Friday, September 25, 2009

Airsoft Guns: A Form Of Weaponry

By Anthony Carter

Airsoft guns were designed because of need that was recognized by manufacturers. The need was in Japan, back in the 1970s. One could not own a firearm as it was illegal. So, manufacturers designed the airsoft gun. They incorporated knock-off military design with plastic BBs for ammunition. The ammunition is considered safe as the plastic BBs will not penetrate the skin.

To begin with, airsoft guns were designed only as a single-shot weapon. This means that with each shot, one would have to pull a lever, bolt, slide, or other mechanism to reload the chamber with another BB. Once the gun was reloaded, it could then be shot again. As you can imagine, the shooting process was slow. The single-shot gun was cheap to purchase, and it operated off of spring-powered technology.

In time, manufacturers developed the electric-powered airsoft gun. They offered it in an automatic and a semi-automatic version. This gun was powered by an electric motor that operated off of batteries. Its disadvantage was the batteries. If the batteries died, the gun would not work; however, the automatic and semi-automatic options made this gun perfect for competition.

Automatic means that you only have to depress the trigger once. Then, if you continue to hold it, the gun will continue to fire. If you release pressure off of the trigger, the gun will stop firing. One could literally fire hundreds of rounds per minute. You will definitely go through the ammunition fast with this version.

The semi-automatic gun was also suitable for competition. It didn't fire rounds any faster than the automatic version; however, it was still fast. With this weapon, every time that you pulled the trigger, the gun would fire. You didn't have to pull a slide, lever, bolt, or any other mechanism. You just had to depress the trigger. The faster that one could depress the trigger, the faster that the gun would fire the rounds of ammunition.

The disadvantage of the automatic and the semi-automatic airsoft guns were that one had to be reliant upon the outside power source. Without that power source, the gun would not operate. This made the single-shot, spring-powered airsoft gun more reliable.

Nowadays, the gas-powered airsoft guns have taken center stage. They operated off of compressed CO2 gas. The pressurized gas makes the plastic BBs fly faster and farther. This gun will fire a longer distance than the other guns. More hybrid airsoft guns are being developed. So, who knows what tomorrow will bring with the airsoft gun technology.

All airsoft guns are available in both a pistol version and a rifle version. The guns are designed to shoot a plastic BB that is considered to be safe because it does not penetrate the skin. The guns are recommended for people age 16 and above. Because they are still guns, they can be dangerous and are not recommended for children younger than the age of 16. One should always follow necessary and recommended safety precautions; especially one's suggested by the manufacturer. Just remember to be safe at all times, and you can have a load of fun with the airsoft guns.

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