I’m doing an NCR Trooper cosplay and what I’ve noticed is that buying an M16A1 airsoft gun and some brown paint for the furniture is WAYYYYY cheaper than buying a non-functioning prop. Like, the website I saw listed an M1 Carbine Airsoft gun as 250 dollars but the prop version is over 1000. What gives?
Some gun models are so old you don’t even need a license to copy the pattern. For example all the core patents on the AR-15 pattern have expired. Any company firearm or airsoft can just make one, it’s effectively open source.