The Rise Of Airsoft

airsoft-pistols-rifles
Source: Skiler-2, Wikipedia

Airsoft is gaining in popularity rapidly recently and for good reason too. The sport is very similar to paintballing, except the ammo used is 6mm plastic BBs, fired from realistic airsoft rifles and airsoft pistols instead of paint ball guns. This realism of the weaponry appeals to a large spectrum of people, and makes it fantastic fun when you are out in the field.

Joining The Airsoft Club

The first step to starting in the world of Airsoft is to register as a player with the United Kingdom Airsoft Retailers Association who oversees the entire goings on of airsoft in the UK. You can register as a player on their website at this link… 

Once you have successfully registered as a player you can then find a local club to join and start playing! You can find a list of all the registered clubs in the UK on the UKARA website here

To purchase an Airsoft weapon from us you must be over the age of 18, and have the relevant ID to prove that. We then arrange the delivery with our vans and drivers to deliver the item to you in person. We have a large range of airsoft equipment, which is always expanding so as always, if you there’s something you would like that’s not on our site, give us a call and we can see if we can source it for you!

Primary Weapons

Most people in Airsoft normally have a ‘primary weapon’ such as an assault rifle which packs a powerful punch with good accuracy in a relatively small package to make it easy when you are in a combat situation. If your starting off in Airsoft, it’s worth taking a look at something such as the Classic Army G36 Sportsline AEG 6mm Airsoft which has a great specification at the price point, and being modelled on the G36 it is one of the more popular airsoft guns making it easier to customize.

AEG Airsoft
The Workings of an AEG (automated electric gun) airsoft gun

The Classic Army is what’s called an AEG which stands for All Electric Gearbox, which loads and propels the BBs down the barrel. The beauty of the electric system is that it revolves very quickly, allowing a very fast fire rate, and as the motor runs at a consistent speed, the velocity of the BBs is also very consistent.

To explain how the gearbox works check out this cool animation of the firing cycle inside the gearbox…Of course this happen at an extremely fast rate which makes you appreciate how well these units have to be made.

 

Green Gas Airsoft Rifles

Another airsoft rifle if you’re looking for something a bit better is the KWA LM4C PTR GBBR M4 CQB (Full Metal) Gas 6mm Airsoft (see opposite).

This rifle has a frame that is made from metal, as well as the majority of the parts which is the ‘Full Metal’ refers to in the title. This rifle differs from the King Arms in that the powerplant is Green Gas, as opposed to AEG. Green Gas is a mix of Propane and Lubricant which both powers the rifle and keeps it in good order.

The green gas comes sold in containers of around 700ml with a nozzle, which then refills a built in canister within the rifles magazine. Once the magazine is filled the rifle cocked, when the trigger is pulled a hammer flies and knocks the valve on the top of the magazine to release the gas into the barrel. The inertia from this hammer than knocks it back again to the cocked position, whilst another BB is loaded to repeat the procedure. This whole mechanism is often referred to as Gas Blow Back (GBB) which replicates the motions of a real firearm, to heighten the realism even further.

These are just some examples of primary weapons to choose from but of course there are a wealth of other items such as secondary weapons, such as airsoft pistols, and accessories such as clothing, masks, BBs, which I will cover on a future article. If you have any questions about anything mentioned in this article, or looking for some more advice, please get in touch with us today.

Check out our range of Airsoft weapons, BB Guns and accessories here.

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