Airsoft Guns, most Popular Types in Detail.

Unlike paintball guns, airsoft guns can be exact replicas of even the most covert firearms available. In fact, many militaries are using airsoft rifles, pistols and other firearms for training purposes, due to their authentic look and feel. 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! (And it's illegal to remove these orange tips) The neat thing about airsoft rifles are that you can own just about any rifle or assault rifle you can imagine - from the old Thomson submachinegun to the far more modern H&K G36 special ops assault weapon.

Generally speaking, Airsoft guns fall into three different categories, which are defined by how the guns are designed and operate. The more complicated the inner mechanisms that fire the guns, usually the more expensive they become.

Spring Airsoft Guns:

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.

Electric Airsoft Guns (AEG):

The electric airsoft gun, also known as AEG (Airsoft Electric Gun) these are the top of the range when it comes to airsoft guns. Each AEG has a tiny but very powerful motor inside which powers the firing mechanism. There is still a spring inside an AEG but this is controlled by the electronic motor to achieve high rates of fully automatic fire. One of the really neat things about this type of airsoft gun is that it can be loaded with miniature paintballs. A word of warning however - if a paintball breaks inside an AEG it can clog up the entire firing mechanism meaning you'll have to strip the gun down and clean it.

Gas powered Airsoft Guns:

Gas models usually need to be refilled after you've fired off a few magazines. Both gas and AEG airsoft are also available in blowback models - this is where the topslide flys backwards when a shot is fired; the same way it does in the movies. Gas airsoft guns are also highly portable and reasonably powerful. Available in fully automatic modes they can deplete the gas "charge" stored in the gun very quickly. This can involve carrying around replacement tins of compressed gas for the rifle or possibly even carrying a recharging pump around with you.