A new ammunition...

[astro_nomenoff]

Anyone considered using infra red lasers as ammunition instead of bbs? There's a system that's out in the USA that has been designed for paintball but would adapt quite well to airsoft. It's like the military Miles system.
Some milsim paintballers have tested it with good results. Engagement distances up to 450 metres! You get a barrel (I'm currently designing a unit based on an AN-PEQ2 battery box) and a sensor for £80 inc p+p, extra sensors are about £15 each.
I'm planning on designing frag grenades and claymores eventually.

http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=dBUSJjv262M

Any comments? Anyone interested?

[Labyrinth]

I've seen this before.  Laser Tag has been out for ages in Australia (where it was invented I believe), and the USA.  It's got a lot of potential but a lot of draw backs too.  The primary case for it is range, but in every other aspect, it's less realistic.  It's not like MILES, because with MILES your gun is actually firing (albeit with blanks), so you get the know-how of realistic weapons handling.  MILES also accounts for bullet-drop and can be programmed to simulate windage as well, and can emulate any direct fire weapon, from a basic rifle to an anti-tank missile.  That's why MILES is so good, and so expensive.

Laser Tag is like a civilian version of miles, but you don't get any of the feel for the gun.  The real appeal of airsoft is in the realism - the guns, the firing of a physical projectile that is affected by pellet-drop and windage, and being on the receiving end too - actually seeing incoming rounds and taking cover as they effect the terrain around you, and actually strike you if you get hit.  With Laser Tag, you don't have to account for any realistic ballistics, and there's no adrenaline rush from genuinely not wanting to get shot by a Systema, so overall, while I might give Laser Tag a go, I'd be inclined to stick with airsoft.

If I could have MILES, I'd take it, but seeing as you need real guns for that anyway, I can't see it coming on to the civvie market any time soon.

[astro_nomenoff]

The first people to use the new system are milsim paintballers. I myself have built a sniper rifle that is a 'homage' to an SR-25/AR-10 utilising an ATS paintball 'blowback' mechanism using 3000 psi air. It is very loud and kicks quite realistically.
I tried airsoft and it was ok, but the 'rounds' tended to blow all over the place and had a pathetic range and as for 'bullet drop', well, it was ridiculous: I felt like an artillery officer most of the time! Also, it was up to the honesty of the target to declare itself dead, so accusations of cheating usually marred most of the skirmishes I took part in.
Real world bullet drop would be negligible at the engagement ranges found in most scenario games and as the 'beeper' sounds off upon a hit, cheating can be almost eliminated.
BTW, my 450 metres are supposed to be 450 feet! Although sniper rifles can have their optics tweaked to give a bit more range.

[Labyrinth]

Having recoil and noise makes it sound a lot more appealing, but again I still don't know if I could be bothered to change unless I saw it starting to become mainstream.  At the end of the day, whatever sport you choose is often down to how much fun you have doing it, and that is largely governed by the people who take part in it with you.  Naturally, therefore, I'm biased towards Team Stirling, so until the team changes from BB's to lasers, then I'm unlikely to be swayed. 

(For the record, I think BB's suck - it's the only disappointing thing about airsoft, but then you have to take the rough with the smooth, and the guns themselves are great.)

[Matt.S]

astro nommenof the reason many of us play is due to the need for honesty, it develops trust and fairplay, non hit takers dont tend to last long in this sport, the use of lasers would (for me at least) eliminate most of the adneline from the sport and would lead to kamikaze play due to the lack of fear of suppresive fire were the only concequence is a beep as opposed to a face full of plastic.

I agree on the ineffectiveness of the BB although they dont stain and bruise as much although i am sure a new revelutionary projectile will be with us soon. 

EDIT: sorry I have just spotted the age of this topic!