airsoft

A game where opposing teams use either electric, gas, or spring powered replicas of real guns, to propel a small diameter ball-bearing(BB) at the opposing team. These replicas use varied weight bbs as ammunition, with each weight giving a different effect on the range, speed, and accuracy of the shot. The replicas can be upgraded by opening it up, and changeing various parts in order to achieve the effect desired. Most fields have an FPS limit, usually 400fps for automatic and semi-automatic firing replicas, and 550fps for single-shot bolt action rifles. Most replicas used on field are either Gas powered or electric powered. The electric powered ones use a battery that runs a motor, that turns a set of gears, which in turn cranks back a spring, which pulls back on a piston , which then raises the amount of air in the cylinder, which is all released at once raising the pressure behind the bb in the chamber which propels the bb down the barrel, all at the pull of the trigger. The gas replicas use ozone-friendly HFC-134a(weakest) or HFC22(strongest) to propel the bb down the barrel. The gas is stored in a resivior in the magazine(ammo storage) of the replica. Spring powered replicas use manual cocking of the piston in order to raise the amount of air in the cylinder behind the bb which is all released at once, raising the amount of air pressure behind the bb propeling it foward and down the barrel. Military style tactics and dress are often used to the advantage of the player, which is why this game is often reffered to as "Mil-Sim(military simulation). The electric powered replicas are often modeled after real rifles and submachine-guns. The Gas powered replicas are oftern modeled after handguns and small submachineguns. And the spring powered replicas are modeled after a wide varity of real weapons, due to the simplicity of thier design. The sport was oringinated in Japan, then quickly adopted in the US as an alternative to paintball. Airsoft has a relatively small following of people as opposed to the millions who play paintball, mostly due to the fact that paintball is more "user-friendly" due to the fact that most paintball guns look nothing like real guns, unlike airsoft. Airsoft requires a great deal of responsibility, due to the fact that if you are seen in public with these replicas, you could be arrested or even shot at.