airsoft for training

[gt350pilot]

I did a search on airsoft and didn't get much on this forum so excuse me if this has been covered.
I went into a shop specializing in airsoft guns today. My limited exposure to this sport has been the cheap plastic guns sold at the Big 5s of the world. I was very surprised to see that there were tons of very accurate metal recreations of common firearms, including the slide action when fired. I was even pleased to see that they had an XD that I primarily carry.
My realization that these were not the cheap toys that I thought they were led me to a question. Does anybody utilize airsoft versions of their carry firearms for training?
My thought was that this would be an alternative that would allow somebody to discretely practice in their own backyard. I envisioned practicing drawing from the holster, defensive cover techniques and even target practice without raising the suspicion of the neighbors. Of course the actual trigger pull would not be exactly as your carry weapon but a lot of work could be done on the mechanics and technique all with little to no noise and far less expense. It would never be a replacement for actual live fire training but I am always looking for options.

So, what are your thoughts?

[jb7706]

I know of several competitive shooters that use airsoft for training and practice. Nothing wrong with it, I believe it to be a good adjunct to live and dry fire.

[thegamettt]

I know a few people that do. I have one, but its usually just for pests

[Leethe4th]

AirSoft replicas are the absolute ideal training gun for brand new shooters. There is no noise or recoil but they are identical to the real thing, fit the same holster, and have the instant feedback of the little pellet denting a USPSA/IDPA target. That allows the new shooter to concentrate on the fundamentals of stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control before moving on to a .22LR and finally a centerfire pistol. Of course, when AirSoft's first came out, my buddies and I were busting caps on each other. They are very accurate to about 10 yards inside, but drift quite a bit outside.

[srccolt6920]

Airsoft

I have found air soft to be a great practice tool. I have a target set up in my man cave and shoot all the time. I definitely helps improve ones skills. I have a Taurus replica and shoots nice and straight

[RobertMW]

Excelent training tool. Most major firearms have replica, full weight, models of them. While the recoil is obviously not right, everything else can be. This makes them great for drawing, sight picture, target acquisition, target transitions, firearm manipulations, firearm retention, etc.

[wilit]

I have an Airsoft 1911 I use to practice in my garage. It's pretty damn close to my RIA 1911 I use for competition. It certainly doesn't replace practice with the real thing, but it's a great alternative if you can't afford and spare the time to go to the range enough.

[BlaZed]

They are great for practice but careful where you fire them. A lot of cities, especially in Orange County, have made it illegal to shoot bb/airsoft guns in your backyard. So be sure to check your local city laws.

[Jimmybacon43]

There is actually a whole airsoft and airguns subforum lol.

But yeah, airsoft with those gas blowback airsoft pistols can actually be useful. I didn't know they were making an airsoft XD though.

[gt350pilot]

Thanks for the feedback.
I looked at the airsoft subforum as well as the LTC and didn't see any reference to the use of using them as an effective training tool. I had never really considered them as my perception was that they were just cheap plastic toys. The surprise to find them to be pretty faithful reproductions of the authentic firearms inspired me to look into them further. Hopefully others will read this and look into using them as well.

I found that the shop I wandered into had an XD-M. It was pretty pricey at $200 so I looked elsewhere. I wasn't able to find the same model on Amazon, but I believe I will be purchasing one soon.

[SkyHawk]

Many professional CCW / CQB training outfits use Airsoft for training. Especially for pistol training scenarios, they are very, very useful: For draw, presentation, point shooting, retention, off hand work, mag changes, tap/rack etc. The highest quality you can get are from Japan - Tokyo Marui, Maruzen, Marushin, KSC etc. The pistols from Taiwan are also very nice (KWC for example) and are frequently exact copies of Japanese airsoft designs. Especially if you carry a polymer pistol like a Glock, the airsoft copies are very similar in weight and feel.

[defcon]

theres an airsoft facility in Newbury Park 805 Ventura area that id want to go to and just roll with only a pistol during the matches

[jpan]

KWA makes great airsoft pistols. The Sig 226 replica is pretty much spot on to the real thing including weight. It is a gas blowback design which helps a little with realism when fired. KWA actually markets these as (PTP) Professional Training Pistols. It also fits perfectly into my real Sig's Serpa.

[gun toting monkeyboy]

I have a KWA Glock (long out of production) and a KWA ATP (a near Glock clone). They both fit all of my Glock holsters. And I have used them to practice drawing and rapid fire drills. I also occasionally use them to play airsoft, so I actually get to put some of that training to use...

-Mb