March 26, 2019
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What is an Airsoft Gun?
An airsoft gun is not a real (deadly) gun. It is more or less a sports gun designed for use in airsoft sport. It is a very low power “pseudo” weapon that shoots spherical non-metallic projectiles. These projectiles which are usually made of plastic or resin material are commonly referred to as BBs. This may actually not be a correct representation as BBs are usually made of metallic materials. You can read about it here.
The projectiles fired from this type of gun have no penetrating or stopping power. If however the shot is fired directly unto unprotected skin, it will surely hurt and cause welting. It, however, won’t cause any damage.
In the airsoft sport – which is usually a team affair, the aim is to take out the entire members of the other team. Once a person is fired upon and a hit is recorded, the individual is considered dead and expected to cease further participation in the game.
The winning team will therefore be the team which at the end of the day is able to retain a higher number of members who were not hit.
One of the most interesting things about airsoft guns is that they are usually designed to be replicas of existing guns. You can get almost any kind of airsoft gun design – rifles, pistols, etc. In a lot of cases, these guns so closely resemble the original they are designed after that it is difficult to tell them apart.
To help clear up this confusion, some governments insist that the airsoft guns have orange tips as a way of differentiating them from the originals.
Choosing an Airsoft Gun
Choosing an airsoft gun may not be as straightforward as some may think. This is because there are a number of factors to consider. To help you with this selection process, we would look at a few important consideration factors that can help you make the right choice, whatever that may be for you.
Type
When you visit sites like https://www.airsoftspecialists.com/, you are sure to find different types of these guns. The important thing to understand is what makes one different from another. This will help you understand the choices you make.
The main consideration factor to look at is the way the gun is powered. There are three main types you will find. These are: Spring powered guns, electric powered guns and gas powered guns.
Spring Powered Guns
This type of airsoft gun is mechanically powered. This requires that the shooter manually cock the gun before shooting. The key points about this type of gun are:
- It can only fire one shot at a time.
- Since it has few moving parts, it is generally more durable.
- It is also among the least expensive.
- Most high-power airsoft rifles are spring powered.
Electric Powered Guns
These types of airsoft guns are also called Auto Electric Guns (AEG) and they are battery powered. This type of gun will have the capacity of firing in semi-automatic or automatic modes.
In semi-automatic mode, it will fire one shot every time the trigger is depressed. You will not need to cock the gun each time you want to fire. In automatic mode, the gun will fire continually for as long as the trigger is held down.
A lot of airsoft rifles are electric powered.
Gas Powered Guns
This type of gun is powered by compressed gas which is forcefully released when the trigger is pulled, shooting out the projectile. Some key points to note about this type of airsoft gun are that:
- They are most commonly used in pistols.
- Gas powered guns are mostly semi-automatic. There are of course exceptions.
- They use either compressed propane gas known as “Green gas” or compressed CO2 stored in cartridges.
Design
Like we mentioned earlier, airsoft guns can come as replicas of most existing gun you can think of. You can find all kinds of hand guns, rifles (high-power sniper rifles and low power rifles), automatic weapons etc.
Other Consideration Factors
Aside from the main pints we have looked at above, there are a few other things you should also note.
Level of Proficiency – If you are a beginner, you should start with a spring powered gun with a low FPS (Feet Per Second). The FPS is the velocity at which the projectile leaves the gun. You can go for higher FPS as you get better.
Blowback – This is a feature you will want to be aware of. This is an attempt at simulating the “recoil” you will get from firing a real gun. This feature is simply to add more realism.
As with most things, you will learn more and get better as you continue to experiment. The information above is only meant to help you get started. Get started and enjoy the world of airsoft guns.
