How Do Airsoft Pistols Work?

Airsoft pistols became popular in Japan in the 80s, though many models today are created in China, and eventually arrived in North America in the 90s. This popularity saw hundreds of different gun variants created, from different firing mechanisms to thousands of different gun models, many based on real-world weapons. These are generally in two standard calibers: 6mm or 8mm and can use several forms of firing systems, such as spring- or gas-powered.

The usage of an airsoft gun varies from professional tournaments to police and military training. Below is some info regarding the varying firing mechanisms.

Spring-powered airsoft guns are found all over the world and are one of the original designs. The user must physically pull back the slide in order to cock the gun and create potential energy ready for use. When the user does this, it compresses a spring that will propel the pellet when the trigger is pulled. The pellet velocity varies between 400 and 1000 feet per second. However, the spring suffers wear and tear, more so than the other methods, and as such, needs repairs or replacement on a more frequent basis.

To allow for automatic and burst fire, as well as other firing modes, the automatic electric gun does the job of preparing the spring. The muzzle velocity is reduced somewhat to 150 to 650 feet per second. This is a popular mode and comes with rechargeable packs.

The gas-powered guns use pressurized gas to propel the pellet, however it is costly in comparison to the electric models. Furthermore, if overused, the gas tends to cool down, leading to a reduced fire-rate and if the gas escapes into any parts of the gun, it's possible that it might damage the parts.

The standard magazine type for airsoft guns is simply a plastic container that fits into many airsoft guns and loads pellets with a spring. Some companies offer higher-capacity magazines, but some guns will only accept the standard type. Any spring loaded ones suffer the issue of not all the pellets being fed into the gun, thus leading to many users inverting the gun to let gravity do the work.

Now that you have somewhat of an idea of how airsoft pistols work, find one to buy! You can find a good selection of gas airsoft pistols here - Airsoft Pistols.

categories: airsoft,hobbies