Posts Tagged ‘hobby’

Thinking About Buying An Airsoft Handgun?

They’re not in the same category as a kids toys but airsoft pistols are an ideal hobby for any adult or young adult. Unlike paintball guns or normal airguns airsoft hanguns are designed to look just like the real thing. This has posed a problem for airsoft gun owners over the years due to airsoft pistols being used in “armed” robberies. Believe me when one of these is pointed in your face it looks just like the real thing. To combat this danger airsoft manufactures are now making many of their airguns in clear plastics and/or with an orange flash at the tip of the barrel to counteract this problem.

Your airsoft pistol is capable of firing a 6mm plastic bb at speeds of up to 300 feet per second which while not dangerous to exposed arms or legs could definitely cause damage to unprotected eyes. Always, always use safety glasses when firing an airsoft gun indoors or outdoors. A ricochet can happen quite easily and the results can be horrific. The actual power of your handgun will depend on the firing mechanism used. Your choices are spring, gas and electric. Spring and gas offer the highest power range but the newer AEG blowback handguns look pretty neat too.

Bear in mind too that a spring airsoft gun will need to be cocked for every single shot whereas the gas and AEG models offer fully automatic fire rates. The spring pistols will be cheaper but are a little bit more clumsy to use. The gas blowback models really mimic the real thing – especially when the topslide flies backwards after each shot.
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Is Airsoft Better Than Paintball?

This question is bound to stir debate and controversy amongst the most ardent of airsoft or paintball fans.

Both airsoft and paintball are both hobbies based on replica firearms and wargames. Is this unhealthy? That depends moreso on the person themselves rather than the hobby. An interest in pursuing a hobby that involves weaponry only becomes unhealthy if taken to extremes – which is true of most things in life. Paintball and airsoft are not morbid hobbies and only run the risk of being dangerous when participated in by dangerous people.

Paintball itself is a more mobile sport. It requires a certain level of physical fitness, mobility and skill – if you paintball then you gotta be able to move fast. The weapons themselves are functional and are only designed to serve the purpose of the sport as opposed to looking good. Paintball rifles are designed to take a real beating when it comes to their use. Paintball fans fall into the ‘extreme sport’ category and enjoy the pure adrenaline of each paintball match and are driven by the desire to win.

Airsoft is a somewhat different sport. The guns used in airsoft are both conversation pieces and are also functional sports ‘weapons’. Airsoft rifles and pistols are capable of firing both small plastic pellets and paint filled pellets so are useful both in the sport itself and also for backyard target practice.
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Are Cheap Airsoft Guns Reliable?

There is always one key question On every shoppers mind – how cheap can I get it? This is true of airsoft guns too. We all expect to be able to get the best possible deal with anything we buy today. Fortunately investing in an airsoft gun doesn’t have to break the bank – you can get some exciting models at very attractive prices.

The quality and features of your airsoft replica will depend on your budget. There are three basic types of airsoft gun – in order of expense they are:

Spring
These are the cheapest airsoft guns you can get. An internal spring shoots the pellet from the gun. They’re single shot guns which means you’ll need to cock the gun each time you want to fire one of the plastic bbs. This can get annoying at times but these guns can be purchased for just a few dollars.

Gas
Gas powered models add one immediate feature – automatic fire. With a gas powered airsoft rifle or pistol you don’t need to cock the gun each time because it has a gas charge built in. These are far more powerful than most spring airsoft guns and slightly more expensive. This extra power comes at an added expense – the gas needs to be refilled. This can be achieved with co2 cartridges or a portable hand pump. For the added expense gas airsoft guns definitely feel more like the “real thing”.

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Airsoft Rifles – For Kids Who Never Grew Up

Owning an airsoft rifle is the dream of every kid who just never really grew up. When we were kids we wanted the ultimate toy – a pellet gun that looked like what we saw in the movies. Airsoft rifles can fulfil that need – there’s just something about them that turns grown men into kids all over again. Hundreds of thousands of airsoft owners all over the world can testify to this.

Airsoft rifles may look like toys to some people but when you pick one up you suddenly realize that they’re anything but toys. They mimic the real thing so closely that most airsoft guns are now manufactured with an orange flash at the end of the gun barrel. Why? So that both police and army personnel can tell the difference between a real gun and an airsoft model!

Although airsoft rifles may look and feel somewhat like the real thing that’s where the similarity ends. Airsoft guns are non-lethal because they only fire a 6mm plastic pellet. These are available in variety of weights as well as in glow-in-the-dark and paintball variants and are ideal for tin can or home target shooting.
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