What is the difference between an air soft gun and an air gun?

Answer 1

Air soft air guns / rifles shoot a large plastic BB usually around 6mm. They are designed to be shot at an opponent in a war game. They can sting if they strike bare skin but usually do no do damage if protective clothing is worn. Simply put it is a toy for adults and teens to have fun. They usually fire a projectile (6 mm BB) between 200 to 600 Feet Per Second (FPS). The Tip of the air soft air gun barrel is RED or Orange.

Air Guns on the other hand are not designed to be shot at another person, (there is NO red or Orange tip on the barrel.) Starting with a Daisy Red Ryder that fires a copper BB or steel shot at 300 FPS. Air guns / rifles can propel a BB from around 350 FPS up to over 600 FPS depending on the model. Air guns that fire pellets, Not BB's, can travel up to and over 1,300 FPS. The lower end of the air gun family is for simple backyard fun with shooting at targets and cans. The next level is air guns are used for rodent control and small game. The larges and last family of air guns are for Medium to large game and competition shooting. These air guns cost from around $100 to $3000 for an Olympic Class air rifle. Pellet guns / rifles also come in larger calibers. The original .177 caliber is the size of a regular BB. The largest size is a 50 caliber slug (the size of your thumb) and is used for medium to large game hunting.

Most young adults / children start with a traditional BB gun and some may move onto a pellet rifle. (It a great way to teach firearms handling's although no real bullets are used.) The final class of air gun is for Serious Adults who like competition shooting and hunting. NONE of the air guns / rifles are designed to be fired at another person. That's what Air soft is used for.