What Are Airsoft Guns?
Airsoft guns are generally lightweight pellet guns. They fire pellets of caliber 6mm, which weigh 110 to 600 mg, depending on the force of the propulsion mechanism. Airsoft guns are different than other types of recreational gun toys in that they are built on the same scale as live firearms and designed to look as realistic as possible.
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Use
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Airsoft guns are used for interactive war games among amateur players. Groups generally split into two or more teams and set up a course in a park or uninhabited area selected for its advantages in terms of terrain and obstacles. The games are based on a variety of schemes, from capture the flag games, to siege scenarios, to pitched battle schemes. They rely on careful teamwork and various players adopting different roles within the team's overall strategy.
Safety Issues
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Significant safety issues must be considered with airsoft guns. First and most obviously, there is the fact that players are intentionally shooting high-velocity projectiles at each other. Any airsoft model can do damage if it strikes a vulnerable area, such as an unprotected eye, and the more powerful models can fire a pellet that will break skin, even at longer range. Airsoft players must always wear protective goggles, and long sleeves and pants with as much padding as possible.
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Lookalikes
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The most appealing cosmetic feature of airsoft guns can also be a danger. Airsoft guns are preferred because they are designed to look like real firearms. Often the only external difference between an airsoft gun and a real gun is a serial number on the side. The problem is especially dangerous with handguns. Police officers cannot easily tell the difference between airsoft guns and real guns, and therefore must respond to the presence of a lookalike gun as though it is the real thing.
Electric
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Electric-powered airsoft guns are the most powerful type. They generate power from a rechargable battery back that fires an air piston to discharge the pellet down the barrel. Electric guns are the most expensive and the most dangerous, but are also the most accurate and have the best range.
Gas
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Gas airsoft guns use a canister of compressed gas, like paintball guns. The canister is attached to the gun and excretes bursts of air, which fire the pellet down the barrel.
Springs
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Spring-powered airsoft guns are the most basic, slowest-shooting and cheapest type of airsoft gun. Unlike the other two types, they are not propelled by a gas discharge. Rather, the pellets are propelled by a spring, which must be re-cocked before every shot.
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