Airsoft Rifles and what they are all about
- Written by: Airsoft post
- Published on: Aug, 30 2011
Airsoft rifles are replica guns that look exactly like the real rifles they are modeled after. These rifles are used for Airsoft games as well as leisure gaming just like paintball rifles and even by law enforcement agencies for training simulations. Unlike the real firearms Airsoft guns fire harmless plastic pellets or BBs. The plastic pellets are usually six millimeters although other types go up to eight millimeters. The rifles used in Airsoft activities operate using spring action, electrically-driven gearboxes, or compressed gas, to propel the plastic ammunition out of their barrels.
The spring type Airsoft rifles are normally exact replicas (in weight, feel and look) of the rifles they are supposed to mimic so as to bring out the real shooting experience but all the while maintain the safety of people and property. The buyer will find that some of these rifles actually come replete with lasers and telescopes with night vision capability. These and other accessories can really spice up the Airsoft game and are also useful for simulation of real combat.
The different propellant mechanisms i.e. gas, electric and spring vary the speeds at which Airsoft rifles can propel the pellets. Spring rifles can achieve pellet speeds between 400 and 700 feet per second (FPS), the electric type 150 to 650 FPS, and the gas types 330 to 500 FPS, with sniper rifles achieving the highest speeds. Other than speed we would also want to consider how far our rifles of choice can propel a bullet. The range for these rifles is between 70 and 250 feet with the Airsoft sniper rifles of course achieving the longest range.
The gas type Airsoft rifles propel the BBs using the pressurized air that is generated when compressed gas is released from the rifle’s canister of carbon dioxide, propane or green gas. With spring rifles you have to cock the gun for each shot. Spring Airsoft guns have a spring-loaded airtight piston and the cocking action is meant to compress the spring. When the trigger is pulled the spring is released and it pushes the piston forward at high speed. This action compresses the air behind the pellet thus forcing it out of the barrel.
The spring operation above is also applied in the electric Airsoft rifles although the cocking action is done using an electric motor drive gearbox which essentially automates the gun. The capacity of the gearbox will determine the rate of cocking and firing the gun. Although electric rifles also employ the potential and kinetic energy principles of springs they cannot be considered in the same breath per se as spring rifles are incapable of automatic or semi automatic operation. For more information about Airsoft rifles, Please visit my site http://www.evike.com/ and also visit our blog http://airsoftelectricrifles.blogspot.com/