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In the world of air pistols the most common method of pushing BBs or pellets out of the barrel is via compressed gas. After all these are airguns we are talking about. When it comes to repeating and blowback air pistols there are two major propellants that shooters will encounter: 12 gram CO2 and green gas. For those of you who have only shot .177 caliber pistols, you are most likely familiar with those small capsules of fun. But what is green gas? Stay tuned and we’ll flesh out some facts about each and how you can best use the appropriate platforms.

Some call airsoft “paintball for grown-ups” but many airsofter players take it a bit more seriously, especially when it comes to an official event hosted by an airsoft field or organization. Of course like everything there’s an in-between too. In airsoft, some may call that middle of the road event a skirmish. A localized event during which a group of people get decked out in camouflage gear and navigate private grounds shooting at each other. In simple terms, that’s a “Skirmish” or “Skirmishing”. It’s a step up from a backyard shoot-out and a step down from a full blown airsoft milsim event which is simulated military mission game play.

Wouldn’t we all like to know the answer to that ammunition in-stock question? The hard truth is that it’s not. Those of us in the shooting industry that shoot live-fire rounds in addition to our airsoft obsession are just as hard pressed to find handgun and rifle rounds as those that don’t work for a firearm or airgun company. Fortunately for us we still have a small stash of airsoft BBs for internal use and we have shipments scheduled so we can keep a good flow of Elite Force BBs at your local airsoft fields and stores for your local events. We wouldn’t be doing our jobs right if we didn’t. That’s not to say it won’t be challenging at times because we’re not immune to the increased demand that resulted from the pandemic and ammo shortage.

Here’s some airsoft practice tips from shooting competitor Deb Ferns of Babes with Bullets. She’s been using airsoft rifles from Elite Force and Umarex for a while now after running into the guys from Gnat Warfare, a company that sets up interactive ranges for events. Whether it’s to introduce someone new to the shooting sports or to get some additional practice and trigger time in when sending live powder rounds down range just isn’t possible, Deb has found ways to use airsoft to her advantage.

There’s an old saying that goes, “there are friends, there is family, and there are the friends that become family.” I feel this way about airsoft. I’ve talked several times about how the sense of community drew me into the hobby of airsoft. What I haven’t talked about is exactly WHY that community drew me into airsoft.

A few years back I received my first initiation into force-on-force airsoft war. Actually, it was 11 or 12 years ago I think. Yikes. I’m getting old. My second experience wasn’t long after, but it wasn’t as an active member of a squad.

One of the reasons that I first got into airsoft was the togetherness of the community. Of course, I enjoyed the actual activity of the hobby as well - we grow up as kids playing friendly shooting games, so being able to continue those games as an adult is a bonus for everyone. Everyone can use an escape.

We’re experiencing history in the making. For the first time in our lives, a worldwide pandemic threatens billions of lives around the globe. In an effort to curb the record-breaking spread of the disease, strict sanctions have been issued in many countries worldwide; banning any gathering of people, effectively making it impossible for airsoft fields to operate, and shutting down any and all planned airsoft events for the foreseeable future.

Who in their wildest imagination thought my gun range in Tucson would be shut down for the last couple of months, plus possibly longer into the future, during the COVID-19 issue? I knew I needed trigger time before I head to multigun nationals later this summer so what are my options? Well, after leaving my Umarex Elite Force AR airsoft rifles sitting in the garage for the last two years it was time to blow off the dust and figure out how to set up a little course of fire.

It’s a tale as old as (airsoft) time. You have this hobby that you LOVE, but you only get a few days a month to play airsoft, if you’re lucky. Since free time is highly valued, and relationships take up a significant amount of free time, you want to be able to share this hobby with your best friend and partner. Just HOW do you get your girl to play airsoft?