Answering Every Question About Airsoft Guns that Beginners Ask!

“Airsoft guns” is a very common term these days. We hope you listen to this term on a daily basis.

Since these guns have come to the picture, people are crazy about them. They are keen to use these replica guns and get engaged in the airsoft sport.

Today, there are plenty of airsoft communities around the world. Global competitions of airsoft take place (imagine the popularity of the sport).

However, I am not talking to airsofters here, but I am talking to those who want to be airsofters, I mean the beginners.

When you decide to become an airsofter or start using spring airsoft guns, several questions come in your mind. Most of these questions remain in the minds of beginners as unanswered.

And this is why there are several misconceptions regarding these guns.

In this article, I will try to remove several confusions regarding stunning airsoft guns. I will answer every possible question regarding airsoft that you probably have in your mind.

This is actually a guide to the beginners. Let’s move to the questions though and hope that I answer all your queries.

1. How Do Airsoft Guns Shoot?

To understand how airsoft guns work, you need to know that there are three types of airsoft guns, including CO2 guns, electric airsoft guns and spring airsoft rifles.

The shooting mechanism of these three guns is different. Anyways, they way they shoot is similar. They even sound like real guns at times. You need to load the magazine and pull the trigger to shoot. But the inside mechanism of different guns is different.

Spring powered guns tend to use a coil spring. This spring drives the piston air pump and it is released when you pull the trigger. There is pressurized air in the pump cylinder which propels the BBs.

CO2 airsoft guns tend to use compressed gas which blows the BBs upon pulling the trigger.

Similarly, electric airsoft guns or AEGs use pistol pump which propels the BBs in a cyclic oscillation. These are battery powered guns and are rechargeable.

2. Are Airsoft Gun Safe?

Airsoft guns are absolutely safe. You can even allow minors to play with these guns. Yes, they are realistic guns, not real which means they look like real but aren’t.

Interestingly, airsoft guns have everything similar to real firearms. For example, the shooting mechanism, the parts and even the sound is sometimes similar.

However, there is one thing that makes them unreal. These guns don’t fire real bullets. They fire fake bullets called BBs.

BBs are made of plastic and are not threatening at all. They can’t cause any injury. Plastic is not the softest material but it can’t inflict long term injuries.

These BBs are quite small. But, they can cause damage to your eyes. This is why airsofters tend to wear eye protection while playing. So, these guns are usually safe but not for eyes which means wearing eye protection is essential.

3. Are Airsoft Gun Legal?

There are certain complex laws regarding airsoft guns in the US. Generally, these guns are not considered firearms. Therefore, they are legal in most states.

But, a few states do have restrictions on the use of these guns. Minors can’t buy these guns throughout the US. In a few states, laws determine that minors should be monitored while using these guns.

California is among the few states that impose restrictions on airsoft guns. There is a spot marker on these guns to distinguish them from real guns. So, you can only sell, purchase or use the guns with that spot marker.

In a few other states like Michigan, Washington, New York and the District of Columbia, there are restrictions on using these guns.

Otherwise, since they are labelled as unoriginal guns, they can be used. But, you need to find the right place for playing, playing at public places is illegal.

4. Can Airsoft Guns Be Used for Hunting?

Airsoft guns are not supposed to be used for hunting. The only purpose of these guns is to play airsoft games and enjoy some realistic shooting. These guns use plastic BBs, not the real bullets. Therefore, hunting is not possible with these guns.

A few people claim that these guns can kill birds which is a false claim. If you try to use these guns for hunting small game like birds, squirrels and ducks etc. this is technically not possible.

The plastic BBs lack power to kill birds. Also, they are too small to take them down.

If a BB hits a bird such as quail, what damage can it cause? It can cause temporary pain, but this pain is not enough to take them down. They can fly away quickly and hence hunting them is not possible.

If you really want a gun for hunting small game, you should rather use pellet guns. These guns use steel BBs which can take them down pretty easily. Airsoft guns, on the other hand are not hunting guns, rather playing guns.

5. How Long Can Airsoft Guns Shoot?

Since airsoft guns are not real guns, don’t expect them to shoot at a great range. These guns normally shoot at an effective range between 50 and 100 meters.

There are airsoft rifles, airsoft pistols and airsoft sniper rifles. The shooting range of these guns differ.

Generally, airsoft rifles offer a shooting range of 43 to 76 meters. Airsoft rifles usually can shoot up to a maximum range of 100 m.

Airsoft sniper rifles are considered to be the most powerful rifles. But, they also shoot at a range of around 100 m. There are a few though that go beyond a range of 100 m. Anyways, a maximum shooting range of these guns is slightly more than 100 meters.

6. What is the Maximum Speed at Which Airsoft Guns can Shoot?

Having said that airsoft guns are not real guns. The speed at which these guns shoot can never match the speed of real firearms.

Here again, the speed differs between airsoft pistols, rifles and sniper rifles.

In case of an airsoft pistol, the maximum shooting speed is 220 feet per second. In the case of rifles, the speed can go up to 320 feet per second.

Since airsoft sniper rifles are the most powerful, expect their speed to be higher than other rifles and pistols.

However, the maximum speed at which these powerful rifles can fire is around 500 feet per second. However, speeds differ in different guns.

7. Which Airsoft Gun Should You Buy?

This is not an easy decision to make. However, your decision should be based on your needs.

With needs, I mean the airsoft games that you want to play or the role that you need to play on the field.

There are different airsoft games played on the field and every game has different rules and regulations. Also, you need different guns for playing different games.

First know which game you would like to play on the field and which role you would like to play.

For example, if you want to play a sniper, you definitely need a sniper rifle.

If you want to play close quarters combat, you need pistols for this purpose. For games like President and Zombie, you need rifles. In a few games, you need both pistols and rifles such as Rescue the Hostage.

8. Is Airsoft a Sport?

Yes, airsoft is a sport. In fact, it is now being considered a sport. The only doubt occurs when people think about guns being used for playing the sport, but it does not matter since these are safe guns. And the players always wear safety equipment for their safety on the field.

However, this is a different type of sport played with airsoft guns. Players play different games. These games are based on specific scenarios.

Also, there are different rules for different games. The players need to stick to these rules while playing these games. Anyways, it is definitely a sport because global airsoft competitions are being held nowadays.

9. Can You Play Airsoft?

Anyone can play airsoft. If you want to engage in this sport, you can easily do that. You can play it with your friends but for this purpose you need to find an appropriate field.

The game can’t be played anywhere you want. You need to find a place where there are no people around you.

Another way to get started with airsoft is by joining airsoft communities. You can join any community nearby. The communities include professional airsofters who play on the right fields.

The advantage of joining communities is that they can guide you and help beginners.

To get started, you need to have airsoft guns in your arsenal. Also, you need to buy safety equipment such as eye protection and face protection.

10. Are Airsoft Guns Expensive?

Airsoft guns are usually quite expensive, but not that expensive as real guns. Compared to real guns, these replica guns are quite cheap.

There are no specific prices for airsoft guns. Price is different for every gun and mostly depends upon its features.

Airsoft sniper rifles are the most expensive guns because they offer greater speed, greater shooting range and offer other features.

Airsoft pistols are the cheapest, but a few are more expensive than rifles as well due to their high speed and range.

Several retail and wholesale stores offer these guns for sale. You can buy from any store but wholesale stores charge lower prices because you buy in bulk.