Airsoft alternatives?

[Tootie]

Originally Posted by wellcraft

if cost is an issue my best recommendation would be to get a 22 cal pistol to practice with as opposed to shooting a BB gun. Sig makes a couple semi auto pistols as does SW, beretta and walther.

Yeah good luck finding the ammo, we're having a heck of a time finding it right now.


My son practiced with a Softair pistol and it improved his accuracy enough that he blew up his GPS at 50 feet with 1 shot. I WILL be practicing with this same pistol on my deck this summer

[DoogieB]

I'm surprised no one has mentioned this yet, but if you want to practice accurate shooting cheaply you can't do better than a good 10m air pistol. Lead pellets are much more accurate than BB's. No recoil with air guns, but you can work on stance and sighting. The Olympic guys shoot with one hand, but there's no law saying you have to do it that way for practice.

Another advantage of this sport is that is relatively easy to setup an indoor range if you have a basement, garage or shop since you don't have to deal with the noise and smoke of a firearm.

http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2008/...ng-part-1.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/10_metre_air_pistol

[CommonHighrise]

Surprised to see so many folks downing Airsoft for practice, especially since, as the Op attests, it's a very close replica of his personal weapon.

My advice would be to find a way to bring the weight up to match the real thing, paying attention to correct balance. You can get 1/4oz and up stick-on weights from most automotive tire shops for pennies.

Drawing from concealment, moving and utilizing cover, and force on force training are excellent ways to hone your skills with an Airsoft. No, it wont help you in bulls eye shooting, but it will duplicate gun handling skills well enough in dynamic situations.

[NineseveN]

Trigger control, grip, draw and presentation, sight focus...these all work the same whether you're shooting a real steel carry gun, an air gun or anything in between. The recoil is obviously different, but recoil varies from real gun to real gun and people who own and shoot multiple calibers and platforms don't generally have a problem going from one gun to the next unless their technique is suspect.

[FMJ]

Wow.. I have to thank you all for all these replies. Definitly some good points to consider. Yes, the gun is as an exact replica of the M&P that can be found aside from the weight. No, the mag is not the same.. neither is the weight. But the grip and trigger are so close to my steel one that I too thought it would help me get my "details" in line. I do dry fire the M&P with a quarter on the sight and I'm sure it has its benefits in aiding my trigger action but I would have at least thought shooting the airsoft on target would help with the trigger but unlike dry shooting would also help with my grip and stance. I actually have an outdoor range that allows me to shoot paper out to 30 yards. Too bad I can't shoot the real weapon out there! My son is six and he really likes the airsoft gun. It's an ideal way to teach him firearm safety with minimal danger. We shoot it all the time so either way, I'm shooting the airsoft and I shoot it with the same form I would my M&P.

Wellcraft is the second person to suggest the .22. Not only because the ammo is cheaper but it's easier to shoot on target. Problem is, going back to Chemicals point... practice with the gun you will use.
I prefer carring and shooting my 9mm. Maybe Doogie's suggestion will help too. More often than not, with almost anything.. allot of different things can help better as opposed to one simple solution.
Thank you all again for your advise, tips and suggestions.
Helps so much!

Mike

[DeadHead]

If you want to shoot and practice a lot more and cost is becoming an issue - it may be time to step into the world of reloading. A little extra cost in the beginning but will save you a ton in the long term. (9mm is easy to reload)

[unloved]

You certainly can't do FoF training with a .22.

[FMJ]

Originally Posted by DeadHead

If you want to shoot and practice a lot more and cost is becoming an issue - it may be time to step into the world of reloading. A little extra cost in the beginning but will save you a ton in the long term. (9mm is easy to reload)

Thats really the common agreement. I have to start looking into this. PPC has so much brass on the floor, I wouldn't ever run out.

[YllwFvr]

They make some incredible airsoft replicas. I saw an MP5 that had small pieces of molded concrete made right into it so that it was correct weight and balance. It also was gas operated and was blowback too, so that it had some small recoil. I couldnt say anything about ROF similarities, but it was pretty accurate too. They play with wheat BBs that melt in the rain. Its a pretty big deal I hear. Pretty high velocities and stuff.
I also saw a desert eagle all metal, and the slide actually functioned. It was pretty amazing.
I can attest it hurt to get hit with that pistol more than a paintball. Easily!
The realism is why its so useful. Plus cheaper and safer than sim rounds.

[FMJ]

That sounds allot more realistic than my air gun. It has no blowback. The slide isn't funtional and again, the weight. I can easilly get the weight and balance corrected. Im a CNC machinist. I could make the entire slide out of aluminum and that would correct the balance and the weight in one shot.

of course, might be allot easier to just start reloading the brass. The more I think about it, the more I like it. Then I could shoot the desired gun as much as I want! I'm browsing the ammo forum now. I know nothing about reloading at this point. Funny how money motivates one to further thier education! lol