Pretend Battles Feel Real With Airsoft Guns
Little Ralphie longed for a genuine Red Ryder BB gun for Christmas, but his parents were reluctant to let him have it in the classic film, “A Christmas Story.” Wonder what Ralphie’s folks would say if they could see some of today’s airsoft guns.
Airsoft guns became immensely popular when they arrived in North America from Japan in the mid-1990s. It was illegal then in Japan to own a firearm, and this ban may have fueled Japanese interest in them. The ever-inventive Japanese manufacturers paid attention to this customer curiosity and developed the first airsoft guns, powered by springs.
Airsoft games range from short skirmishes involving a few participants through organized scenarios between teams to major military simulations and historical reenactments with dozens of players. Airsoft guns often are used in military and law enforcement training.
Airsoft guns trace their history to Japan in the early 1970s. It was illegal then to own a firearm, but the Japanese nonetheless were very interested in them. Manufacturers took note of this potential market and created the first spring-powered airsoft guns. The hobby was brought to North America around 1995.
Longtime hobbyists recommend that beginners try spring-powered airsoft guns first, until they get a feel for the gear. Spring-powered guns tend to be made more cheaply, often in China, and therefore are more likely to break in the most vigorous battle simulations. Compressed-gas airsoft guns are sturdier, but the top gun for serious airsoft enthusiasts is an airsoft electric gun, or AEG.
Rechargeable batteries in AEGs run an electric motor located in the gun handle. This small motor drives a spring-piston unit that propels the plastic pellets. AEGs are much faster to fire than spring-loaded or compressed-guns. This faster performance has led to the development of a range of AEGs that closely simulate automatic or semi-automatic guns. Because airsoft guns can look so much like real guns, they’re required by U. S. Law to have a bright orange plastic tip on the muzzle to distinguish them as replicas.
Usually these projectiles are too light to penetrate skin and move too slowly, although airsoft projectiles made of copper or metal alloy can penetrate skin. Velocities for airsoft guns using spring power or compressed gas typically range from 30 to 260 meters per second, or 100 to 850 feet per second. In comparison, authentic bullet speeds range from 370 to 1500 meters per second.
Airsoft gun hobbyists tailor their games to the number of games and their surroundings. A small group of players typically might engage in a few short skirmishes, a “winner-take-all” version. Organized teams often concoct detailed scenarios, requiring players to work through barriers to get to a specific goal or location. Major airsoft games such as military simulations, or even historical reenactments, involve dozens of players and complicated role-playing scripts.
Whatever its size or complexity, one thing is common to all games involving airsoft guns: the honor code. Airsoft players rely on one another’s honesty in announcing when they’ve been hit (which eliminates them from the game), since the pellets from airsoft guns rarely leave a mark on clothing or skin. While there’s no formal enforcement body supervising this code during a game, a participant who gets a reputation for violating the honor code is likely to find himself or herself only shooting airsoft guns at backyard targets.
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