Today we are dealing with two opposing attitudes. Representatives of the first opt for abiding by the minimum distance of shooting other players, limits of BB muzzle velocity and refraining from the shooting at close range. Players disagreeing with them assume that a replica is not an exclusive version of a backyard stick gun known from everyone's childhood, but quite an expensive toy, serving primarily for shooting during airsoft games.

To understand the essence of current differences in perceiving airsoft, we have to go back a bit in time. Approximately 12-13 years back.

At the beginning it was like this...

Long ago, when the airsoft games were dominated by AEGs by Tokyo Marui, Classic Army and, sporadically seen and quite prone to mechanical failure, ICS, safety related matters were hardly ever an issue for anybody.The players were few and the muzzle velocity of most replicas was a dazzling 330 FPS (in the case of TM replicas is was even as low as 250 - 290 FPS).Due to this simple fact, it was quite easy to agree on the principle of "verbal signaling of the possibility of firing a shot and refraining from shooting at close distance because of the well being of the opponent", commonly referred to as the "bang-bang principle".People generally respected it and it more or less worked.

And if someone was very afraid, he bought a paintball mask and everyone was happy.

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

Problems were expected from new players who simply lacked experience, but they could not really hurt anyone, because all they could afford were cheap spring powered pistols. The peak of the financial possibilities of the majority of the then fresh players was a spring MP5A3 replica by Marui. And when a single BB fired from it met with a a whore burst, fired by a senior player, it turned out that novices did not shoot that much at all. There was still a gas Ruger MK1 by KJW, reaching some decent values of 380 FPS, but this ugly eccentricity was bought only by desperadoes like me.

The existing order of things was upset for the first time at the beginning of 2006, when the R5 (MP5A5) by Wella with metal, standard GB V2 gained a certain amount of popularity. It was the first AEG with a Chinese pedigree, with did not break after the first game and even you could even shoot someone with it. Anyway, a few months later, the iconic CM.028 appeared and the madness broke loose. Anyone who was able to spent 350-400 PLN in a shop, lost himself in a joyful orgy of spraying everything his sight, compensating this way for months of tedious "pumping".

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

Quite soon, budget replicas made of plastic were not enough. The low price could not compensate for all the inconveniences. When stores were flooded by supplies of next-generation Chinese equipment, people were starving for steel receivers, wooden parts and tuning parts for their new acquisitions. While earlier upgrading a replica was a "VIP zone" for the very few, since 2007 disassembling a gearbox has become a mass phenomenon. Thanks to cheap spare parts, virtually everyone could afford to replace the spring, the Hop-Up bucking and a few others, basic parts. Sometimes, it was also a sad necessity because, just like today, the workings of many cheaper replicas could only be compared the washing machines at full speed inside which a brick has been thrown.

In this way, we smoothly transits to the so-called "FPS race" and the reasons for the division between players that exists today.

Hard rules of airsoft

You can try to say that the so-called "fluffies" are conservative supporters of old-school discipline from the way back days (although, in truth, respecting the discipline was also inconsistent than). Limiting the muzzle velocity of BBs, refraining from shooting what it might do harm to an opponent ... It all required a good self control and trust that the opponent will also do the same.

I, personally, have been disappointed so many times that I practically gave up this knightly behavior towards strangers.

This is how a human silhouette looks at a distance of 5 meters. Optically, it may seem a bit further, because the camera distorts the perspective, but judging by the proportions you can judge that it is not as close as many people think.

The problem is that this noble approach works only during games in which good friends participate. Or games in a group of several friendly teams - it works great there. A dozen or so years ago, most of airsoft games were like that and it was easier to enforce "sporting" behavior. When the anonymity factor arises, it starts to be abusive.

If anonymity is not enough for you, add to it the disproportions in the experience of individual players, multiply the result by the number of "green" players and you will receive a list of possible conflict situations caused by the differences in expectations.

A view of a human silhouette from 10 m (theoretical MED for 430 FPS).

It happened several times that a player surprised by me escaped right from under my barrel and sent me back to the respawn saying "you should have shoot". At other times, someone else blamed me for taking him out, when he started shouting at me from a distance of 5 meters "because he did not want to hurt me". In the photos above you can see how much a distance are those 5 meters.

As a side note, from my subjective observations, it seems that people saying "a psycho shot me from FIVE meters!" most often they mean a distance of two or three meters instead.

A view of a human silhouette from 15 m.

Such situations are a standard. Much anguish is cause by the so-called MED, or minimum engagement distance. The situation with MED looks like this: even when there is someone who can count this variable, most often he can not use this knowledge in practice, because it suddenly turns out that the so-called "5 meters" is not such a small distance.

The formula I have seen used most often for calculating the MED looked like this:

MED [distance in meters] = (x fps - 330 fps) / 10

This way you get a distance in meters, from which you can fire safely. In the theory of an idyllic, fluffy world, everything looks very nice and beautiful, but to estimate this distance during a game, where fractions of a second count, is simply impossible. Especially, as it turns out, "Your" MED is seven, eight, nine and more meters. Before you estimate it, you will be on your way to the respawn.

Besides, in the "old days" many teeth were broken by the CA or Marui replicas which, according to this formula above, can be fired safely sticking the barrel to someones face using full-auto mode, because their minimum engagement distance located somewhere between the Hop-Up chamber and the end of the barrel.

Moreover, on several occasions I witnessed the MED rules being bent. It was most often done by people who stood too far or did not have a clear shot, but they had to show their mercy towards an opponent that they  "almost already had".

A view of a human silhouette from 20 m.

Of course you can set a fix MED, but it also gives a lot of opportunities to dissatisfied people - one time the replica they were shot from was too strong and the distance was too short, and this was replica is too weak and the was distance too long.

"Fluffy" players motivate their stance on the grounds that in airsoft safety comes first, and a BB is not only a risk of an eye or tooth, but can also cause bruises, internal bleeding, the possibility of damaging an eardrum, the aorta, nails and many, many more. Essentially, you can not disagree with it, because many of their arguments sound reasonable. Unfortunately, in their reasoning has a few gaps, which will probably be confirmed by everyone who have ever been shot in CQB from the theoretically weak replica tuned so as to increase its rate of fire as much as possible. Its not pleasant. I do not recommend experiencing it.

And besides, plastic BBs are not the biggest threat during airsoft games and events.

The other side of the barricade

There are several counterarguments to the "fluffy" allegations regarding brutality during airsoft games and the lethal properties of replicas.

We can start with the fact that each player is responsible for his own safety - you can buy yourself ballistic glasses, a face mask, a sniper scarf, a helmet, knee pads and gloves.Even groin protectors used in martial arts, if someone feels like it.Sure, this involves an additional cost, but if someone decides to play it cheap, he should only blame himself for having such and not other priorities.

In the name of what should other players take into consideration the well being of a person who values his own health so low that he has bought only a pair of cheap safety goggles and has a problem with the fact that airsoft sometimes hurts?You can educate.You can explain.And finally, it turns out that in many cases the knowledge reaches the person only when there is a hole in his forehead.

A view of a human silhouette from 25 m.

As for using a sidearm replica. Here the most common opinion is that one has it in the event of a failure of his main replica or for greater convenience of operating a shorter weapon in tight spaces, and not out of mercy for the opponent. It is quicker to shoot at the center of the body mass, often additionally protected with magazines and a vest, than to struggle with a handgun holster.

A similar counterargument is used against the "bang-bang principle". A costly replica is used for shooting contrary to the games of children who scream at each other when running around the backyard with a gun shaped stick with some cardboard boxes pretending to be a tank. Don't you remember how it was? "You did not get me! I got you!"

A view of a human silhouette from 30 m.

These claims can not be denied. Everyone is responsible for their own actions, and airsoft is a contact game. Coming to a game, each of us accepts the risk of a painful injury done at a short distance. You should even consider a situation when we will somehow surprise a sniper who panics.

I have never witnessed such an event, but once I saw its effect. The guy was hit during the Tomaszów 2009 event in the middle of the forehead. He looked like a unicorn with a white BBs stuck in the wound.

The question is - do you have to implement British reforms in Poland to prevent such relatively rare cases?

Anyway, in my opinion, first and foremost, one should be afraid of breaking a leg in some kind of a ditch, or hurting one's head against protruding elements of a building and not occasional situations related to skirmishes at close distances. When it comes to replicas, I am able to recall from my memory a few broken teeth and a pair of BBs stuck in the skin. All painful injuries, but not directly threatening one's health or life. I know a few stories from games where a tragedy happened (or one was close). Nobody, luckily, died, though only once or twice it was close. Examples? Here you are:

• 2006: during a game in the abandoned Budomel building, escaping from under enemy fire, Jimbo's colleague fell from the first floor to the basement through the an unprotected shaft of the elevator. He broke both legs in five places. From what I remember, after 2 years from the accident, he was still unable to run. At the time it was a very serious matter in the Poznań community. The area was later deemed unsafe for airsofting.
• 2007: playing on the old Prussian training ground on Chemiczna Street in Poznan, a colleague called Wombat stumbled and rolled from an embankment, hitting his head against a tree. He lost consciousness. He was protected by the plastic M1 helmet liner he wore on his head from a more serious injury. Interestingly, being on the edge of consciousness, he managed to ask another player to turn off his collimator.
• 2009: At Fort IV in Poznań, I was running through a meadow when I stumbled over something lying in the couch grass. I fell into a pit and hit my knee so hard against a stone lying at the bottom that the plastic cover on my Alta keen pad was torn off. My knee joint has survived, luckily.
• 2014: Again the Chemiczna Street in Poznan. My colleague Dziadek tangled his foot so badly in a root of a tree that he sprained his ankle and broke his tibia when he changed the direction his run. Unfortunately, it meant the end of his career in airsoft for him.

There are probably many more such stories, but I have limited myself to those where I am able to confirm the authenticity of the events. Once, there were two more falls from a bunker, but somehow it ended only in shock, bruises and a broken replica. In any case, injuries resulting from shooting at close range, even in the most unlucky of ways, are nothing in comparison to the possible bodily injury that may result from a bad turn of events.

And this is what you should be afraid of and what you should protect yourself against. Of course, good eye and jaw protection is useful, but let's not go crazy and convince yourself that plastic BBs fired from toy rifles are tools of destruction.

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

Just like on the "fluffy" side, also on the "hard-liners" side there are extremists. The first claim that shooting each other using full-auto when applying CQB limits is almost like an attempted murder. The second group also has individuals that push things to hard the other way. Probably everyone who plays airsoft a little longer had encountered with at least one "hardcore" player who mistook weekend meetings of Sunday commandos with real war. I am talking about people who shoot other players with long bursts from upgraded replicas and then complain that someone might not like it. Of course, I'm excluding situations when someone simply walked in front of the shooter's barrel. I only mean deliberate actions. Some people seem to compensate for their life's failures or natural shortcomings in this way I quess.

I have also heard several times that there must be something wrong with me, because I wear a mask on my face and only representatives of sexual minorities are afraid of a plastic BBs. Scars can be eventually covered by a beard and a tooth can always be mended by a dentist. But there is the question of sitting in front of a client with a broken tooth, a face pimply like a teenager, because you are, after all, an airsoft hero.

How to get to terms with each other?

The differences were, are and will be. Some people have such expectations for the hobby, others have different ones. One has a higher pain threshold, the other has a lower one. The thing is not to force the other players to the "only right" way of playing.

In Poland, fortunately, there are no legal regulations or sporting associations imposing sets of specific rules on all members of the community. Most of the human population are beings that are more or less thoughtful and have the ability to communicate with other representatives of their species. Thanks to this we have several options to choose from, which will allow us to avoid conflicts and misconceptions of individual people as to the nature of a given game.

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

The first one is to define clear and understandable rules and to give them to players BEFORE the game. Then everyone knows what limits of muzzle velocity are valid, what safety rules should be followed and what the game looks like from the organizational side. Then, situations when someone did not know something and did something that he should not and someone did not like it so he decided to be mortally offended are limited.

This practice is used by the organizers of many events and all who appear there are characterized by at least a basic knowledge of the rules. If someone does not like specific solutions and, as a point of honor, decided to be against these rules, he simply does not come. Simple.

At one time in Poznań, really good events were organized by colleagues from the Dzikusy team. From the very beginning, they informed that they would be a bit "fluffy" - there was MED, muzzle velocity measurements and marking of replicas. Everyone knew what to expect and, apart from extreme exceptions, I do not remember larger quarrels. If anything happened, the organizer usually intervened rather quickly.

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

I consider the second option more difficult, but also feasible. It involves using common sense. If I come to a game, which just happens and there is no specific organizer (or this organizer does not explain the rules of the game), I try to follow these rules:

• When I shoot someone from such a close distance that I can confirm 100%, by sight or hearing, I do with single fire or a 3-BB burst aimed at the middle of the opponents body. I am saving ammunition, and the opponent's health, which he would waste on ranting.
• I do not used the "bang-bang rule" to avoid quarrels (unless I am out of ammo).
• I also try to protect myself against the most possible injuries - ballistic glasses, a mask, knee pads, a scarf, gloves and some headgear.
• I pull out my sidearm replica at close range when I have the time (more often it happens as a result of a failure of my primary replica).
• If I happen to actually hurt someone for no reason, then if there is a possibility (on the spot / after the round / after the game) - I apologize.

For now, such a procedure works as a golden mean. I do not lower my own performance and keep the basics of good manners and my opponents do not consider me a psycho and do not subconsciously use the "collective responsibility" towards my party/team members, creating a wave of mutual hatred. The fact is, I do not have a highly upgraded tuned replica (400-420 FPS, it depends on how much the spring will get tampered with over time) and I am trying to keep the rate of fire at a "realistic" level.

Besides, everything depends on the circumstances. Although I normally do not do it, I have recently allowed myself to be taken out by the "bang-bang rule" a few times because I was surprised in such a situation that eventual fire exchange could end up badly for me (e.g. I left the bunker using a ladder and I would fell 3 meters down) as I had no way of defending myself.

Simply common sense takes precedence.

Summarizing

That right way, as it usually happens, lies somewhere in the middle. The "fluffy" players have well placed doubts about safety during games, and "anti-fluffy" players do not want to allow a situation where instead of shooting, we will behave like Mali soldiers during training.

I used to be closer to "fluffy" ones. Now I'm not really feeling the same way. Many people with such views simply overdo it, looking for a threat where it does not exist and seeing murderous tendencies in others. I can go to games less often than a few years ago, but I do not read about accidents like those that happened 6-7 years ago on local FB groups or on the forum. People's awareness is increasing. Using masks have also improved things a lot.

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

I am against divisions in the community. As long as we blame only others for our own failures or conflict situations during games, disagreements will happen. Often a petty reason grows into a problem that can not be solved. And this is only because everyone silently assumed before the game, that the rest certainly knows the rules according to which someone has been playing there for a long time.

Unfortunately, while having fun, you need to find some civil courage in yourself and, if possible, explain the problematic situation on the spot. Expressing grief in the Internet never helps, but only creates a spiral of mutual accusations and cements the division into noble "us" and wicked "them". And people with the "besieged stronghold" syndrome are not needed in any environment.

Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”

For those who think that the split in the community has reached a tectonic size, I can say that I very rarely see arguments during games that are a result of differences in the approach to safety. It seems that this is mainly an Internet problem created by "chairoft" theoreticians, and most players just want to have fun.

Probably also many fierce supporters of each option resigns during a real confrontation and puts oneself somewhere safe among the crowd, not leaning out too much.

Therefore, we wish you many successful games and as few disputes as possible.

 

Photos i didn't do myself were taken from an article about Operation SNAFU Charlie - Third „SNAFU”, first „Operation”