Airsoft guns are highly detailed replica firearms that are manufactured primarily for recreational purposes. Games are organized where players attempt to shoot each other in a similar manner to paintball. They fire small pellets, rather than actual bullets, at speeds of 30 to 260 miles per second.
The pellets are propelled by compressed gas or a spring loaded piston, or sometimes even an electric piston. They are usually made out of rubber or plastic. The gun can be fire manually or else by an electric motor or compressed gas, usually green gas, propane or Co2.
People under the age of sixteen should not use airsoft guns. When they are operated carefully they are completely safe. However, some have muttered concerns about the use of these guns. The pellets they use are normally non-metallic and are traveling at a slow speed. This means that they cannot pierce the flesh. Pellets made of metal are not advertised on any Airsoft site, but they can still be purchased from specialists. It is also possible for someone to manufacture their own metal pellets.
Additionally, a plastic or rubber pellet could break the skin when fired at short distances, if a gun is upgraded to fire faster than 150 miles per second. A few sites will state that guns of this kind should not be used to play with, especially when they are upgraded in such a manner. There has also been a lot of concern over these guns being used during criminal activities.
In the late 1990s there was a spate of holdups where the criminals used airsoft guns in place of real ones. These fakes were much easier to obtain than actual weapons, but could be used for a similar purpose. In order to counter this it has now become illegal to import airsoft guns that do not have bright orange tips on their barrel.
The origins of the airsoft gun go as far back as 1970s Japan. At this time it was illegal in Japan to own an actual firearm, so there was a demand for replicas. Some companies began to produce realistic spring loaded guns for public use. At first they fired a multitude of plastic and rubber projectiles. However, eventually they were standardized to either 6 mm or 8 mm. The spring loaded guns were eventually superceded by gas powered guns.
The pastime came to America in the 1990s. The first wave of Japanese guns on the open market would become known as "classic airsoft". A decade later the next generation of airsoft guns became available. They were designed by the Tokyo Marui company and became known as the automatic electric gun. Japan had just started to go into recession when these products were launched. Japanese manufacturers began to collapse at an alarming rate, leaving only Tokyo Marui as the main manufacturer of airsoft.
Tokyo Marui spent a lot of time in the following years improving the range and accuracy of their guns. To this end it developed the advanced Hop up system that forms the basis of most modern airsoft guns. The early 2000s saw a new company arrive to challenge Tokyo Marui's dominance. The Classic Army of Hong Kong started to produce its own guns in competition to Tokyo Marui. In even more recent years there has also been a flood of Chinese and South Korean guns introduced on to the market.
The pellets are propelled by compressed gas or a spring loaded piston, or sometimes even an electric piston. They are usually made out of rubber or plastic. The gun can be fire manually or else by an electric motor or compressed gas, usually green gas, propane or Co2.
People under the age of sixteen should not use airsoft guns. When they are operated carefully they are completely safe. However, some have muttered concerns about the use of these guns. The pellets they use are normally non-metallic and are traveling at a slow speed. This means that they cannot pierce the flesh. Pellets made of metal are not advertised on any Airsoft site, but they can still be purchased from specialists. It is also possible for someone to manufacture their own metal pellets.
Additionally, a plastic or rubber pellet could break the skin when fired at short distances, if a gun is upgraded to fire faster than 150 miles per second. A few sites will state that guns of this kind should not be used to play with, especially when they are upgraded in such a manner. There has also been a lot of concern over these guns being used during criminal activities.
In the late 1990s there was a spate of holdups where the criminals used airsoft guns in place of real ones. These fakes were much easier to obtain than actual weapons, but could be used for a similar purpose. In order to counter this it has now become illegal to import airsoft guns that do not have bright orange tips on their barrel.
The origins of the airsoft gun go as far back as 1970s Japan. At this time it was illegal in Japan to own an actual firearm, so there was a demand for replicas. Some companies began to produce realistic spring loaded guns for public use. At first they fired a multitude of plastic and rubber projectiles. However, eventually they were standardized to either 6 mm or 8 mm. The spring loaded guns were eventually superceded by gas powered guns.
The pastime came to America in the 1990s. The first wave of Japanese guns on the open market would become known as "classic airsoft". A decade later the next generation of airsoft guns became available. They were designed by the Tokyo Marui company and became known as the automatic electric gun. Japan had just started to go into recession when these products were launched. Japanese manufacturers began to collapse at an alarming rate, leaving only Tokyo Marui as the main manufacturer of airsoft.
Tokyo Marui spent a lot of time in the following years improving the range and accuracy of their guns. To this end it developed the advanced Hop up system that forms the basis of most modern airsoft guns. The early 2000s saw a new company arrive to challenge Tokyo Marui's dominance. The Classic Army of Hong Kong started to produce its own guns in competition to Tokyo Marui. In even more recent years there has also been a flood of Chinese and South Korean guns introduced on to the market.
About the Author:
Author: Anthoy Carter enjoys the sport of airsoft and is very knowlegdeable about airsoft guns. Go to this website to find the best place to find airsoft guns.
