Why isn't there an Airsoft target gun?

[Frank Petronio]

OK I know you guys are going to smirk and I don't have a lot of time on here but I respect your expertise quite a lot.

I have a 50-yard outdoor air pellet range on my property, I use it to plink with my 10m air pistol and sporter air rifles. Recently I moved some of my steel powderburner targets over - a hodgepodge of AR500 swingers, some shotgun knock downs I epoxied, some USPSA stands, a rack of clay pigeons, etc. I wasn't hauling them to the gun range very often so I figured I could hit them with my little .177 pellets and at least hear a "plink". Ended up working great.

Then the other day I bought a KJW 2011 Airsoft pistol. And it shoots amazingly well... 350 fps, POA = POI, it can break clays and punch paper just fine. It can't be as accurate as my pellet guns but this isn't at all like paintball, these guns are pretty darn good.

And semi-automatic too! I can run and gun and even hose targets like a 3-gunner. Really, the pinging steel targets sound great!

So my question is, after looking at all the various Airsoft weaponry out there, how come no one has ever purpose built a serious Airsoft target pistol and rifle? I don't need it to look like my AR-15 or STi, but it would be pretty cool to see someone build an Airsoft gun that was as accurate as possible.

[SPPcoach]

how come no one has ever purpose built a serious Airsoft target pistol and rifle?

I would say that it would be due to the lack of demand due to the accuracy limitations of the 6mm pellet.

As an analogy lets start with a BB gun. The best "most accurate BB gun in the world" is a Daisy 499. At $140 is is affordable for everyone. Grandkids, BoyScouts, FFA, 4H etc.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Western_C ... n_499/2849

Now would the market bear the price of a $250 bb gun? In small numbers, probably but the performance can only be improved so much since you are dealing with a knuckle-ball. No one makes a rifled barrel intended for BB's. They don't engage the rifling because a steel BB can not obturate into the lands when fired and trying to add rotational spin a spherical ball will not add accuracy. It will simply curve like a frisbee.

Now your 6mm guns have 'hop up.' That is backspin on the pellet. That is an entirely different philosophy from rifling and only airsoft guns employ this design approach.

If you want to upgrade from a Daisy 499 then you look here and get much better accuracy than is available from a smoothbore.
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Daisy_Mat ... i_753S/144
Now some will say that is 1 1/2 x the price and I agree. On the other hand it is a substantial upgrade in accuracy and it is the next logical stepping stone on the road of affordable accuracy.

How much more accuracy do you want from your 6mm knuckleballer?
How much more would it cost the manufacturers and the general public?
How much improvement would you get in accuracy for the increased price?
How much demand would there be?

Maybe you are right, maybe it is technically doable, maybe the accuracy potential is there, and maybe they would sell for the price required. The free market will let you know.

My question is; why all the effort to make a 6mm air rifle more accurate? Why not just buy a pellet gun?
http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/SIG_Sauer ... Black/3716

[m1963]

Interest in the US is low as there are so many shooting sport options available: sporting clays, bullseye, IPSC, PPC, appleseed, ISSF, silhouette, IDPA, etc.

In Japan where real weapons are illegal they do shoot airsoft guns such as you describe:

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/pistols-gbb- ... _B5u3T3ahA

http://www.popularairsoft.com/news/ksc- ... ing-pistol

[SPPcoach]

In Japan where real weapons are illegal they do

Wow. Very cool. Different products driven by a different political climate.

[Frank Petronio]

Thanks those are all good points. I remember seeing a video of a bizarre indoor 3-gun match from Shanghai... it must be exciting to carry your plastic shotgun, AR, and pistols through the crowded city streets.

For me, one session into it, I am quite impressed with my Airsoft 2011 being a fun way to practice for action shooting. Although I gladly would pay twice as much for a more fool-proof propulsion system.

Those links to target style Airsoft pistols are pretty interesting, not very expensive either. And I honestly didn't have any idea that something like a semi-auto CO2 Sig MPX existed. I almost bought it on impulse until I read some of the reviews.... seems like the quality is hit or miss but they also have to keep the price point low enough to attract the teenage Ninja demographic.

[Gerard]

I saw mention of the Maruzen Hammerli APS-3 on the UK-based airgunbbs forum the other day after a fellow had asked about quiet indoor practice in an apartment. Looks a lot like a modern PCP AP.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=w73gMp0m_R0

[SPPcoach]

Maruzen Hammerli APS-3

My goodness, it is a SSP airsoft pistol.
Calling Rover, calling Mr. Rover.

[Rover]

That's interesting, but apparently the folks here are too feeble to cock it. (At least that's what they say.)

[SlartyBartFast]

That's interesting, but apparently the folks here are too feeble to cock it. (At least that's what they say.)

Really? Change the tune grumpy old man.

[Rover]

Why change? They make movies about us grumpy old men!

[ArcherDash]

Interest in the US is low as there are so many shooting sport options available: sporting clays, bullseye, IPSC, PPC, appleseed, ISSF, silhouette, IDPA, etc.

In Japan where real weapons are illegal they do shoot airsoft guns such as you describe:

http://shop.ehobbyasia.com/pistols-gbb- ... _B5u3T3ahA

http://www.popularairsoft.com/news/ksc- ... ing-pistol

That's amazing