We cannot overstate the importance of safety during airsoft activities. If you are new to airsoft, this is where you should start.
Here we will go over the basics: get familiar with basic airsoft terminology, safe replica handling, rules of conduct (behaving) and rules of engagement you should be aware of during your airsoft activities.
Even if you are not a novice to airsoft, take this as a refreshment course.
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Airsoft is a competitive game originating from Japan in 1970's. It gained traction in USA in 80's and since than it evolved into a popular hobby world wide. In airsoft, players use pallet guns which resemble real firearms in looks, dimensions, weight and some basic handling such as: shooting aiming and reloading.
Today airsoft evolved into a fully immersive simulation of infantry actions, with strong elements of mimicking real military tactics, historic reenactment and role play.
Airsoft guns or "replicas" as we call them, are often used as movie props to guarantee safe handling while
providing realistic visuals.
Some military units and law enforcement agencies around the world use airsoft replicas as training tools.
All "weapons" used in airsoft games are referred to as "replicas".
Pallets or "bullets" propelled out of the replica are referred to as "BBs" or "BB" for singular.
BB stands for: "ball bearing". Some call it the "ball bullet".
Most common replicas are modelled after real assault rifles.
Replicas are devided into two groups, based on the mechanism which propels the BBs:
- Airsoft Electric Gun (AEG) which use electric-powered firing mechanism, and
- Gas Blow-Back (GBB) which use pressurized CO2 or Green Gas to propel the BB.
There are also replicas of pistols (gas or electric), machineguns and various other weapon systems like: trip mines or hand grenades.
These rules must be followed at all times, not just in-game:
Never put your finger on the trigger, unless you are about to shoot!
Never aim at anything you don't want to shoot!
Your replica's safety mechanism must be ON at all times, until you are ready to shoot!
It is YOUR duty to handle your airsoft replicas safely at all times!
Prior to purchasing the replica, you are required to learn about the replica you are about to own,
replicas differ from one another based on model and make, read the manual and watch the YouTube tutorial videos
for the model and make of the replica you just bought or are about to buy.
Be aware that most people are NOT familiar with the concept of airsoft.
That being said, be aware that:
A police officer has every reason to believe that an airsoft replica you possess is an actual real firearm!
A member of the armed forces has every reason to believe that an airsoft replica you possess is an actual real firearm!
A civilian has every reason to believe that an airsoft replica you possess is an actual real firearm!
Due to the visual similarities between an airsoft replica and a real firearm, the difference between those two can only be determined after a closer inspection but NOT in a sudden situation!
There are numerous recorded cases where a non-threatening public display of an airsoft replica has triggered a police response, sometimes even from SWAT or anti-terrorist units, resulting in an airsofter getting subdued, apprehended, sometimes shot and sadly, even killed.
Please note that any crime committed by using an airsoft replica (e.g. robbery, mugging, threatening etc) is equally grave in the eyes of the law and court as it would have been if the perpetrator had used a real firearm. The reason being: the victim had all the reasons to believe he/she has been threatened by a real firearm, therefore, he/she had any reason to believe that his/her very life has been threatened.
With the global rise of terrorism and violent crimes, it is no wonder people are even more sensitive when it comes to anything
related to firearms.
Use common sense, remember these rules.
While you are not on the airsoft field (e.g. you are at home), your airsoft replica should be
stored safely, meaning:
- the magazine containing BBs should be removed
- batteries or CO2 tanks should be detached from
the replica
- the replica's safety mechanism should be ON (meaning: the trigger is detached from the firing mechanism)
- your replica should be stored in a box, and locked away from the reach of children or pets to prevent any injuries.
While transporting your replicas on your way to an airsoft field, your replica should be:
- stored
in an appropriate box or a bag
- BB magazine detached from a replica.
- A battery or CO2 tank should also be detached from your replica.
- Replica's safety mechanism should be set to ON (trigger detached from the firing mechanism).
Same rules as for safe storing at home apply here too.
If you are in a car, on your way to airsoft field:
- the bag or a box containing your replica should be in your trunk,
and
- away from your immediate reach and away from the public eyes.
Never transport your BB magazines filled with BBs. Filling them up will take place once you reach the airsoft field.
By doing so, you prolong the service life of your magazines. The spring pushing BBs out of your magazine is not under constant stress, therefore it will retain its flexibility for longer period of time.
Never transport your CO2 or green gas magazines filled.
By keeping them empty as a default, you prolong the service life of internal valves and sealings.
When you arrive to the designated airsoft field, all participants must first put on their eye protection, before handling of replicas.
Put on your gear and proceed to getting your replicas ready.
Fill your magazines with BBs and your gas-containing magazines with CO2 or Green Gas.
Now proceed to setting up your replica.
Safety mechanism should be ON at all times, meaning: trigger detached from the firing mechanism.
Insert the battery into your AEG.
Insert the BB magazine into your replica.
Note: unlike real weapons which require you to rack the sliding handle or a slide in order to cycle and chamber the first bullet,
airsoft replica by large do not require you to rack the sliding handle. Therefore: the BB is already loaded in the barrel of your replica. If the safety was OFF and if you would
pull the trigger - the replica would fire.
GBBs and bolt-action replicas, such as snipers, require you to rack the sliding handle or a slider to chamber the first BB before your replica is ready to fire.
If you would like to test-fire your replica, first give verbal warning to all other players that you are about to perform a test fire.
Find a suitable place to perform a test-fire. Scan your surroundings to make sure that noone is in your line of fire.
Take aim, safety OFF, place your finger on the trigger and test fire your replica.
You may take this oppportunity to fine-tune your hop-up, iron sights, red-dot, scopes and other targeting systems your replica might have.
After your testing is complete, set your safety to ON, finger off the trigger and lower your replica, pointing it to the ground.
Inform other players that you are done with test fire.
Once the game ends, set your safety to ON and remove the BB magazine from your replica.
"Clearing" an AEG
Give a verbal warning to anyone around you that you are about to "clear" your replica.
"Clearing" the replica means that you will now point your replica in the safe direction (being aware of your surroundings),
set your replica to "single" fire mode, you will pull the trigger 3 times - dry firing your replica 3 times in safe direction.
By doing so you make sure that any excess tension in your main spring of the replica's firing mechanism is released, thus you prolong the service life of your spring.
"Clearing" a GBB
Remove the clip out of your GBB.
Rack the slider at least three times to make sure there is no BB left in the barrel.
Use the unjamming rod provided to you with your GBB to make sure that the barrel is empty.
Slide the unjamming rod cautiously inside the barrel of your GBB until you can see the front tip of the unjamming rod sticking out of the barrel to be absolutely sure that there are no BBs left in the barrel.
Release the slide.
Remove all leftover BBs from your magazines and store them in your BB transportation cannister.
Remove all excess CO2/Green gas from your gas tanks by gently pressing the main gas release valve (please refer to your replica's instruction manual to find out more about the main valve and manual release of excess gas).
Store your replicas and magazines according to the safe handling rules which apply for transportation of replicas.
- NO ALCOHOL
- NO DRUGS
- You cannot participate in airsoft activities if you are currently under prescribed medication of a medicine that is altering your perception. e.g. sedatives which are labelled with "no-driving!".
As an adult you are responsible for your own health and safety.
Always stay hydrated.
Carry your own rations of food.
Physical and verbal confrontations in the field are strictly forbidden.
If you feel that any wrongdoing has been done to you or anyone or anything else in the airsoft field or airsoft related,
restrain yourself from confrontations. Resolve the matter by reporting it to your teammates and the event organizer.
Address the issue after the event is done.
In the airsoft community, the word spreads far and fast. In this day and age cameras are ever-present, may it be the smartphone cameras, GoPro cameras or other kinds of portable video recording devices. The truth always comes out. Cheaters, wrongdoers and rule-breakers always end up exposed. This leaves a permanent stain on their personal reputation and the reputation of their teams, which bears long lasting repercussions.
People have been permanently banned from airsoft, blacklisted (deemed unwanted to any airsoft event and/or skirmish), entire teams have been blacklisted as well, as a direct result of breaking the rules. These banned individuals or groups have given up on airsoft altogether soon after the ban.
While breaking or "bending" the rules may seem tempting to some, it brings no benefits in the long run to those who do so.
Airsoft is an adrenaline fuelled activity which relies on playing by the rules.
Adrenaline mixed with competitive spirit does bring out a lot of strong emotions. There isn't a single airsoft player who hasn't experienced strong emotions during intense gameplay, these emotions if left unchecked can lead to outbursts and lashing out.
It is up to us, as adults, to control ourselves and remain respectful.
Be eager to win, play to win, but remember that in the end of the day - its a game. Competitive, intense but nevertheless - a game. Remember, your opponent who just shot you with a replica, or you shot him/her is NOT your enemy. He/she is an airsofter just like you, a member of the same community, maybe your friend or someone who could become your friend.
Getting hit does not hurt but you will feel it, depending on the clothes and gear you are wearing that stands between the incoming BB and your body.
It is always a good idea to wear extra protective gear: a helmet, knee and elbow pads etc.
It is also a good idea to cover as much of your body with a uniform.
What does "calling your hits" mean?
It means when you get hit you must acknowledge that you were just hit.
You do so by:
1) stopping whatever you are were doing in the moment you got hit.
2) raising your hand
3) shouting loud and clear "HIT!" or "I'M HIT!" to let everyone (the player that just hit you, your opponents and teammates, even if you don't see them) know that you were hit.
Airsoft is a hobby based on honesty and fair play.
We understand that getting hit can lead to feelings of disappointment, sometimes frustration and even anger.
Believe it, it happened to us more times than we care to remember. So, its very important to stay calm and composed.
Getting hit is a learning experience. Your airsoft skills will improve over time.
"Respawn" is a designated area where players who were hit go to and wait for a certain amount of time before they can get back into the game.
The event organizer will determine the respawn areas for all teams and set the amount of time eliminated players will be required to wait there before re-joining their team.
After you've waited for the set amount of time in the respawn area, you may return to the game.
Getting hit and going to the respawn means you are temporarily eliminated from the current game. Figuratively speaking, you are "dead".
On your way to the respawn or during your waiting time you may encounter your teammates or allies who are still in the game ("alive"). Now you may be tempted to share the information about the opponent's location, strength in numbers, movements, anything you've learned thus far right before being hit.
Restrain your self from doing so.
Restrain your self from any radio or mobile phone communication.
It is understandable that you wish to help your teammates and allies by sharing information, however, we must never forget the importance of fair play in airsoft.
Being a helpful and loyal member of your team is certainly commendable, but breaking the rules of fair play may only damage the reputation of your team and yourself as a player in the long run.
Respawn areas may or may not be marked (taped around, raised red flag etc).
You are not allowed to shoot at the players that are waiting in the respawn area.
Use the common sense to determine whether the idle opponents in front of you are actually just waiting in their respawn areas.
Even during the waiting time in the respawn area safety rules still apply!
Accidents happen, hasty or poor judgement may occur in some players. Your opponent could hit you, while you are waiting in your respawn area, although he/she is not allowed to do so. As we said before, this could be the result of your opponent's hasty reaction.
Keep your eye protection on at all times! Even in the respawn. Use your respawn time to rehydrate, eat and gather back your strength.
When you shoot your opponent, be sure to immediately stop shooting as soon as he/she calls the hit.
In the heat of the moment, it is easy to get carried away and fire a great deal of BBs towards your opposition. As always, stay within boundaries of common sense.
Let us be realistic - excessive shooting will happen sometimes, whether it will be you who will do the shooting or you at the receiving end, it will happen. It is important to keep these situations down to minimum as much as possible, and when they do occur - remember the Rules of Conduct.
Airsoft is mostly outdoors activity, exception being the indoors CQB compounds.
Therefore, all rules for outdoors activity apply.
Protect the nature and do no unnecessary harm to the nature and your surroundings.
Most airsoft fields are not in a completely secluded areas, most are relatively near to villages, towns and cities. It is highly likely that you will encounter private or public properties such as: fences, sheds, barns, crops, livestock, etc.
Don't damage, destroy or violate public or private property!
Don't shoot the animals!
Most airsoft fields are in safe areas with little to no wildlife and it is organizer's responsibility to choose the field which is deemed safe. However, in nature there are no guarantees, and you never know when you might encounter local wildlife. Before starting your airsoft activities, learn as much as possible about local wildlife in your area. Outdoors are whole other topic which we will not go into in detail here. It is enough to say, in contest of Rules of Engagement - don't do any unnecessary harm to the wildlife.
Don't shoot the livestock!
As we said before - most airsoft fields are not in a completely secluded areas.
There is a high probability that you will encounter "civilians", a general term for all non-players such as: local population, passer-byes, hikers, hunters etc.
It goes without saying, but we'll say it anyway: NEVER UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES SHOOT THE CIVILIANS!
If you encounter a civilian, remember:
- Never scare or startle the civilians on purpose!
- Place your replica on the floor and be as non-threatening and friendly as possible.
- Greet the civilian, identify yourself and explain what are you doing.
Tip: generally, there are more people who've heard of Paintball than those who've heard of Airsoft, so start there with comparison, e.g. "We are doing airsoft, its just like paintball, a game."
- Explain to the civilian that an airsoft game is taking place here. Remember: they have no eye-protection.
- Immediately alert the event organizer and other players (teammates and opponents) that a civilian is present and that all airsoft activities should temporarily stop. Use radio communication to do so. If you don't have a radio communication, do so by yelling: "Civilians in the field!".
- All airsoft activities must temporarily stop!
- Politely offer to escort the civilians away from airsoft field or show them a safe passage out or away from the field.
- If for any reason the civilians insist on passing through the airsoft field, politely ask them to wait for a short while until the event organizer arrives to negotiate a safe passage.
- You are in a public place, civilians have as much right to be there as you.
It is the rule that the event organizer must report the upcoming airsoft event to the local authorities, upfront, few days before the day the event will take place.
As we said before, most airsoft fields are near villages, towns and cities, therefore some civilians may be already aware that airsoft events usually take place in that location.
However - to be safe, assume that the civilians you encounter are NOT familiar with the concept of airsoft! Act accordingly.
Try seeing the situation through the eyes of a civilian you encountered. He/she just encountered a stranger wearing military gear. It is up to you and your manners to make this encounter as benign as possible for the civilians, and to keep the civilians safe. Use common sense, be polite.
These are the general rules of engagement that apply to any airsoft activity.
Some bigger airsoft events may set different rules, e.g. the player who is hit is not required to immediately go to the respawn, instead, the player is required to sit or lay down and wait for the medic to "heal" him/her. We've even seen a Mil-Sim event in which the players who were just hit are required to theatrically scream and fall to the ground as if they were acting in a war movie. Rules of engagement may be changed, but it is up to the event organizer to inform all interested player about these changed rules weeks before the day of the event.
If no special rules are explicitly stated by the organizer - the Basic Rules of Engagement always apply.
Remember: breaking these rules may easily result in serious harm or injury to yourself and others and will also certainly damage the reputation of your team and yourself as an airsofter.
Stay safe, stay focused and have fun.
To get a closer look at the required equipment every member must have, go to our Equipment page.
EquipmentIf you are interested in becoming a member of our team, please contact us via E-mail.
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