We all know that airsoft is fun to play with but it can be dangerous if you shoot at people, animal or anything is around you, but is it possible to kill someone with airsoft?

Can Airsoft kill? The answer is yes and no, airsoft is not powerful to kill a human but can cause serious damage if it gets into the eyes, which is why people MUST wear a mask in airsoft games. Airsoft can be lethal if the airsoft is used against small living creatures such as rat, mouse, insects, and birds.

How Deadly Is Airsoft?

First of all, it’s not designed to kill a human, only giving minor damage like a sting or small mark on your skins. It leaves good marks on the skin for a few days unless if you don’t wear loose clothing or armor which absorbs the kinetic energy. I heard some airsoft can adjust the velocity on the airsoft by installing longer barrel or tighter, but this wouldn’t be enough to kill people because it’s not designed to injure human.

However, it can be fatal if airsoft is used in the wrong environment, for example, shooting at people in the street, driver or motorcyclist can cause a traffic accident. In the worst case of scenario, you can end up being in jail for not being responsible when using airsoft.

Keep in mind where you carry them in public, people might be afraid of seeing you carrying around a gun that almost looks real. They would probably call the police and arrest you for carrying a “real” gun around you. People will call the police and they might point the gun at you, and trust me, this is something you want to avoid.

There are people that have been killed by police by mistaken the gun is fake. There is a story about a man that was carrying an airsoft gun and the police fired at him since the officers mistook for a real gun. Despite it’s a toy gun, people would be afraid of seeing one whenever it’s a fake or real one.

Can Airsoft Kill Birds?

Yes, it can kill birds, but it’s quite difficult. Many birds are small and travel very fast, making it almost impossible to hit it unless it standing still. Airsoft gun will only injure bird instead of killing them. However, in most countries, it’s illegal using airsoft shooting them or even trying to kill them, hunting migratory bird such as dove, ducks, geese can give you a fine.

The Migratory Bird Treaty Act of 1918, is a United States federal law, and this is to prevent people to hunt, kill, take, capture or sell birds. This rule also applies to Pellet gun, BB gun or any rifle. Countries around the world have this law to protect and prevent people from harming them, so be sure to handle the gun with responsibility.

Can Airsoft Kill Rats?

It’s possible killing small rats since their body is small or hit directly to their head. Based on my experience, rats are difficult to notice. Rats tend to live in warm, dark places which are close to the garbage or people in the present. According to the University of California Statewide Integrated Pest Management Program (in short, UC IPM), Norway rats and roof rats are the most common types found in United State and they tend to live in packs.

How powerful airsoft do you need to kill rats? In order to penetrate and kill the rat, you need airsoft that has 550 FPS for a 7 grain. 177 pellet, but you also need to hit in the right spot to kill it with one shot.

I wouldn’t do recommend killing rats with airsoft unless it’s necessary and here are my reasons why you shouldn’t use airsoft:

• Mousetraps are efficient because you don’t have to wait for it to come out. It would lure rats/mouse out of their nest and caught it, this prevents them from escaping. If the mousetrap didn’t kill it, airsoft can be the solution to end it without any more suffering.
• If you hit the rat but it was not enough to kill it, it would escape somewhere in the house and die eventually, mostly because of the damage it gets. After a few weeks later, you might notice there is a smell of a dead rat which is something you want to avoid.

If you don’t like to shoot or kill a rat, I suggest you use a trap that is designed for releasing the rat, when it’s capture you can release it back to the wild.

The other option is using spray, powder and electronic traps are other solution to get rid of rats.

Can Airsoft Kill Snakes?

If you ever see a snake I suggest not going near it even if you have an airsoft gun in your hand, you don’t want to fight with it unless it’s necessary. If you don’t know about snakes, you can come across snakes that are deadly. There is a possibility after shooting or cutting their heads off, the head will be alive and bite and release venom, so don’t try killing the snake.

If you see snakes here is what you should do:

• Leave the snakes alone, it might sound stupid but this is the best way 90% of the time.
• Take a broom and push or sweep the snake away at a safe distance.
• If you don’t know if it’s a safe snake, hire a professional to do the task and remove it.
• Set up a snake trap to catch it. If the snake is inside the trap, wear thick gloves it can happen the snakes try to break free and bite your hands.
• There are plenty in the market such as Cahaba snake traps, humane snake trap, snake guard trap, and glue traps.

Can Airsoft Kill Squirrels?

If you want to scare squirrels away from your property airsoft can do it, but you should be careful when aiming at them. Airsoft would certainly sting squirrels, but wouldn’t able killing it. There is a possibility of doing lethal damage such as cracking one or two bones or eyes, jaw or ear if you are close enough and hit there. This could lead long and suffering pain and it would likely die after a few days or week.

Is it legal to hunt squirrels? It is, and the most popular method is either trapping or shooting, but it should be done in a humane manner or you would be fined under animal welfare laws. So if you have squirrels at your home, the best way to handle is to get the right tool or get a professional to do the job. The problem using airsoft is not only it wouldn’t kill it, but you watch it wounded, screaming and dying slowly, therefore using airsoft might not be the best idea.

Is It More Painful to Get Hit By Airsoft Rather Than Paintball?

The heavier and faster the projectile travels, the more painful when it hit. Both of them fire projectiles at an average speed of around 300 FPS (Airsoft bolt action sniper can have up to 500 FPS). What actually makes the difference between paintball and airsoft is projectile weight/mass.

The bigger projectile weight/mass, the more kinetic energy and hurts more when it hits you. Paintball actually hurts more compared to airsoft since the projectile is bigger.

When shooting with airsoft it leaves more of sting, but when it comes to paintball leaves bruise. The pain can feel different, but for me, I find it most painful such as crotch, insides of arms/legs, neck and anywhere in the ribs.

Paintball

• Average weight: 3.0 grams
• Paintball radius: ~17mm

Airsoft

• Average weight: 0,2/0,25 grams
• Average radius: ~6mm

In conclusion, we can easily see that paintball is heavier, bigger which make it more painful to get hit rather than airsoft. You can reduce the pain by:

Wearing clothes – Clothes are not only good to keep your body warm but also pain from airsoft. Loose clothes or hard plate is the best way to absorb the impact.

Range – If you shoot at a longer range, the projectile loses more energy when it hits. The closer it would be more painful since it has more kinetic energy when it hits.

Related questions

Where can you use airsoft gun? There are two options, finding a local field. I would recommend picking the local field since you will meet other people.

Can you use airsoft in the backyard? When it comes to backyard field, there are things you need to consider, neighbor. You need to be careful there aren’t people around while playing, you might not know if there is someone passing through the field. There is another risk if they see you holding the gun, they might think it’s a real gun and call the police.