The game of Airsoft has evolved quite significantly from the day it was first invented in Japan. The invention of Airsoft was caused by a law that bans any hand-held weapons to enter the country. This prohibition led a Japanese to invent or create a gun to mimic the real ones. In line with this, he also invented the game of Airsoft to put the guns in use. From then on the game traveled across the seas into different continents and has now became so widely known and different Airsoft gun manufacturers created their own versions of guns.
The very first type of Airsoft gun is called a spring gun. This type of gun is the most basic in Airsoft. It only requires a spring to give momentum to the BB pellets by cocking. One of the very first guns that use spring is the Airsoft shotgun and the hand-held pistol because of their slide cocking feature. Spring gun can only fire BBs at a very slow velocity that’s why they’ve been unpopular to Airsoft enthusiasts nowadays. They are also very cumbersome due to the fact that it needs excessive cocking. They are also cheap as they are easy to build and require little or no maintenance.
The second type of Airsoft gun is the gas gun. As the name implies, it requires the use of compressed gas when firing. Green gas, red gas, CO2 are just some of the type of gas canisters that are used with this type of gun. Gas is supplied to the gun through a gas valve that can be located on either the pistol grip or the butt-stock. Whenever the trigger is pressed, a small amount of gas is released that pushes the piston that then compresses the air in front of it through a small hole where a BB pellet is positioned. Gas guns remarkably have a high muzzle velocity. Maintenance is minimal mainly with the pistol and gas valve.
The second type of gun is the electric gun or more commonly known as AEGs (Automatic Electric Guns). Some say the term AEG was first used by Tokyo Marui. Tokyo Marui is a Japanese based Airsoft gun manufacturer with popular guns like the Airsoft P90 and the Airsoft Steyr. The TM Airsoft Steyr is considered as the very first AEG gun. AEG guns use electricity supplied by batteries to run a set of gears. The gears are then connected to piston. By pressing the trigger, the power from the battery turns a small motor which turns a set of gears (bevel, spur & sector) that pulls and releases the piston at a very rapid rate. AEG gun parts are upgradeable including the gears and springs. Upgraded AEGs can usually fire BBs out with a velocity ranging from 350-450 fps. This level of firepower can shatter soda bottle and some airsoft gun like an Airsoft sniper rifles can actually break a person skin.