As airsoft is becoming one of the favourite past times of recreational shooters and milsim enthusiasts, it is also becoming a favourite tool for training with some of the respective tactical trainers already making statements affirming such. Whilst it has been a no-brainer for airsoft enthusiasts that airsoft can give valuable shooting and tactical skills, for those who are concerned about real life tactical situations, airsoft meets their requirements to develop skills.

American Handgunner, the magazine which has print, digital, and mobile editions, has come up with an exclusive web extra "Sensible Training Options". Rather than having the story wait for the light of the day in their print runs, they made it as a web extra, making it available for real steel users, tactical trainors, and the airsoft community, wherever they are in the world to read.

The general non-lethality of airsoft guns is one of the principal reasons for their huge popularity in force-on-force shooting activities. Civilians, as well as law-enforcement personnel, have discovered the advantages offered by airsoft guns and in most cases have ditched paintball guns for most training programs. Although paintball offers a most vivid (and messy) way of judging who gets tagged in force-on-force training, airsoft guns force participants to use the honor system and acknowledge hits whenever the shooter and other participants are not sure whether the shot connected with the intended target.

The author, J.I. Galan, affirms the advantages of airsoft over paintball, and that airsoft is the more generally accepted training tool due to its advantages. He goes on to describe the mechanics of airsoft guns and that law enforcement people have taken to airsoft guns for an even more realistic force-on-force training. The similarities in weight, function, and features of airsoft guns to real steel weapons are often stressed and which we usually call as "realism", with the huge difference of airsoft guns from real steel training tools as being non-lethal, realistic-looking training tools, have made airsoft at the forefront of this "training wave", as the author puts it.

With the inherent safety in the use of airsoft guns, as long as proper protection is used to prevent injuries whilst training, civilians are taking up tactical training like never before. Other alternatives to tactical training such as simunitions still have that danger of causing serious injuries and their costs of use (which can also be said the paintball ammo) make them low-cost. Users can take them to their homes for practice such as handling, drawing, and even doing maintenance without causing alarm to their neighbours or even accidental firing that can cause serious or fatal injuries within the confines of their homes.

In the final analysis, it looks like airsoft guns are fast becoming a serious choice as firearms training tools on several levels. Their cost-effectiveness and extreme realism rank high in their favor. The cost factor alone is crucial, in terms not only of the guns themselves but their ammo and safety equipment too, such as safety masks, goggles, etc. So if you are looking for an ideal choice in top-notch firearms training equipment, the airsoft gun may be the answer.

Read the full story at the American Handgunner.