Information On Airsoft Guns And Pistols

By Anthony Carter

Airsoft is now a very popular pastime for both young and old Americans. Thousands of people enjoy playing in these realistic combat simulations every week. Most airsoft guns and pistols are realistic looking replicas of well known fire arms. They are classified depending upon the type of mechanism that they use to fire the pellets.

The firing mechanisms can either be spring, gas, or electric powered. Airsoft guns can have various characteristics which give different degrees of performance. This includes their range, battery life, accuracy, capacity, weight, and size. The earliest forms only used the spring mechanism, then during the early 1990s gas powered variations were developed which are today referred to as classic airsoft guns. These used what is known as the BV (Bullet Valve) system that directed a flow of gas that powered the firing mechanism. This gas came from an external tank of compressed air or carbon dioxide.

Today the most popular form of airsoft guns is what is known as automatic electric guns or AEGs. These have batteries which are rechargeable that trigger a mechanism to displace air and launch the pellets. Gas powered guns are still popular amongst certain airsoft players as they are often seen to be more realistic.

Gas powered airsoft pistols often use propane gas. It is now possible to acquire magazines for pistols that have a built in gas cylinder with adequate capacity to fire the pellets contained in the magazine. Many players enjoy the realism this creates as it is a more similar feel to an actual pistol.

When they were first introduced, airsoft guns were completely comprised of plastic apart from a very few metal pieces in the mechanisms. Now today, they are sold with both external and internal metal components. If you have tried using a airsoft gun you may have found them rather light. This has been overcome by adding additional weight to certain models to give a better experience.

The magazines that are used with airsoft guns come in many different capacities. Pistols may only have a ten to thirty pellet capacity though it is possible to purchase hi cap magazines which can hold as many as fifty pellets.

Automatic electric guns have magazines that are sold in three different capacities - low, mid, and high. Low capacity means between thirty to eighty pellets, mid range have eighty to one hundred and fifty, whereas high capacity AEG magazines can hold up to five hundred or even more pellets.

If you have played airsoft you may have come across mines and grenade launchers. These are most often powered through compressed gas and can seem quite realistic. An airsoft grenade launcher may contain as many as 300 pellets. Airsoft mines do not generally hold any projectiles; instead they simply produce a lot of smoke and noise.

There are also anti-tank weapons available but due to their weight and cost they are not so common. - 29943

About the Author:

Sign Up for our Free Newsletter

Enter email address here