WHAT IS AIRSOFT ANYWAY?
These air guns in the past were imported under the Air Soft name... This is a colloquial term in reference to BB guns that use plastic or ceramic BBs larger than the common BBs guns used for sporting purposes. It is a bit of a misnomer as there is nothing "soft" about being hit by a plastic bb at 15 feet. Standard BBs are copper or steel with a diameter of 0.177 caliber or (4.5mm). Air Soft BBs are generally 6mm or near 0.24 caliber. Most of the air guns we sell are technically not "Air Soft" as these are all EXPORT MODELS that make use of slightly higher compression springs, motors and gears that would be illegal in most countries where air soft guns are sold. Additionally our particular air guns have been re-designed to accommodate the use of metallic ammunition.
Air Soft was originally designed as a toy. It later gained popularity as a training tool for Law Enforcement Live Fire Training. This low velocity (compared to a regular bb gun) adds in that it takes away the danger of misdirected fire that with a live round would kill. The advantage is that officers can safely train with weapons that appear to be identical to those they normally use and can train against a live, moving and like armed hostile without the fear or serious injury. In the past few years as the number of air soft guns in the USA increases so has the interest from the general public for general propose shooting and gaming.
Air soft is used world wide in 2 basic realms.
Gaming like paintball (we also lump Law Enforcement training in this category). This is an activity that is not wide spread in the USA as it is in Japan. Throughout the world the gaming is done primarily indoors. (90%+ of the time). Airsoft is an indoor activity for a number of reasons.
Airsoft guns have a minimal effective range for gaming. Depending on the protective gear the players wear will determine somewhat whether or not they can even feel the hit of the bb. The true effective range of an airsoft bb in gaming is about 35 feet. Granted the bbs do have a flat trajectory of 30-65 feet and will travel 100 yards but, shots taken at these distances will never have any penetration or be felt by an opponent. Plus the bbs are so light that the wind has a great adverse effect on them. As there is no marking system in Airsoft like paintball the play must be honest and call themselves out. For this reason they need to feel or hear the hit of the bb. Gaming is usually done by small groups of friends who trust each other not to cheat. Airsoft as a sport was never intended to be out of doors. Even in Japan where they have only 7 outdoor playing fields 5 are in stadium types of situations for wind protection and the others are only 100 meters square and are in protected valley situations.
Whole idea and beauty of airsoft is the fact that it is relatively safe and useable in areas where conventional bb guns or paintball guns can not be used. You would not shoot conventional bb guns in doors with little or no back stop and you certainly would not shoot paintballs in side your own home or garage. Airsoft is not intended to compete with either of these two other activities but rather is a super alternative when you do not want to go to the range or it is raining or what ever just to have a few quick minutes of fun.
THE TRUTH ABOUT 6MM AIRSOFT BBS:
Contrary to popular belief non of the major air soft manufacturers actually make their own 6mm BBs. Marui, Toy Tec, Shoei, Marushin, etc. all use a contract manufacture and have a private label put on the BBs that they sell. Much like many of the air guns that they sell but, do not actually manufacture. Obviously they are taking advantage of their trade name and reputation while hopping the consumer will stay loyal to the brand name.
MFI prefers to buy direct from the actual manufactures of these BBs. This way we can be assured of the highest quality at the lowest prices and pass the savings on to you the customer. This low price is as important to MFI as it is to the end user because the number one killed of any air soft gun is the re-use of BBs. This is because the BBs are plastic and pick up dust and dirt like a magnet. It is this dirt that clogs or scores the internal works of your air gun.
Weight: Is always confusing when talking BBs. Like in a real firearm you have a chose of weights in bullets that you might use all with varying ballistic properties. There are magical weights of the slug and powder in every caliber that achieve optimal performance in accuracy, range and penetration. It is the same in air guns. As the power source is low and relatively inconsistent in comparison to standard rifle cartridges. The BB is the only factor you can really control. As an importer we obviously can not carry every different weight. We have to test a test again to make sure that we approve not only the smoothes and cheapest BB but, also ones that work consistently in every air gun we carry.
We have found that there are 2 limiting factors:
Obviously if the spring in the magazine is not able to push the bb up into the chamber area it is impossible to fire the bb out the end of the barrel no matter how much pressure your gun produces. Our conclusion is that the .20 gram. BB (and the industry follows this) is the best all around weight to use. Heavier and the magazine tends to fail and lighter and you loose maximum penetration power.
Because we believe the bottles with the spout are a great aid in loading the bbs into the standard loading tube we carry them but, unfortunately the best price is when they come with the lighter weight BB at .135 gr. These are standard BBs with average characteristics, but given that the price of just the bottles alone are nearly $5.00 it all works out in the end. We recommend that you buy one bottle of the standard BBs and save it and buy the heavier BBs in bulk.
Some quick facts about air soft ammunition / bbs.
Generally speaking:
The small bag of bbs you get with a Marui gun are considered standard grade, which means that when you look at them under a magnifying glass you can see a textured surface. You will also see that many are not completely round and some are even cut in half or broken. There are also often small bits of powder and debris found in these bags. We consider Marui's idea of standard grade to be unacceptable as it allows the novice the opportunity to make a fatal mistake by loading substandard bbs. In Japan where everyone is well acquainted with the general rules of air soft maintenance; first and foremost is to sort through the bbs and get rid of the bad ones.
Here in the USA we do not have this luxury of implied knowledge so we try to take the guesswork out of the bb situation. Our competition grade bbs are made by the same manufacture that Marui uses for it's bbs. Non of the airsoft gun makers make their own bbs. Everyone uses one of the 3 contract manufactures and has the product private labeled. We do not have the ego problem and would prefer saving the money by not labeling any of our bbs. This savings is past on to our customers. As the number one killer of air soft guns is used or dirty bbs we make every attempt to sell our bbs at or near our cost.
The difference between Standard or High / Tactical Grade and Super Competition Grade bbs.
Our Standard bbs and the Marui High / Tactical Grade bbs are both machine sorted one time but only the MFI bbs are cleaned before bagging. The sorting gets rid of the out of round bbs but, as you can imagine with 5000 bbs per bag there is no way a machine can catch everything... This is where the Super Comp Grade come in to their own.
In 1993 we introduced the Super Competition Grade BBs. The savings and added reliability for your air soft bb gun is paramount to us and we feel that the Super Competition Grade BBs are by far the best in quality and price available.
Super Competition Grade: MFI Super Competition Grade are made from a very hard ABS plastic, which was smooth and highly polished. Again these new bbs work in all our airsoft guns no matter the power source or delivery system. Super highly polished and absolutely round for high speed delivery to the target without any jamming or malfunctioning problems. We have fully tested these bbs in all our guns to assure this fact.
Here is what makes the SUPER COMPETITION GRADE the best quality available: Manufacturing process...
In conclusion the SUPER COMPETITION GRADE 0.20gr BBs have a high polish and are nearly all perfectly round for greater accuracy, faster velocity and trouble free shooting for years to come.
Over the years it has been discovered that bbs weighing more than .23gr cause excessive wear on the internal systems of electric air soft guns. To maximize the life span of the airsoft gun all air soft manufactures have moved to using .2gr bbs. This is not to say that heavier or lighter bbs will cause immediate damage... they just take more life out of the gun or can lead to problems down the road.
Standard electric and single shot airsoft guns can physically fire bbs weighing from 0.325gr to 0.105gr. As single shot and gas blow back airsoft guns do not have the intricate internal systems that the electric guns have there is not a recommended range of bb weight for these. Electric (Full Size) air soft guns on the other hand operate best when using bbs that weigh anywhere from 0.22gr and 0.14gr. Using heavier bbs like the .25gr are only somewhat detrimental to the mechanism. Reducing the average life of an air gun by 1/8. Where our Super Heavy BBs .395gr reduce useful life in half. Lighter bbs will not cause problems unless they are substandard in size or shape. (see diagram below) Lighter bbs do how ever effect the range and penetration power of the gun. BBs under .14gr loss between 1/4 and 1/2 of their effective range or penetrating power due to basic loss of ballistic characteristics.
We have these SUPER COMPETITION GRADE BBs manufactured in the same factories as the name brand companies. We are able to sell a higher quality bb at a greatly reduced price solely because we cut out the middle man and bulk load the bbs into bags here in the USA. In this bulk loading process we guarantee at least 5000 rounds and most often put nearly 6000 in a single bag. It is cheaper to supply a little more to the customer than to pay our employees more to give you exactly 5000 bbs no more and no less. You can consider these an MFI Custom Product or simply Generic. We do not waste money on private ego labels as we feel that it is very important to supply the customer with the very best bb at near if not below actual cost. BBs are the number one cause of malfunction in air guns so to avoid this problem we keep our prices on bbs low and supply you with the below information.
What weight of bb should I use? All MFI power upgraded full size electric airguns can use the heavier 0.20gr weight bb. With our help the industry has moved away from bbs over 0.20gr. as with time the heavier bbs cause excessive wear on the internal mechanism. Our all-metal 0.395gr bbs are intended for professional motion picture use only. For the average shooter the amount you gain in penetration is not even remotely equal to the cost. Additionally 75% of all available airguns worldwide will not be able to shoot these unless modified by MFI to do so. Professional FX houses use these for more consistency in candy glass breakage where squibs or other devices are too dangerous or just not cost effective to use. When your production per minute cost is over $500.00 it makes sense to use these heavier bbs to assure breakage and not waste time and film. BBs under 0.125gr should not be used in any MFI power upgraded full size electric gun as the power to weight ratio is disproportionate and can lead to problems. Non MFI imported full size guns will not have trouble with the our .2gr bbs as they are designed to handle bbs from 0.135 to 0.23gr. All mini airsoft guns need to use a bb that weighs less than 0.14gr as many of these simply will not function with the heavier bbs.
Bottom line is other air soft suppliers are buying standard or high-grade bbs at a far higher price than it costs us to manufacture competition grade bbs. As a curtsey to our customers we sell our bbs at near cost just to be sure the user does not want to try to reuse the bbs. We prefer to assist the customer in keeping their air soft gun functioning without trouble for years to come. The proof is in the product… Buy some of theirs and some of ours and you will quickly see the difference.
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SPECIFICATIONS OF MFI AIR GUNS:
How to read and understand the specifications and what we say about an air gun on our individual subject pages.
We carry so many air guns that look exactly like the real thing that sometimes the specifications get confused between the real thing and the air gun. Here is a quick list of things you should know before you read any one of the individual gun pages.
"Magazine Standard Short . ( Fits Electric MP5 variants ). (Metal) 15 rounds (28 BBs) Price: $30.00"
Indicates the amount of bbs that this magazine holds regardless of its exterior size and shape.
The number "15" followed by the word "rounds" or "rd." indicates the number of actual real live cartridges that would be found in a full magazine of that specific real weapon. Unfortunately this requires the customer to have some knowledge of what sizes of real magazines are available in and what they look like.
This is important because air soft "Standard" magazines can (on the exterior) look similar if not exactly like their air soft Hi Capacity counterparts. In real life a standard magazine for an MP5 would be much shorter than a hi-capacity one for the same gun. Air soft magazine capacities can be very deceptive at first glance.
Always take point grading information whether from MFI or other sources for what they are... "Very Subjective!" What we find appealing you may not. And likewise what we do not like or feel that something falls short you may find no fault with. In short totally subjective. Be especially wary of any vendor's point system and what they say about guns. Remember they; like MFI are in the business of selling something. We try to take an objective look at what the consumer might see when they first open the box of their first and second air soft gun. As we have by far the longest record of importation of any North American Air Soft Importer, Largest In Stock Selection and the added advantage of being able to compare live weapons to these air guns we hope that our hard line approach assist you the customer in a well informed sale.
It would be impossible to write everything there is to know or say about an air soft gun so we welcome your inquires. It is better to call us at: 606-787-0022 to get the best explanation available. Ask for Michael: the owner who personally evaluates every air gun and accessory we carry. If you catch him in his office (as opposed to the warehouse or RND shop area) he has a sample of nearly ever gun and accessory we list on the web site (600+ items) available physically to give you an accurate answer.
In general: If you are a first time buyer your choices are wide open. If you own a single shot gun and are happy with the quality and performance then; any electric or gas gun you would buy would really impress you. If you have an electric gun and are thinking about a single shot gun... you will be less impressed. You always get what you pay for. The more you pay the more you get. If you own any air soft gun and are looking at buying a second one... let us know this when you are asking questions so we can compare what you have with what you might want to get.
WAIVER:
We are required by our agreement with the DOJ to inform the customer of the potential dangers of these air guns. We do this in the form of a liability waiver, which the US Domestic customer must fill out and return to us on our paper work form. This is a one time thing you must complete if you are buying a bb gun. This waiver remains on file and is good as long as you do not change your name or address.
Foreign customers or accessories buyers do not need to fill out this waiver.
This waiver can be obtained via:
We can mail you one.
We can FAX you one.
You can print it from your browser and fill it out.
All of the above require that you return this form to us via; mail or FAX. Please note that we do not accept digital / scanned files over 200K to avoid potential virus infections. In short we will not open your file even if you tell us it is a waiver. An image under this size would not contain enough readable data to qualify as per our DOJ agreement.
NOTE: We do sell to the general public. If you answer yes to:
WE WILL NOT SELL TO YOU.
All buyers of airguns must be 21 years of age or older.
1/1 SCALE REPLICAS:
Another common trait of Air Soft BB guns is that they most often mimic in style and design real firearms on a true 1 to 1 scale. This mastery of "look a like" is as potentially dangerous if not more to the user than that of the muzzle velocity. As they look exactly like the real thing there is no way that a police officer or other person could distinguish between a real gun and an Air Soft BB gun. Mistaken identification may result in the accidental death of the Air Soft BB gun user. It is for this reason that MFI does not sell to anyone under the age of 21 and reserves the right to refuse the sale to anyone intending to supply the product to a minor.
PARENTS BE WARNED!
THIS PRODUCT IS NOT A TOY! This is not a product intended or designed for children. MFI firmly believes in the real potential danger this product has towards a child. Additionally MFI in no way endorses the introduction of a very real phenomenon of the de-sensitivity of violence in America's youth. Sure we all played war, Cowboys and Indians in our youth but, times have changed (for whatever reasons) and so must we all.
Federal Law also mandates that the use of any "look a like" toy/BB gun in a crime carries the full circumstances as that of a real weapon, If a man robs a drug store with a look a like gun if convicted he will do time for ARMED ROBBERY. Use of an airsoft gun in a practical joke can result in death as well as life imprisonment in some States.
IPR ISSUES / TRADEMARKS / DESIGN & UTILITY PATENTS:
Each model is different due to different arrangement with the IPR (Intellectual Property Rights) holder. In the case of the MP5s, G3s, SOCOM H&K is the IPR holder and they do not allow and of their IPR to be used on the gun itself for any reason. So the marks would be removed on this model. Other models do not have the marks on them to begin with so nothing is removed.
So it depends on the exact gun and manufacture... See the specific web page for the item you are interested in getting there will be notes stating this as well as clear photos. If not just be more specific about which exact model you are interested in.
MFI works closely with the manufactures to get the best possible result in the removal of any IPR violations from our imported products. In many cases there are very few, or very small marks that need to be removed. Many times a customer would not even notice the removal as it is in a not so noticeable location and the mark is very small. SIGs, AUGs, HK MP5s and G3s fall into this category. More noticeable are Colt products. Easy to tell if you just look at our photos or look at a real gun to see what and how large an area might be effected.
We try to have these marks removed in as inconspicuous manner as possible. This is most often achieved by means of using an electric cauterizing hospital instrument. We bought these $4,000.00 instruments for each of our manufactures, as this tool is by far the best way to lightly smooth over the area where the violation occurs. In short; in 15+ years of airsoft importation these tools do the best cosmetic (and 100% legal) job. Many of our customers refer to these items as CIA guns as the bare no marks that would identify them as being from Colt Manufacturing. Only actually protected IPR are removed. All other marks are generally left in place. I.e. "US. Gov." and proof marks. This process is permanent and non-reversible. Any company using methods like smearing putty or other removable material that would allow a trademark to appear to be gone at the time inspected but, in reality only hiding the mark is a felony act. Companies and or customers knowingly engaging in this type of act are committing 3 felony counts: Trafficking in counterfeit property, Smuggling and Conspiracy to file false entry statements. The US Treasury Department views this act of concealment exactly the same way they see you hiding a counterfeit $20.00 bill in your wallet or basement. The act of covering something up / hiding it from view does NOT negate the illegalness of the issue or product.
Companies who partake is IPR violations / smuggling WILL EVENTUALLY GET CAUGHT. This means that any customer (no matter how ignorant to the law they may claim will also be subject to prosecution. After all it is very easy to find the customer after they seize all sales records from the company and match up your name and address with an illegal product. It does not take much for the Law Enforcement Team to get a bench warrant for the search of a customers house with this type of proof of probable cause.
Further more these same companies do a GREAT DISSERVICE to the airsoft industry as a whole. It costs MFI SIGNIFICANT expense to be 100% LEGAL in all matters of airsoft importation: Modification to Improve Reliability, Modification for IPR, Modification for DOC, DOC Approval, NIST Evaluation, DOJ Contracts, CPSC Testing & Evaluation, BATF Approval & Licences, Duty paid up on entry (The US Government as clearly ruled that airsoft are NOT TOYS and thus have a harmonized tariff code in the real firearms category.)
MFI too could offer these items for less money if we did not obey the laws of the land.
According to US Domestic and International Laws IPR of companies with registered trademarks REALLY DO MATTER... Be aware that possession of an airsoft gun or any item in violation of anyone's IPR is a felony. If you value your freedom and right to own a real weapon you will see that MFI by having these IPR issues removed keeps your rights of ownership completely legal... not to mention keeping our ability to import these open too.
If you look closely on our photos you can see the light removal process... not to be rude or anything but, as this is a very serious matter (one that can land you in jail) we feel that if a customer is so concerned on the looks and will not tolerate any scaring then you would be better off buying from someone else... You may like to look at our warranty / return policy page as it does allow you to buy nearly risk free and return if you are not satisfied with what you see… only thing you would be out is your shipping.
Worst case scenario: If you like in a state that has a three strikes law... Possession of a counterfeit product could (according to the letter of the law) provide prosecution of felony possession for every mark on the product. An unmodified SOCOM would have more than 3 marks... technically you could be doing a life term for this one possession if they wanted to make an example out of you. So as you can see this is a VERY big deal legally.
Apart from all that MFI does business with HK and all other real firearms manufactures and would never dream of violating their IPR; just as we would hope they would not violate MFI's IPR either. just basic good business.
Just so there is absolutely " NO CONFUSION IN THE MARKET PLACE" we have added this paragraph to clarify a number of points.
MFI goes to great lengths and legal expense to research all INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY RIGHTS (IPR) of the real weapons manufactures to GUARANTY that we do not accidentally import / offer for sale any item that may be restricted by law or that violates IPR: Trademarks, Utility Patents, Design Patents, Copyright or Trade dress.
MFI does NOT offer about 40% of what is available / manufactured in the airsoft community due to IPR violations or Federal Law. Even though you may see other want-to-be / shady (with no telephone numbers or address) airsoft vendors selling items such as: TMP, SR16, M4 RIS, etc. does NOT make it legal. You can buy drugs on the street too but, it does not make them legal.
The fact is that no real weapons manufacture makes any airsoft items and only a very select few offer licensing for IPR (and almost zero licenses for the US Market due to product liability issues).
All registered trademarks have either been removed from the tooling (thus a blank / smooth area) or from the product itself. Click here to better understand our method of removal. This applies to only valid / registered trademarks. We do not remove areas like "Law Enforcement Use Only" or other un-registered / not protected markings.
Utility patents and Design Patents: There are a great number of airsoft that violate these issues. The following is a known list of product MFI will not carry as it is 100% protected by a Patent. Do not confuse this with a trademark that can be removed. There is no way to remove a design or how something functions from a product.
For all MFI imported products the Patents are either not applicable to the specific item we sell or a licenses has been paid to the IPR holders.
Trade names: These are for easy reference only and we do our best not to use the exact name or refer to it as similar, style or add disclaimer immediately following to assure that no one can possible mistake the items we sell for the real thing or that they have any relation to the real manufactures.
As IPR issues and laws / regulations in regards to importation into the USA change everyday it is possible that we have missed a particular IPR. If you are the holder of an IPR that you feel maybe violated on our web site PLEASE contact us immediately. We will need to have the exact issued IPR reference number plus the date of issue and the type of IPR / category it falls under. If we see that there is any evidence of violation we will immediately remove the item in question from the web site, cease all sales of said item and open discussions as to the disposition of remaining product and possible royalties due the holder.
Again some manufactures do allow licensing to some degree. Feel free to contact HK Licensing / IPR Legal department to see for yourself. Should you be granted a license or waiver you could then contact us with this paperwork and we could arrange for a single unit to come to you. Without this official approval you will not be allowed to own an item with IPR violation.
FEDERAL DOC REQUIRED & APPROVED / ORANGE MARKINGS:
All MFI air guns sold to non-DOC waiver holders (including foreign) conform to all federal guidelines and regulations in regards to the tips of the barrels being marked with the same color we supply to the FBI to quickly identify these as semi-lethal weapons.
All airsoft guns in the USA are required by Federal Law to have the orange tip.
Note all models are different and these marks very greatly from one gun to another (MFI currently has 11 different approved alternative DOC markings) and can change without notice if and when the DOC revises their approved marking criteria (which is about once per year). For the aforementioned reason we do not have the ability or funds to keep up with a photographic archive of the current exact DOC marking for every single weapon we carry. For this reason we provide a general guide line below which is always current in it's information. If you have a specific model you are thinking of buying and want to know the current application of the DOC marking we would be happy to supply you with a written description if it is not already contained in the text below.
Note: The law is very clear that an owner may possess an unmarked DOC airsoft or replica but, you may not (nor anyone): manufacture, transport (ship it or receive it ) or enter into commerce ( buy, sell or advertise ) without this attached approved marking. Therefore if you remove the mark you can not resell or move the product via any form a transit. See Regulation below:
[57 FR 48453, Oct. 26, 1992]
Sec. 1150.2 Prohibitions.
"No person shall manufacture, enter into commerce, ship, transport, or receive any toy, look-alike, or imitation firearm (``device'') covered by this part as set forth in Sec. 1150.1 of this part unless such device contains, or has affixed to it, one of the markings set forth in Sec. 1150.3 of this part, or unless this prohibition has been waived by Sec. 1150.4 of this part."
Sec. 1150.3: Covers the Pre-Approval Criteria and Procedures in having a product approved prior to import.
In general: All tips are marked with a minimum of 7mms and can be as deep as 1.5 inches.
Electric PSG-1 is the only weapon that does not have a screw on flash suppressor so it will have: the original barrel end painted.
Anyone claiming to be in the Prop Department asking what color paint to use or how to remove the orange is not much of a Prop Master. We do not respond to these questions, as your experience in the Industry should be adequate to successfully solve this minor inconvenience.
Electric FN P90, M16A2, M4A1, AUG, G3s, FAMAS or other weapons that have a screw on flash suppressor will have: (new approval method) a solid plastic orange flash suppressor mounted on the weapon and the original un-painted / un-modified flash suppressor in a bag with a written safety / legal warning notice if you need to swap it out. Barrels have metal threads so the plastic will always give way... you just need to be aware that these are left hand threads so you turn the vise grips or pliers CLOCK-WISE to remove the orange DOC part. Doing so will likely scare / damage the plastic so we recommend that you leave it as it is until after our 45 return policy. This way if for whatever reason you need to return the item you will not be charged ($35.00+) for a replacement part.
MP5A5 / A4s & MP5K / PDW: We have been granted the use of a solid plastic DOC orange 3 lug barrel that is identical to the shape and size of the original black metal one… this orange barrel would be on the gun during shipping / transport. Additionally you get the original un-painted barrel tip & or un-modified flash suppressor (in the case of the PDW) in a bag with a written safety / legal warning notice if you need to swap it out. These are all plug and play items and require only a 1.5mm allen key to back out the set screw that holds them in place. You remove the orange one in less than 30 seconds and place in the original black one in the same time… there is no painting or removal of paint required. Just another reason MFI is head and shoulders above the rest of the would be airsoft world.
Single Shot SMGs, Assault Rifles & Handguns: Many of our SMGs, Assault Rifles & Handguns have an added plastic part glued to the end of the barrel to assure full depth compliance of the DOC marking as many of the barrels do not project out from the slide enough to be marked or is just easier to remove (per Motion Picture Use). SOCOM Mr.23, Marui M8000, Desert Eagle, & HF Glock, P8, HF M92F, MP5A3, Tokyo Marui G3A3 Single shot, XM177E2, M93RVII and many others have an added orange plastic tip / barrel extension of about 10mm glued on to the front of the barrel. If used for Theatrical proposes you just cut the tip off with a ban saw or razor blade... thus there is no re-painting or the slide or barrel. SOCOM mark 23s having the above added tip will protect the threads / the threads are not effected by the added part but, you would need to remove the part to place on a fake silencer. If the barrel was painted the threads would be gummed up with paint and render the threads unserviceable / un fixable to be useful with a fake silencer. In short MFI looks for the best possible way to mark these for all possible applications. In many cases we have original replacement parts that you can buy as an accessory and swap as you need to. In the case of the XM177E2 we have these spare parts in solid orange or painted flat black. MP5A3s we have these parts in solid black plastic only.
Single Shot AKM-AK47, WA G3A3 & SPAS 12 (Pistol Only): These two items follow a new trend and are our latest APPROVED ALTERNATIVE DOC MARKINGS. In both cases there is NO painted part or NO Added plastic part. As we own some of the tool and dies of these we have the manufactures make the barrel ends in orange plastic. In short there is no added part and no paint to try to remove if you are a Prop Master and using them for Professional Motion Picture use. In the case of the SPAS the last two steps of the choke / end of the barrel are in orange plastic. In the case of the WA G3A3 the entire front site, barrel and flash suppressor are in orange plastic. In the case of the AKM the front barrel nut / slant flash suppressor is orange plastic. If used for Theatrical proposes you just mask off the area on the SPAS barrel and paint it. The rest of the weapon has semi or flat black paint used on the receiver and barrel so what ever tone / shade you choose will match / mis-match well. Mis-match is good too as no real gun is one uniform color anyway. In the case of the AKM (remove only the flash suppressor… pull) and in the case of the G3A3 you just remove the entire front site / barrel as they are one piece and held in by one screw and paint them black. No masking, no trouble.
Again MFI looks for the best possible way to mark these for all possible applications. We do NOT have original replacement parts for any of these guns.
DOC WAIVER FOR PROFESSION MOTION PICTURE USE:
If you are in actual possession of this waiver you may submit it to MFI's legal department via FAX. It will require as much as 6 weeks to verify your paper work with the appropriate agencies. If you are not in possession of this paper work you may apply for it through MFI or on your own. Waiver requires 3 years of back IRS 1040 forms, Notarized sworn statement as to usage, Project Summary / Script and any supporting film related materials like advertising etc. If you do not have the aforementioned documentation the DOC will not grant your request for a waiver. This process can drag out to be over 6-9 months so we recommend the following.
Many other guns we sell have spare parts you can buy that are unpainted / unmodified and you just swap out the DOC part for original when needed. Most our electric guns come with the Fed. Mandated Orange tip on the gun and an original unmodified / unpainted spare tip / flash suppressor for use in the professional film industry. This way MFI can quickly fill any order to a company or individual without delay (waiting 6-9 months for DOC paperwork to be approved [or not] for waiver of DOC required marking) which is required by Federal Regulations when doing commerce or shipping airsoft product. Additionally this also keeps the customer out of jail, as it is also a felony to receive non-complying DOC airsoft product as well. MFI looks out for its customers and makes every attempt to supply completely legal product without the risk of the customer being an unsuspecting receiver of a restricted / felony possession item.
Finally on the subject of Professional Motion Picture waiver and the need of the customer to have an unmarked airsoft gun: We seriously doubt the legitimacy of any Professional Prop House or an Individual claiming to having this need yet lacking the expertise or ability to swap parts, paint over or remove a piece of plastic. Any legitimate company doing business in the Professional Entertainment Industry would have this equipment and expertise at their fingertips.
Fake Silencers, Tracers and Flash Suppressors: non integral, sold separately or not attached to a weapon baring a DOC marking are not marked when shipped. That is to say they are not painted with an approved DOC orange tip and thus special care should be used if they are used in conjunction with a marked weapon in so much as they will obstruct / cover the Safety Marking. Covering the DOC marking whether with electrical tape, repainting or with one of the aforementioned apparatus is a serious violation of Federal Law and is a great risk to life and limb.
NOTE: MFI also provides the ability to have the Approved DOC marking to be added to any item we sell for an added $15.00. Please allow 5-7 business days for this modification to be made.
The Spirit and Letter of the Law:
Regardless of the letter of the law it has been made perfectly clear from all government agencies involved with the importation, resale and simple possession that this is a matter of PUBLIC SAFETY. MFI is a manufacture and long time advocate of retro-reflective conspicuity devises as they are proven to save lives. We live by this policy and frown upon anyone wishing to defeat any Federally mandated or common sense safety precaution. Like the automotive seat belt law… MFI resents the governments needing to past a law to protect customers when this should be basic common sense. Unfortunately we live in a world and a country where apparently we not only lack common sense but, also have those consumer advocate groups who perhaps from time to time go too far. We wear our seat belts and leave on the DOC markings not because it is FEDERAL LAW but, rather because it is just GOOD COMMON SENSE. We fully understand the customers first reaction to want something that looks indistinguishable from the real thing but, also believe that once they are given the opportunity to see why this is a Federal Requirement and will act accordingly and with appropriate safety measures to ensure that nothing bad happens to them selves or those they care about.
In accordance with US Law, Current US Governmental Contract and our own Company Policy all MFI Air Guns & Model Guns For Theatrical, Movie, TV, Law Enforcement, Firearms Instruction, Sporting and Museums or Collectors for display use only. As stated the potential for disaster is so high as to mistaken identity with this product MFI reserves the right to refuse sale to any party whom exhibits an unsafe or unprofessional attitude towards the seriousness of this subject. These products should be considered as dangerous as a real loaded firearm. It is for this reason that we voluntarily restrict our sales. Your second amendment right has serious social ramifications and is not a license to be stupid.
MFI is required by a number of Federal Agencies to have all airsoft products evaluated for a verity of things. All air guns not only must meet Federal standards but, also be pre-approved before import. For this reason we can not necessarily special order any gun. The approval process takes 4-6 months to complete and costs about $1000.00 per application. This process does not absolutely guarantee approval. In fact 50% of the time we can not get permission to import. Over the years we have come to realize and are able to predict what items will pass and what ones will not. If there is an item you do not see on our extensive list of available products contact us. We will not go into detail as to the "why" something is not available. Common reasons for us not carrying particular items are:
As this pre-approval process is not an act of congress but rather a group of regulations in a number of different agencies the regulations may be interpreted differently from one administration to the next. Additionally it is relatively easy to change the criteria surrounding any particular regulation. This happens from time to time and when it does all air guns or effected accessories must be re-submitted for re-approval. Normally we are given 9 months of operation lead way to continue sales while the re-approval takes place. During this time we are allowed to sell existing stock but, not allowed to import new product. If this grace period expires and approval has not been granted we are required by our agreement with these agencies to suspend sales of non-approved product.
This is but, a brief summary of "why" we may or may not be able to get specific items that you are interested in. The entire saga is far too complex to go into. If you require more information we suggest you hire an attorney as we did years ago. After 2 years and $10,000.00+ you should have a good idea of what we know on this subject.
SPECIAL NOTE TO FOREIGN SUPPLIERS:
Although MFI appreciates your contacting us in regards to carrying your product please be aware that the criteria for importation into the USA is not like other countries. In general Federal Approval (assuming you offer a product that lives up to MFI standards and will pass CPSC evaluation in regards to safety issues) can take up to one year to achieve and costs MFI about $1000.00 per individual model approved. The paper work is monumental and requires that the product be seen in advance shipped directly from the supplier / manufacture to the DOC in the exact form it will be imported. If it passes it is sent to MFI and we in turn reemit it to 4 other Federal Agencies who control sale and importation of airsoft products. We receive paper work / approval that is specific to the product, manufacture and importer. Approval from some other US company does not mean you can send in product to anyone else. You will note that our prices here in the USA are significantly height than in the manufacturing companies home countries, this is because we have added cost cause by the aforementioned process and associated permits / resulting paper work.
Many of you have stated that you ship to other US companies without any paperwork or modification to the product. We believe that you believe this is legal. We assure you that it is not. The fact that a shipment arrived to its location does not mean that a qualified US Customs Inspector examined the contents of the box. More often than not no one looks inside or those who do are not aware of the situation in regards to what exactly is required. More and more seizures are taking place as US Customs Teams are alerted to the smuggling of airsoft bb guns. And they do consider lack of paper work smuggling and the importer is not allowed the option to bring the items in compliance, which results in the destruction of the product. As you are aware US Law is very clear about whose responsibility it is when it comes to Federal Indictment and Prosecution. You the shipper / manufacture are completely exempt from any responsibility in this matter. The Importer is the one who gets prosecuted for these violations. Thus, a violation on your part means a Federal Indictment to the importer. In short unless we are totally satisfied that your company can perform and will perform the required modifications we can not afford to do business with you. To date MFI has lost some $40,000.00 over 10 years of doing business in airsoft due to non compliance of requested tasks from MFI. We have a solid supply chain at this moment for all product listed on our web site. If you are looking to sell items we already carry it is not likely we will be interested. If on the other hand you manufacture a product not found on our web site please feel free to contact us.
MFI buys only from the actual manufactures themselves of these products. No middleman company could possibly understand what we require for a valid and legal importation. Again MFI imports in volume. We are not like your other buyers who order 1-10 units at a time thus; due to the small quantity these shipments often go unopened or inspected by US Customs. Average MFI shipment is between 500 and 1500 units of airguns or 600 square feet to 1800 square feet of cargo. Not something to be missed by a US Customs Team.
PROFESSIONAL MOTION PICTURE / THEATRICAL USE:
As with the creation of 250+ cable channels in the past few years there has emerged a whole new realm of low budget film and television productions. New digital editing and digital effect techniques have enabled the easy addition of flying brass and muzzle flashes on even the most modest VTR editors. The advantages are multi fold: At present to use a live firearm on location requires a special handler @ $700.00 per day plus the cost of the particular weapons and blanks / effects. The danger involved with this is also great. Even blanks discharge material and gas that can easily seriously injure someone. The use of these new airguns makes even extreme close-ups and live firing cost effective for even the lowest budget companies. The use of BBs are most often used as a visual marker signal the editor to apply flying brass and muzzle flash and sound effects. Most likely you have already seen similar air guns in Films & on TV, Air Soft BB guns often used as stunt doubles for the real firearm. When you see the bad guy throw down his gun it is most often an Air Soft BB gun that is dropped to avoid damage to real and valuable firearms. Use of rubber guns has been limited in the past years as the cost to make them is high.
NOTE: Film and Theatrical versions do not have DOC markings.
PREFERRED MFI CUSTOMER DISCOUNT:
On selected MFI accessories (imported and MFI manufactured) you will find two prices: Standard Retail Price & Preferred MFI Customer Price. For years MFI has sold many items like BBs and Gas at or below actual cost to ensure that customers do not reuse bbs or have the cost of shooting be too high. A Preferred MFI Customer (PMC) is anyone who:
To be absolutely clear on this topic... PMC means: We generally gauge this in increments of $100.00 but, as you will see we are very liberal with this policy.
If you buy a single shot $45.00 hand gun you are PMC for anything that this gun or other guns (in the same price range or lower) uses i.e. bbs, mags, etc. PMC for a Glock 17 single shot would also allow you to buy accessories for the P99 or P8 even if you did not buy these from MFI.
Like wise if you bought a $45.00 airsoft bb gun you would NOT qualify for items / accessories for more expensive guns... i.e. $100.00+ single shots or any electric guns...
On the other hand if you bought a $400.00 - $500.00 Electric Air Soft BB Gun you would qualify as a PMC for all MFI products.
whether PSG-1 or Single Shot Glock. So if you bought ONLY one MP5A5 from us and you want to get accessories for a G3A4, AK47, L85A1 and M16A2 that you did NOT buy from MFI... NO PROBLEM... You get the PMC Discount.
As you can see MFI is very generous with the PMC offer... We ask very little and in return you get a lot. If you do not qualify as PMC with MFI perhaps whom ever sold you your gun will give you similar discounts... Problem is that most other companies do not carry stock of guns much less accessories so any offer they might make is a bit ambiguous when you have to wait for 4-12 weeks. We make no bones about this... MFI is REWARDING those of you who are smart enough to see the big picture in terms of what you get for a warranty and other perks i.e. discounts from 20% to 50% off depending on if MFI makes the item or just imports it. High in site is everything... you get what you pay for... In the end our retail prices are not bad; especially when we have all these items (500+) in stock and available for immediate shipment.
We know that when you see a PMC price that you do not qualify for... and it is 50% off the standard retail price had you bought a gun from us... Just remember it the next time you go to buy an airsoft gun... Lowest price for one item does not equate to total over all value and customer service and product selection / availability. Please especially remember that this Super Discounted PMC Price of 50% off like on the MP5A4 Solid Stocks is at our actual cost of manufacturing this part. MFI really believes in rewarding our loyal customers with particular items that are almost essential or at the very least highly desirable as these accessories do make for a more complete set. We are retail consumers too... so we really do understand this. Like wise MFI has ZERO incentive to give a non-MFI customer a price at or near our cost... just not smart business.
NOTE: Once you are a Preferred MFI Customer you keep that status for life. Like our warranties MFI is not strict on the letter of the policy... (We often extend the grace period on returns in special cases). Thus we look more towards the spirit of the sale. Depending on the amount of the purchase (or the attitude of the customer) you may be given the PMC price or some other discount. MFI does not want one-time sales just because we offer the lowest price. We enjoy the relationship built by strong customer relations. 90% of our sales are repeat customers so this new policy really only effects those customers who buy only items based on price alone. This policy assures valued & loyal MFI customers the best deals available. It is not that we do not welcome non-buyers of our airguns… but, rather that we can no longer afford to sell to them at or near our cost. You will note that our Standard Retail Prices on accessories are still well below that if ordered from foreign countries.
Click here to return to the accessories page.
EFFECTIVE RANGE:
Contrary to what other retailers (whom are trying to sell you something that they them selves have little or no experience with) MFI has actual real life experience with all the products we sell. As you can tell from our web site we list current availability and price of all our products. No other retailer supplies this level of service. We do our very best to supply the first time user and buyer of airsoft correct and unembellished real life applications. If anything we understate the potential and capability of the products we sell so that when you see and use them they perform exactly as we claim or even better.
Limited range: In practical application airsoft like live weapons have what is called "Effective Range". In fact because of the two very different realms that airsoft are used it we have determined two separate ranges that airsoft bb guns are effective:
The above information may not be exactly what you what to hear or what others have told you. We here at MFI can only speak from our own 10+ years in dealing directly with the manufactures in the airsoft industry. Other companies give a great song and dance about the products they supposedly carry and sell. Just remember they like MFI are in the business of making a sale. The difference is MFI wants a completely satisfied customer who comes back time and time again for the superior product and services that we offer.
PERFORMANCE / FEET PER SECOND:
Although MFI is a manufacturer of live weapon and airsoft accessories we are not a direct manufacture of any air soft gun... We are partners in RND and some production in foreign countries. No air soft gun is made by any USA based company. This is why we list the manufactures.
Because the basic laws of physics limit the amount of penetration possible and the fact that air soft guns were never intended to shot with even half the velocity of a conventional bb gun; attempting and paying for upgrading is a bit silly. Years ago when MFI first started importing air soft the customers we sold to were not interested in gaming like paintball. They only wanted "POWER." Contrary to our own beliefs we provided as much power as possible via the air soft gears, motor and springs being upgraded at the factory to be as powerful as possible with out sacrificing battery performance or reliability. As most countries where air soft guns are manufactured have laws prohibiting the type of power up grade MFI has done; our guns were and still are illegal to possess in Japan, etc. All other upgrades are done by after market suppliers and we have found these to have serious problems; so we do not use anything other than original manufactured parts and have all power up grade modifications done at the factory by trained technicians. As of September 1998 MFI has moved away from this excessive and expensive power upgrade. The Law Enforcement industry (whom we supply these for training) and the buying public have requested less power as the previous upgraded versions were at times penetrating eye protection and SWAT head gear. Per these requests and with the on set of formal gaming teams being created we provide all our air soft guns with a new standard of upgrade.
Our air soft guns "as in modified to MFI specific specifications" consist of every gun in the line up with a few exceptions (as note on the web site like the FA MAS @ $350.00). MFI is the only buyer who has the air soft gears (more durable metal), motor (if required) and springs upgraded at the factories to be slightly more powerful than a standard air soft gun yet, not so powerful as to be unsafe in gaming.
A common misconception is that a larger air soft gun (i.e. PSG-1 or M16 in 308 or .223) will have significantly more power than a smaller one (i.e. MP5A5 in 9mm). This is totally incorrect. The fact is that all air soft guns (in their respective categories i.e. single shot spring powered, electric power select fire and gas powered) use similar if not identical internal mechanisms. What you pay more for is the exterior metal parts, added accessories or just the shear size of the added metal and plastic components. Do not be misled… They are nearly all the same when it comes to performance. Barrel length is the area where accuracy can be manipulated. Ballistically speaking an air soft gun should have a barrel of between 10 inches and 17 inches to provide maximum accuracy at longer ranges. In short a MP5K will be less accurate at 50 feet than a PSG-1. But the XM177E2 or M4A1 will have equal accuracy at the same distance as the PSG-1 even though the barrel lengths of the XM and M4 are only 13.5 verse 17.5 in the PSG-1. (NOTE: The barrel length we quote here is the actual copper inner barrel that the bb moves through. The PSG-1 has an outer barrel length of about 24 inches but the actual bb travels down a 17.5 inch bb barrel and then flies free inside the outer shell covering for 7-8 inches before existing the air gun.)
Many customers fixate on the FPS and power of air soft. This fixation is a little ridiculous as air soft are not intended to be in direct competition with conventional bb guns. Air soft guns however complex and finely tuned are not like high dollar single shot competition air guns when it comes to the exact feet per second. A Walther, Fienwerkbau, Crossman or Daisy air gun will have a guaranteed speed of 850 fps because they use a very simple single throw lever action that provides exactly the same compression for each shot. Air soft guns do not operate this way and the actual fps will very greatly not only from one gun to another from the same case but, also from one shot to another from the same gun. This is why we give a general estimated fps. FPS of airsoft can range as much as 25 fps in either direction from shot to shot. Thus a rating of 280 fps could indicate 255 fps to 305 fps. This is not a science but, rather entertainment. It is for this exact reason we have written this section. Do not be mislead by idealists blowing smoke up your a#@% just to make a sale. Below we supply you with easy to understand, plain English of what you can expect from our air guns. If the gun you buy from us does not perform in these basic criteria then perhaps there is something wrong with it. Please do not quibble about your need for power or the fact that you had your gun tested and it is 35 fps or what ever off the specification chart. We will simply point you right back to this section and remind you what air soft is all about. Enjoy the ability to shoot where you have never been able to before with relative safety in FULL AUTO... Do not chase your tail and speed mega dollars attempting futile up grades that only result in defeating the whole beauty of this activity.
MFI Test Fires each airsoft product that we sell to best determine the actual FPS for our customers. Remember these are upgraded airsoft replicas that we get directly from the manufactures and will not be the same as found in other countries or sold by other vendors. Here is the method to our madness in this area:
It is impossible to up the power of any air soft gun to be comparable to that of an RWS or Crossman air gun due primarily to the laws of physics. The basic difference is in the projectile. Mass / weight are everything when it comes to penetration. Forget about feet per second… For example: A plastic bb traveling 300 FPS is not going to have the same mass or penetration as a car going the same FPS. The laws of physics dictate that the projectile must have equal to or greater mass than that of the target in order to penetrate it. If not then the result is that the projectile will ricochet or bounce off the target. The whole idea and beauty of air soft is that they do not penetrate like a conventional bb gun. This allows the user to shoot indoors with far less risk to injury than with a conventional bb gun.
The underling fact is that air soft were invented in countries where regular firearms and paintball guns are illegal. The nature and mechanics of air soft are kept low to accommodate these laws.
Performance is the real question you should be asking. Our upgraded guns are most noticeably more powerful if you are on the receiving end of one. They will have a noticeably flatter trajectory than the standard or non-upgraded guns we sell.
Example: All our guns at point blank range i.e. barrel right up against a full soda can will penetrate the first layer of aluminum no problem. Move the same can back 1 foot and bb will recherché off the can. Standard guns penetrate paper targets out to about 12-15 feet. Upgraded guns will do the same from 15-18 feet depending on the gun. NOTE: bbs hitting a hard surface… say a garage door will recherché right back at you with near same velocity as when they left the barrel at this range. Standard guns have flat trajectory out to 25+ feet, upgraded models have flat trajectory out to 45+ feet. You can hit a 2-foot square target at 75+ feet but there is no penetration at this range. BBs can travel 100 yards but, with zero accuracy and zero penetration.
If you think the range of these air guns is not long enough then do not buy one as you will not be satisfied. Understand the nature of this sport is not for killing small animals or breaking glass or even shooting out doors. The fact that these bbs are physically 3 times the size of a conventional bb or pellet with only 1/3 the mass / weight makes wind is your biggest enemy. It is for this reason that 95% of all use of these products upgraded or not is indoors.
Velocities of conventional and sporting BB guns vary widely. Some are as little as 425 feet per second where as others can exceed 1,500 feet per second. Air Soft in general are between 120 fps and 300 fps. Air soft gun laws center around Potential Penetration. This is measured in a unit called "joule". Conventional bb guns have an impact of 25.0 joules at 10 feet where air soft guns measure only .75 jeuls at same distance. Not a good idea to compare two diametrically opposed products. Barrels of air soft guns are not rifled. Airsoft guns maybe not as lethal as they're bigger brothers but certainly as dangerous. Careless handling can result in serious injury, especially to the eyes.
Up Grades:
MFI no longer carries or will accept orders for up graded guns or parts. These cost lots of money and achieve only minimal increase in performance and result in loss of battery performance as well as reliability. Finally even if you had these parts it is not likely that you would possess the right tools, schematic diagrams or expertise to work on the gear box anyway. We have extensive experience in this area and have dropped these items forever from our line up as they eventually result in unsatisfied customers.
Materials of Construction:
The exact materials very widely from model to model. Check the individual weapon pages to see exactly what are metal parts, plastic or wood. Receivers are generally ABS plastic. All plastic parts are high quality ABS that is very strong and will last a very long time. We test everything we sell and do not carry any substandard products.
Internal Parts / Gears and Springs:
MFI upgraded airsoft guns have moved away from the over powered versions we did in years past that were only good for target shooting. As gaming with airsoft has grown we are forced to follow the current trends and requests for less dangerous airsoft guns. As we import from a number of different manufactures; all of which supply us with air guns made and or modified to MFI specifications it is impossible to tell you or even keep track of the exact upgraded parts for each and every model we carry. In general all our upgraded guns are well within the limits / requirements for gaming.
Most of the air guns we sell are technically not "Air Soft" as these are all EXPORT MODELS that make use of slightly higher compression springs, motors and gears that would be illegal in most countries where air soft guns are sold. Additionally our particular air guns have been re-designed to accommodate the use of metallic (6mm) ammunition.
Here is a general list to assist you:
Click here for more specific information on Performance / FPS.
Metal Bodies / Receivers:
The construction material of 90% of all the available air gun receivers is ABS plastic. This is the manufacture reasoning behind this and why metal replacement bodies are a very bad idea. The only air gun we carry that has a metal receiver is the MP44 as it is not available in any other format. We have also had many problems with these due to this fact and the most common problem is the wires being cut from the battery as the user attaches the stock.
HOP UP SYSTEMS:
Hop Up systems or kits do not add power but, rather give the user the ability to control the spin placed on the BB. Hop Ups only effect the bb after 30+ feet. Before this distance the trajectory will remain flat no matter what position the Hop Up is set to. So unless you are in an environment where you can shoot farther than 50 feet without the effects of wind Hop Ups are near pointless.
AIR SOFT POWER EXPLAINED:
MFI Air Guns & Air Soft BB guns use 3 types of power sources.
Additionally all MFI air soft guns use original manufacture equipment (battery) and specifically designed battery chargers. We do not modify or jerry-rig funky connectors that are not industry standard. We buy our chargers and connectors from the same companies that supply Marui and others.
These are great for low budget films as the action of the slide moving back is the most difficult effect to simulate on a non-firing gun. Prior to the summer of 1997 99% of the available Gas Blow Back Air Guns on the market were total trash and had many reliability problems. It is for this reason that MFI refused to import many of the handguns and smaller sub-machine guns. Presently the situation is getting better as the technology has been corrected. We have tested and re-tested the few Blow Backs that we carry and stand behind them in all respects. The revolutionary new systems by Western Arms and KSC have allowed us to import these and be assured that you the customer will be satisfied for years to come. As with all our products… As live weapons importers we are the toughest of all the critics on this subject. Just like the single shot and electric air guns we beat the #*@^ out of these to be absolutely sure that they are reliable.
It should be noted that not all gas blow back guns are quality pieces. Quit the contrary most are still junk and are not worth buying. A good measure of the worth of a gas blow back air gun or any airgun for that matter is if MFI carries it. If we do not carry the model you are looking for there is a good chance that it is not a quality item or simply not worth the money required to get it approved to import into the USA.
NOTE: Gas can only be sent via UPS Ground as it is a compressed substance. We can not ship in regular mail or other carriers. Gas being shipped outside the lower 48 US States must go via ocean freight. Have your freight forwarder contact us to make the necessary arrangements.
Buyers of gas blow back guns must be aware that you need to allow the magazine to warm up room temperature before you fire it. If you do not the cold will decimate your internal seals and o rings. For this reason having spare magazines is a must for a gas blow back gun. If you do not allow them to warm up your seals will last only 5-6 months or 3000-5000 rounds. If you follow all the rules your seals should last 2-3 years or 30,000 to 50,000 rounds.
RELIABILITY / DURABILITY:
The one area in which Air Soft BB guns differ from the real thing is durability. Unlike their military or civilian counter parts they are effected easily by rough handling, dirt and weather especially water. Re-used BBs are the number one cause of air soft breakage. We keep the cost of BBs as low as we can to accommodate our customers. Avoiding these adverse conditions will keep your air gun functioning well. Disregard this advice and pay the price.
Preventive maintenance: The name of the game with airsoft is not so much what to do as what not to do. Your factory manual will cover some of the basics to keep your airgun functioning for years to come. MFI additionally adds to this information we have learned over the years that the manufactures have overlooked or is considered common sense in another country and culture. This information is provided with every air gun we sell.
DISASSEMBLY:
We understand your possible urge to understand in depth how these air guns work. Unlike real weapons these airguns are far more complex and require skilled / factory training to be sure that all parts are in the exact correct position so as not to be a problem in the future. The number 2 cause of air gun failure is the customer opening up the mechanism. DO NOT open or disassemble these products. We have yet to find anyone in the USA outside of our own factory trained staff who have the knowledge, tools and schematics to do this type of operation. Even they do not want to do this. Disassembly automatically voids your 45 day warranty and it is easy upon examination if some one has opened the body of one of these air guns.
CUSTOM MFI PRODUCTS:
MFI is the only air soft retailer who is also a supplier of not only real firearms products but, also manufactures a number of our own custom accessories. These accessories whether for real firearms or air soft are only available from MFI. Currently we have the following products available.
Complete replacement hand guards available for MP5A5, MP5A4, XM177E2 and M4A1. Or send your hand guards in to be modified and fitted for nearly every model of air gun.
Contract Manufacture:
Contrary to popular belief not all parts and products are made in factories owned by the brand name manufacture. BBs, Plastic parts, Batteries, Chargers etc. are usually made by what is known as a contract manufacture. This is exactly as it sounds... A company like Tokyo Marui will sub-contract out many parts at are too costly to make in Japan or are already produced by someone else.
This is far more common than most of you might think. Every major manufacture uses contract manufactures: Ford, Chevy, Nike etc. It may be a simple matter of private labeling a preexisting item like manifold covers or shoes to the hiring of an injection molder factory. In the case of the latter the hiring company may be paying for the rights to use mold and dies or having new molds made for exclusive use.
Many of the more respected airsoft manufactures buy generic products and have their label placed on them. Companies like Tokyo Marui, KSC, Western Arms etc. do this as common practice. MFI in general does not do this primarily to keep the cost down for the customer. Obviously private labeling and custom packaging can add up to as much as 50% of a products total cost. MFI how ever does form alliances with existing airsoft and model manufactures to produce a product or a more inclusive package. An example of this is ACX: ACX is in essence MFI and another airgun manufacture that provides us with an exclusive deal. It may be as simple as MFI contracting for a gun in a higher power and a more comprehensive package or as complex as MFI paying for tool / dies to have a product made.
MFI even private labels the HALO Reflective Band to the Motorcycle Safety Foundation. Additionally MFI owns all manufacturing rights, tools and dies for HALO but, we do not physically own the assembly line where HALOs are made. We use a contract manufacture for that. In the case of BBs MFI could be considered the manufacture but, we have no reason to make this claim. As well known as the MFI name is it is not worth the effort to claim or appear exclusivity to something that is not exclusive and any way shape or form. We use the same contract manufacture as Marui and many others... the difference is no brand name label and a far lower price. Call it what you will... Contract Manufacturing or just plain old Generic. Higher quality for less money is always preferable.
Consider any "Contract Manufactured" product we carry as "Generic". Like generic pharmaceuticals many of the non-name brand items we carry are near identical to the name brand but, because we pay less you pay less. We will always be straight forward with you as to if there are any real differences that you need to know about.
DEALER / RETAIL STORES:
We regret to inform the dealers and public that after 7 years of trying to get dealers interested in this type of product we have dropped our dealer program in Dec. 1998. What ever the reasoning we will no longer offer price protection to anyone interested is buying airsoft products from us.
Where this may be bad news for the dealers and the few customers who want to see these items in the flesh before purchasing it is good news for the consumer in that it now allows MFI to be more aggressive in its price matching policy. We will still continue to offer volume discounts to anyone (dealer or private) who buys more than one gun at a time.
I have to warn you that there is no rhythm or reason to any offer we may make you at the time of a conversation. We recommend that you contact us last with your best deal. We expect you to buy right then and there. If you have to call us back... all bets and quotes are off. Do not expect the same deal if you hang up.
There are no showrooms or stocking dealers that we know of anywhere in the USA at this time. This is why we offer a very aggressive and liberal return policy and warranty. Sorry everyone purchases via mail order like everyone else does.
SHIPPING POLICY:
Generally orders received before 1:00 PM East Coast Time (Monday through Friday) with be packaged and shipped out that same day. Orders received after 1:00 PM East Coast Time (Monday through Friday) will be packaged and shipped out the next business day.
Shipping Quotes:
We can only quote shipping costs if we know exactly what you are ordering and your full name and address.
On our order page we list general shipping costs as it is impossible to accurately calculate shipping for every item and every method.
Minimum charge for shipping UPS is $9.75.
Minimum charge for shipping US Mail is $11.75.
Please note shipping via US Mail costs more as we must pay someone to go down and stand in line for an hour or so. You must pay for this inconvenience and added cost. Shipping US Mail can also delay a package up to 2 business days.
Use of other carriers; like Federal Express, Airborne, DHL, etc.
Current general estimated prices can be found by clicking here:
Just so there is absolutely “ NO CONFUSION IN THE MARKET PLACE” we have added this paragraph to clarify a number of points.
Customer Service is available from 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM Monday through Friday. We are often in earlier and or later than the aforementioned hours so if we hear the phone ring we will answer it.
DAILY DEADLINE FOR ORDERS: Any order received by 1:00 PM East Coast Time (Monday through Friday... excluding closures of course) is GUARANTEED to be filled this same day. Orders received after this deadline will be filled on the next business day.
For more information call: 606-787-0022 10:30 AM to 6:30 PM (East Coast Time)
Address: MFI 563 Via San Miguel Liberty, KY. 42539 U.S.A.
Shooting indoors at paper targets. Effective range is 15-18 feet to ensure that each and every shot penetrates the target. Great for wintertime / raining days or just a quick inexpensive full auto thrill.
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The users is running around with what would appear to be a title 3 machine gun and hunting other opponents. As paintball guns are easily identified from a distance as NOT real firearms an on-looker / neighbor would not call the police. Air soft guns look exactly like the real thing and if a person saw a number of armed persons with what look to be machine guns they will not only call the police but will request a SWAT Team to respond.
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Do not get us wrong… sure these bbs have flat trajectories of up to 65 feet and will carry 100 yards but, they do so with far less accuracy and little if any penetration at these ranges. Remember there is a vast difference between: Effective Range, Laying Down a Field of Fire and Maximum Carrying Distance.
In closing: Whole idea and beauty of airsoft is the fact that it is relatively safe and useable in areas where conventional bb guns or paintball guns can not be used. You would not shoot conventional bb guns in doors with little or no back stop and you certainly would not shoot paintballs in side your own home or garage. Airsoft is not intended to compete with either of these two other activities but rather is a super alternative when you do not want to go to the range or it is raining or what ever just to have a few quick minutes of fun.
All UPS packages must be signed for.
COD Available.
All US Mail packages must be signed for as we send them certified and return receipt.
NO COD AVAILABLE THIS METHOD.
NOTE: We can not track a package using this method.
As we do not have accounts with these carriers nor do we have their paper work a handling charge of $10.00 per box is required.
Shipping this method can also delay a package up to 2 business days.
NO COD AVAILABLE THIS METHOD.
YOUR SATISFACTION IS ABSOLUTELY GUARANTEED!
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.