What is FPS?
Fps stands for Feet Per Second. This is a measure of how fast the projectile moves through the air. We use FPS to determine how powerful a gun is & whether it’s safe to use against other people.
What is FPS & Why Use it?
FPS is the standard measurement for how powerful an airsoft gun is. Airsoft fields & countries allow different power to be used in a game.
FPS is measured with a Chronograph. Simply turn it on and shoot 1 BB at a time through the hole. If you want to know more about how to measure with a chronograph, we have made a guide about it:
The standard in science for how powerful something is would be measured in Joules. This is a complex equation that requires several variables. Measuring something at a speed like FPS makes it a lot easier for the common person to understand. To ensure comparability, all guns are measured with 0.2 g BBs.
What’s the Most Powerful Airsoft Gun?
Airsoft guns can be upgraded to become extremely powerful. Usually, only a Sniper rifle like the pre-upgraded Novritsch SSG10 and SSG96 are allowed to shoot up to 500 FPS. There’s hardly a field in the world that will let you use something that shoots over 500 FPS.
You will need to stand 100 feet away or 30 metres to safely shoot someone with a gun as powerful as these. There’s no need to hurt or injure someone in a fun game of airsoft. High powered airsoft guns are designed entirely for long-range shooting.
If you just want to do target practice, you can get high power snipers that can shoot up to 700 FPS even!
How powerful are Most Airsoft Guns?
Most airsoft rifles shoot about 350-400 FPS. This is safe to shoot at closer ranges. As you get closer to 350 FPS, you are safer to shoot point-blank. As you get closer to 400 FPS, you should stay 10 feet or 3 metres away. If you get closer, you should say a safety kill word like “Bang Bang” or “Surrender!”
Most pistols shoot about 300-350 FPS. These are perfect for close-quarters encounters. Shooting point-blank is perfectly safe with these guns. No need for a safe kill word.
Pistols won’t shoot as far as rifles, but these are pistols. Pistols aren’t meant to shoot super far, they’re meant for close engagements and tight corners.
Conclusion
FPS is a measurement of how safe it is to shoot someone. With High powered guns, you need to be a long way away, but due to the high power, they can reach these distances, no problem.
Most Airsoft guns shoot at a lower safer power. You can shoot people at most common distances. If you get really close, you may need a low power airsoft gun, or use a safe kill word.
Nobody wants to see anyone get hurt, so make sure your gun is safe to use at the field & how close you can shoot someone from.
