[sfpmb]

Action pistol training with airsoft.

First off let me just say that nothing will replace the training I receive from going to matches and range shooting. I began airsoft shooting and found that it did not reduce my real range days. Airsoft gave me more access to range style training where I had no actual opportunity to go to a range (weekdays). Before airsoft, I did “regular” dry fire practice and found that it was helpful. “Regular” dry fire discipline was based merely on my own judgment on whether I had paused long enough on the target I had taped to my wall. Well, I have been kinder to myself in dry fire than any match has ever been. In dry fire I always felt like I paused long enough on target but in the matches I was dealt a lot of misses. This is one of the areas that airsoft has really helped me. Airsoft now provides me with a target that if you don’t have a proper sight picture, YOU WILL MISS. The airsoft I bought for training was accurate within a 2 inch circle at 25 feet. That was perfect for the area inside my garage.

What is difference in the training?

Other than felt recoil, there is not much difference. Obviously, this is going to depend on how realistic you make your courses compared to real IPSC stages. The one thing that I don’t focus on in airsoft training is a follow up shot on the same target like you would for paper. Since there is no recoil, shot follow up training is left for the real range. But consider this, Drawing, moving, setup, mount, sights, press is the same whether it is real or airsoft. Next would be recoil but airsoft doesn’t have it so lets move to the second half of this process. After recoil you would have, did I see sight the way a want (the call), snap eyes to direction or target, transition to target, sights, press, etc. etc. etc.

Initial Cost

For $300 you could buy a pistol, steel knock down targets and enough green gas and BB’s to shoot 15 thousand realistic shots. I don’t know what you pay for ammo. Let alone the cost of your time. I have responsibilities and they take time. I cannot live at a range. But I can usually squeeze 20 minutes of some full IPSC fury in my garage after work. Oh yeah, every friend who has came by my house and shot in my garage has mysteriously acquired an airsoft pistol shortly thereafter.


I have suffered my fare share of eye rolling over this but I remain convinced. I have made progress since starting competion shooting just over two years ago. I partially attribute this progress from training with an airsoft pistol. I have put up some videos of my training at www.myspace.com/bamairsoft so you can see how I do it. How do you train with airsoft.

P. Burt
TY-57910
Limited B, Limited 10 B, Production B - still so far to go.

This post has been edited by sfpmb: 29 January 2009 - 06:03 PM

[Dalmas]

I get more from airsoft training at home during the winter than with 14 layers of clothing outside trying to keep the fingers warm. I have good team-mates that have given me a plate rack and a swinger, great stuff. I have videos on my page and will update with more as training progress.

Visit My Website

[CDRODA396]

The question is ...is how do you train in your garage without leaving hundreds, if not thousands of 6mm bb's all over the floor, shelves, window sills, etc.? I tried cardboard boxes, little home made contraptions, cheapo traps, etc. and they still deposit a good portion of the little buggers on the floor...

[buddy_fuentes]

I was shooting my air-soft in my shop and I put the targets in a cardboard box. After shooting I noticed that some of the pellets had gone through the box. Then I notice that I had dozens of small dent in my metal doors behind the boxes. This was with a stock Caspian air-soft. I would make sure my car, motorcycle, windows, and anything else I didn't want broke or dented, was out of the line of fire.

Buddy

[Dalmas]

CDRODA396, on Jan 30 2009, 10:12 PM, said:

The question is ...is how do you train in your garage without leaving hundreds, if not thousands of 6mm bb's all over the floor, shelves, window sills, etc.? I tried cardboard boxes, little home made contraptions, cheapo traps, etc. and they still deposit a good portion of the little buggers on the floor...

I've bougt notestands from an orchestra that was selling all their stuff (Like these)) then I bought some netting from a fabric store. With some modification the notestand perfectly holds the scaled down version of an IPSC target, the net collects all the balls. So If I hit the target no balls on floor... Works great and makes it easy to place target around the house. I bought 6 stands for $50.

This post has been edited by Dalmas: 30 January 2009 - 08:23 AM

[Flatland Shooter]

CDRODA396, on Jan 30 2009, 07:12 AM, said:

The question is ...is how do you train in your garage without leaving hundreds, if not thousands of 6mm bb's all over the floor, shelves, window sills, etc.? I tried cardboard boxes, little home made contraptions, cheapo traps, etc. and they still deposit a good portion of the little buggers on the floor...

Two words > leaf blower. What that don't catch ain't worth catching.

Bill

[Flatland Shooter]

Dalmas, on Jan 30 2009, 09:22 AM, said:

I've bougt notestands from an orchestra that was selling all their stuff (Like these)) then I bought some netting from a fabric store. With some modification the notestand perfectly holds the scaled down version of an IPSC target, the net collects all the balls. So If I hit the target no balls on floor... Works great and makes it easy to place target around the house. I bought 6 stands for $50.

For steel targets I built some "el cheapo" stands with PVC pipe and clip some of those round tin stove burner covers bought at a dollar store. On one of these I rigged a stop switch with telephone wire and sheet metal screw.

Since my garage is unfinished, the ceiling joists are still open. Using 1"x2"x6' boards, I screwed a little "L" hook into each of them to hang from the joists and hang different size IPSC targets on them.

Also made a swinger out of 2"x4" but its a PIA to keep resetting.

When it warms up, everything moves outside. When practicing in the back yard I stick to the biodegradable airsoft bb's.

Bill

[kevin c]

CDRODA396, on Jan 30 2009, 05:12 AM, said:

The question is ...is how do you train in your garage without leaving hundreds, if not thousands of 6mm bb's all over the floor, shelves, window sills, etc.? I tried cardboard boxes, little home made contraptions, cheapo traps, etc. and they still deposit a good portion of the little buggers on the floor...

Don't miss...



Seriously, I have a homemade set up using boxes from Office Depot - the type that hold reams of paper with a removable lid. I used some lath to hang some towels or other heavy fabric inside, and cut out the middle of the lid. The target goes over the hole, so the pellet is just punching paper. The fabric catches the pellets and they fall to the box bottom. At the end of the session I can take off the lid and recover the pellets, all in good shape for reuse (I don't do that with the pellets shot at my mini poppers, though).

Still working on something for the steel...

[Dalmas]

I'm going to use net for the steel as well, will post pics when done.

[Tzygä]

Please, do that Dalmas I am anxious see how it look like?

[Limitless13]

I'm not at home so I can't post pictures, but what I do is put up King size bed sheet hanging from my garage door frame. This gives me two sides and the rear on the outside and then two in the middle if I want to work barricade type shooting. The sheets stop the BB's just fine and as long as I leave enough on the ground at the rear then the they all pile in at the bottom. Takes about 5 minutes to set up with all my targets. Which, btw I'm using cardboard targets for everything, including steel (painted white) so that I can move away from listening for the ding.

My .02

LL13

[STI2011]

CDRODA396, on Jan 30 2009, 06:12 AM, said:

The question is ...is how do you train in your garage without leaving hundreds, if not thousands of 6mm bb's all over the floor, shelves, window sills, etc.? I tried cardboard boxes, little home made contraptions, cheapo traps, etc. and they still deposit a good portion of the little buggers on the floor...

We have 2 dogs and I didn't want bbs in the yard for them to eat or in the house so, I came up with this contraption. I just started using it so, I can't be certain but, I think it may work. I have 2 of these, the single stand for in the house just to do draw and fire one shot type practice and a double stand for the backyard. The target stand in the backyard is larger to allow for missing the target completely but, still getting caught by the t-shirt or backstop. Basically the t-shirt slows down the bb enough that it doesn't get to the backstop and it just drops into the bin on the floor which I cushion with an old towel. No, I don't fire next to the dog crate, I just moved it there to take these pictures. The target you see is the reduced size target from CED. http://www.cedhk.com...w.php/Object927

This post has been edited by glockman2000: 14 April 2009 - 05:36 PM

[mike82352]

I use my target stands that I built for USPSA shooting (1X2 uprights). I bought a canvas drop cloth at harbor frieght for $6.00 and cut it in strips the the same width as my uprights and staple them to the back of the uprights and staple my cardboard targets to the front. I make the canvas a little longer then needed so I can loop it at the bottom and then staple it to the front of the uprights. This lets the BB's pass through the cardboard and hit the canvas and they drop into the loop at the bottom to be collected later. I can take some pictures if needed. It works great, you have to make sure your cardboard is thin enough to get the BB's to go through or they will bounce off and cover your garage floor.....I know....Mike