Airsoft gun
An airsoft gun or Airsoftwaffe is a special compressed-air gun that the tactical adventure game Airsoft is used. There are also disciplines in IPSC - sport shooting , which are carried out with airsoft short weapons. Airsoft guns are often deceptively reproduced replicas of real firearms under license , but which do not cause life-threatening injuries. Airsoft guns fire round balls made of various materials using spring pressure, gas or an electromechanically operated compressed air system.
Types of airsoft guns
Spring pressure
An airsoft gun operated with spring pressure uses the energy of a coil spring that is tensioned by hand to accelerate the ammunition from the barrel. As a rule, the ball is not accelerated directly by the spring, but by air pressure generated by the tensioned spring in a piston system. The shooter must cock the weapon by hand before each shot by pulling the loading lever or the breech of the airsoft weapon backwards. After the spring is tensioned, the airsoft gun is ready to fire. Because of this functionality, these weapons are single-shot.
Airsoft guns operated with spring pressure are mainly to be found in the lower price segment. However, high quality airsoft guns can cost over 1,000 euros. The spring pressure system is also used in many shotgun replicas, whereby the spring is tensioned by a typical repeating movement of the fore-end before each shot.
Electric airsoft guns
Electrically powered airsoft guns have a battery-powered electric motor that uses a transmission to tension a coil spring with a reciprocating piston. When the trigger is actuated, the spring is tensioned in a first phase via the motor and the gearbox. In the second phase, the spring is released and thus acts on a piston. As in an air pump , the air is compressed and the compressed air accelerates the ammunition. Current electric airsoft weapons repeat this cycle up to sixteen times per second and more, which enables fully automatic operation. This gave the automatic electric airsoft guns the name Automatic Electric Gun (AEG). These airsoft guns are by far the most widely used airsoft guns for competition.
Electric airsoft guns were developed in Japan. The Japanese model manufacturer Tokyo Marui has always dominated the market. Their developed gearbox (gearbox) characterizes even today used functioning electric airsoft guns and other manufacturers.
Another established functionality is Professional Training Weapon Systems from Systema, the government equipment supplier . These weapons were originally designed as realistic training equipment for the military, police and similar authorities and are used by them for training purposes. They resemble the original models outwardly, in terms of weight and operation down to the last detail. Since these weapons use the same principle and ammunition as all other electric airsoft guns, they are also used by airsoft players.
Electric airsoft guns are usually operated with accumulators made of nickel-cadmium batteries (NiCd) or nickel-metal hydride batteries (NiMH) of various voltages and capacities. The batteries are mostly sold in battery packs for voltages from 7.2 V to 12 V. A higher capacity (mAh) enables a longer operating time, a higher operating voltage (V), on the other hand, increases the voltage on the motor and, associated with it, usually a higher rate of fire. Newer battery technologies, in particular lithium polymer batteries , are also finding their way into the airsoft world.
Classic Army M15A4 (also M4A1 )
Systema Professional Training Weapon System M4A1 MAX
Replica of an AK-47 from Tokyo Marui
Replica of a Tokyo Marui MP5SD
Replica of a H&K USP from Umarex
Gas airsoft guns
Gas-powered airsoft weapons require pressurized propellant gas to accelerate the ammunition. These weapons are able to fire semi-automatically and fully automatically. The propellant gases commonly used today are propane ( called and sold in connection with Airsoft Green Gas ), HFC134a , HFC-22 and, in appropriately adapted airsoft guns , the stronger Red Gas . Systems that work with carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) or external compressed air (HPA, "high pressure air") are also widespread .
The first gas airsoft guns available on the market today were the so-called Classic Guns due to their age , which were typically powered by liquid propellants such as R-12 (called FLON-12 in Japan). Often these airsoft guns included two external tanks: one for the R-12 itself and a second as an expansion tank. These models were later modified by some users to work with pressure- regulated CO 2 tanks or nitrogen / high-pressure air cylinders that offered higher pressure and less pressure fluctuations.
In addition, compressed propellants cool down considerably during expansion, to well below 0 ° C. On the one hand, this strong cooling causes the pressure to drop until the airsoft gun finally stops firing; on the other hand, rubber seals on valves suffer from the low temperature ("cool-down effect"). With CO 2 as the propellant, this effect is less pronounced and with compressed air it does not occur at all.
Also worth mentioning are the so-called blow-back weapons, in which the pressure of the propellant gas is also used to imitate the repeating movement of a "real" firearm, whereby the slide snaps back and forth.
ammunition
Airsoft guns fire so-called BBs , which are legally defined as projectiles.
There are several explanations for the meaning of BB . On the one hand, the name comes from the term ball bearing , as the round balls used in sports for air rifles often came from ball bearing production. On the other hand, adopting the name from the field of compressed air weapons, which originally stood for a certain shot size, seems just as plausible. In fact, such a classification can still be found today at US manufacturers, such as Winchester or Federal Premium, where BBB stands for .190 "(4.83 mm), the said BB for .180" (4.57 mm) ), while other sizes are labeled with numbers like # 1, # 2, etc. Still other sources resolve the abbreviation with baby bullet , which means "little ball".
Airsoft ammunition are almost always 6 mm diameter bullets, which are mostly made of plastic. Ammunition filled with primer cannot be fired with an airsoft weapon. It is common to sell weights from 0.12 g to 0.45 g and, rather uncommon, even more. In addition to plastic BBs, there are also biodegradable balls made of starch, which disintegrate after about a year if unused and after two to three weeks under the influence of moisture. Metal and graphite coated balls are also available. Solid aluminum or steel balls are occasionally used to shoot targets. The most common are bullets with a diameter of 6 mm in the weights 0.12 g (for very weak airsoft weapons), 0.20 g and 0.25 g, often also as a biodegradable variant.
May further phosphorescent ammunition in conjunction with a special barrel adapter ( "tracer") over a short, bright UV - Flash be exposed to the effect of tracer ammunition to achieve.
Airsoft guns that fired aspherical pellets were also manufactured in the 1990s. The best known of these ammunition is Asahi's "Blade Bullet". This ammunition was intended to be fired from Asahi's M700 and M40 rifles (produced in 1993), however the Asahi M700 / M40 series was confiscated and destroyed by the Japanese police a few weeks after its appearance, as it was possible to convert them to real .22 ammunition in just a few steps .
Color-filled ammunition is available, but not compatible with airsoft guns that have a " hop-up " or a muzzle energy higher than 0.5 joules, as this would cause the colored ball to burst in the barrel. There is also a special caliber of 5.5 mm for which no colored ammunition is available.
6 mm BB: weight and purpose (examples)
- 0.12 g - for airsoft guns with <0.25 J .
- 0.16 g - compromise between 0.20 g and 0.12 g. Suitable for airsoft guns <0.5 J.
- 0.20 g - the standard weight for many airsoft guns. Compared to heavier BBs, these are more easily influenced by air movements in their trajectory. According to the law of conservation of energy and the law of conservation of momentum, the muzzle velocity is higher than with BBs with 0.25 g with the same kinetic energy. Therefore these are well suited for short distances where a stable trajectory over long distances can be neglected. For airsoft guns from 0.4 to 0.9 y.
- 0.23 g - compromise solution between 0.20 g and 0.25 g.
- 0.25 g - is the upper limit for unmodified airsoft weapons. With the same kinetic energy, they fly slower than BBs with 0.20 g, but with a more stable flight path. They are not as easily distracted by foliage as lighter BBs.
- 0.28 g - for modified airsoft guns with a muzzle energy> 0.5 J. Significantly cheaper than 0.30 g BBs with a similar performance.
- 0.30 g - suitable for most precision softair weapons.
- 0.36 g - heavier ammunition for precision softair weapons. Very slow, but trajectory very stable.
- 0.43 g - suitable for precision softair weapons with a higher muzzle energy from around 3 years. Usually graphite-coated.
- 0.85 g - steel balls, only suitable for airsoft weapons less than 7.5 years.
8 mm ammunition: weight and purpose
- 0.27 g - very light 8 mm BB for some precision softair weapons
- 0.34 g
- 0.45 g
- 0.60 g
- 0.90 g
- 2.10 g - steel ball
Airsoft ballistics
Speed, energy and weight
The speed v 0 at which the BB leaves the barrel is given as fps (feet / second) or m / s . In the case of spring-operated airsoft guns, this depends largely on the strength of the spring, and for airsoft guns that use compressed air or gas mixtures as a drive, it depends on the corresponding gas pressure. The resulting kinetic energy (in joules ) is still dependent on the weight of the BB used and is usually determined with the usual 0.20 g BBs.
Airsoft guns usually have a muzzle energy of 0.3 J to 1.5 J, with stronger weapons also up to 3 J and less often more.
Performance characteristics
Airsoft guns fire their ammunition at speeds of 100 fps (30 m / s) for cheap toy models, and up to 800 fps for powerful gas airsoft guns. Most unmodified standard AEGs with a Tokyo-Marui gearbox are in the midfield with around 270 fps (80 m / s). Technical changes, such as replacing the spring, can increase this value.
Internal modifications include increasing the rate of fire and the speed at which the ammunition leaves the barrel. The firing frequency (cadence) of an AEG can be achieved on the one hand by a higher operating voltage of the electric motor, on the other hand by a higher translation in the gearbox . A third possibility is the reduction of friction losses by means of ball bearings, grease, energy-efficient electric motors, etc. A higher muzzle velocity is achieved by installing a stiffer spring and using higher quality components in the air pressure system to minimize pressure losses.
Hop up
The hop-up system in airsoft guns creates a backward spin on the projectile. The trajectory of the bullet is deflected towards the side on which it rotates with the flow, i.e. upwards (if the airsoft weapon is held straight when firing. The force is of course reversed when it is upside down, downwards). On the side of the sphere that moves with the air flowing past, the layers of air close to the BB can flow faster: According to the Magnus effect , a negative pressure is created. The rotation against the air flow on the other hand means that the air is slowed down. This creates an overpressure. The ball evades the higher pressure and therefore, if one neglects gravitation, describes an upwardly curved trajectory. Of course, gravity acts on earth. The hop-up is adjusted with the help of a wheel inside the weapon so that the buoyancy of the ball and its attraction by the earth just compensate each other and describe a straight trajectory (until the back spin subsides and the ball subsides).
The hop-up system that is widespread today touches the accelerated ammunition in the barrel with a rubberized contact surface on the upper side of the inner barrel surface. There is high friction between the ball and the rubber surface. This leads to a torque whose vector points to the right as seen from the shooter. The main disadvantage of this system is its dependence on the orientation of the airsoft weapon. For example, if you hold the airsoft weapon inclined 90 ° to the left, the BB does not spin backwards, but rather a left spin: the ball makes a left turn and sags early. But this can also be used to your advantage, since you can counter crosswinds with the hop-up effect by slightly tilting the weapon.
In addition to the strength-adjustable hop-up systems, fixed hop-ups that are set for a certain ammunition weight (mostly 0.20 g) are particularly popular with cheaper GBBs. Other weights lead to a hop-up effect that is too strong or too weak.
risk of injury
Injuries from airsoft guns are mostly superficial. The injury pattern usually ranges from wheals to punctiform hematomas . Appropriate protective equipment is advisable. Bulletproof goggles provide the most important protection for the eye area, face masks also for other sensitive areas, especially the teeth.
Legal position
Germany
In the weapons legal treatment of Airsoft guns is between rules for the appearance of weapons , the projectile energy, as well as fully automatic machines to distinguish.
Regulations on apparent weapons
Airsoft guns are mostly replicas of real firearms and, like model weapons , can hardly be distinguished from them. As apparent weapons, they are therefore subject to special provisions in German gun law: They may not be used in public.
Anyone who, contrary to the ban, wields a pretend weapon is committing an administrative offense . A transport of fake weapons, for example from the dealer to one's own apartment or from one's own apartment to the shooting range, is only permitted in a "locked container".
Regulations on projectile energy
The Weapons Act does not apply to toy firearms that give the projectile a kinetic energy of no more than 0.5 joules, with the exception of the above-mentioned regulations on apparent weapons. However, they are often only sold to people aged 14 and over.
Airsoft guns that give projectiles an energy of less than 7.5 joules but more than 0.5 joules are freely available from the age of 18. These weapons must be marked with an "F" in a pentagon and must not be fully automatic . Without a gun license , they may only be carried and used in pacified possession . The weapon must not be accessible or ready to fire during transport. This is particularly true when the weapon is unloaded and is in a closed container.
Airsoft guns that emit projectiles with an energy of over 7.5 joules are firearms that require a license in the sense of the Weapons Act .
Regulations on fully automatic weapons
The possession of fully automatic airsoft weapons over 0.5 joules is prohibited in Germany.
Austria
In Austria, unlike in Germany, airsoft weapons are not weapons within the meaning of the Austrian Weapons Act. The sale of airsoft weapons, which are imitations of real firearms, is prohibited by ordinance to persons under the age of 18.
Switzerland
The new Weapons Act has been in force in Switzerland since December 12, 2008. All airsoft weapons were officially classified as (privileged) weapons. The purchase is therefore only possible from the age of 18 and requires a written purchase contract. A special permit is required for importing. Laser target sights are forbidden, but lamps and fully automatic machines are allowed.
France
In France, airsoft guns with a muzzle energy of less than 0.08 joules are available from the age of three, and airsoft guns with a muzzle energy of 0.08 to 2 joules may only be sold to adults. In contrast to those in Germany, the airsoft guns of the second category may be fully automatic, and under German law illegal attachments such as lasers or lamps are permitted in France. Quite a few airsoft teams near the French border therefore go to France for larger games or even have their own premises there.
Netherlands
In the Netherlands, airsoft devices can be imported and bought if you are a member of the Dutch Airsoft Association (NABV). As in Germany, airsoft guns do not have to be registered, may have a maximum muzzle energy of 3.5 joules and, as in Austria, may be operated with both semi and fully automatic systems.
literature
- Eberhard Müller: Airsoft weapons: function, ballistics, technology. RG Fischer Verlag, 2007, ISBN 978-3-8301-1059-0 .
- Hadi Nadjem, Roland Braunwarth, Stefan Pollak: On the injury potential of airsoft pistols. Archiv für Kriminologie 213, pp. 15-21 (2004).
Individual evidence
- ↑ Federal manufacturer's website: http://federalpremium.com/products/brands/blackcloud.aspx
- ↑ § 42a Paragraph 1 No. 1 in conjunction with Appendix 1 to § 1 Paragraph 4 No. 1.6.1. Weapon law.
- ↑ § 53 Paragraph 1 No. 21a Weapons Act.
- ↑ § 42a Paragraph 2 No. 2 Weapons Act.
- ↑ a b Annex 2 Section 2 Subsection 2 Number 1.1 Weapons Act.
- ↑ This is done on the basis of § 27 WaffG.
- ↑ § 24 paragraph 2 Weapons Act.
- ↑ § 12 Paragraph 4 No. 1 lit. a) Weapons Act.
- ↑ Exception from the license requirement for driving: § 12 Paragraph 3 No. 2 Weapons Act.
- ↑ § 2 Paragraph 2 in conjunction with Appendix 2 Section 2 Subsection 1 Number 2.2 Weapons Act.
- ↑ https://www.ris.bka.gv.at/GeltendeFnahm.wxe?Abfrage=Bundesnormen&Gesetzesnummer=20008489&FnahmVom=2014-10-01
- ↑ https://www.siegert.at/wp/waffg/
- ↑ DUTCH AIRSOFT REGULATION SIGNED AND PUBLISHED. , Retrieved July 4, 2013.
