If your goal is to find realistic replicas of pistols you are at the right place. An airsoft pistol is a seemingly realistic duplicate of a real pistol. They can be made of plastic, die-cast metal, aluminum, or steel. Many look identical to real pistols and are sought after by recreational shooters, collectors, and law enforcement training personnel.

Some of the best airsoft pistols include Hi Capa airsoft pistols, Airsoft Glock pistols, 1911 Airsoft pistols, Airsoft Desert Eagle, Airsoft P226, and MK23 airsoft pistols. A particular type of airsoft pistol called the gas blowback pistol works very similarly to a real pistol. Alternatively, the fully auto-selectable airsoft pistols, like the Airsoft Glock 18C or M93R are more fun in the field. In addition to the selection of airsoft pistols, an assortment of air guns designed specifically to shoot metal BBs for target practice are available as well.

What is an airsoft pistol?

Airsoft pistols, otherwise known as airsoft handguns, are realistic-looking replicas that fire plastic BBs. Much like paintball, they are designed to be used by people for shooting at each other in a competitive gaming environment. Hence, their power levels are drastically lower compared with air guns or BB guns. Airsoft pistols are usually secondary or backup weapons; one normally has a rifle or an SMG as the primary weapon. Most airsoft pistols are carried inside holsters when taken into the field. Airsoft pistols often have threaded barrels, which enable you to attach a suppressor to make it quieter. You can also attach a tracer unit, to fire in low-light situations and show you where your BBs are going to hit your target.

Airsoft guns categories

Airsoft guns come in many categories. The information and their working is explained below:

Spring pistol

A good beginner-level airsoft pistol would be a spring-powered one. The actual mechanism consists of a large spring inside the pistol, which when compressed pulls back on the slide to cock the gun. Holding the grip of the pistol, you then pull back the slide. The spring stays compressed until the trigger is pulled, then it pushes a piston into the cylinder. This makes a small packet of compressed air, which gets pushed through a nozzle and onto a BB. One of the main advantages of spring pistols is that they are rather simple, with very few moving parts. This makes them more reliable and affordable than the other types of airsoft pistols. The downside is that you have to cock the gun for every shot that you take. This means it's hard to keep up with semi-auto or full-auto pistols.

While most spring airsoft pistols are very inexpensive, some high-end competition spring pistols can cost several hundred dollars. Being spring-powered gives them greater accuracy, which is only possible with very precise fitting and fewer moving parts.

Electric airsoft pistol

Electrically powered airsoft pistols will be either Electric Blowback Pistols or Automatic Electric Pistols. EBBs largely duplicate the spring pistol in motorized format. Instead of cocking it manually each time, a motor powered by AA batteries winds up a series of gears to compress the spring so that you can fire out the BB. All you have to do is keep your finger on the trigger.

The EBB pistols, however, are relatively weak. As could be expected with the small motor and AA batteries. The torque created is limited, meaning the main spring is equally weak and cannot offer much power. They're good for younger players or those who want to get the functionality of a semi-auto pistol but don't exactly want high power or range.

AEP pistols boast higher power compared to their EBB pistol counterparts. They feature far stronger internal components, like a much stiffer main spring. Powered by a rechargeable battery, they use higher torque motors. AEPs have a miniaturized version of the gearboxes found in bigger Airsoft Electric Rifles. But because of the limited space inside pistols, the gearbox of an AEP is generally far weaker than AEGs.

Since AEPs do not work as realistically as gas pistols and, generally, cannot compare in the power potential, it makes them a lot less popular. Fewer available options from airsoft brands are also an indication of their low popularity. AEPs do have one advantage over the former, and that is the fact that they offer more consistency in power even when used in the coldest of weather conditions. They also have much lower running costs than gas pistols.

Gas Airsoft pistols

Certainly, the most popular kind of gas airsoft pistol would have to be the gas pistol. They work with the charging of pressurized airsoft gas into a gas reservoir within the pistol and from there on to propel the BB. There exist several kinds of gasses that bear different pressures. Every pistol can work reliably only with a certain kind of gas. Mismatched gasses in a pistol render it useless. The descriptions of our products have the kind of gas each pistol works with: HFC134, green gas, red gas, or black gas. Note that it's only some pistols from a few brands that can handle the higher pressures of red and black gas. Using red gas in a pistol rated to work only with green gas could irreparably damage your gun, so be careful.

Categories within Gas airsoft pistols

Non-Blowback Pistol:

The slides of these pistols do not cycle. They have a double-action trigger where the hammer will cock back and strike forward onto a gas valve in one quick motion. All the pressured gas in the gun is used solely for shooting the BB. This means an NBB will often be very powerful and gas efficient. Some of them have a single charge that goes from 60 to over 100 shots. They are very quiet, making them great for times when being stealthy is key.

Partial Blowback Pistol:

A PBB pistol is where only a small portion of the slide, or bolt, cycles back upon every trigger pull. This creates a small recoil impulse and also cocks the hammer automatically for the next shot. Basically, PBB pistols have fewer parts than GBB pistols and thus are cheaper. They also cycle much faster, are more gas efficient, and offer a higher rate of fire.

Gas Blowback Pistol:

It's the most popular type of airsoft gun. These gas blowback airsoft pistols offer very realistic operation and are relatively affordable. Also, they are offered in hundreds of styles. In a similar fashion to a real pistol, GBB pistols cycle with a slide whenever one shoots. As the slide cycles backward, it creates a loud noise and a sense of recoil. This creates a very realistic shooting sensation. This motion of the slide toward the rear helps cock the hammer for the subsequent shot. Full auto is available in some gas blowback pistols, and like a real pistol, slides on GBBs lock back in an open position when a pistol runs out of BBs.

CO2 Airsoft Pistols:

These are extremely popular because, in most countries, these CO2 cartridges are very easily available compared to the airsoft gas. In general, the internal design of CO2 airsoft pistols is the same as the gas pistols. The only difference is that instead of a gas reservoir, the magazine holds a 12g CO2 cartridge in the pistol. You just replace the CO2 cartridge once it gets empty. These typically extend from 30 to 100 rounds on a single 12g CO2 cartridge. Depending on whether the pistol is a fixed slide version or blowback model. The primary advantage that using CO2 confers is better cold-weather performance than airsoft gas pistols. CO2 is at higher pressure and therefore generates a harder recoil impulse as well.

FAQs

What should be the approximate cost of a good airsoft gun?

You can take a look specifically in the PBB or GBB category. While spring pistols are the cheapest and can cost less than $30, spending a little more can get you a decent entry-level gas pistol with good performance from KWC, WE, or KJ for less than $100. If you can spend up to $150, your choices will open up vastly to include the full line of Umarex Glock airsoft pistols, the Sig Sauer airsoft pistols, and many styles of 1911 airsoft pistols. In that respect, RWA Agency Arms EXA pistol offers fantastic value for money for a customized Glock airsoft pistol. These pistols will give solid and reliable performance and they tend to enjoy a lot of aftermarket upgrade options. If you have the budget to spend more, then the range of options widens considerably. For ultimate realism, consider some of the steel pistols that can cost upwards of $800, including the RWA Nighthawk Custom pistols.

Which is the best airsoft pistol?

Which is the best airsoft pistol is really going to depend on your price range and features that feel important to you. But you can have a look at the Best Airsoft Pistols collection on our website.

How to clean an airsoft pistol?

Keeping your airsoft pistol clean is very important for it to work well and be durable. The moving parts and o-rings need lubrication with silicone spray, but that in itself can attract dust and grime.

How to upgrade an airsoft pistol?

Many popular airsoft pistols boast a huge following with many aftermarket upgrade parts available to make them more accurate, more powerful, or simply better looking.