Airsoft Atlanta Frequently Asked Questions
What is airsoft? Airsoft is a broad term that refers to the sport/game of airsoft and the toy weapons used in the sport. Although there are many types of airsoft guns, all of them share certain characteristics. All airsoft guns shoot 6mm or 8mm (rarely) plastic bbs, and are designed to replicate real firearms. Most airsoft guns are made in 1:1 scale, meaning that they are the exact size of the real firearm they mimic. Airsoft guns are commonly used as part of a sport or game played similarly to paintball or laser tag.
How is airsoft different than paintball? Airsoft and paintball share many similarities, although the differences between them are great. Although both shoot a projectile at approximately the same velocity, airsoft BBs are much smaller and lighter which means that they hurt less and do not leave the massive bruising commonly associated with paintball. Airsoft games tend to take advantage of being less messy and more realistic than paintball to focus more on military simulation and objective based missions.
What do airsoft guns shoot? The vast majority of airsoft guns shoot 6mm plastic BBs, although a rare few use larger 8mm BBs. These BBs range in weight from 0.12-0.43 grams each, with the most commonly used weights being 0.12g and 0.20g. BBs come in a variety of quantities and colors and many BBs are also biodegradable (see the descriptions of our BBs). It should be noted that traditional metal BBs, being 4.5mm in diameter, will not shoot out of ANY airsoft gun.
Heavier BBs are more accurate, while lighter BBs travel faster and farther. Check our gun descriptions to see what weight of BB we recommend for any of our guns. One thing to remember is that you can always use a heavier BB than the one we recommend (decreasing your velocity but increasing your accuracy) but you don’t want to use a lighter one. Doing so will result in wildly inaccurate firing and possible damage of the airsoft gun.
How safe is Airsoft? Airsoft guns are designed with safety in mind, but certain
precautions MUST be followed. Firstly, anyone shooting, being shot at, or on
the play area absolutely MUST be wearing safety glasses/goggles. Eyewear should
be ANSI rated for impact, and eyewear that forms a complete seal around the
eyes is preferred. The next area to address is the face. While eye protection
is the absolute minimum protection needed, we often recommend something covering
the entire face. It is possible for teeth to get damaged when hit with a projectile.
Enough money has been spent on that movie star grill so protect it. Fortunately,
eyewear often comes in the form of masks, which have the additional benefit
of protecting the nose and mouth, as well as the sensitive
skin of the face. Sunglasses or ski goggles are not recommended because they
will not protect the user from airsoft BBs. Paintball masks are great choices
for eye and face protection. Long sleeves and long pants are also recommended. These help protect the skin
below by adding a little padding as well as protecting you from your environment.
A lot of us come off the field with worse wounds from things like thorns, rocks,
and concrete then airsoft BBs. Military style camouflage BDUs are a great and
very common choice. The final and often most forgotten piece of protective gear for airsoft is
sturdy footwear. Airsoft is generally played in an environment that is plagued
with
uneven ground and untamed undergrowth. Heck, that’s part of the fun for
some of us. But the very thing that adds a bit the experience can turn it sour
very quickly. A good pair of good quality, heavy duty, boots will soon become
a players best friend. Waterproof ones probably won’t be a bad idea. What is hop up? Hop up is a system installed in most airsoft guns that causes the BB to spin backwards as it travels down the barrel of the gun. This backspin functions very similarly to rifling on bullets, giving the BB a flatter, longer trajectory before it drops off. Hop up can be either Fixed or Adjustable. Fixed hop up units are preset from the factory to be approximately right for a certain weight of BB. Adjustable hop ups are not set from the factory, but can be adjusted by the user to fine tune the spin for the particular weight of BB that you choose to use. Check the description of your gun on our website to see what kind of hop up you have.
Can airsoft be used for Law Enforcement or Military Training? Absolutely! Many departments across the country and around the world use airsoft replica firearms for force-on-force, draw training, weapon presentation, weapon familiarization, malfunction drills, weapon retention, muzzle control, movement training, etc.
What is semi-automatic and full-automatic? Semi-automatic means that the gun fires a single round every time you pull the trigger. The automatic part refers to the fact that you don’t have to manually cock the gun for each shot. All gas and electric guns will be at least semi-auto.
Full-Automatic means that the gun will continue to fire for as long as you hold the trigger down. The rate of fire refers to the speed the gun cycles, and varies per gun. Gas guns tend to have the highest rate of fire; for instance the KWA M11A1 can empty a 50 round magazine in just over 2 seconds! Some gas guns and nearly all electric rifles are full-auto.
Burst fire is a controlled form of full-automatic where the gun will fire a certain number of shots each time you pull the trigger. The most common form is 3-round burst, which simply means that every time you pull the trigger 3 shots are fire. Very few gas and electric guns have a burst feature.
What do I do if my gun stops firing? First off, if you got your gun within 14 days, you should give us a call because your gun is probably still within its warranty period. Otherwise, you should determine if your gun can be repaired. Check here for spring guns, here for gas guns, here for AEGs, and here for LPEGs.
If your gun can be repaired, or if you have any questions call us for more details. When will a product be back in stock? That is hard to say since most of our products are imported from overseas. While we would like to give you an exact date a product will arrive, it is impossible for us to do so. As soon as a product gets back in stock it will be available for purchase on our website. Please do not call us about expected dates.
What is a spring gun? Spring guns are a class of airsoft guns that uses hand compressed spring as a power source. They are the most commonly available type of airsoft gun. Spring guns are available in all styles of guns from pistols to full sized rifles, and more varieties of guns are available as spring guns than any other category of gun. No spring gun can ever shoot in semi-automatic or full-automatic, regardless of markings on the gun. Many spring rifles have selector switches that appear to switch between semi- and full-automatic, but this is only to replicate the look or the real gun.
How do spring guns work? Spring guns all have the same basic mechanism, that of the hand cocked spring. What this means is that you will have to pull back a slide, cocking handle, or bolt in order to ready the spring and load the next round for each shot. After pulling the trigger and discharging a BB, this process must be repeated. This makes the mechanism slower than any other, but also simpler and more reliable. No spring gun can ever shoot in semi-automatic or full-automatic, regardless of markings on the gun. Many spring rifles have selector switches that appear to switch between semi- and full-automatic, but this is only to replicate the look or the real gun.
How much do spring guns cost? Spring guns range from around $10 for some basic spring pistols all the way up to in excess of $200 for top of the line upgradeable sniper rifles. For the most part, good quality pistols run $20-$60 and good quality rifles fall in the $45-$90 range.
Can spring guns be upgraded or repaired? Most spring guns cannot be upgraded internally: only the very highest quality sniper-type spring rifles are upgradeable (specifically those made by Maruzen and Tokyo Marui). If you have any question as to whether your gun can be upgraded then please give us a call. These guns are also the only spring guns with widely available parts, which means they are the only ones that can be repaired as a rule.
Many spring guns CAN take external accessories such as scopes, flashlights, lasers, mock silencers or slings.
How fast/far do spring guns shoot? Although the gun descriptions give the actual stats for velocity on all of our guns, a general rule of thumb is that spring pistols shoot about 180-230 fps, shooting 30-50 feet on average. Spring rifles are generally more powerful, getting about 250-320 fps and shooting approximately 50-75 feet. Please note that these distance measurements are VERY approximate because of the vast differences in shooting characteristics of different guns, the various BB weights that can be used, and other factors.
What is a gas gun? A gas gun is any gun that uses compressed gas of some kind in order to fire an airsoft projectile. Primarily available as pistols (gas rifles are very rare) gas guns are available in many designs, but not as many as spring pistols. Gas guns come in two varieties: Blowback (GBB) and Non Blowback (NBB). Blowback refers to the slide of the gun cycling back with every shot like it does on real pistols. The slide on a NBB gas gun does not move during shot.
Gas guns, particularly Gas Blowbacks, require more maintenance than any other type of airsoft gun because of the many moving parts and the necessity of keeping compressed gas securely sealed. Despite this, gas guns are very popular because they offer the most realistic replica and action of any airsoft gun and because they have, on average, a higher velocity than any other class of gun out of the box.
How do gas guns work? Gas guns hold compressed gas and BBs in the magazine of the gun. When you pull the trigger a controlled amount of gas and a single BB are released and fired. The magazines hold enough gas to fire one complete magazine; you must then refill both BBs and gas. For the most part, gas guns use HFC 22 (also called Taiwanese, or Top Gas) or HFC 134a (also called Japanese gas). Both of these gases come in canisters that fill into the magazine simply by pressing the fill nozzle into the fill valve on the bottom of the magazine, much like filling a butane lighter. Of the two, HFC 22 is the more powerful and more common. It is important to get the right gas for your gun. It should be noted that a few guns use CO2 powerlets. This method is more expensive, but results in a higher velocity than the other types of gas.
All gas guns are at least semi-automatic, meaning that they fire as fast as you can pull the trigger. Gas blowbacks have a much lighter trigger pull than gas nonblowbacks, because the slide cocks the hammer for you. On the other hand, nonblowbacks are more efficient with their gas because they do not need to use any to move the slide.
Some gas guns (blowbacks ONLY) can also fire in 3-round burst, or full-automatic modes. These modes will be noted in the gun description.
How much do gas guns cost? Gas guns run from $50-$400. Good gas guns start at about $80. Fully automatic fire modes and metal slides, which make the gun more realistic and reliable, increase the cost. Please examine the gun descriptions to determine whether the gun you are looking at includes these features.
Can gas guns be upgraded or repaired? Some upgrades are available for some gas guns. The most common upgrades are metal slides and “high flow valves”. Metal slides are heavier and more realistic than their plastic counterparts, and prevent your slide from cracking due to heavy use. High flow valves modify your magazine to release more gas per shot, making individual shots more powerful, but reducing the number of shots you get out of a magazine.
One important upgrade to note for Western Arms pistols is the Flow Restrictor Valve, or Green Gas Upgrade. This part allows your gun to safely use Top Gas (HFC 22) while simultaneously increasing the velocity of the shots and the power of the blowback!
We try to keep parts in stock for all of the gas guns we sell and can fix them the vast majority of the time. For information on how to get your gun repaired click here.
How fast/far do gas guns shoot? Gas guns shoot, on average, 280-350 fps. Depending on how accurate you expect them to be, this means about 75-100 feet of range.
What is a AEG? AEG stands for Automatic Electric Gun. These guns use rechargeable batteries to provide power, and are the highest end airsoft guns. They are primarily available in assault rifle configuration due to size constraints of the mechanism, although high-quality AEPs (Automatic Electric Pistols) are starting to be produced. With a couple of exceptions, AEGs shoot in Semi-Automatic and Full-Automatic modes, and can take multiple sizes of magazines (hicaps, lowcaps, and sometimes even midcaps). AEGs are available in more limited configurations that any of the other class of guns.
AEGs have a series of three gears connected to an electric motor and a spring-loaded piston, all contained within a metal shell called the “mechbox”. There are several versions of mechbox, but all function in essentially the same way. Electrical current from your rechargeable battery powers the motor, which turns the gears, pulling back the piston all the way and then releasing it. The spring then drives the piston forward through a cylinder and the pressure generated by this motion is used to propel the BB.
How much do AEGs cost? A good quality AEG starts at about $200 and upgraded or custom guns can run much higher. Tokyo Marui AEGs are as a rule more reliable than any other brand, and often cost less. This is because other brands such as ICS and Classic Army use all-metal bodies, which add heft and realism to the gun but cost quite a bit.
Can AEGs be upgraded or repaired? With one or two exceptions, AEGs can all be upgraded internally and externally. Our techshop can perform a full range of upgrades. In addition, spare parts are usually available for AEGs, making repairs possible and allowing us to keep you gun running for as long as you want.
How fast/far do AEGs shoot? Out of the box, AEGs shoot 280-300 fps. This can be increased in various ways, but always bear in mind the rules of the field you might be playing at. The most common upgrade is to 400 fps, which is available for almost any AEG. The effective range of AEGs out of the box is 100-120 feet, which can be increased by upgrading the velocity. However, it is important to bear in mind that most modifications reduce the overall reliability of your gun.
How long should I charge my battery? The time it takes to charge your battery is determined by many factors including the charger you are using and the capacity of the battery you are charging. Using most trickle chargers it takes 4-6 hours to charge your battery. These chargers do not automatically shut off when the charging is done however, so you should check every 30 minutes or so and see if the battery is hot to the touch. Once the battery is hot, it is done charging.
What’s up with AEPs? AEP is a term used to refer to quality-built pistols that use the AEG mechanism. This is, at the time of writing, a small but growing category of guns that is very exciting and has a lot of potential. These guns shoot around 250-260 fps and use a rechargeable battery.
What is a LPEG? LPEG stands for Low Powered Electric Gun and covers a number of types of guns. The first type is Minielectrics. These AA battery powered guns are replicas of full sized rifles shrunk down to pistol size. They shoot fully automatic only. Second are Electric Pistols, which are 1:1 replicas of pistols powered by AAA batteries and often have a weak blowback action. Finally, there are Fullsize LPEGs which are 1:1 scale models of real rifles (much like AEGs but with much less power) that run on either AA or rechargeable batteries. Fullsize LPEGs can shoot in semi-automatic or full-automatic modes.
How do LPEGs work? LPEGs contains a lower powered, plastic version of an AEG mechbox.
How much do LPEGs cost? Minielectrics run $10-$20, electric pistols are in the $30 range, and Fullsize LPEGs are around $40-$90.
Can LPEGs be upgraded or repaired? No. There are no internal parts available for any LPEGs. However, many of the Fullsize LPEGs can take external accessories much like their spring gun or AEG counterparts (scopes, lasers, flashlights, slings, etc).
How fast/far do LPEGs shoot? Most LPEGs shoot about 120-140 fps with 0.12g BBs. This is lower than any other type of gun, although both Minielectrics and Fullsize LPEGs feature full-auto firing modes to help make up for this. This amounts to “across the room” range, about 30-40 feet.
Upgrades(AEG)
What kinds of upgrades are available? AEGs can be upgraded to have a higher rate of fire or higher velocity (occasionally both!). Consideration must be taken when upgrading because some parts necessitate other parts, or have reduced effect without pairing them with additional parts. As a rule, the faster a gun shoots the less reliable it is. This can be alleviated to a certain extent by installing more and stronger parts but an upgraded gun will always be less reliable than a stock gun.
Some of the parts available: Gears: Gears can be used to increase your rate of fire, increase the torque to pull back heavier springs, or simply reinforce the strength of your stock gears. Springs: Upgraded springs are the base part used to increase the velocity of your gun. Pistons, cylinders, and nozzles: All of these parts are used to improve the efficiency of airflow in your gun. A more powerful spring is useless if the air isn’t moving out the front of the gun. Bushings: Strengthen the support of the gears, these are essential to any upgrade. Motors: Much like gears, they can be used to increase rate of fire or torque.
Many upgrades are available as kits, which contain all or most of the parts you need for an upgrade.
Can I install my upgrade/repair parts? Yes, but we don’t recommend it. For starters, taking your gun apart voids any warranty with us. Secondly, the mechbox is a mass of carefully shimmed gears and spring under compression, so unless you know what you are doing it is easy to make matters worse. Further, if you attempt to repair or upgrade your gun, can’t figure it out, and give it to us to work on, there is an additional charge representing the added effort of working behind someone else’s attempt.
Can you install my upgrade/repair parts? Absolutely. Our trained technicians are experienced at all kinds of upgrades, and will happily help you pick out what parts you need for your upgrade.
Will I need a new battery after I upgrade? A higher voltage battery (9.6v usually) is often required when you increase the spring tension in your gun. Using high torque gears or motor can help to alleviate this need. A higher voltage will also increase the rate of fire of your gun, and allow it to fire more shots before it dies (even if it has the same mAH rating).
It is important to plan for this when you upgrade, because a higher voltage battery will be larger than a standard 8.4v battery. In some cases this is not a problem but you may need to find another place to store the battery. Many times, a custom sized battery is available to get around this problem, but other times you may need additional modifications to your gun to allow a larger battery to fit, or consider the various external battery solutions available.
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