Okay let's hear it, I've been thinking about getting into one or the other, got friends who do paintball, but then I saw some Airsoft guns and thought they were cool.
Any of you do or done both?
Pros & cons?
What's more like the "Real" thing?

Done both. Hated paintball.

Invest in a quality Airsoft gun and send painballers running with full-auto fire capable of reaching out to 50 yards stock, with no holding off.

As for realisim, Airsoft takes the nod. Any other questions?

BTW, paintball costs a fortune, the guns looks fugly, high velocities can burst the ball, you have a tumor as a magazine, it causes a mess, etc.

yeah what blackjack said

I play both and like both, but I like paintball better. Blackjack is right, it can get pretty expensive, and some of the guns are pertty ugly. But I think paintball is more exhilerating. Instead of a little pop, you get a fairly good report. Depending on what you mean by "the real thing", it could go either way. While paintball actualy encompases pain(it actualy doesnt realy hurt unless you get hit in the neck), which will cause you to think more tacticaly, instead of going rambo, airsoft takes the cake in realistic guns. Also, if you go to some of the biger scenario games, the use of gernades, mines, bazokas, and even tanks come into play. But you can get full auto/select fire paintball guns to(again pretty expesive) so this fact alone should not affect your discision.

I've not had the time or money to play either, but I'd go AirSoft for the reasons given above.

I HATE those cheesy-looking hoppers hanging off the "gun".

JMHO....

me and the wife went saturday with her work. I shot up all her buddies and gave her a good shot in the side of the head. She liked it and would do it again.

I don't do either, but in regards to the cheesy looking paintball guns. A vendor at the last gunshow I went to was selling these www.rap4.com.

If you're not a kid I really don't see why people buy airsoft guns at all.  If you want something that looks like a real gun, buy a real gun.  If you want to have 5v5 wars paintball is the only way to go.  Paintball requires strategy and tactics, airsoft there's no way to tell if you even hit the other person.

to me paintball is a game and airsoft is a simulation. In paintball you play in fields of inflatable bunkers with colorful clothing and guns. It is a game of tag. A lot of whining and moaning. Airsoft is more tactical in the menality and excution of the simulation. People in airsoft seem to ba calmer, more into it for the fun and scenario than the win.

Airsoft is only realistic if you go by the ergonomics of the guns and the looks. Yeah, hoppers suck, but you can make a stick feed or play stock class, and then you get the benefit of being cool. There is a new "magazine" tube called the Q-Loader coming out that holds about 130ish rounds and can hang off the bottom or side of the gun and feed fast and reliably, it's a helical type of magazine. That should be interesting for those that hate hoppers but still want some firepower. By contrast, I know a lot of airsofters who use 200 round magazines or something like that.

Another benefit is that paintballs actually mark the target. If Airsoft gets bigger, you'll run into more cheaters. Not that cheaters don't exist in paintball, but at least there is some distinguishable mark when someone is hit.

Of course, one of the cons to paintball is the numerous kiddies who think "speedball" is the only way to play and want to totally disassociate the sport/game from anything remotely military.

I like airsoft and all, but paintball is just better from a functional perspective. Lets face it, nothing will be quite like the real thing until we can shoot each other with Simunitions, and even then...

Quoted: I don't do either, but in regards to the cheesy looking paintball guns. A vendor at the last gunshow I went to was selling these www.rap4.com.

BIG improvement!

A std. TM AEG will run you around $340 for the whole shibang, and CAN hit at around 50 yards reliably. Add in a TN/Promethious barrel, and you're smokin.

You want realisim? OK. Take this, paintballers...

http://www.airsoftcore.com/article99.html

Field strippable M4 complete with the new style M4 stock.

Ive only played paintball. But I got into it for about $250 (Used Tippmann 98c with Flatline system) and can hit just about anything out to about 200Ft/70yds.

I enjoy it.

Alot cheaper than some of the airsoft rigs I have seen.

So far, from my personal experiences, Real Action is by far the best. Also, the most expensive.
Paintball is next, not because of realism, but because paintballs let you know when you're hit, unlike Airsoft which you can barely feel. 6mm Paintballs are sort of OK, though. Also paintball guns are not electrically powered so they aren't a bitch to clean (assuming use of 6mm paintballs in airsoft guns).

Hopefully, Real Action paintball will keep gaining much popularity (So it eventually becomes as cheap as paintball is now)

well d*mn. Almost sounds like you've got to play both for different reasons...

paintball sounds cool because it leaves marks, so there's less a chance of cheating (i hate these assmonkeys, they always seem to congregate around me). Paintball also sounds like "painball" or that there's more range involved- dunno. I like the thought. But the "game" standpoint, yeah, I'm not into capturing anybody's flag, I just wanna kill.

Airsoft sounds more tactical but maybe not. The idea is just blowing the other guy away? (right on!) sneaking around and cappin' rounds, kicking a** or getting it shot off. My kind of weekend.. and again, the many realistic looking guns is a major bonus.

So to sum up, I haven't made a decision because you guys seem split down the middle. C'mon help me out here :)

Just get, say, an M733 or XM-177, stick in an M100 spring, and go git em. They WILL usually call out hits, considering that the gun will now shoot over 320FPS.

Airsoft all the way, man. Besides, unloading on a tarp 50 yards out and hearing the patter of the BBs smacking into it is much fun...

From my stand point, I prefer airsoft. I used to reff paintball, and reached near tourney-level performance on my good days (with my beloved '95 Cocker with CFS Mod, only done at one place in the world ). It was GREAT fun, and since I reffed where I played, I got free paint and air on my days off.

However, when I moved and had to quite, I got interested in airsoft. From then on, paintball jsut wasn't as good anymore. I was looking for the realism.

And yes, Steyr, they are accurate past 50 feet. With a Styer Voigt Infinity look-alike, I could hit people at 150 feet, on a regular basis. Quite fun, I might add.

i prefer paintball

[Old guy rant warning]

Played PB in college era (1985-89) - owned a Sheridan "rifle" that had a 4x scope - reasonably accurate for no rifling, and a Nel-Spot 007 as a sidearm. Both used 15g CO2 cartridges, and only held about 10 rounds each, until I modded the rifle to a "constant air" tank, and an extended (30 round) tube mag.

I liked playing PB. Of course, I used to play with a bunch of former high-speed/low drags who played "like it was real", on private land. Used to start around noon and play until dark - two teams, capture the flag, get shot and you're out for 15 minutes in the "DMZ" (parking area)then you can regroup (OK, as real as a weekend warrior really wants, and still get to go out drinking later with all parts intact)

The first time we got up to a commercial field, we were met by the kids in field jackets over jeans, and the whole "game" crowd - here we were, a bunch of ragged lookin' types, caked in mud and camo paint, with LBE w/ compasses ("why? cause I might have to walk home"), engineer wire/rope ("to tie stuff up with, ya mo-ron"), canteens ("our games last longer than 5 minutes") mag pouches to hold our ammo ("'cause if we didn't bring it with us, we ain't got it in the field") etc. etc. We scared folks when our squad headed straight for the swamps during a game with a bunch of newbies in tow...

"we're gonna get wet...why are we going in there?"

"Because they won't expect us to come from that direction."

They didn't. We won handily.

Then there was the staff - encouraging players to "shoot...shoot..." at $2 a tube for paint, compared to our .04/round in 3k quantities. Then the fields started banning private paint - despite our offers of samples provided upon request from any team member. More money for them, I guess. Longest game being one hour?

You get the point. It's based on attitude - the mindset of the players as well as the field staff. If it's snoop and shoot "hours of waiting and walking interrupted by brief moments of panic" (more like the real deal IMHO), the it can be fun.

If the goal is to use your liquid-tanked 500 round hopper "Power-Painter 9500" to splatter the tree until you get an aggregate "dime sized" DQ mark by sheer force of spray, then kiss off. You're the ones who turned paintball from an afternoon of enjoyment to an ESPN2 marketing "special".

The decision is yours. [Matrix]Reality is in the mind of the beholder [/Matrix]

The range between a stock TM AEG airsoft weapon and a average stock paintball gun is nearly identical, at least in my experience (I have a Tippmann M98 and a TM M733).  And a very cheap spring upgrade and a AEG shoots a heck of alot better than stock too.  BB weight has alot of effect too.  A upgraded spring gun with some .25 bbs is perfect, shoots great.  

I quit playing paintball totally, and need to go ahead and sell the M98 while it's still worth at least a few dollars.  For just playing out in the woods with buddies, trying to play commando airsoft rules IMO.  We have a no hi-cap rule in our group, because having some 200 rnd mag defeats half the purpose.  Just having a realistic looking/feeling gun is worlds better.  Having to monitor ammo capacity, carry extra mags and actually use them "in battle" adds alot IMO.  I love my M733 by the way, sweet as hell.  

I don't have any problem telling when I hit people usually, you can HEAR it.  And not being able to feel this is a crock.  I've had a split thumbnail from a hit and several blood blister things from good hits.  On heavy clothing it gets a little harder but you can still tell you're hit, especially with an upgraded gun.  Get em shooting around 320-350 fps (which a spring upgrade will accomplish) and they are about perfect.  Doesn't hurt your buddies too much, but has great range and accuracy at that level.  Of course you can have cheaters.  But this is never going to get into tournament stuff, or at least I'm not.  So playing with friends it's not a problem, somebody gets a rep as a cheater they don't get invited to skirmishes anymore...  

Paintballs do hit with more authority due to weight, but paint is way more expensive.  Once you buy a AEG you have cheap BBs to buy, and batteries to charge.  Beats the pants off buying paint and gas...

I've never measured out the range officially but I would say 50 yards is about the limit for airsoft or non-flatlined paintball stuff...  In the woods around here I have yet to have any problems with range at all come to think of it.  When I see them I hit them...

Fun, fun...  For what I want to do, Airsoft is King.  For others, paintball is better (more accessable for one, paintball shops and ranges all over the place, lots of people to play with).  Paintball and it's goofy spaceguns just didn't do it for me.

My M733:

I love both.  In fact, just yesterday I got shot and shot people.  Paintball, though.

Paintball you can feel more if it hits thick clothing.  Otherwise, airsoft seems to sting more than paintballs.  I've had someone unload about a whole mag into my back on full-auto to during a "which hurts more" test.  The paintballs left some nice welts.  The airsoft hurt even more, and broke the skin in some areas.  Blood blisters ahoy!  

Of course, as mentioned earlier, if you have thick clothes, or if the pellets catch loose clothing, they will lose most of the energy there and wont hurt.  During my the test, though, I had nothing but a white under shirt on.  Ouch.

Airsoft=win.  Guns look better, don't need CO2 (if you get an AEG or spring gun).  I own the Marui SR-16, an M4 with an A2 stock, full-auto flat-top.  Looking to get the metal receiver Oly Arms CAR-97 M4 airsoft rifle soon.  I know they won't be, but I hope the receivers are forged.  Then again it would be a lot more expensive.