Airsoft is a sport very similar in nature to paintball played usually played in a paramilitary manner in which participants play a game of mock combat sometimes involving missions like attack & defend or hostage rescue missions.  Airsoft has become more & more popular over the years because it is generally cheaper than paintball.  Unlike paintball where it uses paint balls (hence the name) as projectiles, airsoft guns use round spherical airsoft bbs ranging in caliber size.  This alone is enough to attract a larger crowd towards airsoft as opposed to paintball.

The airsoft weapons made by manufacturers today are generally 1:1 scale sized weapons compared to the real weapons.   The cheap airsoft guns to mid range airsoft machine guns are generally made of injection molded ABS plastic (not that there is anything wrong with that),  but you will find that the more expensive airsoft machine guns will be constructed of higher grade material such as metal, including the internals.

Airsoft rifles can be used for a variety of uses the most popular being airsoft “wars” , skirmishes, or games.  But they can also be used for target practice, or hunting.

Thanks to the popularity of airsoft, airsoft weapons are available in all sorts of shapes and forms.  Airsoft grenades, and airsoft landmines that look and function like the real life grenades and landmines are available for those looking for extra excitement in the game and extra things to hang from your airsoft gear.  Airsoft machine guns (submachine guns) like the airsoft p90, airsoft mp5, airsoft m4,  and the airsoft ak 47 to name a few are also available, and can have many thinking they are real weapons since they are made with that intention.

Airsoft rifles are among the most popular and most bought weapons following the airsoft pistol (because you always need a secondary weapon right?) when it comes to the airsoft sport.  Airsoft weapons are available in 3 different forms and hundreds of different styles and models.  You have the option of spring powered (popular with airsoft sniper rifles), gas powered airsoft rifles, and electric airsoft guns also known as airsoft aeg rifles being amonst the most popular.

Electric airsoft guns, also called airsoft aeg rifles are powered electrically. An electric airsoft gun will typically include a rechargeable battery which will power an electric motor,that will cycle an internal piston spring assembly to launch the airsoft bbs.  The first design of these electric airsoft guns originated in Japan much like the sport of Airsoft which also is from Japan.  Airsoft AEG rifles give you the option of firing semi-automatic or fully automatic.  These electric airsoft guns have the capability of being extremely precise and accurate, and able to shoot over 400 FPS (most games will have you turn it down).  Electric airsoft guns are amongst the most popular choice as airsoft machine guns, airsoft rifles, and airsoft pistols because of the high rate of fire it allows the player to shoot.

Spring Airsoft guns are also a popular choice and will atract a lot of airsoft players because of their low price.  Don’t let the low price fool you though. A spring airsoft gun requires you to cock the spring rifle prior to each shot to use the potential enery stored making the gun a single shot device, much like a real shotgun or bolt action rifle.   Spring airsoft guns are most popular with airsoft sniper rifles. This is because an airsoft sniper using a airsoft sniper rifle will need to cock the bolt before each shot adding to the realism of the rifle and the game as well.  An airsoft shotgun that is spring powered is also the best way to go, there are airsoft shotguns that are gas powered but are not recommended since they are underpowered most of the time.

Gas powered airsoft guns are still very popular especially when it comes to airsoft pistols.  Gas powered airsoft pistols will usually be powered by CO2 gas or green gas.  Gas powered airsoft pistols are extremely popular because the compressed gas is able to replicate a realistic semi-automatic blowback function, also replicating the recoil felt when shooting a real pistol!  The airsoft uzi is a popular choice for airsoft players when it comes to buying a gas powered pistol (of mass destruction as I like to call the airsoft uzi) because of the realistic recoil and blowback action you recieve.

We hope this articles has cleared up a lot of questions you may have had between the different types of airsoft guns today.

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Who would have known that the motherland of airsoft is Japan.   YES, Japan is where airsoft originated.  Back in the 1970’s it was illegal to own a firearm in Japan.  Despite the law, Japans population had a large interest in them, because of this manufacturers started to design and produce realistic looking guns and rifles that were spring powered.  They were made to shoot several different size caliber bbs, but eventually the 6mm and 8mm sizes were made officially standard.

The hobby and sport that we know of today as Airsoft did not come to the states until the mid 1990’s.  By then airsoft guns had evolved so much that they not only were available spring powered but also electric ( airsoft aeg ) and gas powered.   Today Airsoft is a fast growing sport played all around the world and taken serious by many!  With almost an endless choice of airsoft weapons and airsoft gear available to players.  There are also teams you can join to train together and compete with others in competitions.   The great thing about this hobby / sport is that there is no weight class, or age, experience level, you are all just thrown in there as a team.

Many of the airsoft guns made today are a 1:1 scale reproduction of the real weapon itself as manufacturers work endlessly to make them look & feel just like the real weapon.

Many law enforcement agencies & military will use airsoft as a part of their training as well.

If you would like more information about the sport of Airsoft the following link (wikipedia link) is a great source.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Airsoft

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