Gas Airsoft Guns Made Russell’s Birthday a Blast

Russell was in his small, disheveled bedroom sitting on his unmade bed looking at an airsoft gun magazine. Russell had been a fan of airsoft guns since he was a boy. His father had given him his first airsoft rifle for his eighth birthday, and last year he had gotten a gas airsoft pistol. He was reading about gas airsoft guns when there was a knock on his door.

It was that time of year again—Russell’s birthday was just around the corner, and his parents, Stephen and Crystal, wanted to ask their son what he wanted to do to celebrate.

This year, Russell was turning sixteen, and he wanted to do something really memorable for his birthday. His parents agreed. “Sixteen was a milestone,” they said.

Russell suggested an afternoon of airsoft with his buddies. “We could do it at Pop’s house,” Russell explained, “that way, no one has to pay entry fees or anything like that, and it’ll just be a private game for us.”

“Well, that sounds like a fine idea, son!” Stephen encouraged his child with a manly clap on the back.

“Oh, I don’t know,” Crystal began apprehensively, “won’t that be dangerous? At least there are rules when you play through an organization.”

“Mom,” Russell answered her in an irked kind of voice, “my friends and I have all been in airsoft competitions before. We know the rules. None of us is stupid enough to bring a gun that’s too powerful for a game.” Here his tone became beseeching, “I just think it would be really cool to have a game with just my friends. Please, Mom!”

Crystal looked sympathetically at her son. She did want him to have a special birthday, and she knew this airsoft thing would make him happy. “All right,” she conceded. “I don’t know why you and your friends want to run around shooting at one and other, though. I mean, doesn’t that hurt?”

Russell shrugged, “Sometimes it stings a little, but it definitely hurts less than paintball. Heck, at long ranges you might not even feel the BB hit you. It’s pretty benign, Mom.”

Crystal raised an eyebrow as if to say, “You’re not fooling me, mister,” then she added aloud, “You’ll have to okay this with your grandfather.”

“I’ll take care of it, son,” Stephen interjected. “Don’t worry though, I’m sure Pop won’t mind at all. In fact, he may even want to get in on the game!”

Everything was set: On Russell’s birthday his parents would take him and three friends to Russell’s grandfather’s house for an afternoon game of airsoft followed by dinner, cake and gifts.

The big day arrived, and Russell got out of bed uncharacteristically early and dressed in his favorite BDUs. He carefully packed up his FPS-400 all metal green gas airsoft pistol with the blowback design. This had been his birthday gift from his parents the previous year.

Stephen and Crystal had been able to find the gun easily online without the hassle of dealing with salespeople. They had gotten a good price on the gun and had it shipped directly to the house.

Stephen dressed in BDUs that morning too, as he also planned to play airsoft with the boys. Once everyone was ready to go, they climbed into the family SUV and stopped to pick up Russell’s friends, Derek, Jim and Tate on the way to Russell’s grandparents’ house.

Paul answered the door also wearing BDUs and greeted his son and grandson as well as the boy’s friends.

“Afternoon, boys,” was Paul’s salutation. “Y’all ready for an old man to show you how it’s really done?”

The teenagers all chuckled at this, and Russell said through his laughter, “You better take it easy, Pop. We’re all a quarter your age.”

“And you’ve got a quarter the experience too,” Paul replied mutinously.

Crystal went inside to help Paul’s wife with the food preparations, but the men all went directly out to the backyard, which was more than an acre in size.

The group had all agreed ahead of time to use only gas airsoft guns because it was Russell’s birthday, and that’s what he wanted. He wanted some practice with his pistol.

The teams were decided: Russell, Stephen and Tate against Paul, Derek and Jim. Initially, Derek and Jim lamented being stuck with the senior citizen, but this only lasted momentarily—until Paul got the first hit of the game. He had taken Tate completely by surprise.

BB’s whizzed up and down the yard as the teams darted around, alternately taking cover and then emerging to take aim and shoot. The last two players standing were Russell and his grandfather.

Paul had a tactical advantage, being that his backyard was the battlefield. It took several minutes, but finally Russell was outmaneuvered by his 67 year-old grandfather and shot out. Derek and Jim cheered wildly, realizing they had won.

All the men were in high spirits from their exciting afternoon when they went into the house.

“You know, boy,” Paul said, “I think you shoot better than your daddy did at your age.” He patted Russell on the back.

The group sat down to a venison dinner—a buck Paul had shot the previous weekend. This was followed by yellow cake with butter cream frosting—Russell’s favorite—and, finally, presents!

His friends gave him nice things: some airsoft accessories, a gift card to his favorite music store, a UK Wildcats T-shirt. His grandparents gave him a new MP3 player, and then it was time for his parents’ gift. Russell always saved his parents’ gifts for last—ever since his eighth birthday when they’d given him his first spring airsoft gun.

Russell was just as ecstatic this year to tear the wrapping paper away from a CO2 Desert Eagle ® style gas airsoft pistol.

“Mom, Dad, this rocks!” the boy exclaimed.

“Found it at hobbytron.com,” Stephen said. I saw the webpage bookmarked and figured that was the one you’d been eyeing.”

“No doubt,” Russell affirmed. “So, who wants to play another round?”

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