AirSoft Guns
AirSoft guns, which are also known as Soft air or BB guns, are spring, electric, or gas powered air guns that fire small spherical plastic bbs or pellets that are 6 to 8 mm in diameter. Inexpensive airsoft gun models are often very low powered, but regardless of their cost or the speed the gun shoots, AirSoft guns are never toys. Some of the more expensive models may be used for playing professional Airsoft, which is similar in concept to Paintball.
In essence all three types of airsoft guns, spring, gas, and electric, work on the same principle of compressed gas expanding to force a pellet down the gun's barrel. While each type has its own advantages and disadvantages AirSoft guns are all basically designed to resemble authentic handguns and rifles.
Spring-powered AirSoft guns are single-shot devices that use potential energy stored in a spring to launch the airsoft pellet or BB down the barrel of the gun. The AirSoft gun spring must be cocked a prior to each shot. This is typically achieved by pulling back the pistol slide, (or bolt in the case of rifles), which in turn compresses the spring and makes the gun ready to fire. Because of this, these guns are by definition incapable of automatic or semi-automatic fire. One major advantage of the spring powered AirSoft gun is that it can be fired in any situation without reliance on an external source of air, such as batteries or gas. Electrics are also more susceptible to malfunction from water.
