DAW’s Weblog

Recently Tracy and I have been getting a lot of calls and emails all asking the same thing:

“How do I choose an Airsoft Electric Rifle?”

Well we have to say that this is one of the hardest decisions to make as it involves not only research into other people, like the manufacturers and their quality, but also research into yourself and what is your ‘perfect’ style or variant. In most cases that is the place to start, as WHAT you are looking for will greatly affect which manufacturer’s AEG you buy

We have recently added an article on Choosing and Airsoft Electric Rifle to our Airsoft Information and Articles section that should help the newbie, or FNG as I like to call them, make a solid decision and get a good AEG that will last them for a long time. So go check it out, and go get yourself a good one!

I hate those guys. You know the ones I mean? The guy (or it could most certainly be a girl, however for the sake of this rant, it’s a guy) who is on the other team that NEVER admits he’s been hit, the guy who has ALL the gear and can’t play for, um, crap. The Cheater!

Now the sport of Airsoft is, by and large, a sport of honor. Airsoft players have to say “Yep, I’m hit” put your arms in the air and walk off. It’s what the whole sport of Airsoft is BASED on, and I will always do my utmost to follow this belief, even there are those that will fudge a little her and there.

But then comes “that guy”, and as he tries to sneak up on you, you nail him 2 - 3 times good. I mean DAMM you can see your bb’s bounce off him. So OK, he has alot of tactical gear on and he probably couldn’t feel it. So you squeeze off a few more rounds, again clearly nailing him, and you put one or two on his knoggen . . . just to get his attention and ‘help him’ to know he’s been hit.

Nothing . . .

So, here is the point where I feel it is really OK to bend the rules as much as the cheater is clearly doing. This is where I feel you have to take advantage of what my Ju Jitsu Professor used to call “a teaching moment.” So in an effort to teach this obvious FNG (F-ing New Guy) that he is outside the rules and needs to pay better attention, I will flip the switch to the rock n’ roll setting, and hold the trigger down and do my very best to empty my mag on the guy until he can do nothing other than squeel and RUN off the field.

Mission accomplished!

I was reading through another Airsoft Forum/Blog and a person asked why his BB’s were all turning left when he shot it, and I laughed so loud Tracy actually looked up from his latest video game to see what was up.

Well, it turns out he was shooting “gangsta” style, meaning the weapon rotated 90 degrees to the left. The reason for the BB’s all turning left is of course the hop up. It is designed to put back spin or ‘lift’ on the BB to flatten its trajectory. Well when shooting with the weapon tilted you are now throwing curve balls down range.

So we decided to test this out and see how much it really turns. So we gassed and loaded a mag and started shooting and I can honestly say we were both very surprised at the results.

1 – The BB’s didn’t really turn left as much as they did down. From 30’ I was able to “make baskets” into a trash can. This made us contemplate the why down instead of left, and we are still drinking, um, thinking it over.

2 – Most surprising was the fact that the gas leaked badly when shooting in this style. Upon considerationit is obvious that it would. The gas in the mag isnt’t all gas, but it’s “mostly” gas and some liquid that will become gas as the pressure drops. With the mag tilted 90 degrees the liquid gas is able to leak as the gun cycles.

So, the moral of the story is shooting “gangsta” style makes you look ignorant, makes you waste ammo, and ensures you will only hit something NEXT to what you are aiming at. Sound familiar?

Our next ongoing product test is on our TSD Caspian Arms Hi-Capa 5.1 Gas Blowback Airsoft Pistol.

This was one of our first “office guns” and we have been using and abusing it for about 7 months now. We have probably put over 20,000 rounds through it. We originally chose it because we wanted a tough, metal, gas blowback airsoft pistol.

Well, we think we have found a really good one. Check out the initial TSD Caspian Arms Hi-Capa 5.1 Review and check back for updates. We shoot this thing daily so there’s bound to be updates and if nothing else some funny stories.

DAW’s Ongoing Product Test - Echo 1 G36C

OK, so the first item on our list is Echo 1’s G36C. This has become an immensely popular Airsoft AEG, mostly because of it’s price. For about $140 you do get an awful lot for the money. So, we wanted to know just what EXACTLY you are getting for that money? Well, since we happen to have one and we tend to shoot it a lot, we thought we would blog in an ongoing fashion as to the true reliability and quality of the Echo 1. 

So, let’s start here: DAW’s Initial Review of Echo 1’s X36C/G36C  

As we continue testing and shooting and using this Airsoft AEG in games and such we will continue to give our opinions and thoughts and gripes. Tell us what YOU think as you follow along.

I thought it would be kinda cool to blog in an on gong way the function, usage, and reliability of some of the guns that we have collected at shows and bought for “office use” etc. The first string will cover an Echo 1 G36C that we have had since December and have already shot about 5,000 - 7,000 rounds through.  

I would like to hear what anyone out there has to say or comment on how we can make this kind of thread better and more informative as we plan to do this for 3 – 4 more Airsoft Guns we have lying around the office. 

Check them out, and follow along and see if we can break any of them!

OK, let’s set a few things straight.

#1 - The law states that all Airsoft Guns sold in the USA must have a minimum of 1/4″ of the muzzle/tip painted safety orange.

#2 - It doesn’t say ANYTHING about whether it is “legal” to paint over the orange or take off the orange piece and replace it with a piece I bought on the interned from an Asian distributor.

#3 - Airsoft Guns with OUT the orange tip truly look SOOOO much better!

My question is why do airsoft fields allow “non-orange” weapons on their field? The point of the orange tip is to designate to everyone else on the field (and to the officers that may look) that you aren’t really a FOOL and have a real gun, and to give the rest of us a little measure of confidence. YES, I know this sounds overly paranoid, however when you have been around, using, and training with real firearms for as long as I have you quickly learn that it is the “overly paranoid” who still have all their fingers and toes. 

So if the INTENT of the law is for ALL Airsoft Guns to have a non-lethal marking on the tips, and if it is really the safe and smarter way to go, and Airsoft Fields are the forefront of our sport, shouldn’t they all be forcing us as a community to obey the law? If we do not, and some fool gets shot by a cop or a neighbor for shooting their gun somewhere what is the backlash against “us” likely to be/ For those of you in rural settings you can find places to go play damm near anywhere. For those of us in significantly more urban areas, our choices are very limited.

So, I would like to hear what are YOUR thoughts? Do I have a point here, or is this a case of misplaced paranoia?

Just a few years ago, any AEG that was cheaper than $200 was considered an LPEG, or a CHEAP Airsoft Gun. CHEAP being used to designate a POS (Piece of SH&$) from Taiwan or China that wouldn’t last for more than a week, shot very slowly, and had crappy plastic parts that also broke very easily. At this time in history a CHEAP Airsoft gun was a bad thing, something to be mocked and scorned by the TM crowd. 

Well today, a Cheap Airsoft Gun is more likely a well made AEG that has very reliable internals and it a pretty well made Airsoft Gun from Taiwan or China. A Cheap Airsoft Gun is now a pretty decent product that is usually completely upgradeable and compatible with all those really cool, and brand name goodies from the “real” Airsoft companies like Tokyo Marui and Classic Army.   (more on Cheap Airsoft Guns at DiscountAirsoftWarehouse.com)

Now someone can show up at the Airsoft Field with their JG G36C with upgrades and accessories and have a package that will not only operate as WELL as the biggies, but even with all the accessories he still has less money wrapped up in his gun. It seems those snobby guys with their $500 guns have kinda backed off that mocking and scoffing thing because they now have to compete with “lesser” of the sport. 

Personally it is all about what works, and what doesn’t. If it is a quality Airsoft Gun, and it performs the job you want it to perform, and it does it well and reliably, does it REALLY matter if the brand is Tokyo Marui or Joe Bob’s Airsoft? Those that say yes, it matters are generally the same kind of people that pay $40 - $50 extra for jeans because Levis or Wranglers are not good enough either. 

It is time to wake up and smell the coffee folks, and get over yourselves as well.

When we get phone calls, and yes, we get alot of them, the majority of them have to do with “is this gun good?” or “what does this mean” and even “what accessorise should I get?”

Well, we at DAW have written up some basic information on alot of these topics and have been adding them to the website as we get the questions. So if you are new, have alot of questions or just alot of time, go check out the Airsoft Information on DAW.

 If you don;t see what you’re looking for or would like to request something, click HERE and send us an email.

 Happy Shooting!

I have been reading on a few blogs and forums about Echo 1 Airsoft, and am bothered by what seems to be the negative opinions “they” seem to have of Echo 1. You know who “they” are, Those people that are the big guys, the all knowing all seeing repositories of Airsoft knowledge.

Their main point of contention seems to be that Echo 1 merely rebrands the AEG’s of other manufacturers and “passes them off” as their own and offer no value to the end customer. “They” seem to feel this is dishonest and the people have a right to know!! Well, as usual, “they” are just a bunch of idiots who should stick to polishing their, um, AEG’s.

So, what exactly does Echo 1 do? Yes, it is true they “partner” with other manufacturers, TEST every weapon, rebrand and repackage them, add a 30 day WARRANTY, and sell them with their name on them. OK, that went by kind of fast, and you might have missed ALOT of value to the end customer. They TEST THEM, and THEY OFFER A WARRANTY. I don’t know about you, but I have been ripped of a number of times in the past on purchases of airsoft guns, electronics, etc. Each time I tried to get a replacement for the POS I got I was basically laughed at. When trying to get my money back, they only laughed louder.

So, how much value is there in not making yourself nuts over something you really wanted and is now a pile of @&$# on the floor? How much value is there in knowing the gift you just gave to your (son, buddy, friend, girl friend) has been tested and has a warranty? From where I sit, I would say a great deal. Definitely worth the extra $25.00. Also, how much value does the original manufacturer get out of this deal? Again, I would argue a great deal. First, having another company selling your products and increasing your North American sales (what, 500%?) is of GREAT value. Maybe it’s me, but do you see a Win – Win situation here?

So, in doing your research please, take the reviews, opinions, rantings and ravings that “they” post with a grain (or a rock) of salt.