Airsoft games can be pretty engaging if you have the right equipment and strategy. A major part of airsoft strategy is to shoot from a distance that your opponent’s gun can’t cover. But to use that strategy, you must know how far airsoft guns will shoot.
In general, airsoft guns can shoot bullets that go 150 feet to 450 feet in the direction they are fired. This is dependent on the speed of the gun, weather conditions, and weight of the bullet.
In this article, you will learn all you need to know about the Airsoft gun range. If you’re wondering, “How Far will Airsoft Guns Shoot?” look no further. This article covers the average, optimum, and farthest distances covered by airsoft bullets. But to understand it, you have to start with a brief primer on FPS.
FPS And Shooting Distance: A Brief Overview
If you’re getting interested in airsoft, you might have heard the term “FPS” used when describing gun specs. And even if you don’t get what it is, you can tell it has to do with speed.
FPS refers to the feet-per-second that an airsoft bullet can travel when shot from a specific gun. Airsoft guns typically range from 150 FPS to 450 fps, and the speedier guns can shoot bullets farther than lower FPS ones.
Here is how the distance between FPS and bullet range goes. Gravity acts on a bullet at a constant downward pressure. If you take a ball and hold it at your shoulder level, it has a constant downward pull acting on it, thanks to gravity. But since its forward speed is zero, when you release the ball, it practically travels 0 feet forward before reaching the ground.
If you throw the same ball forward, it has speed that allows it to keep traveling in the forward direction while gravity slowly brings it to the ground. The speedier your throw, the farther the ball will go before it hits the ground.
Every projectile’s speed and weight dictate how far it can go before gravity brings it down or it clashes with something. A typical airsoft pellet stays in the air for one second. Since FPS measures how far a pellet travels in one second, it becomes pretty easy to judge how far a pellet can go in a second. However, the maximum distance isn’t the most effective distance. The section below covers the maximum and optimal shooting distance for different FPS guns.
How Far Can A 150 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
A 150 FPS airsoft gun can shoot 150 feet in the forward direction but loses shot accuracy after 50 feet. That’s why it should not be fired from a distance of more than 40 feet in an airsoft game. The ideal shooting distance for this gun is 40 to 50 feet.
How Far Can A 200 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
A 200 FPS airsoft gun can shoot a pellet 200 feet forward before the pellet hits the ground. The bullet loses accuracy after 75 feet. Avoid firing this gun from more than 60 feet away from the target if you want to stay precise.
How Far Can A 250 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
A 250 FPS airsoft gun can shoot accurately up to 100 feet. Its maximum bullet range is 250 feet, but by then, the bullet travels down a curved trajectory and hits the ground. The ideal shooting range for a 250 FPS gun is 50 to 90 feet.
How Far Can A 300 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
A 300 FPS gun can fire a pellet 300 feet forward if the bullet is not interrupted by a target. After 150 feet, the airsoft bullet launched from a 300 FPS gun is well off its target. Still, it can keep moving forward until brought down by gravity.
How Far Can A 350 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
350 FPS airsoft gun can shoot a bullet up to 350 feet ahead though the accuracy of the shot is halved after every 10 feet from the 100 feet mark. It is best to use this gun at a 70 to 80 feet distance. The curvature of the bullet trajectory is something you might have to get used to if your playing style requires long-distance shooting.
How Far Can A 400 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
A 400 FPS airsoft gun can shoot up to 400 feet. The bullet can maintain its accuracy for 100 feet, after which the curvature of its trajectory starts affecting whether you hit the target or not. Ideally, you should use a 400 FPS airsoft gun for targets that are 70 to 100 feet away from you.
How Far Can A 450 FPS Airsoft Gun Shoot?
450 FPS guns are some of the most far-reaching ones in airsoft. They shoot pellets that can travel 450 feet before touching the ground. That said, the bullets can be fired accurately from 110 feet away. Beyond that, the bullets shot at chest level are at knee level, thanks to gravity.
How Far Can An Airsoft Gun Shoot Practically?
Since most airsoft players do not have a sniper-like calculation of bullet trajectory, any shot made from over 50 feet away from a target misses the target. So, for practical purposes, an airsoft gun shoots targets accurately from 50 feet away.
Here are the factors that affect the gun’s precision:
- The elevation from where it is shot – The higher you are positioned, the better chances you have of shooting someone from a distance because the bullet’s downward trajectory can still coincide with the player.
- The movement of the target – The greatest contributor to shots missed before 50 feet are that players are always moving. Any sideways motion can lower the odds of the bullet meeting its target. The downward motion is the least likely to save a potential target.
- The experience of the shooter – The final factor that trumps everything is the experience of the shooter. The better you know your gun, and the more you have used it in airsoft games, the higher the odds that you will hit your target from a long distance.
Final Thoughts
Airsoft guns can shoot from an average distance of 40 feet to 450 feet. But the farther an airsoft bullet travels, the lower it gets. This curvature introduces inaccuracy, which is why you should position yourself at a distance where your bullet can reach your target in half a second. To find this optimal shooting distance, you just need to divide your gun’s FPS by two.