Just's BD present...

[digitalwanderer]

My son will be turning 10 on the 23rd, so I'm starting to get his presents lined up. We'll be getting him a DS and I was thinking of also getting him this:

Goggles $12 ea
Airsoft electric rifle $23, but looking for a different one now
Airsoft electric pistol $16 shipped

Now I'm not all that familiar with Airsoft, but from my limited research I'm really liking what I see...basically low-powered, much safer plastic BBs than actual BB guns but with almost all the fun.

I was gonna pick up a couple of 150FPS electric shooters and some face masks so the kids could actually shoot each other in the house.

Is this a stupid or ingenious plan? I can't decide.

EDITED BITS: The first rifle link sucks, gonna get it from the same place as the pistol once I decide which and clear it with the wife. (Which do you think will be harder? :| )

Every 10 year old needs one of these, right?

Ooooh! Free shipping...

http://www.hobbytron.com/AirsoftAssaultRifleGunAEGAAM85P.html

Or his very own AK47!

http://www.hobbytron.com/AirsoftAssaultRifleGunSpringBCAK4792.html

 

[SugarCoat]

if they're normal wild kids who are going to be bouncing around shooting eachother like crazy you may want to substitute paintball masks for airsoft goggles since they'll protect the entire face as opposed to mainly just the eyes. Especially if its indoors.

Then of course the obvious risk of one of them taking the toy to school, so gotta keep an eye on that.

Also be aware that you may very well be setting up a scenario of moving up to paintball in a few years and im sure they'll want dad to play .

Would also recommend checking out http://www.actionvillage.com/ for browsing. They're top notch. Prompt shipping and decent prices for the most part when i was into paintball.

 

[Skrying]

For a 10 year old... hmm. You know your own kid better than anyone else Digi, so you're the one who has to decide if he's mature enough to handle it. Airsoft is not bad but you can still be seriously hurt if you do something stupid. I did not get into the Airsoft/Paintball thing till I was about 15, I did mainly paintball. It really helps a lot if you pay close attention to what he's doing, teach him the basics at the very least (that means you should do a lot of research yourself) and that he has others who are also into it.

 

[Dresden]

I've played airsoft since I was in highschool. If you're interested in buying one check out:

www.wargameclub.com
www.redwolfairsoft.com

I bought my rifle and SMG from Redwolf and my pistols from WGC. They're both excellent. If you do end up buying one, stress the importance of gun safety.

 

[digitalwanderer]

SugarCoat - The "goggles" I linked to and was looking at are the below, is that what you were talking about?

I liked this a LOT better than just goggles.

Skrying & Ink - Yeah, that's kind of why I want to get him one of these airsofts. As long as I get him 200fps or under weapons it really looks like there isn't a great chance of injury, (so long as safety guidelines and common sense are applied), and that I'd get to teach him and his sister (7) practical gun safety with these rather than anything stronger.

I don't want to put it off though, I think they should be familiar with firearms at least and how they operate. This seems like a great/safer intro than BB guns were back in the day.

Thanks for the store links and recommends, I'll definitely check 'em out. I'd much rather order from somewhere a friend told me about rather than just off a blind Google link.

 

[Dresden]

Be sure whatever eye protection you buy him is ANSI certified otherwise bb's will go through them like butter. When I play I tend to wear just a pair of shooting glasses, but I see a lot of people wearing full face protection. I don't necessarily recommend shooting glasses, I've seen someone get shot between the break on the bridge of his nose missing the glasses entirely, I like them though because they'e lightweight and have a broad scope of vision.

 

[neliz]

If you do end up buying one, stress the importance of gun safety.

shouldn't that be unsafety?

 

[digitalwanderer]

Yeah, well for this little experiment I'll err on the side of safety...they'll be getting full-face masks that are rated.

I checked out your links and those places seem to be for the more serious enthusiast, I was looking at some $10 pistols and $20-30 rifles for him.

I don't want to go nuts with his first one, just something to get them used to how to handle 'em.

Besides, I still gotta get this one past my wife somehow...

 

[digitalwanderer]

shouldn't that be unsafety?

Not to worry, he has LOTS of practice with first-person shooters...I'm sure he'll be fine.

 

[Dresden]

shouldn't that be unsafety?

No. It would be classified as "unsafety" if I told him "the only way to safely de-cock a 1911 is to suck the bullet out of the barrel."

That sounds pretty unsafe to me.

 

[neliz]

No. It would be classified as "unsafety" if I told him "the only way to safely de-cock a 1911 is to suck the bullet out of the barrel."

That sounds pretty unsafe to me.

I think Darwin clearly stated that Firearms are bad for evolution...

 

[digitalwanderer]

I thought there was a corollary to Darwin's Law, something like "Survival of the best armed"....

For that matter, Darwin didn't like eyeglasses either did he?

 

[digitalwanderer]

Second mask thoughts, these looks better to me:

First - $19

Second - $20

I like the solid eyeshields, and they look much comfier.

Opinions? I still got 90 minutes until my wife wakes up and shatters my dream.

 

[SugarCoat]

SugarCoat - The "goggles" I linked to and was looking at are the below, is that what you were talking about?

Since its only a front shot it looks like its mainly to prevent getting shot at a straight 90 degree angle, the bottom also looks a lot more open then what im akin to. Just to show you what i mean, something like:

http://www.actionvillage.com/is-bin...ooFGGQpQ=?ProductID=ytnAqArbTssAAAEJgM_spNEj#

hugs/protects your entire head, not just your eyes/nose/mouth. Im thinking they're going to be scrambling and diving all over the place so personally i'd want as much protection as possible from getting shot at all kinds of angles.


edit- I like your third option that you just posted there

 

[digitalwanderer]

Yeah, the ear protector/side of the head thingy got me going.

I figure if I get 'em to protect their heads they'll be pretty safe, just ouchies from incidents with no real damage done...so I don't want to skimp on the shields.

 

[Arwin]

I get nightmares from these protector masks and the idea that 10 year old kids are playing with this kind of toys. Such irony in that over here I know many parents who think something like Time Crisis is already unhealthily violent and a bad influence on kids not learning to fear and respect guns, which are considered to be genuinely evil things that should not be part of our lives, least of all kids.

That's not to say that nobody ever had an airgun. My neighbour (I think he was 14 at the time) had one with darts and bullets, and the worst thing he did with them is shoot ducks with it. A catapult was the only other thing like it I've come across as a kid, but neither were ever used on people.

But this is very uncommon, still. Mostly people shoot bits of paper, or paper arrows, or water pistols. I personally think those are much more suitable for 10 year old kids.

I loved Time Crisis though, but I only got that first when I was a student. And Point Blank was one of the most popular party games I have ever come across.

Oh well.

 

[neliz]

The second one digi.

And don't listen to that dutch guy.. it's after 0:00 here and he's probably cooked on chronic.

I used an air-gun for years to get rid of cats (preying on my brothers fish-filled pond's) never hurt a human and see some of Darwin's finest shoot someone's eye out with a rubber-band (50cm distance, projectile traveled under the victim's not too small standard health care insurance glasses.

 

[Dresden]

I think Darwin clearly stated that Firearms are bad for evolution...

I think that's one of the dumbest things I've ever read. Frank Miller says 300 Spartans with well oiled chests defeated 1 million Persians. For further arguments brought to you by Ink please refer to the Virginia Tech thread in the RPSC section, because to be frank I'm getting mighty sick of running around in circles having the same argument day in and day out. This thread has absolutely nothing to do with firearms. They have to do with a toy Digi is intending to buy his son, so save the "anti-guns" arguments for another day.

 

[neliz]

They have to do with a toy Digi is intending to buy his son, so save the "anti-guns" arguments for another day.

huh?

 

[Dresden]

huh?

"Huh" what, that was self explanatory. You quoted Darwin talking about firearms and their "effect" on evolution, and I say it's irrlevent seeing as this thread has nothing to do with firearms, more to do with a toy.