Airsoft guns are popular toys which were originally designed and manufactured in the eastern parts of the Asian continent. The purpose of the airsoft guns is to provide a replica to the real guns which people were no more allowed to keep due to restrictions and limitations by the Japanese government during the mid of the 1970s. The first version of the airsoft guns comprised of the spring-powered airsoft guns which require to be cocked manually for each fired shot. Not to mention the fact that the airsoft guns use plastic pellets, also known as BBs instead of real bullets which makes the airsoft game safe and environment-friendly.

The airsoft game resembles the paintball game which is more widely known by the people around the globe. However, the paintball game requires different ammunition as well as gun-type. During the paintball game when one shoots at the opponent player, it leaves a stain mark on their body/clothes or skin. This aspect leaves to a better identification to who has been shot and how many times.

Nonetheless, the bullets used in the airsoft game are typically made while using a biodegradable material or plastic instead of paintballs or real bullets. Hence, in the airsoft game, it is hard to determine the frequency with which one has been shot since the plastic pellets don't leave any clear marks or stains on the clothes or skin. This makes the airsoft game an essential game of honor and integrity in which players are required to confess to the fact that they have been shot while raising their hands or shouting out.

Types of Airsoft Guns

If you are looking for the perfect airsoft guns which can be used indoors, then you are here at the right place. However, you might be wondering how powerful the airsoft guns really are and whether you could damage someone's property with the airsoft guns, such as smashing their car windows. Before we plunge into the matter, it is important to note that there are three types of airsoft guns available in the markets and online stores: the spring-powered airsoft guns, the gas-powered airsoft guns, and the electric airsoft guns, also known as the AEGs.

Typically, it is agreed upon by the majority that the electric airsoft guns are the most powerful of all the three versions of the airsoft guns. However, much of this factor also depends on what type of airsoft gun you are using, i.e. whether it is manual or a sub-machine airsoft gun. Since the bullets used in the airsoft game are no real bullets and essentially made of plastic, these cannot impart much damage as in the case of real bullets used in real guns. Despite the fact, one has to be careful and make sure to wear protective gear to cover their eyes and face in order to avoid unnecessary injuries and wounds.

Understanding the Firing Mechanism of the Airsoft Guns

In order to understand the aspect whether you can accidentally break a car window while playing or target shooting with the airsoft guns, it is important to know and understand the firing mechanism as well as the underlying technology of the airsoft guns in general. The airsoft firing mechanism and technology comprises the muzzle velocity and energy of the airsoft guns; the penetration power of the airsoft guns along with the stopping power; and finally, the composition of the plastic pellets also known as the BBs. Once you know things relevant to these, you will be able to determine the level of damage that you can impart with the help of the airsoft guns and plastic pellets.

The Penetration Power of the Airsoft Guns

From a general viewpoint, the term "penetration" carries a two-fold meaning: the first refers the ability to go through/pass through some object set up as a target. Whereas, the second meaning refers to the capability of actually entering an object set up as a target. When we talk about the penetration power of the airsoft guns, we refer to the first meaning of passing through some random object which has been set up as the target.

It is important to mention that in contrast to the real bullets, the plastic pellets used in the airsoft guns are very weak as these are merely made of plastic or any other biodegradable material; hence the penetration power of the plastic pellets is very low. The term "stopping power" refers to the capability of delimiting and putting a stop to the target's movement. Unlike the real guns where real bullets are used, the stopping power of the airsoft guns along with the plastic pellets is too low to be considered a serious threat to anything or anybody.

What are the Plastic Pellets made of?

Primarily, the plastic pellets, also known as the plastic BBs which are used in the airsoft game are composed of plastic or biodegradable material. Typically, the diameter of the one plastic pellet is approximately 0.6 mm or if you want to measure it in inches, it will be round about 0.24-inches. The typical weight of a plastic pellet which is used in the airsoft game ranges between 0.20 grams and 0.28 grams. However, some rare models of the plastic pellets have a diameter of 0.8 mm as well. The biodegradable pellets are manufactured in the agricultural industry and are essentially environmental friendly since these are made of a variety of resins which are good for the environment. In contrast to the non-biodegradable plastic pellets, the biodegradable plastic pellets are slightly costlier; whereas, the non-biodegradable plastic pellets exceed with respect to the quality of the airsoft guns.

The Energy and Power of the Airsoft Gun's Muzzle

The term "muzzle power" or "muzzle energy" refers to the volume of the kinetic energy the plastic pellet gains after being shot from the airsoft gun or airsoft rifle. There are different ways to measure the velocity of the plastic pellets; some countries use FPS (feet per second); whereas, other countries stick to the MPS (meter per second). Here, in the United States, we use the Feet per Second measurement (FPS).

Many airsoft players are careful about which type of airsoft BBs they use during their airsoft skirmishes; typically, they try to stay away from the heavier ones due to the fact that their FPS tends to be lower than the FPS of the lightweight plastic pellets. For instance, if your airsoft has the shooting velocity of 380 FPS while you use plastic pellets which weigh no more than 0.20 mg; however, if you would switch the plastic pellets from 0.20 mg to the plastic pellets that weigh 0.25 mg, the shooting velocity will drop from 380 FPS to at least 340 FPS. Therefore, if you want to make the best of your airsoft game, it is crucial to choose the right kind of plastic pellets which perfectly go with the right type of airsoft guns.

The Firing Power of the Three Types of Airsoft Guns

As mentioned before, there are three types of airsoft guns; we are talking about the spring-assisted airsoft guns; the gas-powered airsoft guns, and the electric airsoft guns, which are also known as the AEGs. Coming back to the question whether you are able to break a car window while shooting with an airsoft gun; the answer seems to fluctuate between a yes and a no. The answer is affected by the type of airsoft gun you are using. For instance, it is impossible to cause damage with the spring-powered airsoft guns as these are manual and require to be cocked for each shot fired.

No to mention the fact that these have the lowest FPS; therefore, the spring-powered airsoft guns are ideal beginner guns. With the help of the AEGs, you are more likely to crack the car window if not break it, since the electric airsoft guns are way stronger than the spring-powered airsoft guns. The gas-powered airsoft guns are used by the airsoft experts as well as the military personals for the practice of target shooting and other shooting practices. The gas-powered airsoft guns are the strongest amongst the three types of airsoft guns can airsoft guns break car windows; therefore, chances are high that one might actually break a car window while firing pellets from the gas-powered airsoft guns. Also, if you will persistently fire with your electric- or gas-powered airsoft guns, you will surely cause a car window to break.