Airsoft Compared to Paintball

There are many ways in which the games of paintball and Airsoft are quite similar. However, the games really are not the same thing. For this reason, a lot of people have a tendency of getting confused.

Origin Of The Game

Airsoft was developed in Japan in the late 1970s when gun hobbyists needed an alternative since the private ownership of firearms was illegal at that time. For this reason, there was a heavy emphasis placed upon making accurate replicas of real firearms and upon the “military” aspects of the game itself. This is also why the game is so popular throughout Asia, where paintball is nearly non-existent.

On the other hand, paintball was developed in the United States in 1981 as a variation of hide and seek tag. Herein the use of utility companies' paint marking guns are used and their functioning is more important than their aesthetic qualities. This game has rapidly gained great popularity in the United States where it has a family-friendly image.

The Need For An Honor System

In Airsoft there is an “honor system” that is used in which the players rely upon one another to be honest enough to admit that they have been hit since the plastic pellets do not leave marks on clothing. On the other hand, in paintball this system is not needed because paint marks are left on the person's clothing.

The Kinetic Energy Behind The Game

There is relatively little kinetic energy transfer in Airsoft as compared to paintball. In fact, the comparison is as follows... An Airsoft projectile weighs .2 grams while a paintball projectile weighs 2.84 grams. If both of them are traveling at 300 feet, or 90 meters, per second an Airsoft projectile will transfer .8 joules of energy while a paintball projectile will transfers 11.8 joules of energy. As you can see, this is a considerable difference and thus there are different types of collisions that occur.

Shooting Range

An Airsoft gun has more range than a paintball gun. In fact, most Airsoft guns can shoot between 250fps to 600fps. If you place a hop-up unit on the gun, then this will put a backspin on the gun and give it a slightly upward arc. With this in mind, you should also know that an Airsoft pellet will travel a lot farther than a paintball pellet will.

Cost Of The Game

If you are a new player who is trying to decide between playing Airsoft or paintball, then you should know that a beginning package for either of these games is roughly equivalent in terms of cost. However, the major difference in price comes in when you are dealing with ammunition and upkeep of your equipment. Herein Airsoft guns are less expensive because of the ammunition that is used making the guns less prone to "jamming." Plus, Airsoft pellets are a lot cheaper to manufacture than paintballs are.

The most expensive piece of equipment are the guns. While you will pay between $20 and $70 for a low-quality electric Airsoft gun, a high-quality one can cost more than $300 and custom guns can cost more than $2,000.