in airsoft so theres no chance of having someone burry themselves so you can only see their head and cant shoot them.,
as said above you can get all the info you need in the newbie section.,:)

EDIT: to answer your second questions, typically in airsoft cheating isnt as common as in the painball games ive been in, its frownd apon to not take your hits and you can be taken out of the game for it., and as far as dodging BBs, it is possible to see them if they are commong from a fair distance and give you time to dodge them, i think they travel faster than paintballs but the larger size of a paintball gives it a higher energy impact than a BB.,

c-90

paintball is more painfull but ridiculously stupid airsoft is less painfull but more fun because your recreating actual combat situations. that place in bray is very good but when i was there nobody wentby the rules and needed to be shot at least 5 times before they would die

Fallschirmjager

best thing is to try both and see which you like.maybe you will wind up with two hobbies you like!

we could talk all day about likes and dislikes and all that is is personal opinions...you really need to try it for yourself.

ED E

dacookie wrote: »

So what are the differences in Airsoft and Paintball?Ive only gone paint balling once, which was at a place called Frontline in Wicklow, I thought it was a blast, so im trying to find out which one I would prefer.

If someone could point out the differences, that would be great.

Side note: The place I was at, said headshots didn't count, what a bollocks rule seeing as most the barriers were designed that you would just have your head sticking out and your gun, is this just a safety rule or do headshots actually not count in paintball generally?They also had another rule where you couldn't shoot at someone from less than a certain distance, this is also generally a paintball rule?

Cookie? Is that you? 4th year in HSD?

[explanation: A guy I know uses that username elsewhere]

Lemming

vtec wrote: »

i agree with regards the head shots in paintball, its a bit silly as you can just leave your head exposed and not worry about getting hit, then just pick people off, thats what i did last time i was paintballing., the distance rule makes sense though, its a safety preceedure to stop people from getting injured.,

The no-head-shot rule in paintball is a safety protocol. I'm surprised that airsoft players have posted so far calling it stupid or silly. You all know the force that paintballs get fired at compared to the force BBs do .... on average about 14j (iirc) vs. 1j. The chances of suffering an injury to the head are much greater because of that force. Then there's the fact that paintballs ... well ... contain paint and oddly enough, they burst and sent paint everywhere, which means vents and gaps in your face-mask have the possibility of having paint get through. Do you want that hitting your eye?

Go play paintball and ask for that safety rule to be ignored and see how well you like it when people start hitting you in the head.

To the OP, both games are immense fun although both will perhaps appeal for different reasons. Check them both out!

kdouglas

Lemming wrote: »

The no-head-shot rule in paintball is a safety protocol. I'm surprised that airsoft players have posted so far calling it stupid or silly. You all know the force that paintballs get fired at compared to the force BBs do .... on average about 14j (iirc) vs. 1j. The chances of suffering an injury to the head are much greater because of that force. Then there's the fact that paintballs ... well ... contain paint and oddly enough, they burst and sent paint everywhere, which means vents and gaps in your face-mask have the possibility of having paint get through. Do you want that hitting your eye?

i've had a paintball hit me in the mouth section of a full paintball mask before, it feels like a punch in the face, followed by a spray of absolutely vile tasting paint directly into your mouth, not nice at all

zero19

I loved paintball the few times i played it, doesn't hurt that bad at all i think, head shots included, as was said try both!

ED E

kdouglas wrote: »

i've had a paintball hit me in the mouth section of a full paintball mask before, it feels like a punch in the face, followed by a spray of absolutely vile tasting paint directly into your mouth, not nice at all

You think thats bad. I got one from 4ft(agains the rules but the son of a got away with it) in france. Hit the mask and managed to give me a nosebleed! I told the marshal who did nothing even though I was bleeding!

dacookie

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Cookie? Is that you? 4th year in HSD?

[explanation: A guy I know uses that username elsewhere]

Yup, its me.This is Smithy?

ED E

dacookie wrote: »

Yup, its me.This is Smithy?

Whey, its cookie. We've bagged mo, lets see if we can drag you in too:D

dacookie

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Whey, its cookie. We've bagged mo, lets see if we can drag you in too:D

You find many cheaters when playing, simon?

ditpaintball

The no head shot rule in paintball only is ONLY applied in places where you turn up and play for the day i.e. frontier, crossfire, skirmish. It proper games and tournaments head shots DO count and there is NO minimum distance. Paintball masks can can direct hits but it is recommended to replace your lense if you do.

Scenario Paintball games can be just as tactical as airsoft games.... it just depends on who is playing them, the equipment used doesn't affect that aspect of it.Both camo up, have objectives etc. Some of the big American Paintball games would put airsoft to shame in terms on being 'tactical'

Speedball is the tournament version of paintball. Here we use the 'space gun's. These are electronic markers which can fire well over 20paintballs a second. Speedball is taken out of the woods and placed in the arena in front of spectators. There are organised competitions world wide for paintball and the Irish one is starting next month.



P.S I am suprised I havent heard the usual 'Paintball is crap... airsoft is 1000 times better speeches yet )

c-90

tbh the paint isnt that bad tasting espesiallywhen it dries umm um. every body gets hit in the gob at some stage.

Hivemind187

Paintballers and Airsofters play, essentially, the same game. The only differences being the equipment, the physics of impact and the amount of money invested by large corporations for competitive play. Somewhere in the ratio of "huge amounts : nil" in favor of paintball.

Airsoft is an enthusiasts sport lacking the spectacle of splattering paint which will prevent it from really becoming a spectators sport and thats the crucial difference between the two in my opinion.

... that and the spandex

Fallschirmjager

ditpaintball wrote: »

P.S I am suprised I havent heard the usual 'Paintball is crap... airsoft is 1000 times better speeches yet )

and we are pleasantly suprised someone hasnt piped in yet about airsoft wearing military garb, nutter etc...


holy crap, maybe we have all matured....how scary is that....:D

ED E

Firstly, Airsoft is a hobbie where people spend loads on kit and usually go fortnightly if possible. Paintball on the other hand is mainly day outings as getting a paintball gun is difficult as you need an authorization from the Gards! Because airsofteers invest loads in their sport they are probably less likely to cheat because if it becomes widespread the sport may neve get off the ground. On the other hand a while back at HRTA somebody was telling of how Paintball sites had found players using tinfoil to hide hits! Though, at the airsoft night game our team definitely encountered some cheating, but that was only a few players. Also, being hit is fun and I even won a face mask for getting hit the most[see the bebo page]:p

In the end pick whether you want a fun day out or an expensive hobby:D

ditpaintball

Just on the note of expense, by the time you get all the gear required to play a tournament i.e. mask, marker, hopper, tank, pants, jersey etc. You are looking at min of €500 for the cheapest of the cheap, right up to €2000. It is actually more expenseive to paintballing for a day on a rental field than it is for airsoft, am i right in saying that?

Typical cost to the punter for 1000 paintballs = €100
1000 Airsoft bb's lads is?

ED E

ditpaintball wrote: »

Just on the note of expense, by the time you get all the gear required to play a tournament i.e. mask, marker, hopper, tank, pants, jersey etc. You are looking at min of €500 for the cheapest of the cheap, right up to €2000. It is actually more expenseive to paintballing for a day on a rental field than it is for airsoft, am i right in saying that?

Typical cost to the punter for 1000 paintballs = €1000
1000 Airsoft bb's lads is?

Rental for a full day = €45

5000bbs = €18

But you use more BBs than you would PBs.

Arcto

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

You think thats bad. I got one from 4ft(agains the rules but the son of a got away with it) in france. Hit the mask and managed to give me a nosebleed! I told the marshal who did nothing even though I was bleeding!

Thats becuase he was French, and couldnt understand you

Id love to try paintball at a private club or something. As it stands im not impressed with the wat Irish paintball sites are run. €€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€€ < PRIORITY

1000 paintballs = €1000

Jesus christ!! What kinda P'balls do you buy? God leaf painted!!??
Thought 1000 from a site would be €100?

AirsoftEire.com

Paintballs are typically €10-€20 per 200 rounds at many of Ireland's sites.
Crossfire in Wicklow have a decent site, was down there recently and paintballs are €10 per 200.

Steve

ion c

The main difference between paintball and airsoft is the attidude of the players in each sport. Airsofters play a game of milsim/tactical simmulation. The equipment/clothing is geared towards achieving those goals.
Some paintball players also go for the above except (gotta say it guys!) have bigger balls
Personally I play speedball (the tourney version of paintball). I train with my team the dublin reapers on average 3 times a month and play in tournaments in ireland, europe and america. Most speedballers have lost the interest in the milsim part and go more for flashy colours and sexy marker designs. Our game is fast, smart, very team based and packed with adrenaline (games can be over in less than a minute). It is also the only form of paintball that is fully professional.
Lethal i have to disagree with you. i know many players that enter a playing field with playing gear worth over 2grand, it is very much a hobby that involves customizing your gear from both the angles of performance and appreance.
for more info (and cheaper paintball ) check out www.paintballer.ie

ED E

ion c wrote: »

The main difference between paintball and airsoft is the attidude of the players in each sport. Airsofters play a game of milsim/tactical simmulation. The equipment/clothing is geared towards achieving those goals.
Some paintball players also go for the above except (gotta say it guys!) have bigger balls
Personally I play speedball (the tourney version of paintball). I train with my team the dublin reapers on average 3 times a month and play in tournaments in ireland, europe and america. Most speedballers have lost the interest in the milsim part and go more for flashy colours and sexy marker designs. Our game is fast, smart, very team based and packed with adrenaline (games can be over in less than a minute). It is also the only form of paintball that is fully professional.
Lethal i have to disagree with you. i know many players that enter a playing field with playing gear worth over 2grand, it is very much a hobby that involves customizing your gear from both the angles of performance and appreance.
for more info (and cheaper paintball ) check out www.paintballer.ie

Yeah, but would you agree that the average paintballer rents and does not own his or her own gear?

ditpaintball

I ment €100 for 1000 shots on average. But you can usually get a deal if buying in bulk.

Lethal_Bullet wrote: »

Yeah, but would you agree that the average paintballer rents and does not own his or her own gear?

Well it all depends on what do you call a paintball player. Some one who has just gone to Barrage or Skirmish once or twice in their life, or the people who play once a month?

If it is the latter, the person who plays once a month then I would be suprised if less than 90% of that group of people HAVE their own gear. You are either going to do it a lot and and get the gear, or your not. That is the way paintball goes cause of the expense of the sport.

ED E

I'm talking about all players in both sports[collectors of airsoft not counted]. At yor average day[excluding competitions ect] at a PB site how many will be there on a trip/outing/part and how many will be regulars? For airsoft I'd say at least 2/3rds have all their own kit, often more. I'd guess it's a good bit less for PB.

dacookie

Smithy, any events soon that I could join in on?I don't have my own gear of course.

How much does your average grenade in Airsoft cost?(I saw some and was interested at the price.)

ditpaintball

Well I wound not consider some one who is trying it our for the first time (paintball or airsoft) as a player, would you?

An example being, say if you went bowling once a year, would you consider your self a bowler?

Spetzcong

I guess what Lethal is getting at is, a player, as in the person you are playing with/against when you are playing a game or paintball/airsoft, you've got to consider them to be a player of some description when you're actually playing with them.

The impression that I get is that a lot of airsofters tend to buy their airsoft kit and then go skirmishing (probably driven by the number of retailers and the comparative ease in purchasing airsoft devices versus paintball markers), where as paintballers tend to go paintballing first (probably driven by the number of sites and amount of rental markers available at them) and then shell out on a marker/gear when they decide to take paintballing more seriously.

They're both great sports, although I've not tried speedball yet, I've got to admit that it looks like a lot of fun, I had great fun at my last woodsball games.

ED E

Hit the nail on the head spetz:D

Cookie: Theres a big game on on Sunday in HRTA but I'm afraid I cant offer you a lift, we're full up. Its in swords, you'll have to rent gear (€45 for everything you need) and you'll need to sent a Private Message to nonex and ask him to reserve the rental gear for you.

Alternatively, we hope to be playing in gorse hill near ballinteer tommorow week but the details are not confirmed for that.


Also, join the bebo group, click my sig.

ion c

it seems to me that an aeg comes ready to shoot in the box, all you have to do is charge it and load up bbs right?
99% of paintball markers you get just have the marker body, barrel, tools and spares. you still have to get a hopper and bottle for it making it more expensive.
you are right lethal most people who play paintball for the first time don't buy their own gear. because its expensive and more difficult to get in that airsoft stuff. but i don't really regard the one day guys in frontier/skirmish as players.

o1s1n

ion c wrote: »

it seems to me that an aeg comes ready to shoot in the box, all you have to do is charge it and load up bbs right?
99% of paintball markers you get just have the marker body, barrel, tools and spares. you still have to get a hopper and bottle for it making it more expensive.
.

All depends what you buy. These cheaper 'clone' AEGs come with everything. But if you buy an expensive brand AEG, it won't come with a battery or charger.

Then of course you'll need a load of mags too. If your rifle doesn't take stanags (like mine) then you have to unfortunately shell out about 20+ a pop for each one. Not nice when you have to buy about 10.