In short
- An AEG is the default. An automatic electric gun: a battery and a motor fire the BB, the 6 mm plastic ball. Works in any weather, cheap to run.
- Gas blowback is for the feel. Gas in the magazine fires the BB and kicks the bolt or slide back. Dearer to feed, weaker in the cold.
- HPA is the consistent one. Air from a tank you carry gives the most even shots, if your site allows it.
- Spring belongs on snipers and shotguns. You cock it by hand for every shot: too slow for anything else in a game.
- The law does not care what powers it. In Great Britain the line is 1.3 joules of energy for a gun that can fire automatically and 2.5 joules for one that cannot.
How each system works
How do airsoft guns work? They all put a burst of air or gas behind a BB and send it down the barrel. The four power sources differ in where that burst comes from, and that decides the running cost, the feel and the behaviour on a frosty morning.
AEG airsoft guns, the electric ones, are the most common airsoft guns on a British site. Below they are set against gas blowback, HPA and spring. There is no single winner, only a best fit per player.
The four power sources side by side
| Electric (AEG) | Gas blowback | HPA | Spring | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| What pushes the BB | A motor-driven piston | Gas stored in the magazine | Air from a tank, through a hose | A spring you compress by hand |
| What you buy with it | Battery and charger | Gas and several gas magazines | Tank, regulator, hose and a way to fill up | Nothing |
| Feel | A whirr, little or no kick | Recoil and a moving bolt or slide | A quiet pop, no kick | A manual action |
| In the cold | Hardly affected | Loses power and shots per fill | Hardly affected | Not affected |
| Typical guns | Rifles, submachine guns, support guns | Pistols and some rifles | Converted rifles | Sniper rifles, shotguns, cheap pistols |
AEG: the all-rounder
An AEG is an electric airsoft gun. A rechargeable battery drives a small motor, the motor turns gears, and the gears pull a piston back against a spring. Released, the piston pushes a puff of air behind the BB. Hold the trigger on automatic and the cycle repeats.
None of that depends on the temperature, so an AEG shoots the same in January as in July. Its magazines are cheap and hold a lot: a mid-cap, the standard spring-fed magazine, typically takes a hundred BBs or more. That is why most rifles at a skirmish are electric, and why sites hire them out.
What you give up is realism: the bolt stays still and there is little or no kick. The moving parts sit in a metal shell, the gearbox, which can be serviced and upgraded for years.
GBB and GBBR: realism at a price
A gas blowback airsoft gun (GBB) keeps liquid gas in its magazine. Each shot releases a little: part sends the BB down the barrel, the rest throws the slide or bolt backwards, which loads the next BB. A GBBR is the rifle version. The gun kicks, and the bolt locks open on an empty magazine.
The standard fuel is green gas, in essence propane with a little silicone oil; some pistols take CO2 capsules instead. Tokyo Marui, KJ Works and WE are among the established makers. Gas and CO2 are dangerous goods that we cannot ship to the UK, so British readers buy those locally.
A gas blowback rifle against an AEG
What gas gives you
- Recoil, a moving bolt and realistic controls: nothing else in airsoft handles like it.
- Magazines hold about as many BBs as the real one holds rounds, so you shoot less and aim more.
- No battery, wiring or gearbox: simple to strip and clean.
What it asks in return
- A magazine carries the gas as well as the BBs. It is heavy, you need several, and each costs far more than an AEG magazine.
- Pressure, and with it power, drops in the cold and during rapid fire.
- Rubber seals dry out and leak; they need silicone oil.
Used gas blowback guns right now
Live figures from our marketplace, pistols and rifles together.
- listings in GBB on the marketplace
- more than 600
- middle asking price: half ask less, half ask more
- €278
- eight out of ten asking prices fall in this range
- €100 – €800
Airsoft Bazaar data Measured on 13 November 2026
HPA: consistency and site rules
HPA stands for high-pressure air. An HPA airsoft gun is fed from an air tank you carry in a pouch, through a regulator and a hose, called the line, into the grip. Inside, a small air valve, the engine, replaces the gearbox and motor.
The regulator delivers the same pressure for every shot, so HPA is the most consistent of the four, hot or cold. Power is set by turning a screw, not by swapping parts.
That is why sites have rules. Many British sites ask for a tournament lock: a seal over the adjustment screw, fitted once the gun has passed the chronograph (chrono), the device that measures the speed of the BB. Some sites do not allow HPA at all. Ask before you buy.
What an HPA setup consists of
- Tank
- Holds the air. The name of the one pictured, 48/3000, stands for 48 cubic inches at 3,000 psi
- Regulator
- Brings that down to working pressure: 60 to 180 psi on the Storm Category 5, says Wolverine
- Engine
- The air valve inside the gun. Electronic ones still need a small battery
- Tournament lock
- A seal over the adjustment screw; on this regulator a cable tie
Used HPA guns on the marketplace
A converted gun sold with tank and line is the cheapest way in.
So a bolt-action spring rifle falls under the higher line and anything with an automatic setting under the lower one. With gas and HPA the energy often rises with a heavier BB, so have the gun measured with the BBs you use. Sites set their own, usually lower, limits on top.
Spring: snipers, shotguns and budget guns
A spring gun has no power source but you. You pull a bolt, a pump or a slide, that compresses a spring, and the trigger releases it. One action, one shot. Nothing to charge, fill or leak makes spring airsoft guns the cheapest to own.
In a skirmish that works where one shot at a time is the whole idea: sniper rifles, cocked with a bolt, and pump-action shotguns, many of which fire three BBs per pump. Sites usually allow a bolt-action rifle more power than an AEG, in exchange for a minimum distance at which it may shoot at someone.
Three things people say about power sources
Myth
Spring guns are toys.
Fact
The clear plastic ones sold as BB guns are. A bolt-action sniper rifle is spring-powered too, and it is the type sites allow the most energy.
Myth
Gas guns shoot harder than electric ones.
Fact
Every system is built or set to the same site limit. What gas adds is recoil, not reach.
Myth
HPA is cheating.
Fact
An HPA gun passes the same chrono as everyone else, and a tournament lock keeps it there. Its edge is an even shot and a quick trigger.
Cost, maintenance and cold-weather performance compared
No pounds and pence here: prices move, and the shelves on this page show today's. The pattern holds. An AEG costs a moderate amount to start and almost nothing to run. A gas rifle keeps costing: gas, and above all magazines. HPA is the dearest to set up and cheap to run afterwards. Spring costs least on both counts.
AEG, gas blowback and HPA on six points
- Electric (AEG)
- Gas blowback
- HPA
-
Ease for a beginner
- Electric (AEG)
- 5 out of 5
- Gas blowback
- 2 out of 5
- HPA
- 2 out of 5
charge the battery and play
-
Low running cost
- Electric (AEG)
- 5 out of 5
- Gas blowback
- 2 out of 5
- HPA
- 4 out of 5
gas and gas magazines add up
-
Little upkeep
- Electric (AEG)
- 4 out of 5
- Gas blowback
- 2 out of 5
- HPA
- 3 out of 5
seals and O-rings want oil
-
Realism
- Electric (AEG)
- 2 out of 5
- Gas blowback
- 5 out of 5
- HPA
- 1 out of 5
a hose to your back is not realistic
-
Behaviour in the cold
- Electric (AEG)
- 5 out of 5
- Gas blowback
- 1 out of 5
- HPA
- 4 out of 5
-
Low cost to get started
- Electric (AEG)
- 4 out of 5
- Gas blowback
- 3 out of 5
- HPA
- 1 out of 5
tank, regulator, line and engine come first
What goes in the basket with each system
0 of 5 ticked
Used AEGs on the marketplace
Often sold with magazines and a battery.
Which one fits your style of play
One question, one system
What do you want most from your gun?
It just works, all year
An AEG
Rain, frost or a hot August day: it shoots the same, and it is cheap to feed.
Rifles in the webshopThe feel of a real action
A gas blowback pistol or rifle
Start with a pistol to learn what gas asks of you, then decide on a GBBR. Keep an electric gun for the cold months.
Used gas blowback gunsAn even shot and room to tune
HPA
For the player who is out most weekends and likes to tune. Ask your site about its HPA rules first.
Used HPA gunsThe least to buy and maintain
A spring shotgun or sniper rifle
Nothing to charge or fill. A pump shotgun suits indoor sites; a sniper rifle asks for patience.
Shotguns in the webshopElectric rifles in the webshop
Shown here: rifles within the limits for Great Britain. In Northern Ireland and Ireland the line is 1 joule.
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft Gun AR15 KeyMod 10" Charlie Eagle Tan
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft AEG URG-1 Sopmod Block 3
In stock, ships right away
Airsoft Rifle GBB CQB-R Block 1
In stock, ships right away
HECKLER & KOCH (Umarex) AEG Rifle G36C Sportsline EyetraceReader poll
What do you play with most?
- An AEG
- Gas blowback
- HPA
- Spring
Frequently asked questions
What is an AEG in airsoft?
AEG stands for automatic electric gun. A rechargeable battery drives a motor and gears that pull back a piston, and the piston pushes air behind the BB. It works in any weather.
Is an AEG or a GBB better for a beginner?
An AEG. In the AEG vs GBB question the electric gun is cheaper to run, its magazines hold more and it shoots the same all year. Gas blowback wants more money, more care and mild weather: a better second gun. A used AEG keeps the start cheap.
Do gas guns work in a British winter?
They work, but worse. Gas pressure falls with the temperature, so a green gas gun loses power and shots per fill, and near freezing some stop cycling properly. Magazines kept warm in an inside pocket and slow, aimed fire help.
Is HPA worth the money?
Only if you play often and enjoy tuning. You pay for a tank, a regulator, a line and an engine before you fire a shot, and get the most even shot of the four in return. Check first that your site allows it; a used HPA gun lowers the entry price.
Which power source is cheapest to run?
Spring, because there is nothing to buy but BBs. Of the systems that fire automatically the AEG is cheapest, then HPA once the kit is paid for. Gas blowback is the dearest, through the gas and the magazines.
Are spring guns any good for skirmishing?
As sniper rifles and shotguns, yes: both are built around one shot at a time. A spring pistol or a toy-grade spring rifle is not, because you cock it by hand while everyone else keeps firing.
Sources
- Firearms Act 1968, sections 57A (airsoft guns) and 24A (age) legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Violent Crime Reduction Act 2006, section 36 legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Firearms (Northern Ireland) Order 2004, Schedule 1 legislation.gov.uk, 12 November 2026
- Company information: representative products Tokyo Marui, 12 November 2026
- Propane: Antoine equation parameters NIST Chemistry WebBook, 12 November 2026
2 more sources
- STORM Category 5 regulator Wolverine Airsoft, 12 November 2026
- Batteries, gas and safety Airsoft Bazaar help centre
