Piston
Background and Identification
Airsoft guns are used in competitive airsoft sports. Airsoft guns are replica toy weapons that are designed to shoot non-metallic spherical pellets that are referred to as ‘BBs.’ These BB pellets are typically made of plastic or biodegradable materials and are significantly less harmful compared to other airguns and weapons. Airsoft guns are usually identified by an orange muzzle tip to distinguish them from actual guns and weapons. Contrary to popular belief, the orange muzzle tips on airsoft guns are not required as airsoft guns are in the same category as BB, pellet, air, and paintball guns (section 272.1 in Title 15 of the Code of Federal Regulations).
Airsoft guns can vary in types. The four types of airsoft guns are spring-powered, battery-powered, gas-powered, and hybrid guns. Spring-powered guns consist of a manually-cocked mechanical pellet propulsion system operated by a coil spring-loaded piston air pump. Battery-powered guns skip the manual cocking of the pellets and instead automate the process with an electric motor gearbox. Gas-powered guns are pneumatic and operate by controlled release of a prefilled or compressed bottle of gas mixed with silicone oil (Green Gas) or CO2 (GBB guns). Hybrid-powered guns are typically a combination of the gas-powered and spring/battery powered guns and can be operated with an AEG or a gas blowback system. Airsoft guns and BB guns are used for modern-day military and law-enforcement exercises and training to incorporate the realism of an actual weapon.