Newbie Question

[Izonar]

Hi guys.

I want to try airsoft and im certain i will love it but first i have question.

1st: i read the FAQS and other thread. and i couldn't find what is max velocity (fps)for a airsoft gun on a game field ? :banghead: i saw different guns with different fps wich one do i choose ?

2nd: is it easy to adjust the velocity (fps) or do i need to buy a gun with a lesser fps, to be able to play in my region (montreal btw)?

3rd: I want to know what kind of protection do i need to be able to play. is the airsoft glasses are enought or the mask is mendatory?

4th: if i want to purchase a airsoft Steyr AUG who do i have to see? hows going to be my dady ?

Thanks for the answer, if you answer.

[Strelok]

1 Generally, depends on the feild you're attending, usually its 400 as the max for AEG's.

2 Can be whatever you want, but dont get drawn in by shitsoft that claims 400+ fps on the box. They're usually rated with lighter BB's. Just make sure your gun fires below the max velocity for your local fields.

3 Depends on your field. some are alright with shooting/ballistic rated goggles, some require a full mask.

4 Get age verified. If you really read the faq you'd be familiar with what it is.

[Coresair]

Hi welcome to the forums!

1st: there is no set velocity for fields in general. Having said that, there is a "standard" FPS rule of thumb : usually between 350-400. 400 for outdoor games is the max I have seen because of the size of the field. 350 max for indoors because of the risk of Close Quarter Battle/Combat (CQB/C).

2nd: It is easy. Usually for AEGs, just a swap of a spring will do the trick (widely available and usually cheap). Since winter is coming the 350 fps rule might apply more. if you don't want to tinker with your gun too much, you should probably go for less FPS. But you should figure that by yourself (NOTE: if you get a cheaper ACM (All China Made) gun FPS will most likely be around the 400 mark) do not ask me how or where to get it though. Explanation on why is coming.

3rd: You will be ask to sign a waiver form before each game, stating that organizers and field owners CANNOT be held responsible for any injuries during games. Even without that waiver, here in Quebec, you couldn't sue nobody for injuries (on marche sur la loi du Gros Bon Sens). So glasses are fine, it's your eyes, mouth, ears, please be careful.

4th: I told you not to ask me about guns because the 1st person you'll have to see to buy on here is an Age Verifier that will confirm your age and will grant you an access to the classifieds and retailers on this forum. AV must be done in person.

Hope this will answer your questions!

[L473ncy]

Good for actually reading the FAQ's. That's what they're there for.

1) Usually 400 for outdoors 350 or 330 for indoors. Choose whatever gets the better reviews. FPS doesn't mean shit. It's much better to get say a high quality gun shooting at 330 FPS than it is to get a cheaper (in terms of build quality) one that might shoot 390 FPS. KEEP IN MIND THIS IS ASSUMING YOU CHRONO WITH .20 g. BB's. YOU WILL ALWAYS CHRONO WITH 20 g. BB's AS IT WILL MAKE EVERYTHING EVEN. If you want to get technical it's ~1.4 Joules of muzzle velocity for outdoors (~400 with .20) and 1 Joule of muzzle velocity for indoors (330 with .20).

2) A spring swap will change FPS and it's relatively easy to do. For $12 (plus shipping) and an hour of your time (if doing this for the first time) or 10 minutes with a gundoc and you'll have a rifle that shoots higher or lower.

3) Paintball mask is always your best bet since a lot of venues we play at are paintball fields (some may require full mask, others just the sealed ASTM rated goggles part) and even others will allow military shooting glasses. The JT Flex8 can be found for like $80 CAD but at Canadian Tire there's a lower end entry level model which is $40. I highly suggest you get a mask that has removable goggles because that way if the field says you need full mask put them together but if you only need the goggles part then take it off if you wish.

4) As already stated Age Verification.

[Coresair]

Not meaning to hi-jack or go off-topic but it always amazes me how much money people drop on their glasses. I mean I know it's your eyes, you only have two, etc. (Trust me on this, I know, I'm 23 and have been wearing glasses for 21 and a half years) but I bought two diffrent models of Pyramex shop glasses for a...wait for it... 13.07$ cdn taxes INCLUDED. Like I said, they are shop glasses Z.87 ANSI rated for impact and they leave almost no space between them and my skin. They look kinda good too.

Anyways, I don't want to down your statment L473ncy, but this is just my 2 cents.

[Crunchmeister]

Most places require full seal ballistic goggles, and most paintball fields require paintball approved goggles. Some private fields may allow wraparound ballistic glasses.

Shop glasses may work if they're wraparound, but I'd much prefer either goggles or ballistic rated glasses.

[Danke]

I've seen local players with BBs rattling around the inside of the their eyewear from flanking fire. No serious injuries but brown pants for sure.

[L473ncy]

Originally Posted by Coresair

Like I said, they are shop glasses Z.87 ANSI rated for impact and they leave almost no space between them and my skin. They look kinda good too.

Anyways, I don't want to down your statment L473ncy, but this is just my 2 cents.

If I had the choice I would use sealed ballistics but the field owner sets the rules and you could risk getting kicked out or banned if the field finds you repeatedly breaking the rules. It's all about insurance really, if the insurance states something you'd better damn well follow it or you won't see any insurance money if they find you were doing even one thing wrong.

I did some back of the envelope calculations a few months ago and my conclusion was that although ANSI Z87.1-2003 is good enough for airsoft, being able to take a steel ball flying at it at however many joules it was it *may* not be good enough for paintball.

Here is my back of the envelope calculations verbatim:

So it's established that for paintball it's roughly 11J for ASTM.

So lets do a test:

From my understanding the ANSI test is done "shooting" 1/4" steel balls at the lenses at various velocities (I assume that's diameter here, so I get approx .1341 cm^3 for volume).

Taking the velocity and weight of a steel ball (assume 100% pure steel) the density is about 7.8 g/cm3 (about 1.05g for a 1/4" steel ball).

So doing the math for the joule conversion of that steel ball being shot at 250 ft/s it comes out to roughly 3.03J, definitely less than 11J.

Even if it was a higher standard (lets say 12J for the ANSI) it isn't stipulated in the fields insurance and as such any insurance claims from the field will be denied.

Also note that a paintball disperses it's energy upon impact by the nature of it "exploding" and splattering paint however an airsoft BB is a "hard" object and does not "destroy" or disfigure itself that much upon impact. Further investigation is probably warranted to see how much "real" (non "wasted") energy is transferred to the goggles from the paintball but I assume that it will probably still be higher than 3J that the ANSI standard is set to. You would have to waste approx. 75% of the energy of the paintball in the explosion/energy wasting stage to be better than the ANSI rating.

Note this is just my ramblings so don't take it as gospel or anything but still consider that ASTM is higher rated than ANSI. ALSO, take note that there are military goggles out there that can stop .50 cal rounds but it doesn't have the ASTM rating so if you're wearing them on the field and a medical emergency/incident happens then the field can have it's insurance claim denied. It's all about following the field owners rules in the end so basically wear the right eye protection and don't get the field owners in trouble or you'll find that access to venues will be VERY limited,