Training for live situations

[Bryant]

A good way to get field training and have alot of fun is simply paintball. I usually go with 30-60 people about once a month. We set up ambushes, and practice manuevers that work, like how to draw the enemy in then slaughter them and get away with minor casualties. It gets more fun when both sides really know what they are doing, full frontal charges are fun but costly. Most of my freinds are in the military or ex-military, so when we go, we take it seriously. It's the next best thing to training with actual M.I.L.E.S. gear which civilians can't get, but most of all it is a great way to check and see if you are ready for actual situations- just count how many times you made stupid mistakes or how many times you can walk away without getting hit. I can tell you it's rare but if you keep a low profile and only shoot when you know you will have a hit then waite 10-25 minutes for another hit, it really pisses them off because they have no idea where you are. last time I wiped out 15 guys by myself in two hours and did not get hit once, they had set up an ambush and I picked them off while they were on the move one at a time. We usually camp out for three days and play all weekend, then get drunk and tell bullshit hero stories at night and get ready for another day. Just try it once, I guarantee you'll love it.

[khopdog]

Hey Bryant have you ever tried Airsoft. That's a blast, the weapons look exactly like real ones but fire 6mm plastic pellets with a range of about 25 yards. Alot cheaper than paintball and all you need is eye protection. It's a blast indoors. We used to duke it out in the barracks during the winter time in korea (there wasnt anything better to do and beside it made going to the laundry room a real adventure when you had to pack heat and watch out for ambushes). For more info go to airsoft.com.

[56s]

Hello Khopdog,
I was thinking of buying my son some of those Air Softs but I did not know if they were any good. Are they all the same when it comes to firing or is one model better than the other?
Thanks in advance, OUT in Vegas!

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56s-2

[khopdog]

There is a big difference in quality between brands. If you want a good cheap starter gun order one of the spring pistols from TAPCO.com for $19.99. They have the most powerful spring I've seen, look realistic, and are pretty cheap. They offer the Glock, Beretta, and USP. The Beretta looks nice but I wouldn't recommend it because you have to constantly pull the slide back to fire it so it's design isnt as easy to pull the slide as the blocky Glocks and USP. They also have mini battery operated machineguns for about $25. They fire full auto but aren't as powerful as the spring gun. I first came across airsoft in Korea and the guns there were alot cheaper but also poorer quality than the ones TAPCO sells. Sorry I didn't get back to you sooner. Happy hunting.

[Jay_S]

One idea I've thought of at times is a shooting range where the "targets" would be armed with paintball guns (of course they would be robotic/mechanical), and the shooters would use real guns. It would combine live-fire practice with the added complication of having to avoid return fire (i.e. the saying "Bullseyes Don't Shoot Back). Anyone know of any training courses that use such a system?

[Bryant]

Yes, Take your gun to the local paintball tournament center- if you get em' they quit shootin.' Course you always win, I guess they just don't try hard enough.
Some call him crazy, others call him sick, but most just call him Bryant.

[gopher29]

Bryant,

I was an avid fan of paintball back in the late '80s when the sport was still a cult favorite (before you could buy paintballs at Walmart). It is a good way to practice for the "real thing" without actually having to die. Back then we used SMG-60s, fully-automatic paintball guns in .62 caliber, and that also helped to give the feel of the sounds of combat. I discovered that a less skilled player like myslef can rack up a decent body count when he hides and waits patiently for an unsuspecting group of opponents to travel down an exposed path and into the unbenounced sights of my rifle. Guerrila tactics really do work...

-gopher

[Bryant]

I have been playing paintball for years and love the sport. What I found to be the best way to kill larger groups with only two or three guys on your side is like you say waite then ambush. Also when you ambush let them past you but have two guys on each side side who don't shoot, have the third guy waiting ahead and well under cover. Have the leading guy start sniping and when they get dug in or run back the other two just cut em' down then come up behind the rest of the group who is dug in and then they are surrounded on three sides and still can't figure out how many guys you have because they are getting shot from all directions.

[Jay_S]

Uh, Bryant...only problem with that idea (taking a gun to a paintball range) is that it would attract large numbers of guys in dark uniforms with body armor and high-powered rifles. In that case, one might as well bypass the paintball range and head for the local police station (or army barracks)....

Besides, those wouldn't be fair odds as far as the opposition goes.

[Destroyer]

That was a joke man. http://www.ak-47.net/akcgi/wink.gif