History UsefulNotes / Airsoft

* In ''LightNovel/SwordArtOnlineAlternativeGunGaleOnline'', Karen Kohiruimaki buys an airsoft [=P90=] submachine gun since she uses that as her alter-ego LLENN's main weapon in Gun Gale Online.

The activity itself, and most of the guns made for it, comes from Japan, where strict gun control laws forbid ordinary citizens from possessing real firearms, and became very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Airsoft guns evolved from very realistic-looking model and cap guns, manufactured by companies like MGC (Model Gun Corporation) - the first "classic" airsoft guns used either a manually cocked spring-loaded plunger (like UsefulNotes/AirGuns) or an external compressed gas tank (like paintball guns). Some of them were a bit more complicated, like the [[RareGuns Asahi Walther WA2000]][[note]]The Asahi [=WA2000=] is pretty much as rare as the real one - only a thousand were made in the early [=1990s=], and they fetch a price from four to ten thousand US dollars today[[/note]] that used a solenoid valve assembly to control the amount of compressed gas used for near-perfect consistency in velocity and accuracy. In airsoft pistols, the gas tank was usually installed in the grip or magazine and refilled through a valve not unlike the ones used in propane lighters.

Airsoft is, as Wiki/TheOtherWiki says, a "recreational activity" similar to paintball, where people eliminate their opponents by shooting them with plastic pellets fired from very realistic-looking toy guns. A typical airsoft game (or skirmish, as it's sometimes called) is similar to those played with [[PaintballEpisode paintball]] or [[UsefulNotes/NERFBrand Nerf guns]], with the amount of necessary protection somewhere between the two. Airsoft guns are also used as props in movies and TV series, thanks to looking better than rubber stunt casts and being safer (and requiring no licenses to purchase and use) than real firearms.

* One very common restriction regards muzzle velocity and/or energy. This can vary from 0.99 Joule in Japan and Ireland, through 2 Joules in Hong Kong, to 7.5 Joules in Germany and 17 Joules in Poland.

* Some jurisdictions leave it in a grey area. In Canada, there is no specific legislation governing airsoft guns across the country. Airguns are legal for those over eighteen, so long as they do not fire projectiles with muzzle energy exceeding 5.7 joules at velocities exceeding 152.4 m/s; otherwise, they'll be classified as firearms. However, airguns which ''look'' like actual firearms and fire a projectile at a velocity lower than 111.6 m/s are treated as imitation firearms. What this means is that while it is perfectly legal to own airguns modeled on real firearms, severe import restrictions on imitation firearms mean that any airsoft guns which do make it into the country might end up seized by customs if lacking proper modifications or paperwork.

* Some jurisdictions leave it in a grey area. In Canada, there is no specific legislation governing airsoft guns across the country. Air guns are legal for those over eighteen, so long as they do not fire projectiles with muzzle energy exceeding 5.7 joules at velocities exceeding 152.4 m/s; otherwise, they'll be classified as firearms. However, pellet guns which ''look'' like actual firearms and fire a projectile at a velocity lower than 111.6 m/s are treated as imitation firearms. What this means is that while it is perfectly legal to own airguns modeled on real firearms, severe import restrictions on imitation firearms mean that any airsoft guns which do make it into the country might end up seized by customs if importers fail to properly fill out their paperwork.

* Some jurisdictions leave it in a grey area. In Canada, there is no specific legislation governing airsoft guns across the country. Air guns are legal for those over eighteen, so long as they do not fire projectiles with muzzle energy exceeding 5.7 joules at velocities exceeding 152.4 m/s. However, pellet guns which ''look'' like actual firearms and fire a projectile at a velocity lower than 111.6 m/s are treated as imitation firearms. What this means is that while it is perfectly legal to own airguns modeled on real firearms, severe import restrictions on imitation firearms mean that any airsoft guns which do make it into the country might end up seized by customs if importers fail to properly fill out their paperwork.

* ''Manga/TokureiSochiDantaiStellaJogakuinKoutoukaC3Bu'' - anime about an airsoft club in a Japanese high school, sponsored by the aforementioned Tokyo Marui.

* Due to the action taking place in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind (well, collective unconscious, but still), the protagonists of ''VideoGame/{{Persona5}}'' use airsoft guns that actually fire real bullets because YourMindMakesItReal, though it's noted they have to use very convincing replicas for the effect to work.
* In ''Film/BringMeTheHeadOfTheMachineGunWoman'', Santiago buys an airsoft pistol when is unable to purchase a real firearm. His attempts to use to bluff {{Professional Killer}}s end predictably badly.

Also, since airsoft guns are designed to look like real ones, most of UsefulNotes/GunAccessories can be installed on them without problems. And in case you want to know - GatlingGood in airsoft is a real, commercially available thing. With a hefty price tag.

* Club membership is required in Malaysia, Malta and the United Kingdom.

* Due to the action taking place in a BattleInTheCenterOfTheMind (well, collective unconscious, but still), the protagonists of ''VideoGame/{{Persona5}}'' use airsoft guns that actually fire real bullets because YourMindMakesItReal, though it's noted they have to use very convincing replicas for the effect to work.

* ''Manga/{{Sabagebu}}'': Titular school club is a group of girls playing survival games with airsoft guns for weapons. It's stated directly within the work that the participants let their imagination run wild, hence matches show as light-hearted bloody carnage.

Airsoft is, as TheOtherWiki says, a "recreational activity" similar to paintball, where people eliminate their opponents by shooting them with plastic pellets fired from very realistic-looking toy guns. A typical airsoft game (or skirmish, as it's sometimes called) is similar to those played with [[PaintballEpisode paintball]] or [[UsefulNotes/NERFBrand Nerf guns]], with the amount of necessary protection somewhere between the two. Airsoft guns are also used as props in movies and TV series, thanks to looking better than rubber stunt casts and being safer (and requiring no licenses to purchase and use) than real firearms.

* Any video by FreddieWong or WebVideo/CorridorDigital will have airsoft guns used as props, with muzzle flare and such added in post. The guys also play airsoft a lot and videos of their games (mostly recorded from head-mounted cameras) can be found on their separate channel, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/Node/videos Node]].

* '''Spring-powered''': commonly called "springers", not to be confused with [[JerrySpringer the talk show host]], range from the cheap pistols and shotguns (less commonly rifles) sold in sporting goods stores and Wal-Marts to wickedly accurate and powerful bolt-action sniper rifles fitted with precisely-machined aftermarket parts. While many cheap springers are poorly regarded as actual mock combat weapons, tri-shot shotguns (which have three barrels and partial mechanisms to allow for them to fire three [=BBs=] at once) are extremely popular for CQB (Close Quarters Battle) and are much less expensive than most semi-automatic pistols or any decent automatic weapon.

The activity itself, and most of the guns made for it, comes from Japan, where strict gun control laws forbid ordinary citizens from possessing real firearms, and became very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Airsoft guns evolved from very realistic-looking model and cap guns, manufactured by companies like MGC ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Model Gun Corporation]]) - the first "classic" airsoft guns used either a manually cocked spring-loaded plunger (like UsefulNotes/AirGuns) or an external compressed gas tank (like paintball guns). Some of them were a bit more complicated, like the [[RareGuns Asahi Walther WA2000]][[note]]The Asahi [=WA2000=] is pretty much as rare as the real one - only a thousand were made in the early [=1990s=], and they fetch a price from four to ten thousand US dollars today[[/note]] that used a solenoid valve assembly to control the amount of compressed gas used for near-perfect consistency in velocity and accuracy. In airsoft pistols, the gas tank was usually installed in the grip or magazine and refilled through a valve not unlike the ones used in propane lighters.

* '''Spring-powered''': commonly called "springers", not to be confused with [[JerrySpringer the talk show host]], range from the cheap pistols and shotguns (less commonly rifles) sold in sporting goods stores and Wal-Marts to wickedly accurate and powerful bolt-action sniper rifles fitted with precisely-machined aftermarket parts. While many cheap springers are poorly regarded as actual mock combat weapons, tri-shot shotguns (which have three barrels and partial mechanisms to allow for them to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin fire three [=BBs=] at once]]) are extremely popular for CQB (Close Quarters Battle) and are much less expensive than most semi-automatic pistols or any decent automatic weapon.

* Any video by FreddieWong or WebVideo/CorridorDigital will have airsoft guns used as props, with muzzle flare and such added in post. The guys also play airsoft a lot and videos of their games (mostly recorded from head-mounted cameras) can be found on their separate channel, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/Node/videos Node]].

* Any video by FreddieWong or CorridorDigital will have airsoft guns used as props, with muzzle flare and such added in post. The guys also play airsoft a lot and videos of their games (mostly recorded from head-mounted cameras) can be found on their separate channel, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/Node/videos Node]].

The activity itself, and most of the guns made for it, comes from Japan, where strict gun control laws forbid ordinary citizens from possessing real firearms, and became very popular in Hong Kong and Taiwan. Airsoft guns evolved from very realistic-looking model and cap guns, manufactured by companies like MGC ([[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin Model Gun Corporation]]) - the first "classic" airsoft guns used either a manually cocked spring-loaded plunger (like UsefulNotes/AirGuns) or an external compressed gas tank (like paintball guns). Some of them were a bit more complicated, like the [[RareGuns Asahi Walther WA2000]][[note]]The Asahi [=WA2000=] is pretty much as rare as the real one - only a thousand were made in the early [=1990s=], and they fetch a price from four to ten thousand US dollars today[[/note]] that used a solenoid valve assembly to control the amount of compressed gas used for near-perfect consistency in velocity and accuracy. In airsoft pistols, the gas tank was usually installed in the grip or magazine and refilled through a valve not unlike the ones used in propane lighters.\\
The first "revolutionary" change for airsoft guns came in 1992: Tokyo Marui company came up with a different solution to propel the pellets, a mechanism that used electric motor and a set of gears to draw the spring-loaded plunger back and release it. This made airsoft guns more popular, easier to manufacture and cheaper, thanks to Tokyo Marui using the same gears, plungers and cylinders in most of their airsoft electric guns (or [=AEGs=] for short) - only two guns being an exception (Uzi and PSG-1). Tokyo Marui also introduced "Boys" series of airsoft guns in 3/4 scale, using the same mechanism (commonly called a gearbox), but downscaled, made of plastic (instead of metal used in their full-sized guns) and fitted with a weaker spring. Those solutions caught on: Hong Kong and Taiwan-based companies started copying the full-sized guns, and Chinese ones focused on the cheaper, plastic mechanism of the "Boys" series. In 2004, Japanese company Systema Engineering came up with their own "Professional Training Weapon" line, based on Marui's AEG idea, but expanded on with some new features like working bolt catch and device that prevented firing the gun with no pellets loaded.\\

* '''Gas-powered''': these airsoft guns use external or (more common today) internal gas tanks, most commonly tetrafluoroethane ([=HFC-134a=] or "duster gas"), propane (mixed with lubricants and sold as "green gas", also called "top gas" or [=HFC-22=]) or CO[[subscript:2]]. Gas-powered airsoft guns range from handguns (both pistols and revolvers), through submachine guns and assault rifles, to powerful sniper rifles.

** '''Airsoft Electric Pistols ([=AEP=])''': electrically operated sidearms, popular albeit not very varied in their design (they're pretty much either Glock 18 or Beretta [=93R=] replicas). [=AEPs=] are usually a third less powerful than normal [=AEGs=], and have a selector switch, allowing them to fire in fully automatic mode.

* ''Series/{{Continuum}}'' features the Thunder Maul AEG, based on Creator/ShirowMasamune's designs for Japanese model maker Poseidon Models.

* '''Spring-powered''': commonly called "springers", not to be confused with [[JerrySpringer the talk show host]], range from the cheap pistols and shotguns (less commonly rifles) sold in sporting goods stores and Wal-Marts to wickedly accurate and powerful bolt-action sniper rifles fitted with precisely-machined aftermarket parts. While many cheap springers are poorly regarded as actual mock combat weapons, tri-shot shotguns (which have three barrels and partial mechanisms to allow for them to [[ExactlyWhatItSaysOnTheTin fire three BBs at once) are extremely popular for CQB (Close Quarters Battle) and are much less expensive than most semi-automatic pistols or any decent automatic weapon.

** '''Non-blowback (NBB) airsoft guns''': non-blowback guns use the gas only to launch the pellet, not unlike some CO[[subscript:2]]-powered airguns. This kind of mechanism is used in revolvers and some cheap gas-powered pistols. Non-blowback weapons are simpler and allow for more gas to be directed to firing the BB (increasing the velocity), but they have a very stiff double-action trigger pull that lowers accuracy and some of them, especially the CO[[subscript:2]]-powered ones, have velocities too high for safe CQB usage.

*** '''HPA guns''': Most typified by the PolarStar series, these guns are similar to Classic guns in that they use an external tank (full of high-pressure air) and a hose connected to the gun. PolarStar weapons are well known for their very high cost, often $700 or more for a complete gun, as well as a programmable rate of fire, velocity, and burst limiter through their onboard computer. Such guns are typically subject to extra regulation at respectable fields (such as tournament locks) to prevent unscrupulous players from ramping up their velocity and rate of fire to illegal levels after passing inspection.
* '''Airsoft Electric Guns (AEG)''': popular and versatile, [=AEGs=] replicate all sorts of automatic weapons, from small submachine guns like Heckler & Koch [=MP7=] to machine guns like the [=M249=] and [=M240=]. Thanks to Tokyo Marui setting up a ''de facto'' standard of their construction, [=AEGs=] can be modified with countless aftermarket internal parts, from higher-voltage batteries, through padded piston and cylinder heads, harder springs and gears with different ratios, to electronic trigger assemblies allowing programmable burst-firing instead of uncontrolled MoreDakka. [=AEGs=] are often fed by hi-cap magazines, which have a reservoir of BBs and require some method of winding to fill a feed chute. Mid-caps are a popular alternative, which simply have a track with a coiled spring (not unlike a real firearm magazine) that holds all of the BBs ready to fire; they have a lower capacity than hi-caps (think 120 rather than 500), but they never need to be rewound after firing enough BBs and they're generally more reliable, as well as lacking a distinctive rattle. There are even lo-cap or "real cap" magazines, which are intentionally identical in capacity to real firearm magazines and are meant for training or strict simulation.
** '''Airsoft Electric Pistols (AEP)''': electrically operated sidearms, popular albeit not very varied in their design (they're pretty much either Glock 18 or Beretta [=93R=] replicas). [=AEPs=] are usually a third less powerful than normal [=AEGs=], and have a selector switch, allowing them to fire in fully automatic mode.
** '''Low Power Electric Guns (LPEG)''': Cheap AEGs, typically with a plastic gearbox and body. These guns are very inexpensive, but also very underpowered and have the durability of a wet napkin (don't fall on them if you want your gun to stay in one piece). They're typically sold at sporting goods stores and Walmart and are almost entirely purchased by youths who are unwilling to spend more than $100 on a gun (or are ignorant to their flaws).

* '''Spring-powered''': commonly called "springers", not to be confused with [[JerrySpringer the talk show host]], range from the cheap pistols and shotguns (less commonly rifles) sold in sporting goods stores and Wal-Marts to wickedly accurate and powerful bolt-action sniper rifles fitted with precisely-machined aftermarket parts.
* '''Gas-powered''': these airsoft guns use external or (more common today) internal gas tanks, most commonly tetrafluoroethane ([=HFC-134a=] or "duster gas"), propane (mixed with lubricants and sold as "green gas") or CO[[subscript:2]]. Gas-powered airsoft guns range from handguns (both pistols and revolvers), through submachine guns and assault rifles, to powerful sniper rifles.
** '''Non-blowback (NBB) airsoft guns''': non-blowback guns use the gas only to launch the pellet, not unlike some CO[[subscript:2]]-powered airguns. This kind of mechanism is used in revolvers and some cheap gas-powered pistols.

* '''Airsoft Electric Guns (AEG)''': popular and versatile, [=AEGs=] replicate all sorts of automatic weapons, from small submachine guns like Heckler & Koch [=MP7=] to machine guns like the [=M249=] and [=M240=]. Thanks to Tokyo Marui setting up a ''de facto'' standard of their construction, [=AEGs=] can be modified with countless aftermarket internal parts, from higher-voltage batteries, through padded piston and cylinder heads, harder springs and gears with different ratios, to electronic trigger assemblies allowing programmable burst-firing instead of uncontrolled MoreDakka.

* Liang Qi from ''Anime/Canaan'' enjoys shooting her assistant Cummings with an airsoft pistol.

* In ''Torchwood'', Torchwood agents' sidearm is a modified airsoft gas blowback pistol, the Tokyo Marui Hi-Capa (itself based on race guns like Strayer-Voigt Infinity).
* ''Series/Continuum'' features the Thunder Maul AEG, based on Creator/ShirowMasamune's designs for Japanese model maker Poseidon Models.