Thursday, September 3, 2009

Airsoft Guns And BB Guns - Not The Same Thing

By Anthony Carter

Airsoft guns are taking the world of hobby guns by storm. These replicas of the real thing are being used recreationally by people around the world who are fascinated by the world of firearms. Airsoft guns are designed for adults who want to play cowboys and Indians, cops and robbers or tactical war games, just for fun.

Many people are wary of airsoft technology, believing that playing with these types of replica weapons is the same as playing with higher power BB guns. There are some similarities, however, there are several distinct differences between the two types of guns. Here's a quick overview of these two products that both dramatically look like real guns.

Firstly, airsoft guns are a relatively new type of gun having been developed just 30 years ago in Japan. Guns were not allowed in that country, despite the demand. So manufacturers developed a spring-firing type weapon, which evolved into a gas firing device. By the time these realistic guns, used strictly for recreational purposes, arrived in North America about 15 years go, an electric-firing model had been developed. These are also referred to as AEGs.

BB guns have been around for over 100 years. The 1940s western comic Red Ryder popularized the BB gun when it was sold in stores as a tie-in product. Unlike airsoft guns, which are for gaming, BB guns are commonly used for serious target shooting or even for hunting small animals such as gophers, squirrels and pigeons.

Airsoft guns shoot relatively harmless plastic pellets, which are 6mm in size. These pellets don't cause any injuries. A BB, or small metal ball or pellet, fired from a BB gun can definitely do some damage. BB guns fire at 91 to 152. 4 meters per second which is much more powerful than an airsoft gun which fires, at most, 91 meters per second. BB guns are not to be used as a toy. They should be treated as a real weapon.

Similarities of the two guns include the firing mechanisms. Airsoft guns use either compressed gas, electricity or are powered by springs. BB guns are almost exclusively air or gas powered. Real guns use neither of these systems.

Both are manufactured to replicate the look, feel and weight of real weapons. If it wasn't made known that one was handling an airsoft gun, one would never know the difference. Just for that very reason, the U. S. Government, along with along countries such as the U. K., have made it mandatory that all airsoft guns be sold with an orange tip which is illegal to remove. It's this bright orange identifier, referred to as a blaze, which should alert the public to the fact that the gun is nothing more than an elaborate toy.

Airsoft guns are different again from paintball guns, which are designed strictly for war-game purposes. Paintball guns are usually very simple and do not resemble real weapons. They do use compressed air or gas mounted externally on the gun and shoot plastic balls filled with paint. They break up and splatter on the victim upon impact. Shot at close range, paintballs can hurt and even cause bruising. Paintball guns require no identification to distinguish them from real guns.

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