A Military Future?

all right.... here's a simple debate forum.....
1) should airsoft and paintball be used to train military personnel?
2) why?
3) what does it teach our military? i.e.: what's the point? we can do just as well with rubber or foam bullets, and we're covered in body armor anyways, so why use something that doesn't hurt?

Reasoning: Paintball and Airsoft is a [u]sport[/u] it is a way to have fun, not train people that will be defending our country's freedom. my ruling: NO. it should not be used for military training for the above reasons.

Please keep it clean, gentlemen.

1) No.
2) Simunition/soap rounds have more "realistic" ballistic characteristics and can be used with a GI's issue firearm.
3) Weapon control in extreme close quarters mockups (where simunition would be too dangerous to train with).

Fun fact: There are actually no legal restrictions on civilians using simunition! The only thing stopping us from playing with simunition rather than airsoft is the manufacturers refuse to sell to non-agency customers. I'd be simming if I could get my hands on em!

Agree with Durkee 100%

1:Yes
2: Much Cheaper alternative to simunition, especially for MOUT/CQB scenario's. Same cost as a rubber ducky.
3: Proper CQB techniques and realistic weight. These measures are already in limited coarse at a few MOUT training facilities such as Ft Silk.

sticks

I have something to say.

A Systema brand M4 Professional Training Weapon, the famous airsoft gun that is "popular" in LE agencies, costs up to $500 more than a Bushmaster AR carbine. WHICH IS A REAL GUN.

shouldnt this be in the lounge or something?

...airsoft is a much cheaper milsim than simammo. and much easier to clean than blanks

Sanguinary Angel wrote:

and much easier to clean than blanks

The trainees should learn how to clean their rifles.

cleaning your rifles from blank rounds and regular ones are so much different. If you knew the difference you would understand

This topic is a bit old but I feel I have to throw this out..Long time ago I listened to a airsoft podcast thing called dead rag radio..or red rag I forget, but one of the guys they interviewed was designing some sort of system that used infrared lasers ( I think) to design a a high tech laser tag. The thing could only shoot with a magazine in it, they also had realistic number of rounds. A build in computer would keep track of how many shots were left in the thing.

This was done however e planned to add somthing that would calculate realistic balistic patterns, eg drop rate windage and such. Be pretty cool when it becoumes publicly available at a reseanonable price.

I would agree with Zane on that one.

Airsoft is just the means to "mil-sim"...if there was something more realistic, more practical, and safer on the market that still had the "cool factor", I would be the first to step over to it and accept it a superior to the airsoft system.

Military simulation is military simulation, with or without BB's or paint.