Its damn near the same rule book!
If you can learn how to shoot in Action Air, you can definitely shoot IPSC (after getting the required training). The rule books only vary slightly in regards to some safety notes, propellant use, stage building and design and of course ammo/power factor!
Its fundamentals that Action Air helps a shooter learn fast and practice effectively that helps bridge the gap between the two levels of the sport.
The fundamentals between Action Air and IPSC are so similar that bridging the gap can be very easy and provide a very practical training solution for an IPSC competitor.
Similarities:
First off lets talk about the similarities between the different levels of the sport.
You are putting holes in cardboard with a semi-automatic self loading pistol while running around a course finding the most efficient path possible.
The guns can be 1:1 replicas or visually represent its non replica counterpart perfectly (but weigh less). They are so similar in fact that my own Double Alpha Flex holster needed no adjustment to go from Action Air open division to holstering an IPSC open division built pistol. The action of the airsoft replica fully simulates in every aspect a real competition pistol, safeties, mag release, slide locks are all fully functioning.
More similarities come in the stage design elements (we can look at the differences in another paragraph) use of walls, cardboard targets, stands and the movements required to get through a stage are all similar and just doing Action Air stages frequently can help you with a great knowledge base for an IPSC match in the future. If you can do it in IPSC, you can honestly replicate it in Action Air, even with a little more freedom (no bullet traps or ricochets to worry about).
In the rule book, the equipment rules are almost identical. The match requirement structure is an exact copy between the disciplines! Use of a safety table as well as safe firing angles and handling of all equipment is recognized the same in both rule books.
Differences:
Now we gotta break down the very obvious differences and note what issues come of them.
DVC and recoil are the noticeably not present in Action Air as they are in IPSC. DVC is the basis of IPSC itself. Diligentia, Vis, Celeritas (DVC) meaning accuracy, power, and speed and as soon as you shoot a stage in Action Air you quickly notice that power doesn't exist. Airsoft guns don't shoot hard so Major is non existent in the sport, scoring is all done in Minor and with the low power of the pistol, recoil also doesn't exist. Without power, speed and accuracy are not balanced, allowing airsoft competitors to be EXTREMELY fast. DVC cannot be properly achieved by Action Air and although it can be competitive, it will never be at the same level as an IPSC competition. Power is a requirement.
With Action Air requiring a stop plate to be engaged to end a course of fire. The freestyle element of a stage is harder to achieve. Stage design may be limited or rely solely on the placement of the stop plate itself.
Traditional timing devices for Action Air just don't work well to detect a shot fired and can be too unreliable.
How fast is Action Air at the competitive level?
Wilson Liu in Hong Kong via Youtube:
Youtube
Winsom Lam in Hong Kong via Youtube:
Youtube
Reloads and Draw showing relevancy of Fundamentals from Action Air to IPSC.
Greg C, El Presidente
El Presidente
Could you start in Action Air and become a competitor in IPSC?
Now that we have hashed out a few of the differences and similarities lets discuss what it would take to go from holstering an airsoft replica to shooting a competitive IPSC match.
Action Air has an extremely easy entry requirements. You can purchase a replica from about a dozen retailers online, ammunition is approximately $0.001 per shot and propellant can be found on a shelf at Canadian tire (propane). A shooter can be fully equipped in Action Air for less then $500.00!
-Army Armament 2011 $225.00
-2x Army Armament magazines $100.00
-Aliexpress belt,holster,pouch setup $150.00
-1kg bag of bb's $29.00
-Green Gas bottle $20.00
Action air doesn't require a black badge but the local club helps everyone that joins in with a quick brief on how to shoot safely and make your way through a stage. Using practices and mini matches held in Action Air a shooter can quickly get a sense for the rules, match structure, stage elements and become comfortable with their shooting equipment.
There are elements of IPSC that Action Air just doesn't have the ability to teach and these factors are the biggest difference between the two. Recoil and grip management are the biggest hurdles to over come when making the leap! You cannot train for recoil in airsoft and its easy to develop bad grip habits if you don't have access to a trainer or good advice along the way.
Next obstacle to overcome is scale. Action Air is shot at short distances, mainly using Mini IPSC targets and in smaller locations. Even though the targets scale well to the longer distances, shooting a full size target at 20 yards is not the same as a mini target at 15 feet. Poppers fall quickly in airsoft, but timing is key when engaging IPSC full size poppers.
With an open mind, training and staying physically active, all of these issues can easily be overcome and the mindset of an IPSC shooter can be developed very quick from a start in Action Air.
Starting in Action Air is not a requirement for IPSC but with its equipment accessibility, easy learning curve, low costs and welcoming community it can easily be a way to introduce new shooters to the sport, train them well and prepare them for a competitive IPSC match in a short period of time.
Could you compare Go-carting and F1 like Action Air and IPSC competitive shooting? A competitive driver in Go-carting can get a start in F1 so the training is valid.
So in conclusion I will ask the question. If Action Air can train you to shoot IPSC, can an IPSC shooter be competitive in Action Air?
Action Air IPSC accessories can be found here at F-86 IPSC accessories
Alberta IPSC Click to learn more about IPSC in Alberta.
This is a real blog post. 100% of this is not AI generated!
