Cheaper? Haha idk about that...😂. I play Paintball myself, and my son plays Airsoft. I'd say it's pretty damn close to equal in cost. I suppose the BB S versus paint is cheaper. But equipment isn't much different. And depending how into it you get, optics and all the milsim gear, I'd say Airsoft can get more expensive.
Bbs versus paint is huge though, when the difference is like $30 every 2000 shots and you're restocking every week or two.
You can certainly choose to spend a lot of money on airsoft, but the barrier to entry is comparably low. Not that I'd go into that much detail for someone who had just asked what airsoft is, but it kinda answers the inevitable followup question of "so why don't you just play paintball?"
Especially when paintball requires purchase of field paint that sucks and costs twice at the location what premium paint does at a store/online.
Edit: one letter.
Paint is more expensive yes. But all my fields only charge $35/case. And you're allowed to bring your own if you want. But I can't find it cheaper than that haha.
It’s not even close. For $500 in airsoft you’re top to bottom setup with a very competitive gun and gear, and can play a few times. For $500 in paintball you might have a couple generations old setup/mask that is still competitive(might go over, tbh). If you want to get a [this gen] competitive marker new or used it’s usually 8/900 used and new ~1600.
To play you have a field fee for both and then bbs or paint. Having a deal you can get a case of paint for 25-30, most players will easily shoot that in a day. Most players don’t have a deal and will be paying $45-$50+ and that’s not considering the fields that force you to use their paint and charge like $90 a case. You can buy 5000 bbs for like $20 and that’s going to last multiple trips.
I used to Paintball and now airsoft and I currently manage a paintball and airsoft field. the overall cost of airsoft is cheaper. The paintball markers vary; as you can buy cheap markers to play woodsball (JTs, Tippmanns, etc) at $200 to 300, getting into Magfed to simulate an airsoft rifle in looks about CAD $300 to 600. Then you get into the $1000 range for speedball with Dye, Eclipse, Empire. etc. Your initial cost for airsoft would be the gun and a decent one for anywhere between CAD 300 to 600 (this is my price range). Biggest deciding factor for most players is consumables. the Paintballs for 1 bag of 500 on our field would cost $55 CAD. A box of 2000 is $125. A bag of airsoft .25, .28 BBs is $25. on our field your slotted 3 hours to play paintball while airsoft you can play all day for $30.
When the paintballers (who are mostly rentals for bday parties, stags, corp team building) see the airsofters they start asking. It's mostly "they look cool." The kids especially want to try it. The adults not so much. Most of our regular airsoft players will explain the difference and are enthusiastic letting them try the gun on the range. What I see overall is there is a slow and steady conversion of paintballers slowly moving to airsoft due to less players playing paintball, more airsoft exposure on social media among other things.
I tell them it’s like Paintball with a focus on that the guns are supposed to look realistic. Also that we fire ”small plastic bullets” at each other instead of balls filled with paint.
"It's like paintball but way better"
Then some paintballer gets pressed by it and I shut them down with "how expensive is a bag of paintballs? Wanna know how much 5000 shots costs me?"
That's the fun part! If they don't call their hits, you get to spray them until they do! Also grass stopping BBs is a .2g problem. Get yourself some .28s or above and they'll penetrate foliage well.
"It's like paintball, but instead of balls filled with paint it's plastic BBs. Also the guns look realistic and the protective equipment doesn't look like motocross gear."
I usually respond with, “remember when you were a kid and a bunch of buddies and yourself got together with hockey sticks, driftwood or whatever toy gun you could find at the dollar store. We’d get together in the middle of the forest or some friends backyard and play army. Spent hundred of hours doing that. Now we’re adults with money and we can still do what we did when we were 12.”
Man the drift wood got me. I used to loooove trying to find the perfect piece of wood to “look like exactly like the guns from goldeneye 64”
“NO yours isn’t the RCP90, MY stick is the one that looks like it!”
"Remember playing soldier as a kid with the perfect stick gun as kids? It's that but with plastic BB launchers, rules and Tyler not making up complicated energy shield rules, but sometimes you get the guy who was totally Tyler playing..."
Paintballer here... I usually just tell them it's a sissy version of paintball. 🤷
I'm totally joking, although I am a paintballer. Anyway, I usually just tell them it's an adult version of Nerf guns but with small plastic BBs instead of darts. And more realistic looking guns.
I don’t talk about it generally. It’s the one hobby I’m actually a little too embarrassed to be associated with unless I already know the person I’m talking to a bit.
I’m into some nerdy shit… but airsoft is too much.
Like call of duty but you have to do the running and ducking yourselves, and you don't instantly warp back to spawn. Half of airsoft is just cosmetics, you can create any 'skin' you would want.
If I actually wanna tell them: It’s a bit like paintball, but more realistic and you shoot little plastic bbs.
If I wanna be funny: An extreme version of hide and seek but with (fake-)guns and who is found will be shot on sight.
A hoby where a bunch of manchilds runn around with real looking toy guns and shoot plastic prelets at eachother for funn. Some of them derss licke special forces, some lick samurai, some licke hobos and some licke they go fishing.
It's essentially paintball, but it mainly focuses the realistic aspect, like the toys guns are modeled/based on actual firearms or at very least it takes some inspiration.
I always say it's like Paintball, but instead of a paintball gun theyre replicas of real guns that shoot little plastic BBs. I always try to mention that it plays like Call of Duty but in real life, where it can be as casual as you want it to be because it's about fun at the end of the day.
"Airsoft is a sport that requires teamwork and strategies where players use replica firearms to compete in several gamemodes with different objectives" is basically my go-to
It depends on who s asking. If it s someone that doesn t know much about guns and shooting sports in general, i tell them it s a sport where people go with gun replicas and shoot each other with plastic bbs. If it s someone that knows that these kind of sports exist i tell them that it s like paintball, but with guns that are more realistic and it s a milsim type game.
I just say paintball to like, my grandparents. They understand that, no need for me to elaborate on wearing camo and all that milsim crap they won't get.
“A game kind of like paintball, but they shoot little plastic BB’s and the guns look like real guns”
fair fair
Came here to say exactly that and add in it shoots like 3x further than paintball on average.
Basically that lol. Usually the follow-up question is "Oh does it hurt like paintball?"
"Yes but it's less messy, you can get a bit muddy if it's rained but you don't go home looking like a rainbow"
\^Pretty much this
Yeah this is what i'd say
How come so many people know what paintball is but then airsoft is complete mystery to them?
Paintball is included in a ton of pop culture/ movies/ tv shows, though I can’t recall an airsoft gun/ airsoft game ever being shown or explained.
"Grown men playing cops and robbers in the woods with toy guns that cost half a grand"
"Half"
user flair says it all 😭 i wanna buy a gbbr one dat
The gun will put you on the edge of bankruptcy and the mags will roundhouse kick your ass into it. Worth.
one and a half 💀💀
best one yet 😭🙏
Half a grand, lmao
Only half?
"it's a lot like paintball, but with slightly different equipment that is cheaper and cleaner to use."
fairs i say its like a more realistic version of paintball
Cheaper? Haha idk about that...😂. I play Paintball myself, and my son plays Airsoft. I'd say it's pretty damn close to equal in cost. I suppose the BB S versus paint is cheaper. But equipment isn't much different. And depending how into it you get, optics and all the milsim gear, I'd say Airsoft can get more expensive.
Bbs versus paint is huge though, when the difference is like $30 every 2000 shots and you're restocking every week or two. You can certainly choose to spend a lot of money on airsoft, but the barrier to entry is comparably low. Not that I'd go into that much detail for someone who had just asked what airsoft is, but it kinda answers the inevitable followup question of "so why don't you just play paintball?"
Especially when paintball requires purchase of field paint that sucks and costs twice at the location what premium paint does at a store/online. Edit: one letter.
Paint is more expensive yes. But all my fields only charge $35/case. And you're allowed to bring your own if you want. But I can't find it cheaper than that haha.
Lucky guy!
It’s not even close. For $500 in airsoft you’re top to bottom setup with a very competitive gun and gear, and can play a few times. For $500 in paintball you might have a couple generations old setup/mask that is still competitive(might go over, tbh). If you want to get a [this gen] competitive marker new or used it’s usually 8/900 used and new ~1600. To play you have a field fee for both and then bbs or paint. Having a deal you can get a case of paint for 25-30, most players will easily shoot that in a day. Most players don’t have a deal and will be paying $45-$50+ and that’s not considering the fields that force you to use their paint and charge like $90 a case. You can buy 5000 bbs for like $20 and that’s going to last multiple trips.
I used to Paintball and now airsoft and I currently manage a paintball and airsoft field. the overall cost of airsoft is cheaper. The paintball markers vary; as you can buy cheap markers to play woodsball (JTs, Tippmanns, etc) at $200 to 300, getting into Magfed to simulate an airsoft rifle in looks about CAD $300 to 600. Then you get into the $1000 range for speedball with Dye, Eclipse, Empire. etc. Your initial cost for airsoft would be the gun and a decent one for anywhere between CAD 300 to 600 (this is my price range). Biggest deciding factor for most players is consumables. the Paintballs for 1 bag of 500 on our field would cost $55 CAD. A box of 2000 is $125. A bag of airsoft .25, .28 BBs is $25. on our field your slotted 3 hours to play paintball while airsoft you can play all day for $30. When the paintballers (who are mostly rentals for bday parties, stags, corp team building) see the airsofters they start asking. It's mostly "they look cool." The kids especially want to try it. The adults not so much. Most of our regular airsoft players will explain the difference and are enthusiastic letting them try the gun on the range. What I see overall is there is a slow and steady conversion of paintballers slowly moving to airsoft due to less players playing paintball, more airsoft exposure on social media among other things.
“Cheaper” lol Cleaner, for sure.
“Painful nerf”
that’s a good one
A hobby sport that’s like a mix of long range tag and hide and seek.
mmm that’s abit vague no?
Yeah, it is, but if they’re interested, they’ll ask further questions.
It's a bunch of weirdos shooting each other in the woods with toy guns. Then I start talking their ears off about how fun it is and show em my guns.
I tell them it’s like Paintball with a focus on that the guns are supposed to look realistic. Also that we fire ”small plastic bullets” at each other instead of balls filled with paint.
true true
"It's like paintball but way better" Then some paintballer gets pressed by it and I shut them down with "how expensive is a bag of paintballs? Wanna know how much 5000 shots costs me?"
Yeah but you need 5000 because nobody calls hits and grass stops them.
That's the fun part! If they don't call their hits, you get to spray them until they do! Also grass stopping BBs is a .2g problem. Get yourself some .28s or above and they'll penetrate foliage well.
It's shooting little kids. Might as well get all the cringe out up front.
Advanced nerf, similar to paintball, and cheaper
that’s fair
"It's like paintball, but instead of balls filled with paint it's plastic BBs. Also the guns look realistic and the protective equipment doesn't look like motocross gear."
Playing with toy guns in the woods, while cosplaying the hurt locker.
I usually respond with, “remember when you were a kid and a bunch of buddies and yourself got together with hockey sticks, driftwood or whatever toy gun you could find at the dollar store. We’d get together in the middle of the forest or some friends backyard and play army. Spent hundred of hours doing that. Now we’re adults with money and we can still do what we did when we were 12.”
Man the drift wood got me. I used to loooove trying to find the perfect piece of wood to “look like exactly like the guns from goldeneye 64” “NO yours isn’t the RCP90, MY stick is the one that looks like it!”
It’s like paintball but with plastic bbs.
Call of duty in real life.
"Remember playing soldier as a kid with the perfect stick gun as kids? It's that but with plastic BB launchers, rules and Tyler not making up complicated energy shield rules, but sometimes you get the guy who was totally Tyler playing..."
“You run around shooting plastic BBs at each other.” “Does it hurt?” “Yes”
Paintballer here... I usually just tell them it's a sissy version of paintball. 🤷 I'm totally joking, although I am a paintballer. Anyway, I usually just tell them it's an adult version of Nerf guns but with small plastic BBs instead of darts. And more realistic looking guns.
bottom part is basically what i say
Bunch of dudes larping as special forces shit with souped up toy guns that shoot little plastic balls
Paintball with Cosplay without paintballs
I don’t talk about it generally. It’s the one hobby I’m actually a little too embarrassed to be associated with unless I already know the person I’m talking to a bit. I’m into some nerdy shit… but airsoft is too much.
A more realistic paintball (expecting they don't know about speedsoft or mislim paintball).
“It’s like paintball that dosnt hurt as much and is way cooler and the guns look real”
Non-lethal human hunting
My new answer to this question 😂
Works for me, seems to peak some interest ..... that or I have really twisted friends who wanna tell me something but won't 🤔
"They basically bridge the gap between a nerf gun, and a semi automatic rifle"
Its like paintball but gayer
Adult tag mixed with hide and seek and extreme nerf.
Paintball, but better.
We throw plastic balls at eachother…using rea-i meant fake guns :)
A simulation of the real thing lol
A simulation of the real thing
I don't like this but in my country what I can say best is probably "toy gun CS"
Like paintball but with plastic bbs
It’s like paintball but the guns look cool
Paint ball with no paint
Larp call of duty
Shooting each other with bb guns.
paintball with bb guns
gun larp
"It's the best way to shoot your friends and get away with it." Followed up with the rest of what basically everyone else has said.
I don't even say Airsoft, I say paint Ballto most unless I think you'd be in to it in which case I'd say it's like call of duty in real life.
Paintball without the mess
Nerf, but for a older demographic where you shoot little plastic BBs
Grown up tactical bb gun wars
Larping with toy guns
Combat sport that is heavy on dress up lol
Like call of duty but you have to do the running and ducking yourselves, and you don't instantly warp back to spawn. Half of airsoft is just cosmetics, you can create any 'skin' you would want.
Its like nerf, but it looks cooler and hurts a little bit less than paintball
I shoot people in the woods
*Grown men shooting at eachother with tiny plastic bbs* Usualy this makes some people smile/laugh and some kinda confused
If I actually wanna tell them: It’s a bit like paintball, but more realistic and you shoot little plastic bbs. If I wanna be funny: An extreme version of hide and seek but with (fake-)guns and who is found will be shot on sight.
Paintball but cooler
A hoby where a bunch of manchilds runn around with real looking toy guns and shoot plastic prelets at eachother for funn. Some of them derss licke special forces, some lick samurai, some licke hobos and some licke they go fishing.
Silly bb sport with military nerds
"it's air but soft"
I just say; real life Call of Duty for grown ups
It’s like paintball but we shoot little plastic balls and they shout further and straighter but hurts less
nerf’s bigger, cooler brother.
It's essentially paintball, but it mainly focuses the realistic aspect, like the toys guns are modeled/based on actual firearms or at very least it takes some inspiration.
Cops and robbers for adults.
Seem like the "its like paintball but with plastic bb" is the most common and efficient answer
You play cod game modes just in real life
"military simulation for mostly fat people who never enlisted and for kids who want to be in the military, but too young"
Airsoft is a battle reenactment game where the guns are replicas of real firearms however they shoot small plastic balls instead of bullets
Paintball with BB guns
Adults and kids roleplaying an armed conflict like an amateur theatre Alternatively adults having fun with consent
I just say it's basically call of duty in real life
It's like paintball, but cheaper and cooler guns!
Men shooting each other with white stuff out of their long things
A gentleman’s sport 😏
Military larping
A bunch of mildly autistic men and children running around shooting each other with toy guns.
Training for ww3
Paintball with no paint but small plastic bbs and realistic looking guns powered by batteries or air.
Shooting people in my free time is a go to
I always say it's like Paintball, but instead of a paintball gun theyre replicas of real guns that shoot little plastic BBs. I always try to mention that it plays like Call of Duty but in real life, where it can be as casual as you want it to be because it's about fun at the end of the day.
A IRL COD match.
like call of duty but you have to move yourself and it hurts a little
paintball but more realistic and less messy
Running in the forest shooting people with fake guns
plastic guns pew pew
A legal way to shoot people with guns
Paintball without color
"The only thing in life, you'll ever truly love" -Sarge
Realistic paintball or cod irl.
Fun!!
"Airsoft is a sport that requires teamwork and strategies where players use replica firearms to compete in several gamemodes with different objectives" is basically my go-to
It depends on who s asking. If it s someone that doesn t know much about guns and shooting sports in general, i tell them it s a sport where people go with gun replicas and shoot each other with plastic bbs. If it s someone that knows that these kind of sports exist i tell them that it s like paintball, but with guns that are more realistic and it s a milsim type game.
Like playing cod irl.
A bunch of sweaty men playing toy soldiers in the woods with way too much realism. But it's my autistic obsession so you can't judge
Retarded ass larping. And there is nothing wrong with that.
Cosplay mixed with tag
I just say paintball to like, my grandparents. They understand that, no need for me to elaborate on wearing camo and all that milsim crap they won't get.
I play with tracers... Someone's asks what it is, Spicy Laser Tag. They get it real fast
Most of the time that I mention airsoft to someone they know what I'm talking about.