I've purchased a "soft air" pistol that duplicates the Taurus .40 S&W I have for $35. Also picked up a three target apparatus that resets itself for $20 and several thousand soft pellets for $7.....and find the airgun to be pretty accurate making for some pretty inexpensive target practice. Don't know how long it will hold together, but so far have been very pleased with the quality of the plastic handgun.

The downside is I have to sweep out the garage so my wife doesn't break something stepping on the plastic BBs.

Dan

My son has three of them Dok. One of them shoots to the sights pretty good. It looks similar to Colt Delta Elite though smaller.

Kinda fun! I have little green balls everywhere around the yard.

Cheezywan

My son has three of them Dok. One of them shoots to the sights pretty good. It looks similar to Colt Delta Elite though smaller.

Kinda fun! I have little green balls everywhere around the yard.

Cheezywan

Looked around the "soft air" area last trip to Scheels and noticed they now carry bio-degradable ammo! The pictures on the containers weren't very impressive ...... and while they might perform (degrade) adequately in the yard, it wouldn't be much of an advantage on my garage floor, safety wise.

Dan

Build a box and an old shirt to catch pelets, The cloth absorbs energy and directs pelet to bottom of box/ trap. Use ligth targets made of heavy paper or cardboard so they won't ricosheyeeeee pellets back out of trap. This helps a lot. You just pour the pelets into to your ammo bottle from the box.

I only buy spring guns because they are cheap to operate and you if you need power you can grabb your 12ga. The most expensive are not always the most accarate but with these fun toys itis the luck of the draw.

I practice with my $6 broomhandle and my $4 glock and love it. Also these bring new joys to TV soap opera's. when someone blows a line or the vilan is on give them a plastic pellet, but be ready for richoshaaaaayyyyy. ELVIS only got to do this once, but you can shoot all day at Fred and Ethle Murman ( Fred is an easier target )

Have Fun !!

Speaking from experience you may want to be cautious shooting the air soft guns around the house. Somehow my laptop screen was in the line of fire and as a result is ruined. The Pellet fractured something inside of the screen and ruined the picture... Moral of the story, they are not a toy. I shoot mine outside now.

Build a box and an old shirt to catch pelets, The cloth absorbs energy and directs pelet to bottom of box/ trap. Use ligth targets made of heavy paper or cardboard so they won't ricosheyeeeee pellets back out of trap. This helps a lot. You just pour the pelets into to your ammo bottle from the box.

The resetting target I mentioned has a nylon netting around the apparatus which doesn't offer much help as the pellets that hit the three solid targets obviousy don't drop down, but come right back at you.

Similar to what you recommended, I often use a lightweight steel trap build for pellet guns and cut a 2" hole in the cardboard face with a work cloth behind the cardboard and that does capture the pellets as you indicated.

Dan

Speaking from experience you may want to be cautious shooting the air soft guns around the house. Somehow my laptop screen was in the line of fire and as a result is ruined. The Pellet fractured something inside of the screen and ruined the picture... Moral of the story, they are not a toy. I shoot mine outside now.


Son and I chronographed his airsoft guns. They were "right in there" at advertized velocity. I'm sure they lose that speed pretty rapidly, but one should still have respect for what could happen!

True story: Came home from work one afternoon and observed my son on his hands and knees on the patio as I was backing into the garage. Wondered why???

Walked to the house and saw "little green balls" everywere!
It seems that he did not get the lid screwed on tight on his ammo stash(plastic jar about the size of a 2lb. coffee can).
He dumped the whole load :eek: .

Not much shooting that afternoon :( .

Best recovery method I could come up with was a broom and dust pan. Deposit in a 5 gallon bucket with enough water to let them float to the top.
Fished them out with a colinder(spelling? A screened scoop thingy from the kichen).

The lid stays on tight now :D .

Cheezywan

Speaking from experience you may want to be cautious shooting the air soft guns around the house. Somehow my laptop screen was in the line of fire and as a result is ruined. The Pellet fractured something inside of the screen and ruined the picture... Moral of the story, they are not a toy. I shoot mine outside now.

Ditto to that I had the same thing happen but it just missed the screen! I was terrified that notebook was almost a grand! never ever practice around your notebook/laptop you will be sorry, be careful like it was said these things really aren't toys!

Tom j

They are great rainy day practice guns...like anything that fires a projectile, can do more damage than you give it dredit for.

Pellet guns are great fun, but much more powerful (in turn, are much more accurate and long ranged)...for inside the house, minimum noise practice, airsoft works better. The simple (Cheap) spring powered, manually cocked, versions are probably the best for this practice.

No doublt about it, the practice does transfer to real guns.
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Not totally useless...have had a ball on late night roach hunts (outside) using the glow-in-the-dark ammo.

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Not totally useless...have had a ball on late night roach hunts (outside) using the glow-in-the-dark ammo.

I find it amazing that just a few words can paint such an incredible picture in my mind :) !

Cheezywan

They are great rainy day practice guns...like anything that fires a projectile, can do more damage than you give it dredit for.

Pellet guns are great fun, but much more powerful (in turn, are much more accurate and long ranged)...for inside the house, minimum noise practice, airsoft works better. The simple (Cheap) spring powered, manually cocked, versions are probably the best for this practice.

No doublt about it, the practice does transfer to real guns.
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Not totally useless...have had a ball on late night roach hunts (outside) using the glow-in-the-dark ammo.


Say if you can find one that really is pretty accurate do you really think your practice would transfer to the range, if so think I'll invest in a pretty good one. Thanks

Tom j

Say if you can find one that really is pretty accurate do you really think your practice would transfer to the range, if so think I'll invest in a pretty good one. Thanks

Tom j


the little plastic balls come in differnt weights...so far, the heavier ones (like .18gr. - .20gr.) have shot better than the light ones (.12gr.)... usually recomend the heavy weights for the more powerful guns, but in this case we're just practicing across the room, may as well go with the heavier ones.

Make i dirt simple...no gas, no electric, just a manually operated spring powered gun.

Yes, it will transfer to "real" guns. All that is missing is recoil, and that only happens AFTER you've let the shot loose.
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Accuracy? Real world, from across the room, can figure the little smooth bore to oput those plastic BB's into about 2" from across a normal sized room. Get one of the stand up sticky-targets (the plastic BB will stick long enough for you to see where it hit, then slide down into a little tray.
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Nephew left me an airsoft M-16 look-alike. He got into the sniper role in his games (And those bolt action airsofts are surprisingly accurate at short range). Basic spring gun, pull the cocking handle back and forth to cock and load one....but it is pretty good off hand practice on a rainy day or the middle of the night.

the little plastic balls come in differnt weights...so far, the heavier ones (like .18gr. - .20gr.) have shot better than the light ones (.12gr.)... usually recomend the heavy weights for the more powerful guns, but in this case we're just practicing across the room, may as well go with the heavier ones.

Make i dirt simple...no gas, no electric, just a manually operated spring powered gun.

Yes, it will transfer to "real" guns. All that is missing is recoil, and that only happens AFTER you've let the shot loose.
-------
Accuracy? Real world, from across the room, can figure the little smooth bore to oput those plastic BB's into about 2" from across a normal sized room. Get one of the stand up sticky-targets (the plastic BB will stick long enough for you to see where it hit, then slide down into a little tray.
----
Nephew left me an airsoft M-16 look-alike. He got into the sniper role in his games (And those bolt action airsofts are surprisingly accurate at short range). Basic spring gun, pull the cocking handle back and forth to cock and load one....but it is pretty good off hand practice on a rainy day or the middle of the night.


Thanks Yep that's the way I'm going to go just can't make it to the range as often as I would like got my CCW so I don't want to get rusty.

Tom j

My youngest son has really gone into airsoft. He has a nice gas 1911 that handles like the real thing, and shoots just as well. He recently picked up an electric AR-15 that feels, handles, and shoots like the real thing. A great way to get in some in-house practice (with the usual warning of being careful about your backstop, etc.).

Yes you can hurt a LCD or Flat Screen TV with an air soft laucher. It could also easily cause eye damage, but thats my personal opinion.

These would be perfect for training any age gun safety. Even though it a "TOY" and suppose have a red tip on the barrell, its the best way to train someone about firearms and where to point it.

If dueling have the kids where grinder's googles and have MOM reff the festivities.

We live in LB CA and I would never encourage any one to show one off driving a vehicle or taking one to school for show and tell or face a POLICE OFFICER with one. Tragedies happen too often in LA COUNTY where someones is confused and has a toy - wrench - screwdriver in their hand and serious consequences result and most of them not physical but legal.

But on a lighter note there are great fun, and very interesting to take apart only if it is broken. The spring ones are base on the spring pelet guns internally.

Yes you can hurt a LCD or Flat Screen TV with an air soft laucher. It could also easily cause eye damage, but thats my personal opinion.

Not just yours - If you search the medical journals, you'll find quite a few results.
Airsoft bullets can also dimple gyproc from time to time and they will take out lightbulbs.