Riot Shields?

[PDWspecialist]

Are riot shields legal in airsoft? Does it have to be destructible (like cardboard) or can it be a realistic replica? Can It be used for squad defense or distracting enemy snipers and gunners? (Please NO COD references in replies)

[Baronvonsmooch]

Riot shields are legal as a whole. The problem with using riot shields is that they have no ballistic protection. If you are going to create a ballistic shield replica then it should weigh between 50-100 lbs in order to simulate actual usage. Not to point out the obvious, but ballistic shields are utilized for room clearing, hostage rescue and target take down ops, not open field play that normally takes place by the Menard field.

Most major Airsoft Ops will ban the use of Riot Shields because they are meant to be a cumbersome uneeded piece of equipment that in most real world ops is unable to be implemented except in short stints by SWAT and other Police Force missions.

[PDWspecialist]

What if I make one that is destructible after it takes enough fire or it it gets hit by the more powerful guns (upgraded AEGs, sniper rifles) to the point that it will begin fall apart deeming it a temperary asset.

[Baronvonsmooch]

I am not a rulemaker for this organization and am stating only personal views regarding the usage of ballistic shield usage.

BEGIN RANT:

For the most part these are military simulations not SWAT simulations. They are regarded as force on force not law enforcement vs organized criminals. For that reason most set ups follow standard military setups. They also do not utilize most law enforcement gear or toolsets (up to and including tasers, handcuffs, pepper spray, etc etc).

The "cool factor" of riot shields came out of video games such as Rainbox Six Vegas and CoD MW2. In standard military missions there is no shield man. Do certain military teams (Emergency Action Team ie Military Police SWAT) utilize shields, certainly but they are filling SWAT roles for hostage situations and robbery events. The usage of shields on an open field of combat (NOT MOUT or CQB) is an altogether impractical concept, especially in Airsoft. As I have stated before the shield itself is supposed to be cumbersome and unwieldy. As a counterpoint to your request to use a riot shield, instead go out and buy the ballistic armor to be an EOD tech and try being a Juggernaut for an hour before you dehydrate.

:END RANT

It is up to the event organizers and rulemakers to decide but my personal stance is no. Instead of putting money into this, go out and buy a nicer rig for your mags and other gear, or upgrade your weapons to make you a better player on the field.

[Saber]

Tear the door off of your car, carry that around.

[LieutenantKD]

I remember discussing this a couple of times. It was agreed between most that they should be acceptable as long as it is a legitimate Shield. Like the clear ones you can buy for 100 or so dollars on evike. As in not cardboard or something along those lines. So I guess if you shaped a large sheet of some kind of metal, that could count, or get plexi glass or something like that, then you should be fine.
. But at the same time, check with kyle before spending your time or money on any of this. He is really the "rule administrator" at this point.

(edit) spelling.

(edit 2)
Okay http://www.evike.com/product_info.php?products_id=34722
Not Okay http://media.photobucket.com/image/rece ... Shield.jpg

Once again, check with kyle before taking my word for it. Many are aware that I can be a PITA along the lines of forum communities.

edit 3: Disregard much of the above.

[Kyle]

To Baron's point, a riot shield in a wooded combat area is pretty ridiculous. For Airsoft use, I would think any shield would have to be destructible (or maybe perforated with holes) so it did not grant the user complete invincibility. However, we don't want cardboard scraps all over the woods, so there really isn't a solution for us.

If we ever do an actual CQB/MOUT environment, maybe, but for our current games out at the Menard Center woods, I'm going to rule that shields are a no-go, on the grounds that 1. a shield in the woods would be a bit silly, and 2. a gameplay-balanced destructible shield will leave behind too much litter. Spend the money on some better camo/equipment and come to our training day on 9/8 to learn how to best utilize the cover that's already around you.

[PDWspecialist]

[PDWspecialist]

Thanks for the helpful replies, but I have one more question. What if I buy the Evike one then strap it to my back and use it for flanker defense only. That way it will be cumbersome and I won't be huddling like a stupid little noob.

[Cheese Man]

Why don't you come out and play first? See what happens, and if you find that you need a riot shield on your back to protect from all those people coming up behind you, you can buy one, or just look behind you a little more often.