In the ever-growing sport of Airsoft, no one product has impacted its worldwide popularity more than the incredible automatic electric gun. This particular Airsoft gun, commonly referred to as the AEG, has single handedly lifted the sport to meteoric heights.
Airsoft had its humble beginnings in Asia due to the strict gun laws that severely prohibited the private ownership of firearms in that region of the world. It was in the nation of Japan where it is illegal to own real firearms, that the first Airsoft gun replicas were developed in the early 1980’s. A small Japanese manufacturer of radio controlled car models turned its sights to making replica guns in hopes of finding a market for gun enthusiasts, and the sport of Airsoft was born.
The early Airsoft guns were non-lethal, spring powered replicas that fired 6mm plastic BBs. These early toy guns were made of plastic and simple in design. The spring firing mechanism had to be manually re-loaded or “re-cocked” after each shot causing a meager if un-spectacular slow rate of fire. Without any real design enhancements in the early years of its development, interest in the sport grew at a tepid pace.
The sport slowly gained interest in the surrounding region during the latter part of the 80’s, but attempts to expand the sport to the West were largely unsuccessful. It would be in the early 1990’s that “lighting” would strike, and the sport would encounter its greatest moment of innovation and subsequent breakthrough.
Tokyo Marui, the original Japanese manufacturer that created the early Airsoft spring guns, designed the first fully automatic electric firing system for these replica guns. No longer needing to be manually re-loaded, the innovated on-board electric motor gave the Airsoft gun shooter the ability to fire at will. This automatic rapid-fire feature not only increased the excitement of the game, but also gave the sport its greatest appeal. Automatic electric Airsoft gun owners could now enjoy an exhilarating rate of fire (ROF) ranging anywhere between 600-900 rounds per minute (RPM).
With this exciting new product, Airsoft now offered a universal appeal. The sport caught fire and began to boom. Airsoft spread to different parts of Europe and then to Canada. By the mid-90’s it had officially arrived in the United States.
The most popular of all the Airsoft guns, the most current models have the same realistic look and feel of their real-world counterparts. These guns range from the Desert Eagle pistol model to the “mini” or miniature style AEG’s, all the way up to the stunning Armalite M15A2 full size assault replica rifles. The AEG is by far the most common gun used in team competitions around the world. These preferred weapons of veteran Airsoft warriors and enthusiasts have something to offer every interested player and collector.
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PJ Ace is a writer and administrator for FlyntAirsoftPaintball.com, a site that specializes in airsoft and paintball.
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