Tuesday, November 22, 2011

The Big Hype

Airsoft is quite an interesting sport/hobby. The purpose varies from collecting replicas, simulating combat, to reenactments of battles that worked them selves into the pages of history. The equipment/guns can vary from a single dollar to thousands from plastic to sights and some tactical parts made for real guns and military or law enforcement combat gear. It is meant for a wide variety of people that like target shooting, international pistol shooting confederation (ipsc), training, combat, and entertainment. There are three different type of ways an airsoft gun works. These are by spring, gas, and electric. Spring powered guns are the simplest and most reliable since they have the least amount of moving parts. The way a spring gun works is you pull back on the slide (if its a pistol) or the bolt (most rifles). When the spring is pulled all the way back it rests upon a sear and when you pull the trigger it drops the sear releasing the tension and pushes a piston forward forcing air down the barrel to push the bb. Electric airsoft guns work through a gear box battery and motor. Electric guns are the most well rounded because they are powered by a rechargeable battery and shoot fully automatic, semi automatic and sometimes in bursts. Gas guns are the most complex but most realistic. Gas guns operate off of basically propane pressure. With a gas gun you usually charge the magazine with a gas canister and when you pull the trigger the gas stored in the magazine pushes the bb out. Gas guns are for the most experienced but can operate in semi, automatic, burst, and bolt action. If you're interested in any aspect of airsoft its more inexpensive then paintball and can be done in your backyard so get a loadout and try it for yourself.

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