The first thing that popped into my mind when I watched this video at CNN.com was "Simunition!". But going through the video report and following the story at Click Orlando doesn't confirm that it's the same simunition that LEOs use for training purposes. And simunitions are not usually used at gun ranges and most especially in an airsoft indoor facility such as Combat City in Orlando.

It seems that Dave Kaplan, the owner of Combat City, found a way to convert real steel weapons that can fire a soft rubber bullet that also comes in its own cartridge. This way, those who are training can still use real steel weapons and be able to shoot back at people safely, as long as they also use protective gear just like in any game or training to involves fast projectiles.

What Dave Kaplan does is to modified the gun that's brought to the range and replacing the inner barrel with his own modified one so that it won't fire a live round. This way, in a training scenario, the shooters get to shoot the real gun with the recoil and cyclic rate of such a firearms. This way, it also tests how the shooter will react at shooting other people, especially an assailant, in a stressful situation.

The protective gear needed by participants are more than what we usually use for airsoft, as it includes protection for private parts and so it seems the rubber bullets used are more painful than airsoft BBs.

Would airsoft provide even better value and safer way to provide training? You bet. But will it provide some "real steel" feel to defensive training? That's still open for debate. So before we airsoft people react that airsoft should be enough to provide the experience, especially some airsoft guns that are also shell ejecting and even have some recoil such as gas blowbacks and some AEGs, it would be better to make a comparison and we might understand why Dave Kaplan is offering this at this airsoft facility, apart that it's also an additional revenue stream for his business.

Handling this method requires strict professional supervision as real steel weapons are being used. The magazines and guns are marked blue to distinguish them as being converted to fire the safer rubber bullets. It is not recommended that these are not to be used in skirmish games, as costs will be more prohibitive and may also be not safe enough for casual, airsoft game types. One question that may come to mind if mistakes might happen in handling the ammo as some might mistakes in loading a live round into a converted one or someone might think a non-converted one might be loaded with a rubber bullet and shoot at someone with it. Thus, think twice before wanting to use this in a skirmish, it would still be a hazardous thing to do.