Airsoft Guns Vs Paintball – Differences and Regulations

Airsoft guns, also known as soft air guns and are usually powered by a mechanism which uses a combination of electric power, spring contraptions or gas. These are guns that shoot small plastic pellets, typically six to eight millimeters…

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Airsoft Guns Vs Paintball – Differences and Regulations

Airsoft guns, also known as soft air guns and are usually powered by a mechanism which uses a combination of electric power, spring contraptions or gas. These are guns that shoot small plastic pellets, typically six to eight millimeters around, though there is some debate as to whether the spring powered weapons are actually air guns at all. Some of these airsoft guns are used for playing airsoft which was developed mainly in Asia since firearms were illegal, airsoft is sort of like paintball except that airsoft is usually done in a military action simulation with clear objectives and not a last player standing wins kind of game (the later one would be paintball).

Paintball and airsoft weapons can be used for different types of contests, however in America, paintball weapons are preferred because they don’t resemble actual weapons as much as the airsoft models do.

Airsoft guns were designed to resemble the original models as much as possible, therefore there are several factors you must consider before purchasing one of these replicas. First, there are a couple of factors which are often considered selling points by those dealing with these type of weapons, these are power and precision. Some sellers promise power but precision is just as important. some of the specifications you might want to look at are the speed per second that the gun is able to shoot at and just how fast are the pallets fired from the gun. If the specifications include a comment such as “it can be used indoors” then the quality might not be as good as you want it to be, at the same time you will want to get an airsoft gun which can be used at a closed range without giving you any problem.

Moreover, you should consider local and state laws about firearms. Airsoft guns are not considered firearms but you absolutely must do some research to make sure your state doesn’t define “Airsoft guns” as a dangerous weapon. You will also want to double check that your barrel has an orange tip which is the mark that separates Airsoft replicas from actual guns, remember that they are designed as replicas of the original so removing this orange tip would actually be illegal. If you remove this orange tip, a police officer may think you are carrying an actual gun and things could get ugly, so for your own safety, operate these replicas away from public areas, wear protective equipment at all times (face masks, chest and neck protectors, shin and knee protectors and barrel plugs) and DO NOT remove the orange tip, this is to comply with safety procedures and federal regulations.

Remember to keep these valuable replicas away from the reach of children and operate them in designated areas to avoid any problem.

The Types of Paintball Tanks and Their Differences

Paintball which originated back in 1976, has had a steady increase in popularity. The primary strategy behind paintball is to shoot your opponent with a ball of paint that is traveling at excessively high speeds, hence “killing” him and bringing your team one step closer to another victory.

The rate of acceleration that a person’s paintball travels is a very critical factor for this type of sport, as the slower moving paintballs can be dodged more easily by your opponents. There are basically two types of propellant tanks that are used; High Pressure Air / Carbon Dioxide or Nitrogen.

Type 1 – Carbon Dioxide Paintball Tanks

Carbon dioxide tanks utilize what is known as a liquid CO2 which then expands itself into a gas which then takes the paintball and propels it out the barrel. One of the side effects of using a carbon dioxide tank for extended periods of time is that crystals of ice can form on the tank itself. The primary cause of this is because the liquid CO2 expansion turning from a liquid to a gas requires heat energy, eventually this can result in the counter effect of the propellant tank becoming very cold. Combine this with long periods of use and you get the creation of ice.

When these carbon dioxide paintball tanks are used in a rapid fashion they can become unreliable for both distance and accuracy. This is mainly because the carbon dioxide requires time to expand out to a form that is gaseous and when your trigger pulls are too rapid the inner pressure might not form fully.

Tanks such as these can also have the tendency to leak because of erosion of the seals and o-rings, yet with some maintenance and care this typically can be prevented. Carbon dioxide paintball tanks should not be directly left in the rays of the sun for too long as there is some risk of the internal gas expanding to a level that would be unsafe.

Type 2 – High Pressure Air and Nitrogen Paintball Tanks

Nitrogen tanks and high pressure air function in a different manner compared to carbon dioxide tanks since they don’t have to expand a liquid into a gas to result in the propellant effect; this is because the  material is already formed in a gaseous state. Because of this process it augments both of the distance and accuracy over carbon dioxide paintball tank. These type of tanks will have a tendency to grow colder when used, nevertheless the overall effect is much less compared to carbon dioxide tanks.

Even though they are generally preferred over carbon dioxide paintball tanks, the nitrogen and high pressure types of air tanks do have some disadvantages. The weight of nitrogen and high pressure tanks are higher and they are also larger compared to CO2 tanks, since the propellant is already in a form that is gaseous. There are smaller tanks that are produced but will typically not have enough gas to last out a long game. Nitrogen and high pressure paintball tank also are more expensive to buy, yet refilling them is much less costly then having to refill tanks