What mistakes do parents and children make when operating and handling airsoft weapons?

Airsoft guns are weapons technically designed to fire 6 mm diameter plastic pellets with relatively low energy. Therefore, their body is made of parts and materials that match the purpose of their use. They are thus not as durable as real firearms, so handling must be adapted to the nature of the materials from which the airsoft guns are made. Let's take a look together at the mistakes to avoid.

THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES

If you as a parent want to avoid most of the possible mistakes, always remember the rule that minors are only allowed to operate airsoft guns under the supervision of a person over 18 years of age. Airsoft guns are not life or health threatening, but hitting the face area (especially the eyes) can be dangerous, so it is a big mistake if a parent does not get their child safety goggles or a protective mask as part of the basic equipment. Purchasing this equipment will prevent possible injury.

In a brick-and-mortar store, we often witness a child who is not able to cock (load) a manual type airsoft gun yet. In this case, we recommend, dads in particular, not to force-feed their childhood dreams and perhaps wait a year or so for the child to gain the strength needed to operate it. Lack of strength and incorrect loading, due to the fact that the child is not able to handle it yet, can have fatal consequences for the airsoft gun in the form of breakage of the internal operating mechanisms, in most cases beyond repair.

We also advise, dads in particular, to read the instructions properly, even though we know that good and tough guys don't like to do that, because they know everything. You need to understand the controls and operation of the gun the best you can so that you know how to explain and demonstrate it to your child.

It is very important to stress to children that if they feel that the airsoft gun is not working properly, it does not fire, it is jammed, etc., that this should be reported to the parents immediately. Children often make the mistake of trying to remove pellet jammed in the barrel or other mechanism (which can happen especially with cheaper and less powerful versions) by shooting it with another pellet, and when they find that it does not help, they start to "fix" them with children's tools in the form of skewers and all sorts of sticks and other tools, which usually seals the fate of the airsoft gun forever. If the child reports the malfunction to the parents in time, the problem can usually be solved, either by a technically skilled dad or by a repair shop.

It should also be explained to the child that airsoft guns are not indestructible and need to be handled appropriately. In service shops, we often encounter various detached and broken parts, caused for example, by dropping the gun or by hitting the gun on another object, or by other forms of violent handling.

It often happens that children tend to save pellets and therefore reuse pellets that have already been fired. Once fired, a pellet might be damaged or dirty and might get jammed in the weapon, which can cause follow-up problems in the form of various damages. Buy only good quality BBs from reputable dealers, don't buy cheap knockoff BBs from toy stores and the like, these BBs are often asymmetrical and can also cause problems.

If you are going to purchase your child's first airsoft gun, you need to correctly assess a certain level of maturity, which includes responsibility and technical skills. If the first weapon is to be a manual airsoft gun, a certain degree of physical maturity is also needed so that the child has sufficient strength to handle this type of weapon.