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Today one of the most popular forms of recreation is the use of airsoft guns. The market has evolved rather quickly for these neat little toys even though they haven’t been around that long. You may be wondering however, just what is an airsoft gun?

In simple terms, an airsoft gun is an exact copy of the real thing. The exception is that they fire plastic pellets, not bullets and use compressed gas. CO2 cartridges are the most commonly used form of compressed gas, but some gun models operate using electrical motors or springs. 6mm plastic pellets travel through this toy with a muzzle velocity of somewhere between 30 to 250 meters per second.

You shouldn’t let the talk of plastic pellets fool you though, copper and other metal pellets have been known to be used in these guns and these will cause damage to the skin. If the proper supplies are used however, airsoft guns can be a pretty safe method of entertainment. The recommended age for use is 16 and up so children younger then this should never use them especially not unsupervised. Some states even require you to be at least 18 before being able to enter a tournament.

The history of airsoft guns is a unique one, dating back to the 70′s in Japan where owning firearms was illegal. People still had an interest in weaponry so they found a loop hole around this law and began to manufacture fakes that looked like the real thing but fired plastic and rubber balls. The 6mm and 8mm size ammunition later became standard. These older models were all spring powered but later became gas powered.

In the 1990′s this fun toy wandered over to North America and changed how we viewed recreational fun forever. Once North American’s added their knowledge to the mix we ended up with what we know these gun replicas as today.

Because cheap versions of these guns were being manufactured the United States had to toughen up on the import. Today, in order for an airsoft gun to be imported in to the country or sold here legally they must have a bright orange tip. This is for safety reasons since they look so much like real weapons.

Because some of these models are so accurate to their real life counter parts, intellectual property laws have became a problem from some of the manufacturing companies. Most of these companies are Japanese based and the United States restricts imports of certain models they feel are too life like for use here.

I bet you are thinking about how much fun this all sounds right now, aren’t you? Well, it is! Whole families sometimes get involved in this activity and use it as a way to spend family time together. Some people say its a wonderful way to relieve stress as well! If you need a little excitement in your life but don’t want anything too dangerous then just maybe you should look in to this one. Fanatics doubt you will be disappointed and you just might become a fanatic yourself.

Author Information: Anthoy Carter is very into the sport of airsoft and knows alot about airsoft guns. Go to this website to find the best place to find airsoft guns.