Action Air is an
airsoft
Airsoft is a team game in which participants eliminate opposing players by tagging them out of play with spherical plastic projectiles shot with mock air weapons(usually powered by an electronic motor) called airsoft guns.
Although similar ...
shooting sport based on
practical shooting
Practical shooting, also known as dynamic shooting or action shooting, is a set of shooting sports where the competitors try to unite the three principles of precision, power, and speed, by using a firearm of a certain minimum power factor to sc ...
under the
International Practical Shooting Confederation
The International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) is the world's largest shooting sport association, and the largest and oldest within practical shooting. Founded in 1976, the IPSC nowadays affiliates over 100 regions from Africa, America ...
. The sport enjoys popularity in countries and areas such as
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
,
South Korea
South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia, constituting the southern part of the Korean Peninsula and sharing a land border with North Korea. Its western border is formed by the Yellow Sea, while its eas ...
, and
Japan, where civilian ownership of real
firearms are either illegal or extremely difficult to obtain, but it is also used by some owners of real firearms as an affordable and easily available training tool. Action air is restricted to handgun, and is not included in the IPSC Tournament structure.
History
Action Air was adopted by IPSC in 2008 at the General Assembly following the
IPSC Handgun World Shoot
The IPSC Handgun World Shoot is the highest level handgun match within the International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) which consists of several days and at least 30 separate courses of fire. The Handgun World Shoots are held triennia ...
XV in
Bali,
Indonesia
Indonesia, officially the Republic of Indonesia, is a country in Southeast Asia and Oceania between the Indian and Pacific oceans. It consists of over 17,000 islands, including Sumatra, Java, Sulawesi, and parts of Borneo and New Guine ...
, and the first approved rule book came in 2009. Up until then, the sport had already been exercised in
Japan,
Hong Kong
Hong Kong ( (US) or (UK); , ), officially the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (abbr. Hong Kong SAR or HKSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China on the eastern Pearl River Delta i ...
,
Macau
Macau or Macao (; ; ; ), officially the Macao Special Administrative Region of the People's Republic of China (MSAR), is a city and special administrative region of China in the western Pearl River Delta by the South China Sea. With a p ...
and
Taiwan
Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...
for more than ten years.
Targets
![IPSC target](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3c/IPSC_target.jpg)
The ranges, paper targets and poppers are scaled down to suit airsoft. A stop plate, which is a metal target with electronic that link to an IPSC shot timer, is used to stop the timer and collect the overall stage time. Minor scoring is used, with 5 points for the A zone, 3 points for the C zone and 1 point for the D zone. Metal targets have to be light enough to be knocked over, and are usually made of 3 mm aluminum or 1.7 mm steel. Popper metal targets are calibrated to require a good hit to make them fall.
Equipment
![Tokyo-marui-4](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/1/1f/Tokyo-marui-4.3-airsoft.jpg)
;Action Air Open Division: Open has very few restrictions on the handgun, magazine capacity and equipment positioning.
AIPSC UK Divisions & Grades
/ref> It is the only division where optical sights and compensators are permitted. The maximum magazine length is 170 mm and can have up to 28 rounds capacity.
;Action Air Standard Division: The handgun has to fit the IPSC box, and there are restrictions on placement of holster and magazine pouches. Magazines must not extend more than 20 mm below the lowest point of the magazine well when inserted, and can have up to 18 rounds capacity.
;Action Air Production Division: The handgun must be unmodified and be listed on th
IPSC Production Division List
Maximum barrel length is 127 mm, and maximum magazine capacity is 15 rounds.
;Action Air Classic Division: The pistol has to be a 1911 type, fit inside the IPSC box and can have up to 10 rounds capacity.
Safety
Eye protection is mandatory, and even though airsoft is considered less dangerous than real firearms, all normal rules for firearm safety
Gun safety is the study and practice of using, transporting, storing and disposing of firearms and ammunition, including the training of gun users, the design of weapons, and formal and informal regulation of gun production, distribution, and u ...
should apply in order to build good habits.
See also
* IPSC Action Air World Shoot
* Tatsuya Sakai
* ActionAirgun
External links
IPSC Action Air Competition Rules
IPSC Action Air clubs in Europe
2015 IPSC European Action Air Championship
Video: IPSC Action Air in Philippines
References
{{IPSC Regions
Air guns
Shooting sports events
Airsoft shooting sports