Airsoft pistols are a lot of fun. But when shopping for the right airsoft pistol for you, you may ask – what is the difference between regular spring loaded pistols and electric airsoft pistols? Well, here is a breakdown of the basic advantages and disadvantages of these two types of airsoft pistols:
Basic Spring Pistols
These pistols, like most airsoft pistols, have a real life look (the attention to detail can vary, usually based on the price of the gun) with close to real life action. They will generally have a life like clip to hold the BBs, may feature a safety, and have a hammer just like their real world cousins. However, the spring airsoft pistol, when cocked, is loading a spring inside the weapon that forces air through the chamber, thus propelling the BB.
The drawback to the spring airsoft pistol is the fact that you must manually cock the hammer each time you want to fire. But, on the flip side, the spring pistols are usually cheaper than electric airsoft pistols.
Electric Airsoft Pistols
Like the basic spring pistol, electric airsoft pistols use a spring contained within the pistol to force the BB through the chamber. However, with the electric airsoft pistol, there are a set of batteries that cock or load the spring for you, without you having to pull back the hammer. So when you are playing with your friends, you will have an advantage in being able to fire multiple times while your adversary is cocking his spring pistol. Some electric airsoft pistols are fully automatic, meaning you can hold down the trigger and it will cock, load and fire repeatedly until you release the trigger.
The setback with the electric airsoft pistol is the fact that because it uses batteries and they will run out at some point, leaving the user with a gun that doesn’t work. This can be overcome by using rechargeable batteries, and carrying an extra set of batteries with you. Also, electric airsoft pistols tend to be more expensive than normal spring loaded pistols. But being able to shoot at a much faster reload rate than your opponent gives you a significant advantage.
