Basically it is a more strategic and more realistic version of Paintball, we use replica real firearms which fire 6mm bbs, these guns may look real but are not seriously harmfull in any way and are usually made of hard plastic ( ABS ) so are quite identifiable from the real thing right up close.. There are 3 types of airsoft gun which you will find in most airsofters arsenal.,
-The springer which is where a bb is propelled by a spring following manual cocking of the gun and these come in form of pistols, rifles and the best bolt action sniper rifles.
- The AEG ( Automatic Electric Gun ) these are generally assault rifles and smgs where the bb is propelled by an electric cocked spring and these rifles can reach 18 rounds a second, the most popular maker of these types of airsoft guns is Tokyo Marui.
- The GBB ( Gas Blow Back ) this airsoft guns are usually pistols where the bb is propellled by gas contained in the magazine of the gun, these are the most realistic of airsoft replicas and give a great experience when shooting due to the slide of the pistol sliding back after each shot.
We also wear full tactical gear in games varying from just the plain old bdu's and dpm's to full SWAT gear. The hobby plays alot around tactics and teamplay with games like Capture the Flag, assault the village, ambush and many other military simulations and situations.
The game sites where we play are most often either CQB ( inside or sites with buildings )sites or woodland sites with some mixing an element of both so depending on what you like to play depends on the site you go to.
The Hobby is expensive but a great thing to get into so don't be put off by the price of the guns. Hope this helps to explain our hobby.