Despite looking and feeling fairly realistic, here in the states (or most states anyway), airsoft guns are required to have a bright orange tip at the muzzle. So it would be hard to get them confused.. Unless you're the police, which is why I don't think they're a toy for young kids.
What is with the airsoft craze?
- Thread starter Sabre9mm
- Start date
Despite looking and feeling fairly realistic, here in the states (or most states anyway), airsoft guns are required to have a bright orange tip at the muzzle. So it would be hard to get them confused.. Unless you're the police, which is why I don't think they're a toy for young kids.
Strafer Gott
New member
Airsoft was used as training by APD until the great depression. I was impressed by the reality of the training scenarios. Getting shot with a .28gram heavyball will definitely encourage you to take cover next time.
Nickel Plated
New member
Actually the orange tip only applies to import, commercial sale, and transport in commerce. Once a private individual purchases the gun it's perfectly legal for them to remove the tip as far as Fed. law is concerned. I personally remove the tips on my guns and replace them with regular black flash hiders. That orange tip looks so goofy.
As for the cost of airsoft guns:
Most airsoft guns are infact quite a bit more complex mechanically than their real firearm counterparts. Also most airsoft manufacturers are pretty small operations so they just don't have the economy of scale that Colt or Ruger does. So for a good quality airsoft gun (not the cheap junk you see in walmart) it's no wonder that the price can run into the hundreds of dollars for a "toy". Pot metal helps keep costs down (and is perfectly fine for most airsoft guns) but aftermarket steel and aluminum replacement parts are readily available for most good guns at which point it's easy to match or even exceed the price of the real gun since it's now built pretty much just like a real gun.
Why would I spend so much on a "toy"? Well how often do i shoot my real rifle? Maybe once every 2 or 3 months just plinking targets at the range. i don't hunt. So the rest of the time it just sits by the bed in case of a home intruder that in all reality will probably never come. The airsoft guns however go to skirmishes every 2 or 3 weeks where they are run harder than most folks run their real guns. And are shot at home on a almost daily basis. So why wouldn't I spend more money on the airsoft replicas? They certainly see alot more use than the real ones.
As for the cost of airsoft guns:
Most airsoft guns are infact quite a bit more complex mechanically than their real firearm counterparts. Also most airsoft manufacturers are pretty small operations so they just don't have the economy of scale that Colt or Ruger does. So for a good quality airsoft gun (not the cheap junk you see in walmart) it's no wonder that the price can run into the hundreds of dollars for a "toy". Pot metal helps keep costs down (and is perfectly fine for most airsoft guns) but aftermarket steel and aluminum replacement parts are readily available for most good guns at which point it's easy to match or even exceed the price of the real gun since it's now built pretty much just like a real gun.
Why would I spend so much on a "toy"? Well how often do i shoot my real rifle? Maybe once every 2 or 3 months just plinking targets at the range. i don't hunt. So the rest of the time it just sits by the bed in case of a home intruder that in all reality will probably never come. The airsoft guns however go to skirmishes every 2 or 3 weeks where they are run harder than most folks run their real guns. And are shot at home on a almost daily basis. So why wouldn't I spend more money on the airsoft replicas? They certainly see alot more use than the real ones.
As far as paintball, most consider it a "marker" more than a "gun" because it marks things with paint instead of using an explosive to drive a projectile. They are really big on paintball marker safety at places where it is played. When not on the field, barrels are to be plugged or sleeved. When on the field a face mask is to be worn at all times. They usually mandate a top speed of 280-300fps for your gun to be shooting for .
A paintball marker will put an eye out and they make a point of handling them safely on and off the field.
I don't mind Airsoft guns (i.e. replica guns), but I have concerns about the orange tip. One one hand, it's good to help distinguish a real firearm from a replica. On the other hand, I can see where thugs could start painting the tips of their real guns orange so they can openly carry them around without anyone questioning.
Nickel Plated
New member
In any place where open carrying a gun would be questioned. I imagine it would be questioned regardless of whether it has an orange tip or not. I'm under no illusions that the orange tip makes the gun any safer since cops are trained to shoot whenever anything gun shaped is pointed at them regardless of what color it is. So orange tip or not basic safety and discretion applies. Don't brandish it anywhere it would generally be unacceptable to do so and you'll be fine.
I actually have a custom gas M727 replica that I built. Functions exactly like an AR-15 and is even completely built out of real AR-15 parts on the outside. With the only exceptions being the internal bits necessary for it to be an airsoft gun and the lower receiver (and that's only because an 80% lower is too much hassle to get right now to mill out to use on this AR)