I’m looking for a primary airsoft gun, what types are out there?

Well there are many different style and makes of airsoft guns. One Company may make 3-4 different styles of the same gun and this might make it even harder to choose so let’s start with the different types of airsoft guns. You have springers, Automatic Electric Guns (AEG) and Gas guns.

Which one type of gun should I get out of spring, AEG and gas?

It truly depends on your budget. Springers are less expensive than AEGs and Gas guns but don’t have the ability to repeat fire and have to be cocked after each shot. Springers make excellent bolt action airsoft sniper rifles and aisoft shotguns. AEGs are the post popular type of airsoft gun on the market. You can find pistols, rifles, sub machine guns and machine guns in this category. Submachine Guns, Rifles and Machine guns are by far the most popular type of AEG.. They are easy to use, easy to maintain and are very fun in full auto fire mode. AEGs also use batteries and electric motors so instead of having to cock the gun each time the battery and motor do all the work.. Gas guns use several types of propellant, Green Gas, Red Gas and Co2. Gas guns are usually in the form of a pistol or small Uzi style weapon. They also come in very high end blow backs.

For now let’s start with spring guns.

What kind of spring guns are out there?

Depending on your play style and your budget you could pick a simple sniper rifle and high quality bolt action rifles (my favorite) or a shot gun. After each round that is fired, the gun must be cocked or the bolt pulled back. There are many spring styles guns out there. Most are low quality and inexpensive and break easily. We have tried to pick out and sell only high quality springers that will hold up to some abuse. You can find them in pistol styles, assault rifle and submachine gun styles as well. Keep in mind though, even though it looks like an assault rifle it will only shoot one round than you need to cock it again for the next shot.

Well what about Automatic Electric Guns (AEG)?

Automatic Electric guns have become the industry standard. They range from inexpensive low quality guns to pricey high quality firearm replicas. There are three main styles of AEG: Submachine Gun, Assault Rifle and Machine Gun. You can also get pistols and sniper rifles in this type as well. You want to stay far far away from any AEG that has plastic gears. The gears will wear out and break in a matter of days. Here at Tactical Air we only sell AEG's that have full metal gears. Most players will start with a mid-range price airsoft gun like JG, Echo 1 or TSD Tactical. These guns are great for beginners and some veterans use them as well. They all have different rates of fire, durable construction and high quality standards. I prefer TSD Tactical but that is my opinion. AEGs also use little motors and pistons, just like a car, to shove air at high speeds through the barrel to propel the BB.

What about gas guns, what are they like?

Gas guns are an entirely different breed. They are usually seen as pistols or side arms with a blow back action just like a real firearm. Although about as expensive as a airsoft rifle, a Gas Blow Back pistol is probably one of the best side arms you can get. They also come in a non Blow Back style for the more economical minded players. You can also find very high end rifles and machine guns using a gas or a gas electric hybrid system. They all use compressed gas that is either stored in the gun or the magazine to propel the BB down the barrel and to move the slide back. There are three types of gas: Green, Red and Co2 well talk more about that later though.

Can I have more than one kind of gun?

Of course you can! Keep in mind though; your magazines and parts won’t interchange most of the time so you will need to carry all the necessary things on you for each different type of gun. Most players have one main weapon, usually an assault rifle or sub machine gun and a pistol as there side arm.

What if I want to get a spring airsoft pistol?

There is nothing stopping you from getting one. There are many people that have spring pistols, shot guns and rifles. I have all three! When playing other people though you may be at a disadvantage against other players using AEG and Gas weapons so you want to keep that in mind.

Well it seems like an AEG might be the best for me, what can you tell me about them?

AEGs come in many different shapes, sizes and manufacturers and all this needs to be taken into account. Like I stated before ECHO 1, JG and TSD Tactical sell many mid-grade airsoft guns that are great right of the box! Look at spending100-200 for a quality AEG though. Like any other sport, dimes and pennies are not going to pave your way to victory! Now let me tell you about the AEGs power supply.

AEGs use batteries, not your Duracell or Energizer style but custom made batteries. They range from low volt batteries for low quality guns to 10.8v beasts that are only meant for upgraded or high quality AEGs. Your average battery in your gun is going to be 8.4v tamiya style connection. They usually go into the stocks or a special compartment some where on the gun depending on the model and make.

What would happen if I put at 10.8v battery in a stock gun?

You would get a huge increase in power but an even bigger decrease in the life of your gun. Each gun recommends a style and volt of battery that it was designed for. Its usually rule of thumb that unless you upgrade keep the battery that you started with and when it needs to be replaced (don’t worry they are rechargeable) you find the same volt and style.

There are several different types of airsoft batteries. You have stick, nun chuck, mini, butterfly and crane. As soon as see the different kinds (check our batteries section) you will get a feel for what goes with what. Don’t worry we will always recommend a battery for each gun making it easier for you to choose.

Keep in mind about the Millie-Amps (mAh) as well. The higher the mAh the longer the battery will last. A 1600 mAh battery won’t last as long as a 4600 mAh battery. There will be a difference in price and the size of the battery so be ready for that.

Airsoft Guns are a lot more complicated than I thought, so what’s a good brand of AEG?

If you have the money for them Tokyo Marui, Classic Army and ICS are considered the big three and hold very high standards and make excellent guns. Although pricey, these airsoft guns are durable in even the harshest conditions. Some other brands that are worthwhile are JG, G&G, ECHO 1, Aftermath, UTG and TSD Tactical. Again, we have tried to sort through the hundreds of different makes and models and only carry airsoft guns that have a high quality to price ratio.

What is the difference between like ICS and JG?

You’re comparing apples to oranges here! ICS holds a much higher standard of quality in their products and are proud to put there logos on their airsoft guns. Although JG is a great gun ICS has all metal construction both internally and externally!

Well now that I have my gun I want some extra magazines what kind are there?

First thing you should concentrate on is that you need to find a magazine that will work with your gun. Many different brands will work with others you just need to pay attention to how the BBs will be loaded into the gun. An easy way to tell if the magazine will work is compare it to the one that came with the gun.

There are also several types of magazines:

Real Capacity: depending on the gun they will hold the exact same amount of ammunition as the real thing.
Low Capacity: usually holds 50-60 rounds and comes standard with many AEGs.
Mid Capacity: is the overall favorite of many players, holds 100-150 rounds.
High Capacity: Holds a whopping 300-600 rounds! They use a windup spring and a reservoir to put BBs in the chamber. This type is excellent for people that don’t want to reload but they make noise because of the reservoir and take time to wind up. Don’t worry though; we carry a magazine winder in our accessory section that can help you out with that.

Those are your basic magazines really but there are two more. Drum and Box magazines. These are mainly meant for Machine Guns but many can go on M4/M16 as well as there are some for the AK series. These hold 3000 to 5000 rounds depending on the kind you by and are electrically fed.

As I’m looking through the website I see RAS/RIS what is this?

RAS stands for Rail Accessory System and RIS stands for Rail Interface System. These gun-mounted rails allow for multiple accessories to be mounted on your airsoft AEG to provide more customizability in the environment you’re playing in. RAS and RIS rails on your airsoft AEG allows mounting of accessories such as scopes, flashlights, lasers, grenade launchers, etc.

Okay I have my main weapon now I want a sidearm, what can you tell me about these Gas guns?

Gas is used mainly in pistols and very high end guns. If you’re looking for a side arm we do carry many of them in different makes and styles. I would recommend the TSD Sports USP pistol. It’s a non-blow back high velocity pistol as well as being inexpensive and reliable. There are two types of pistols, Blow Back and Non Blow Back. Blow back has some sort of movement usually in the slide or hammer giving it a realistic feel. Usually more expensive they are also made out of metal rather than plastics to increase the durability because of so many moving parts. In a Non Blow Back design there is no moving slide or moving parts other than internal components. This saves on wear and tear on the gun and also drops the price considerably. Also in some models it can increase performance because gas is expended just on the BB and not on the blow back action.

Earlier you said there are different kinds of gas, what kind should I get for my gun?

To make it simple there really are three basic kinds of gas.

Green Gas which is the lowest of the velocity gases is great on any gun that can use it. It’s used by injecting the gas into the magazines and then loading it into the gun. It will allow the gun to have a longer life span as well as it’s both easy to use and easy on your pocket book.

Red Gas, it works exactly like Green Gas except it shoots at a higher velocity in turn putting more stress on the internal components of the gun. Although expensive this gas is excellent for higher end all metal guns with the player wanting to shoot farther.

Co2 isn’t applied like Green and Red Gas is. Instead of injecting it in the magazine it is either stored in (usually) a 12g Co2 cartridge that can go in the magazine or be stored in the handle of the gun. The highest velocity of them all Co2 is easy to use and puts about the same amount of stress as Red Gas does on the gun. Keep in mind though that Co2 guns are very powerful and can sometimes break legal FPS limits so its best to check your local laws.

My gun has hop-up what is it?

Hop-Up is a term used for a mechanism inside the gun that uses a little membrane to put back spin on the BB when it’s traveling through the barrel. To much hop up can lead to jams, BBs spinning up into the air and can ruin your gun if you’re not careful. To little hop up can mean your BBs won’t follow a straight line and will drop sooner decreasing in accuracy. You want to try and find the perfect amount of hop-up for each gun you have so the BBs you use will follow a straight line.

Okay I did my hop-up on my AEG but it’s not shooting 320 Feet like it said it would, what’s wrong?

Nothings wrong with your gun, you’re just a little mixed up. When you see FPS on a gun this is the Feet Per Second or speed the BB leaves the barrel of the gun. This doesn’t mean its going to go that far. Your gun will be accurate to a certain feet but will only travel so far. As soon as yore BB leaves the barrel it begins to decrease in speed dramatically. Heavier BBs will increase the range slightly but will decrease the speed it is traveling.

Now that I have my guns, my extra magazines and ammo, I’m ready to go right?

You will also need some gear! This could be different kinds of slings, vests for holding your magazines, holsters, helmets, pads, etc. Pretty much anything can be used in Airsofting as long as it’s safe but there is one thing that is absolutely needed before you go out and play. Safety Glasses! I recommend buying some after market safety glasses because the glasses that come with many airsoft guns are not very well made. Ski goggles, glasses and sun glasses are not acceptable and not safety rated. You can get safety rated versions of all of these as well so if you want to use goggles just make sure they are safety rated.

Now you’re ready to go airsoft, be safe and play hard!