10 Tips and Tricks for Winning an Airsoft War

An airsoft war demands a bespoke strategy. You cannot use the same gears and tactics for all gameplays or roles. Also, everything you can do during an airsoft war must abide by all the specific rules applicable to the gameplay type, your role, and the scope of an airsoft war. 

Here are 10 tips and tricks for winning an airsoft war:

  1. Choose the right gun.
  2. Clean and maintain airsoft guns.
  3. Shim and lube the gears.
  4. Get an appropriate motor.
  5. Use a powerful battery.
  6. Buy a suitable scope.
  7. Avoid excessive accessories.
  8. Strategize based on gameplay.
  9. Elect a team captain.
  10. Explore role-specific tactics.

There’s no secret mantra for anyone to decipher how to win an airsoft war. Every player has a few strengths and weaknesses, a specific game has its inherent challenges, and people carry different types of gear. This guide discusses the essential tips and tricks to win an airsoft war. 

If you are interested in which tactics to use to dominate an airsoft field, click on this link.

1. Choose the Right Gun

Every gameplay and role warrants the right gun. The choice isn’t just restricted to the gun types or mechanisms. You must also factor in the differences among the specs or features and the efficiencies of various guns of the same category using similar mechanisms. 

Take an AEG, for example. All AEGs of reasonable quality use electrical energy, mechanical energy, and pneumatic energy. However, every specification may vary from one model to another, such as motor type, gear quality, battery capacity, hop-up adjustment, and bore size.

Minor features, such as hop-up adjustment, can create a huge difference in an airsoft war. If your airsoft gun’s hop-up creates excessive tailspin, the BBs will glide upwards. If the hop-up doesn’t create sufficient tailspin, the projectiles will plummet to the ground. 

Such nitty-gritty makes airsoft wars so enticingly satisfying. Those unfamiliar with the subtle but consequential aspects of airsoft guns will probably be amazed at the efficacy and efficiency of the superior players. At the crux of everything is the gun and how you can wield it. 

Comparing pistols, assault rifles, carbines, designated marksman rifles, and sniper rifles is easy, so is assessing the differences among spring, electric, gas, or air-powered and hybrid airsoft guns. The right gun is one that suits a particular airsoft war and has all the necessary features.  

Sometimes, a minor feature like the stock size can be a consequential difference as a larger design usually holds a bigger and stronger battery. Also, you must choose an airsoft gun that you know and use as the back of your hand. Airsoft veterans have designated guns for every war.

Video: What Airsoft Gun Should I Buy?

2. Clean and Maintain Airsoft Guns

Preparing for an airsoft war is as critical as your skills on the battlefield. Many airsoft gameplay rules explicitly state that the players should be fully prepped, geared, and ready before the scheduled time. You may not clean airsoft guns immediately after a war but do so before. 

Cleaning and maintenance are simultaneous exercises. Check all the gears in your airsoft gun, inspect their appearance, look for broken or missing teeth, and test the components to know if they are in optimum working condition. You don’t want a malfunctioning spring during a war. 

The cleaning and maintenance routine should cover everything, including the motor, batteries, barrel, mags, trigger, piston, compression system, connectors, and wires. You cannot win an airsoft war if any part has a glitch. Time is of the essence, and your efficiency is a prerequisite. 

3. Shim and Lube the Gears

You must routinely shim and lube the gears. Most gears fail or break due to two common reasons: poor quality material or craftsmanship and improper shimming. Inaccurately aligned gears will break sooner than later. Before that, you’ll lose a few battles during an airsoft war. 

Replace worn-out shims. Adjust the heights of all the gears, beginning with the motor pinion. Use both bushings and bearings if required. Clean, shim, and lube sequentially so that you can finish the maintenance job in one session. Consider replacements for unusable existing parts.

4. Get an Appropriate Motor

Use an airsoft motor that has the capacity to operate all the gears, especially the spring. All airsoft guns have springs, even the automatic battery-powered hybrids. A weak motor will affect everything from accuracy to range and rounds per minute. 

Get a high-torque neodymium motor for your airsoft gun. Heat-resistant neodymium motors generate more free spins than their ferrite variants. Thus, your gun will draw less power, and the battery may last a while longer. Of course, you must use a powerful battery from the outset. 

You may consider Evike ASG Ultimate Boost 30K Custom Motor from Amazon.com. The 30,000 rpm is substantially higher than the typical 20,000 rpm of preloaded AEG stock motors. If you want more power, consider the likes of Evike ASG Infinity CNC Motor, also from Amazon.com. 

Don’t upgrade to exceptionally powerful motors unless your gun and the magazines, in particular, can keep up with the high rpm. An upgrade from ferrite to neodymium magnets, like Evike’s ASG Ultimate Boost, and a switch from 20,000 rpm to 30,000 rpm is sufficient for airsoft wars.

Here’s a video guide comparing potential upgrades for airsoft motors:

5. Use a Powerful Battery

Most airsoft lipo batteries are 7.4 V or 11.1 V. Choose a powerful battery that has a higher mAh and better C rating. The C rating determines how much energy your airsoft motor can draw at any instant. A limited mAh capacity and poor C rating will not work for high-torque motors. 

Beyond the voltage, milliampere-hour, and C rating, check a lipo battery’s electromotive force (EMF). The EMF is also measured in volts. A 7.4 V lipo battery may have a stronger ~8 V or weaker ~7.5 V electromotive force. Electromotive force wanes as a battery’s resistance spikes.      

One way to sustain a strong electromotive force is by using a peak charger. You may consider something like the Traxxas Spartan LiPo Battery and EZ-PEAK Charger on Amazon.com. The 11.1 V battery’s 5000 mAh capacity and 25 C rating will be handy in an airsoft war. Also, the 4 amps charger included in the package will increase the electromotive force of the battery.  

The 25 C rating of the Traxxas Spartan battery facilitates a continuous discharge of 125 amps, much more than what you need for most AEGs. However, this capacity also means that you can fire BBs using ~15 amps for almost 9 minutes if the battery is fully charged at the outset.

6. Buy a Suitable Scope

Generally, airsoft guns use 3 types of scope: standard, sniper, and designated marksman rifle or DMR. One quick search, and you will find anything from 1x up to 24x zoom. You may not need the entire range, but you must have the requisite feature depending on your gameplay role. 

Airsoft scopes have various sizes, shapes, weights, rangefinders or reticles, adjustable windage and elevation, lens quality, and special features, such as illumination, laser, and night-vision. Weigh the pros and cons of every such specification as it is consequential during an airsoft war.

You may or may not want a laser, and a flashlight increases a scope’s weight. A sophisticated reticle may complicate your field of view. Also, the simplicity of turret adjustment for windage or elevation plays a crucial role if you use a designated marksman or sniper rifle. 

Some scopes are marketed as suitable for both DMR rifles and close-quarters combat. You must test such scopes to know for sure whether or not you can comfortably wield the airsoft gun as you toggle among near and distant ranges. Besides, most scopes demand some adjustment.

Video: Zoom Scope vs. Red Dot – Which one is better?

7. Avoid Excessive Accessories

Every airsoft enthusiast has distinct preferences for guns, integrated features, potential upgrades, and accessories. Also, you must review the accessories for every airsoft war. Not all battlefields require the same scope, suppressor or silencer, magazine capacity, or even sling. 

Pose a few questions and answer per the requirements of a particular airsoft war. Will the suppressor or silencer weight affect your range of motion or target acquisition in specific circumstances? Are you more comfortable with a 1, 2, or 3-point sling? Should you get a scope?

Airsoft players hone their skills per the available gear and accessories. You’ll have a certain budget, several personal preferences, and a particular level of shooting skills. These factors should be the foundation for all decisions, from the airsoft gun to every essential accessory. 

Furthermore, you must ascertain the viability of bespoke accessories using the ground realities of an airsoft war. A DIY accessory may look great and appear to be fully functional when you practice and shoot a few rounds. The same part may be a burden during an actual airsoft war. 

8. Strategize Based on Gameplay

Most tips and tricks in this guide apply to all airsoft gameplays. Cleaning and maintenance, shimming, lubing, choosing the right parts for your airsoft gun, and practical accessories are relevant for CQB, MilSim, raid, shootout, manhunt, fort wars, ambush, prison break, and more. 

However, all preparations will ultimately fail to secure a victory without a strategy. A few standard rules apply to all gameplays. For instance, you must always maintain a tight, slender, or small profile so your opponents don’t have a large target area to shoot. 

Likewise, you should use covers wherever available, capitalize on every opportune moment, and also bide your time when the going gets tough. Simultaneously, you must tweak a few standard rules depending on the gameplay demands. Consider the example of protective gear. 

Basic protective gear, be it eyewear, face shield, or clothing, is a prerequisite. Yet, you need to reassess the type and quality of these safety gears according to the demands of an airsoft war. Does a particular pair of eye goggles or a mesh shield affect your vision through a scope?

Also, review your tactical apparel unless you are effortlessly comfortable and it hasn’t limited or won’t restrict your range of motion for the upcoming gameplay. An airsoft war against beginners is easy, but a moment’s lag to aim, shoot or reload can get you killed when fighting veterans. 

9. Elect a Team Captain

Like all team sports, airsoft needs a captain who must lead you into the battle and preferably bring you out of it alive and victorious. Large airsoft wars involving dozens of players should have multiple teams, each unit led by a captain and deputies. 

It’s not necessary to elect the most experienced airsoft player in a team as the captain. The one with a fair understanding of different aspects of the gameplay and a sound strategy for the entire airsoft war is the ideal candidate. Also, the team captain should be fully familiar with the rules. 

All proper airsoft wars are regulated by referees. You cannot win a war if your teammates keep committing mistakes, intentionally or inadvertently. Some airsoft referees can be enthusiastically strict, and their instant decisions in favor of your opponents will hurt your chances of victory. 

Every player participating in an airsoft war should read all the rules for particular gameplay, get doubts clarified, and prepare accordingly. Some airsoft players don’t honor every rule. You’ll probably find one or more such players. Leverage the power of the referee against them.  

10. Explore Role-Specific Tactics

Last but not least, you should explore tactics based on your individual role. As a sniper, you’re responsible for many players’ safety if your role mandates taking out a few opponents sequentially. Likewise, close-quarters combat needs all the players to work in perfect synergy. 

Also, you can explore a few practical field tactics, such as using mirrors or the reflective side of compact discs to see around obstacles and corners. Besides, you need a few tactics to increase the efficiency of your battlefield performance. Not everything you have or use may be flawless.

For instance, some magazines have rough edges or ridges that can complicate the simple task of pulling them out of your pockets or pouches. Mags with bevels are easier to manage. Check these tiny details to know if you have any gear or accessory that needs a bit of tweaking. 

You may want to Dremel the rough edges of a magazine, excessively tight piston rails in an airsoft gun, and other components that can impair your wartime skills or hinder your performance. Also, you will have to consider real-time tactical changes on the battlefield. 

It isn’t always possible to have the best airsoft gear for every war. Similarly, it’s nearly impossible to prepare for every eventuality. You should consider customizing or tweaking everything that you can while ensuring functionality, reliability, and viability on the ground.