What is Airsoft?

To understand what is airsoft, it is important to understand what it is not. Airsoft is different from the traditional "BB guns" that shoot 4.5mm (.177 caliber) steel BBs with velocities of 350fps to over 1000fps. Designed for small game hunting, BB guns, or Air Guns, are not designed for shooting your friends in competitive gameplay. For that, people traditionally played paintball but the guns are not realistic, with limited range, and can get expensive to shoot because paintballs are not cheap.

So what is Airsoft?  Airsoft the newest class of recreational guns for designed specifically for war-game purposes. Imagine what kids do with nerf guns, and you can imagine what older individuals can do with Airsoft guns.  In many ways, Airsoft is the next level up from Nerf for mature players but with a whole lot more realism and power.  Airsoft guns shoot a round plastic 6mm BB at velocities of 150 feet per second (fps) to 700+ fps, while most gameplay is regulated at 350fps to 450fps.  That level of power can propel a BB from 100 feet (35 meters) to 150 feet (50 meters) easily to hit a man-sized target, making them perfect for wargames.  Higher powers can reach over 300 feet (100 meters).

Airsoft guns are also capable of shooting semi-auto, burst mode, or in full auto mode.  But the most attractive thing about Airsoft is how real they look, and often operate in exactly the same manner as a real gun, letting your imagination run wild.  Airsoft guns are available ranging from electric power to CO2 and other forms of compressed gases.  Most beginners start with a spring cocking version but invariably move very quickly onto electric-powered and gas-powered guns for greater realism.

Read more about What is an Airsoft gun

Airsoft was invented in Japan and describes pistols and rifles that look, feel, and operate exactly like real firearms. Their shape, form, and trademarks are true to form, and almost all airsoft models are actually replicas of real-world weapons. Civilian gun ownership in Japan is illegal and airsoft naturally found a large market of gun enthusiasts that wanted to own and collect their favorite weapons but were not ready to break the law for their hobby! As such, authenticity and realism is a top priority for airsoft guns and most manufacturers have licensed agreements with the real gun manufacturers to copy the real gun styles and use their trademarks.

Airsoft BBs come in many weights but all of them are plastic, although some of the heavier ones designed for high power rifles are coated with metal to help add weight.  There was a time that 6mm paintballs were available but they are no longer commonly used since they tend to jam airsoft guns.  Weights range from 0.12 grams for low powered guns to 0.5 grams for high powered rifles.

You can often install real gun accessories like optics and lasers onto airsoft guns due to their similar dimensions and design. Most also fit perfectly into real gun holsters.  At close range, it is extremely difficult to discern an airsoft gun from real guns. That is why some countries like the United States and Italy require all airsoft guns to possess orange painted barrel tips. In fact, airsoft guns are so authentic that many police and military training programs across the world use airsoft products for training purposes.

Airsoft products are not designed to deliver serious harm since their the whole concept was intended for people to shoot each other in competitive game-play.  Most Airsoft guns leave the factory shooting at 280fps to 420fps, which is enough to cause a serious sting and possibly leave a welt at close range.  That means they do hurt, but so does getting hit by a paintball, which feels more like getting punched because of the heavier paintball.  But Airsoft guns are not dangerous when used responsibly.

Airsoft guns can be modified to deliver serious power of 450fps to 700fps, and these guns should be used responsibly.  Such power levels can blind if someone who is not wearing proper eye protection.  However, we are still talking about a round plastic BB weighing less than 0.5 grams, so getting shot by a high powered airsoft gun will still be far from life-threatening.  Highly modified and powered-up airsoft guns can break the skin and cause bleeding, so should not be given to children unsupervised.

Airsoft BBs are shot onto hard surfaces usually disintegrates into small pieces or will powderize.  They are not intended to deliver any level of penetration for tactical or survival use and are intended for recreation.  Airsoft guns are not intended for hunting small game and airguns should be used for that purpose.

Yes! Airsoft guns are legal in most countries without the need for a license, including the United States (except in a few States), United Kingdom, France, Spain, Russia, Norway, Sweden, Argentina, Russia, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and many other places.  New Zealand requires an import license, while Singapore, China, Malaysia and Australia have not legalized Airsoft yet.  Australians can enjoy a variant of Airsoft called Gel Blasters, which are powered down airsoft guns that shoot water gel pellets.

The United States and Italy require Airsoft guns to have an orange tip to make them distinguishable from real guns.  Removing the orange tip is possible but we do not encourage it for legal reasons.  Other countries like South Korea require other colored markings on the airsoft guns.  Some countries like Canada require that airsoft guns shoot above 366fps while Japan doesn't allow airsoft guns to shoot above 320fps, both based on shooting a 0.2 gram BB.

Airsoft is close to impossible to convert into a real firearm, although if you replace every single part, then that's not really "modifying" an Airsoft gun anymore.  In most countries, brandishing an Airsoft gun with the intent to deceive others into thinking it is real will result in the same punishment as if you were using a real gun.  So play responsibly!