Airsoft Gun Types - Spring, Gas and Electric (AEG)

From manually operated spring loaded pistols to fully automatic electric rifles, the variety of guns available to airsoft players today is vast. Airsoft players have more options than ever when choosing what types of guns to add to their collections. The guns used for airsoft fall into one of three main categories based on how they are powered:

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Spring Loaded

Spring loaded guns fire single shots using the potential energy stored in a spring, which is compressed when the gun is cocked and then released when you shoot. Cocking a spring loaded gun compresses the spring in preparation for the next shot, so spring loaded guns must be cocked before each shot.

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In general, spring loaded airsoft guns cost less than their electric or gas powered counterparts, making them popular starter guns for newcomers to the sport. Most experienced players prefer electric or gas airsoft guns for their power and realistic feel.

Electric

Electric guns, also called airsoft AEGs (automatic electric guns) because of their automatic or semi-automatic capabilities, utilize an electric motor powered by a rechargeable battery to cycle an internal piston or spring that fires the pellets. Because of their power, performance and realism, AEGs are the most common type you will see used in the sport of airsoft and are also the most widely available.

Gas

Gas guns are powered by pressurized gas - in the form of either green gas or CO2 - that is used to propel pellets from the chamber. Unlike spring loaded guns, gas airsoft guns do not have to be manually cocked before each shot. Gas powered airsoft guns are renowned for their power and precision. They are further classified as either non-blowback or blowback airsoft guns.

A blowback airsoft gun will have a slide that kicks back each time a shot is fired, mimicking the feel of firing a real gun. Non-blowback guns, on the other hand, have fixed slides and revolvers, and do not kick back as blowback guns do. Non-blowback guns give airsofters an economical alternative to blowback gas guns, but because of their realism blowback guns remain the most popular type of gas gun.

Deciding which type of gun you prefer for the sport of airsoft may just take some trial and error. Many airsoft players have different types of guns to use for different purposes.

Airsoft Gun Types - Spring, Gas and Electric (AEG)

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Airsoft Electric Pistols and Their Electric Blowback Counterparts

Airsoft is an active outdoor sport, played on private property or official insured airsoft fields. The sport features engagements between players using replica firearms that shoot small 6mm plastic pellets (BBs. The energy of a projectile is small, and special face protection is worn to prevent injury. These are not "soft air" rifles used to hunt small game!

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Airsoft replicas come in many shapes and sizes, modeled after the real firearms. This article is about airsoft electric pistols, which are a 1:1 scale replicas of real pistols. The term "electric" comes from an electric motor which compresses a spring using a series of 4 gears. The spring, once released, propels a piston to create a burst of compressed air which propels the airsoft projectile.

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This complicated assembly is referred to as the "gearbox", because it holds 4 gears. This gearbox was originally developed by Tokyo Marui for use in its Glock 18c automatic pistol replica. Since then, numerous manufacturers, such as Cyma, TSD, Well and Double Eagle produced their own versions of the mini airsoft gearbox for use with electric pistols.

There's a lot of confusion around what is and what is not an Airsoft Electric Pistol. Here's a summary:

Originally designed by Tokyo Marui, the electric airsoft pistol (AEP):

uses a subcompact version of the regular airsoft gearbox The gearbox is made of metal and offers excellent durability It is practically a mini automatic electric gun (AEG) and shoots BBs at about 200 feet per second. All airsoft electric pistols feature adjustable hop-up, set around 0.20 gram BB The gun also comes with a metal 30 round magazine The gun comes with a rechargeable 7.2 Volt battery and a charger. The slide of the gun does not move when firing Generally has 2 price ranges: 40-60$ for low end models and 100-160$ for quality models

Often mistaken for an airsoft electric pistol, the Electric Blowback Pistol (EBB) uses a totally different gearbox design and also features a recoiling slide (hence the term "blowback")

Uses various proprietary plastic gearboxes Shoots at about 160-200 feet per second with 0.2 gram BBs May feature a fixed hop up set for 0.12 gram BB Comes with a banana shaped stick magazine Is usually powered by 4 Triple-A alcaline batteries at 6.0Volts The slide moves back when firing Generally priced in the 7-25$ range

The major difference between the two is durability. Many people are attracted to the lower cost electric blowbacks as their first purchase because of the affordable price. However, the plastic nature of these guns and the fact that they are most often used by teenagers, results in these guns breaking quite fast. This often means that people think of airsoft as a cheap and silly hobby.

An airsoft community in the United States is still quite young, so I would encourage you to explore some of the more durable airsoft weapons as your first purchase, and I hope to see you on the field!

Airsoft Electric Pistols and Their Electric Blowback Counterparts

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