History of Spring Guns

In airsoft, a spring gun is one that uses a spring as the means of projecting the ammunition, but this article is not about that type of spring gun.  This other type of spring gun has been around for a long time, and is in a sense, a booby trap.  A thin line of string or other material is placed in a low area, and when the string is tripped, the gun (usually a shotgun, as other types of weapons may not hit the intruder/enemy) discharges.  In olden times, this was a working means of protecting one’s property, and in fact, the use of non-lethal spring guns is permitted in the United States.  However, they are not practical, as it is more than likely a visitor with no malicious intention could trip the wire and get hurt.

Most spring guns are used in personal, high-security homes.  Along with them, however, are other barriers such as walls or fences.  There are (usually) also signs which state spring guns are present.  The fact is, spring guns are not used very much anymore, and the ones that exist rarely get tripped. 

During an airsoft game, if you have the right materials, you can make your own spring guns.  Theoretically, you could make a spring gun from a spring gun, which is kind of ironic if you think about it.  Just attach some string between two trees, have it set up so when the string is tripped, the trigger of the gun is pulled.  Make sure to tell your team mates about it so they don’t accidentally fall into the trap.  Set enough of these up around the perimeter of your base, and anybody who tries to get through will be in for an unpleasant surprise.  Or, instead of using a gun as the attack method, incorporate a grenade.  That way, you will definitely take out the “tripee", as well as anyone around him.