Spring Airsoft Guns
August 22nd, 2008Airsoft guns (also known as “Soft Air Guns”) can be either spring, electric, or gas powered. They fire small spherical plastic pellets of either 6 mm or 8 mm diameter (0.24 or 0.32 inches). Spring Airsoft guns may be disputed as air guns altogether. The cheaper airsoft guns are normally unsuitable for match play as they are underpowered, but some manufacturers in China such as Jing Gong, make a spring powered airsoft gun modelded after a Desert Eagle .44 Magnum
Spring airsoft guns are a single-shot device that use potential energy stored in a spring to launch an airsoft pellet. The Gun is cocked prior to each shot. This is typically achieved by pulling back the slide (pistols), bolt (rifles), or the grip on a shotgun. Because of this, these guns are by definition incapable of automatic or semi-automatic fire. Spring airsoft guns are typically not as powerful as gas and electric models, although this can vary by cost.
While most electric airsoft guns (AEG Airsoft Guns) also use springs for propulsion, they are not considered to be in the same category as the spring-powered guns. Low-end spring guns tend to be cheaper than electric-powered guns due to their simplicity and lack of electrical components and thus are widely available. These guns are less suited for competition because they are at a disadvantage against automatic guns in close combat and do not provide enough accuracy and power for long-range use. There are some exceptions, as higher-end spring-powered airsoft rifles can be quite costly; these guns are typically suited for “sharpshooter” applications in airsoft matches and provide competitive muzzle FPS (foot per second). Additionally, pump shotguns are sometimes used, especially in CQB (Close Quarters Battle). In colder weather, spring pistols are more reliable than gas-powered pistols (see below) and even the batteries on AEPs (Automatic Electric Pistols) both of which can be adversely affected by extreme cold.
This represents one of the major advantages of spring airsoft gun, as it can be fired in any situation, without reliance on an external source of power, such as batteries or gas. The lack of reliance on external power sources causes some players to favor spring powered guns. Spring guns are also less susceptible to the effects of water, where a battery-powered gun could malfunction when wet.
The major advantage that spring weapons hold over other airsoft guns is cost. True AEGs can range from $200-$550 and high-end gas pistols generally cost from $80-$200 both of which also require gas, batteries etc. Spring guns tend to not exceed $50, except in cases of high end “sniping” rifles which average out to be around $103-$370 in price. Most players start with a spring pistol as their first airsoft weapon. Because of their price, spring guns tend to act as “training guns” to bring new players to airsoft games and are considered the primary weapon of “backyard skirmishes.” Almost all airsoft players at some point own a spring weapon, whether for its actual use in the sport or for the replica value since some airsoft weapons are only available as spring versions.
