Tactical Airsoft Arena

Hello everyone. I've never tried airsoft before, but as of the last 6 months i've been participating in some heavily modified Nerf wars. However it's cold, and we can only get about 1 war a month, and I have a few friends that casually play airsoft in the woods, I was thinking of trying it out myself.

I was wondering things like:

Are there any groups or something I can join near Bowie or Burtonsville ?
How much would it cost to get started ?

Thanks for any and all help!

First of all, make sure you play in a place you can legally and safely play in.  Just because some woods or construction seem to have no one around does not necessarily make it legal.  Airsoft replicas look very similar to firearms, and an orange tip is not a bulletproof shield in case law enforcement is involved.  Unlike Nerf, you can't play with these in a public park or on your street.

For groups, there may or may not be.  A lot of teams tend to be people who have played together and played airsoft for a long time in general.  If you're lucky you can find some groups or teams that are more geared towards beginners or players just starting out.

Cost depends on what you decide to spend.  The average budget AEG ranges from $120-$180, and don't forget the cost of BBs and extra magazines, and spring changes if you need to meet a field's FPS limits.  Same for gas pistols/rifles, for the cost of gas.

There are a few cheaper options, but not many.  Two I can think of off the top of my head are tri-shot spring shotguns ($70 and less) and some spring sniper rifles (Echo 1 ASR, comes wiht two mags for about $100-$120?).  These require no battery or gas.

Also, don't forget eye protection and teeth protection.  NO, Nerf glasses are not safe for airsoft, people have asked that before.

Field airsoft and CQB airsoft are very different styles--you can try renting for a day at TAA to give CQB play a shot.  Very close range battles in a warehouse.

Keep in mind, the distance at which you get hit in CQB play is different than the distance you get hit with in an outdoor game, and don't forget that both hitting others and getting hit is part of the game.

Thanks for all your advice, the Nerf guns are normally painted too, but almost always have the orange tip left.

Would a high quality spring pistol cost much as well ?

Don't worry, I already own airsoft shatter proof goggles and a full airsoft mask like http://www.ebay.com/itm/Skull-Skeleton-Airsoft-Paintball-BB-Gun-Full-Face-Protect-Mask-/230729243559?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item35b888dba7 I think my homemade nerf ammo could shatter those cheapy Nerf glasses too.

If I can gather some friends, I'll try and come up.

Okay, that mask you linked is a mesh mask essentially.  At TAA it is allowed, but keep in mind that not all CQB arenas or outdoor fields allows mesh eyewear, even with shooting glasses underneath.  Full-seal eyewear is an important safety aspect of airsoft.

Most, but of course not all, paintball masks are safe for airsoft usage.  Look for my thread about mask safety if you need more details about which ones are not 100% safe for airsoft.

A high quality springer can cost anywhere from like $20-60 I think.  I personally own a KWC M9 springer myself, and the attention to detail and performance is surprisingly good for a plastic springer.  There are a few metal springers out there that are decent.  I think TAA sells springer pistols occasionally.

If you can afford the cost, I would recommend an AEG or GBB instead of a springer pistol, because springer pistols are low-powered, easy to break, and have no upgradability.  The biggest issue with them is the low power--even with the close ranges at TAA, you likely would not have your opponents feeling or hearing the BB hit from your springer pistol hits even when they're dead-on.

Oh about your painted Nerf blasters--my point about the orange tip is that it doesn't matter if you have a water gun or a real AR-15, an orange tip is not a guarantee of law enforcement accepting that your "weapon" might be fake, and if you use anything that resembles a weapon in a dangerous way, you are risking your own safety and the public's safety.

Even clear springer shotguns with orange tips can set off flags with law enforcement.