May i present to you: Jonbar's Definitive Guide To Airsoft.
First a bit of background. Airsoft originated in Japan, and as with many things that come out of Japan it is firstly over priced but secondly, and for me most importantly is actually rather fun! It was put forward as an alternative to paintballing and both "sports" (and i use the term loosely, you'll see why later on), have much in common. The First thing they have in common is that they are both based on simulated warfare, usually enacted between two separate teams "fighting" each other over various objectives. Where they differ is that with paintball you are equipped with a paintball gun which shoots fairly large circular ammunition via use of a glorified gas piston over a distance varying in my experience between 20-40 Meters. Or about as far as you could throw the thing. When they hit something the fragment on impact and leave it covered in a small blotch of paint. In Airsoft the standard "gun" uses a glorified electrically powered air piston to fire a small solid plastic ball or BB distances of about 50-70 Meters (though this varies greatly). Airsoft weapons are all almost exclusively modelled to look exactly like real fire arms. Paintball guns are not. If you've never held the real thing you won't no any better.
So the "guns" then. Well you can basically have a go with most weapons you've seen in almost every action movie or computer game and their grandmothers. Oh yes they are all here from your terrorist's (or freedom fighter's, its all subjective you know!) favourite the Ak-47 to the Mp5's of Die Hard fame or even the G36ks you see our humble but heavily armed policemen carry around at airports. Bear in mind however that most sites will be hiring out their collections of "hire guns", (thats airsoft slang for sometimes rather battered and unreliable things they give out to people who dont have their own gear) which almost exclusively consists of the following: Ak47's, Ak47 SPETZNAZ's, Mp5's of varying types,
G3's (you'll have seen various Africans running around with them on the news) and maybe the odd M4. You'll also get what is known as a "high cap". No dont get excited, you wont be getting a sweet ass top hat to wear as you charge heroically through the bushes, what you've just been handed is, for no better descriptive word the guns magazine. It slots into the gun usually where a real magazine would fit into the real gun and operates a gear system to fee BBs into your gun. To do this to locate the gear winder at the bottom of the magazine and wind it until you hear a "click", and then make it "click" some more just to be on the safe side.
So the "guns" then. Well you can basically have a go with most weapons you've seen in almost every action movie or computer game and their grandmothers. Oh yes they are all here from your terrorist's (or freedom fighter's, its all subjective you know!) favourite the Ak-47 to the Mp5's of Die Hard fame or even the G36ks you see our humble but heavily armed policemen carry around at airports. Bear in mind however that most sites will be hiring out their collections of "hire guns", (thats airsoft slang for sometimes rather battered and unreliable things they give out to people who dont have their own gear) which almost exclusively consists of the following: Ak47's, Ak47 SPETZNAZ's, Mp5's of varying types,
G3's (you'll have seen various Africans running around with them on the news) and maybe the odd M4. You'll also get what is known as a "high cap". No dont get excited, you wont be getting a sweet ass top hat to wear as you charge heroically through the bushes, what you've just been handed is, for no better descriptive word the guns magazine. It slots into the gun usually where a real magazine would fit into the real gun and operates a gear system to fee BBs into your gun. To do this to locate the gear winder at the bottom of the magazine and wind it until you hear a "click", and then make it "click" some more just to be on the safe side. Airsoft sites. These vary enormously in both the costs of going to them to their quality. Bear in mind that prices does not necessarily denote the quality of the experience you'll get at differing sites. Some sites will quite happily charge you the best part of £40 for substandard guns that dont work most of the time, no camo hire and woeful eye protection that mists up every 30 seconds leaving you suck in the middle of an intense fire fight blind and with a gun that doesn't work. Others will give you the whole lot and guns that do work rather well because they've had the decency to realise that if they are going to charge rather a lot for the privilege maybe you'd like to be more than just a moving target for the sites regulars. One such excellent site is Phoenix Airsoft Adventures in Nottinghamshire, another would be the rather the splendid Ground Zero Airsoft in Hampshire. One to avoid (sorry guys but your hire equipment was WOEFUL) is Close Action Airsoft in Northamptonshire. The terrain at each site is different but they all usually consist of varying woodland with most having constructed some fortifications and other features over which teams can play take and hold, capture the flag etc... There are some Urban sites now in this country however i've yet to experience one of these. Think buildings instead of trees and you've got the right idea for those sites.
Airsoft Players. For the most part these are a like able enough bunch. However there are several types of player to watch out for if you want to tick off your spotting guide:
The Hire Gun. Everyday folk like you and me. They dont have their own gear, like you and me. Infact if you come along to one of my airsoft day events then they probably will be you and me.
The Fat Bastard. Not just fat, REALLY MASSIVE! They tend to waddle off to site behind a trees for the whole day. They wont try to take objectives, their aim for the most part of truly awful and you probably wont notice if they have a heart attack as their breathing patterns are already on the dangerous side. 
The Wannabe. With out doubt the most entertaining airsoft players around, to a point. They take the games far to seriously and think they are in a real war. They will own all their own kit, including fake bayonet. They might even go around wearing the insignia of real special forces units. The amounts of money they spend on their hobby is in the £1000's. The best way to piss them off is to pick them off with your hire gun in jeans and t-shirt. 
The sniper. Almost every airsoft player and their dog owns a sniper rifle these days. The ones to watch out for are the ones that can aim. Luckily most budding sharp shooters and neither very sharp or good at shooting.
The super sniper. See that guy over there dressed as a sort of green wookie? Thats him. And that suit probably cost him £100+. Show him how stupid that purchase was. Whenever you spot him in the field, point and yell: "that bush has a gun!" and direct your entire team to fire at him.
The Marshall. Not so much a player really as Airsofts answer to a referee. Any problems, go and see him or her and they can sort it out for you. Baiting the ref is ill advised. 
What to do when you are "hit". In wars people get hit by bullets, in paintball you get hit by paintballs and in airsoft you get hit by BBs. In any of these circumstances you are effectively out of the fighting. Being hit by a bullet needs no explanation. With paintballing it is easy enough to spot if you've been hit, ie the paint. However airsoft requires a certain amount of honesty on the part of the players participating. I know its a disturbing and unfamiliar sensation, being honest and trusts other people, mostly likely ones you've never met to do the same, but for the most part it works. Airsoft sites and players take a very dim view of "cheaters" and bans from that site can occur to those repeating the offense. All in all it is in the best interest of all concerned not to cheat as a fair airsoft match is fun for all the family. The rules for what to do varies from site to site and sometimes from game to game. Most commonly you'll have to go to a "safe" or "dead" zone for either a predetermined amount of time or for the rest of the game.
Prices. Most sites will charge you between £25 and £40 for a day out with which you'll get a gun (which may or may not work properly - the signs of truly great and truly bad sites), camo gear (usually), ammo (amounts vary), eye / face protection (get the wire mesh ones for your own sake as they cant steam up) and cover on the sites insurance policy (woop!). If you want to buy your own gear, camos can be bought from various places at varying prices from E-bay to Army surplus stores. (Try not to buy camos from the army that have blood or bullet holes in them.) The airsoft guns themselves cost upwards of about £100 (shocking isn't it) and due to the Crime Reduction Bill of last October you now have to be a member of a site that is apart of the UKARA (United Kingdom Airsoft Rifle Association) to be able to legally purchase one. This will require you to visit a site to play 3 times in 2 months at most sites and require you to pay for site membership (which varies greatly). All airsoft retailers require UKARA proof of membership before purchase. Unless you want an attractive "two tone" gun. These come in bright green and orange and although i think they look awesome in their stand out from the crowd colouration, they are generally looked on disparagingly by most regular airsoft players. (But then what the fuck do they know, bunch of soldier wannabes to a man that they are.)
Well i hope that was a good starter guide to those of you that wanted to know what airsoft was but were frankly too scared to ask.
Next Week: An interview at Waterstones.
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