What is Airsoft
Just Heard of Word “Airsoft” and want to know what it is. You need not worry about anything. This article covers everything from “What is Airsoft” to “Terms used in Airsoft”. So, Defining Airsoft in layman Terms:
“Airsoft is a shooting sport, in which you have Replica weapons called Airsoft guns and you hit your opponents with mocked bullets (BB in airsoft Language), aiming to win the game. Rules and Type of Game Varies with persons playing it.” Most people out there Airsoft is a Hobby.
Airsoft History:
Airsoft is a Modern Day game and started in the 1970s from Japan but now it is more popular in the United States, Brazil, and somehow in the United Kingdom. There is No clear name about who started Airsoft. In Early days they were used as Replicas of Real guns and commonly called “soft air guns”.
The purpose of using these guns is to replace costly weapons in shooting training and also in military Training. Since these guns are Easily Available and cause very Little Damage (if proper precautions are done).
Shooting game enthusiasts started playing it for Recreation and as a Hobby. With the Passage of time, it became a popular sport, especially in the United States. Now proper Tournaments are arranged, and Airsoft Playing Fields are available for Airsoft Lovers.
Airsoft Equipments:
Airsoft Equipments lie in two categories
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Necessary Equipment:
This includes equipment which is essential for playing airsoft. Airsoft guns and Pellets lie in this Category.
Airsoft Guns:
Guns are a necessary component of airsoft. Winning an airsoft battle depends upon gun a player chooses and how skillfully he uses his gun. Airsoft guns are the Replicas of all the Real guns like Ak 47, AUG A1 and many others. For Airsoft players choosing the right Airsoft gun is very important quoting in few words “Airsoft Gun form the backbone of Airsoft”
Airsoft guns have many classes
- Handguns or Airsoft pistols
- Airsoft Rifles
- Airsoft Shotguns
The choice of a single gun among these totally depends upon the player. Most beginners go with pistols because they are swift and easy to handle. While Veterans maintain a healthy balance between these three.
Talking about their Materials, it ranges between Low-Quality Plastic to a mixture of good quality plastic and polymer or may be of metal in some cases. Material is mainly related to Price.
Since airsoft guns emit a special type of bullets (pellets), their damage is not so intense. Depending upon the mechanism of propulsion of these Pellets Airsoft guns can be Mechanical or Automatic.
Related: How much airsoft guns Cost?
Airsoft Pellets:
Airsoft Pellets in terms of Airsoft language “BBs or Ball bullets” are the small spheres that are released from airsoft guns. They are the bullets of airsoft.
Like the Real bullets, BBs are also available in great variety. It is totally up to players which type of Pellets he uses. Among “Bio-Degradable, tracers, non-traceable and many others“, a player can choose according to his own choice.
Two types of Pellets of famous among Airsoft Players. One is the 6mm usually weighs between 0.12 to 0.40g. The other is 8mm, with slightly more weight. Mass of these Pellets determines the impact after hitting. Their Building Material also determines Impact.
The choice of Pellet in most cases depends upon the style of game being played.
Also see: How much Airsoft Hurts?
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Safety Equipment:
You can imagine the importance of Safety in a game that involves shooting with a Replica Gun that hurts a lot. Especially on sensitive areas like Bare skin, eyes, head and all others that you can think.
It is very important to prevent these sensitive areas from being hit by a BB. Luckily, all types of Safety of Precautions are available for airsoft Players, so they can Best enjoy their playtime.
Safety Equipment includes:
- Helmets
- Ear Protectors
- Body Armor and Vest
- Goggles
- Face masks
- Gloves
- Knee and Elbow Pads
Using this Safety Precaution, they are very fewer chances of a bit damaged during Airsoft Battle.
Type of Airsoft Guns:
Mainly these are three types of Airsoft guns. Almost all other types of Guns fall into a sub-category of any of these.
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Spring Powered:
As indicated by its name, these guns use the Spring and the energy stored in it to emit pellets. The energy is the Elastic potential energy of spring. They are considered as simple as compare to their counterparts.
Working with spring-powered guns are like Electric Airsoft guns, the only difference is lack of battery.
When the Spring is Compressed a Tension is created in spring. Upon relaxing, it’s energy is used to emit pellets out. But in the case of Spring Airsoft Guns, there is not any electric or Gas supply to emit the pellets.
Every time we want spring to be compressed, we have to do work on it ourselves. Our Energy stores in spring which ultimately throw BB out. So, Spring airsoft gun should be loaded every time before a shot.
This will be not irritated so much in using a pistol, but big rifles are used, loading the gun every time is usually very Hectic.
Talking about the Power of Spring Airsoft guns, they are not Generally as Powerful as Gas Powered or Battery Powered guns. Only a Few Models can throw pellets at a Good Speed. Their Material is Generally plastic or some polymer. Due to the lack of modern technologies, they are really inexpensive.
Due to their low prices, easy to handle, almost maintenance-free, they are the best choice for beginners. Spring Airsoft Pistols are more widely used than Rifles.
When the surrounding is Moist and the temperature is low, the spring airsoft gun is very reliable because they are less affected by surrounding effects. Due to this Reason, veterans sometimes choose a bit expensive spring sniper rifle.
But the majority don’t use spring guns (springers) as their primary weapon and the reason is every time you have to cock it before firing and this can create problems.
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Gas Powered:
Gas Powered Airsoft guns are related to BB Guns. In these Guns a compressed gas mainly CO2 or Green gas (propane) is a source of providing the Energy to emit airsoft pellets.
For a Better understanding of Gas Powered, Airsoft guns watch this Animation.
Video Courtesy: Airsoft Engenuity
The most common Gas Powered gun that is used is Blowback Gas gun or GBB gun. As depicted in the Video when the compressed gas exits the pellet out, gun takes a back blow which feels like a Recoil. Due to specific feature Gas powered airsoft weapons appear more realistic than all others.
The Other and uncommon type of Gas powered Airsoft gun is the Non-Blowback Gas Guns. In this type of gun, you just pull the Trigger and pellet will go out, it looks that nothing actually moved.
Since Blowback guns have more realism in it, therefore, it is more used than Non-Blowbacks. But Blowback guns are more costly than Non-Blowback. Watch the Video HERE if you want to see more.
Generally Talking about Gas Powered Airsoft Guns, they are very realistic and Fast. They beat Battery Powered airsoft guns in their Speed. Some players don’t prefer this gun because they demand maintenance. Wide Application of Gas Powered guns in military training because of its high degree of realism.
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Battery Powered:
Battery Powered Airsoft guns come in a great Variety. They are like the spring guns in having a Spring but instead of a gun being cocked every time, the battery is used and Hence make these guns Automatic Electric guns commonly called AEGs. In order to know the working of Electric Airsoft guns watches the animation below:
Image Courtesy: AirsoftMegastore
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AEG:
Automatic Electric guns have rechargeable batteries mostly NiCAD. These are the source of compressing the spring and providing acceleration to the pellet. AEG are among the most used guns because of their Good range, Great accuracy, good shooting paces, less maintenance and also comes in the budget.
Their material is similar to their spring counterparts, from plastic to steel. Low-Quality AEGs are not much preferred. Some player uses external modifications to give their AEGs a more realistic look.
Among the automatic electric guns, there are specific types of guns called Low Powered electric guns LPEG. These are usually inexpensive and work like springers except they are powered by a battery.
Another class among AEGs is the Automatic electric pistols or AEPs. They are handgun versions of AEG. They have smaller batteries and fire at low velocity. But these are not as effective as AEGs because due to power of power they can’t fire at a desirable rate and they’re less used.
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HPA:
High-Pressure Air guns are a unique type of Airsoft gun that uses a Different mechanism to throw airsoft pellets out. Air is filled in a container carried usually in the back and connected to the gun by a Duct. Using this High-Pressure Air, pellet release from the gun at high speed.
Due to the unique Mechanism, HPA guns are quite expensive and not for rookies since they require a Good knowledge of airsoft guns also these guns require a lot of maintenance.
Although these HPA systems take quite good efforts to install yet they are experts’ favorites because you can regulate almost all things according to your choice. Surely, these advanced Technology guns are more swift than all others still they are not easy to regulate. But these guns won’t disappoint you if you want to knock your opponents down.
Terminologies used in Airsoft:
Muzzle Velocity:
The Velocity with which BBs leave the nozzle of Airsoft gun is called the Muzzle Velocity.
FPS:
FPS or Foot per second is the unit for measuring the Muzzle’s Velocity. Whenever a gun or pistol is Purchased FPS is of keen interest for the buyer.
Hop-up:
Hop up means High Operation Power-ups. These systems are widely used Nowadays. They Increase the Range of airsoft pellets by providing an extra spin to it. This extra spin minimizes the effect of gravity and hence range increases.
Final Thoughts:
At the end of this post, we are sure that a person who knew nothing about Airsoft, will get the answer “What is Airsoft. We try to keep things as simple as we can. In case you like the content make sure to share it with others. Thank you for reading the post.