Are Gas Blowback Airsoft Guns Loud?
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Now, remember the last time you – or someone you know – made a smoothie in the kitchen. Try to relive the blender’s sound that you heard.
Now you have an idea how loud a gas blowback airsoft gun sounds. Are Gas Blowback Airsoft Guns Loud?
Yes, they’re loud.
They’re not nuclear. But also not a far cry from real guns. So they can be annoying. Especially if your comrade “accidentally” fires one right beside your ear. But on a more serious note, they’ve been known to cause minor ear damage for some.
So, exactly how loud are they? That’s what we’re here to tell you! But aside from that, you’ll also love to learn about:
You’d be surprised how close an airsoft bang is to the real deal!
You might want to be more careful in playing airsoft by the end of this article. It’s an amazing sport! And you’ll look cool carrying a pistol or a rifle, for sure. But with all the firing and shooting, your ears are bound to take the bulk of the shot.
Finger on the trigger…
And fire!
What makes gas blowback airsoft guns loud?
Before we proceed to the answer…
Let’s just clear this up: rifles and pistols can be a blowback or not. And blowback guns can be gas guns, spring guns, or battery-powered. The blowback’s difference from other airsoft guns is based on the mechanism, not any other feature.
Of all airsoft replicas, gas blowback guns tend to be lighter.
The term “blowback” comes from the enhanced recoil of these guns. They’re made to be more accurate in imitating how a real gun works. Thus, allowing better skill practice.
Additionally…
To fire a BB out of the gun’s barrel, a gas gun releases pressurized gas. Usually, gas guns make use of green gas or carbon dioxide.
The sudden expansion of the gas is the culprit of the noise.
Blowback guns, because of their sliding mechanism, are generally louder than other types of airsoft guns. The sound that the piston makes as it hits the gearbox, plus the recoil and then the tiny explosion noise, all collect to release a powerful noise.
Of course…
The loudness differs from model to model, also from gas to gas. And even depending on the power source.
For example, CO2 guns need higher pressure, so they’re generally a bit louder – especially compared to green gas. But the AEG sound is quieter because that’s how high torque motors work.
So if you want to make sure that you don’t get a noisy one, it’s best to measure the noise level.
Related: Gas Blowback Airsoft Pistol
How to measure the airsoft gun’s noise level?
The best and most accurate way is to use a decibel meter. It’s not a very complicated device. You can actually get one from online stores. You’ll be surprised at how cheap these things can be.
However…
Nobody buys a decibel meter just to measure how loud an airsoft gun is.
But there’s another alternative – smartphone apps. There are a lot of them lying around in the app or play store. Most of them are even free.
The only problem is that you can’t trust them to be as precise and accurate as of the real deal. But it’s close enough.
Or better yet…
Just scroll down and see how our meter reads the loudness of different types of airsoft guns.
Gas blowback gun vs. other airsoft gun types (noise level)
An airsoft gun is made to look and feel as realistic as a firearm as possible.
So it’s not just about how it resembles a pistol or a rifle. Neither is it about the appearance of the trigger, the piston, or the barrel.
And the blowback gun?
It recoils just as the real steel thing does. So shooting or firing it would also feel real. Consequently, the sound it makes is none the quieter.
Sure enough, after our shoot down, the results came back…
| Gun Type | Noise (Decibels, dB) |
| Airsoft Spring Guns | 80-86 |
| Airsoft Electric Guns (AEG) | 92-97 |
| Airsoft Gas non-blowback Gun | 92-96 |
| Airsoft Gas Blowback gun (GBB) | 93-98 |
| High-pressure Airsoft guns (HPA guns) | 94-100 |
Apparently…
The blowback gun isn’t the loudest. Hooray!
Still, it makes too much noise compared to the other guns. That’s several decibels over pellet guns, after all. And wait till you hear how it compares to real firearms!
And it can still cause damage to your ear at long exposure. But ear protection gear can do something about that.
So…
… since we already had a meter on hand, we realized, “What’s stopping us from measuring how loud our voices are?” And that led to even more noise tested by this surprisingly fun tool.
Airsoft gun vs. other noises
So you’ve seen that airsoft guns can be as loud as 100 decibels. So don’t fire an airsoft pistol beside yours or your friend’s ear!
Did you know?
A real gun is about 140-dB loud, which means that it’s only about a whisper more than airsoft. You see, a whisper’s around 30-dB.
To give you a clearer image, take a look at the following table:
| Noise | Decibels |
| Whisper | 30 |
| Normal conversation | 60-70 |
| TV | 70-90 |
| Pellet gun | 77-90 |
| Airsoft guns | 80-100 |
| Blender | 86-90 |
| Real gun | 140 |
| Nuclear explosion | 250 |
As you can see…
The airsoft gun noise falls mid-range. It’s still dangerous for your ear after a few hours of exposure. Because of that, most people usually try to either wear hearing protection or quiet down their guns. It’s a good practice for your own protection and health.
Plus, fewer risks mean more fun, right?
How to make your airsoft gun quieter?
For most guns, you only need to buy a silencer, and you’re good to go. But not with gas blowback guns.
Why is that?
Because the real suspect of the noise is the sliding mechanism of this particular gun. Unlike other types, a loud clang or chink sound comes from a blowback. That’s not something that airsoft silencers can help with.
It does reduce the sound a little bit. When the pressurized gas is released, airsoft silencers can muffle the noise up to a certain degree.
But you have to try harder on the popping sound!
These you can do:
They say…
There isn’t much that you can do to reduce the sound of a gas blowback gun. And we totally agree! We’ve been using these guns for years. Now we’ve made peace with the fact that it’s never going to sound that peaceful.
But some airsoft guns are not that loud.
You can opt for spring rifles – the quietest airsoft replica firearm. But the sound isn’t the only feature to look for. You’d want to make sure your gun has the right barrel, piston, etc.
If you want to know what we’re talking about, check out this top airsoft pistols list RIGHT HERE!
CONCLUSION: Are Gas Blowback Airsoft Guns Loud
See that?
Gas blowback airsoft guns are indeed loud. Especially compared to other types of guns. They’re only a few notches quieter than real guns!
But that doesn’t make them bad. Not everyone wants their gun quieter. While others look for a silencer or suppressor, some players even use amplifiers because they want their airsoft gun louder.
In other words…
Even when it comes to the loudness of your airsoft guns, it’s still doen to your preference. Whether you want it noisy or rather quiet when you play airsoft, it’s up to you!
We hope you’ve learned a lot from this article.
Next time…
… maybe we’ll see each other in the field, comrade!
Related: Gas Blowback Airsoft Pistol
