This wont hurt, I promise!!
That’s what the latest craze in combat simulation is described as being. Military Simulation, or MilSim, as it is commonly referred is making paintball enthusiasts run for cover, becoming the leading live-action, role-playing combat game in the United States.
Similar to Paintball, in which players eliminate foes by hitting them with non-lethal projectiles, MilSim players use Airsoft guns which propel plastic BBs.
“A lot of 14, 15 and 16 year old kids are getting into the airsoft. These are kids who have already shot guns with their dads and have experience with guns. People who are into the airsoft guns are more into the tactical side of the games. A lot of the players are former military too,” said Matt Garza, employee of the Green Beret in McAllen.
While paintball has gained more notoriety in recent past in the United States, in parts of Europe airsoft is king of the MilSim world.
“About a year ago is when we noticed that airsoft was becoming more popular in the Valley. We actually thought airsoft was going to hit and paintball was going to disappear. We have been noticing a trend towards airsoft though,” added Garza.
So which is better airsoft or paintball?
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There are plenty of factors to weigh in when trying to decide which is better, but if cost is your main concern (which it most likely is) airsoft may be the way to go. The cost of the guns may be relatively even, but someone with a thousand dollar paintball gun will have a definite competitive advantage over a person purchasing an entry-level paintball gun for a couple of hundred dollars.
The same can’t be said about airsoft. A person with a $500 gun will have little to no advantage over someone with a $200 dollar gun.
“Paintball is more expensive. You can pay $500 for a semi-automatic airsoft rifle with a drum that will hold 4000 rounds, and spend twice as much for a paintball gun that will do the same thing,” said Garza
Paintballs are also quite expensive, especially in relationship to airsoft BBs. It is not unusual for a paintball player to go through $50 worth of paintballs in a day. A bag of 3000-5000 airsoft BBs (depending on the weight of the bb) costs roughly $20.
Don’t let the name airsoft fool you though. Despite the fact that airsoft pellets strike with less force than paintballs their small size and elastic-like feel still provide the realism of actual bullet hits because they can hurt and possibly break the skin if shot at close range, adding to a players heightened sense of awareness and mental stimulation. (ask Ramsey (Mag-X publisher about this one)
“Airsoft is more realistic, and the high-end guns are almost exact replicas of their steel counterparts. Airsoft guns use an electric motor so you have more versatility on where you can go and how long you can play at one time,” said Beto Valdez one of the founding members Gunz4hire.
Locally, Gunz4hire leads the airsoft movement. Comprising of 13 core members and approximately 25 additional members, G4H has been a driving force behind the shift to airsoft.
“Right now the Valley is the only place where it hasn’t caught on as much as it has in other places. Because of the closeness to Mexico, paintball is what people like to do down here, but we’re seeing teams in Monterrey and other parts of Mexico where it’s catching on and slowly but surely it’s making its way,” said Valdez.
G4H is made up of former military as well as civilians, and has come a long way from its original four-member squad.
“We started playing around with a plastic airsoft gun and then we started coming up with a name and that’s when Gunz4hire came up. We started off with four guys and little by little it started growing, we got a web guy, and started traveling to tournaments,” added Valdez.
Tournaments such as Operation Midnight Rodeo on May 24th, take place in Harwood, Texas, 53 miles east of San Antonio in a place regarded as the nations top scenario field for Airsoft competitions.
“It used to be a paintball field but the numbers of paintballers was about 30 or 40, and the airsoft crews that would show up would be more than 100. Airsoft just started to take it over,” said Valdez.
If you’re looking for combat simulation, role playing, hostage scenarios, a more tactical concept than “spray and pray”, airsoft is definitely the way to go.
“I get email and calls everyday from people interested in what we do, and all I can say is check out the website read up, do some research and get in contact with one of us. We’ll take you out there and you’ll find out instantly if you love it or hate it. From my experience most people we take out there love it,” said Valdez.
For more information on local events or to find out more about MilSim and airsoft visit
www.gunz4hireairsoft.com
