0.5 Joule Limit (WaffG)

A replica producing 0.5 joules or less, correctly marked, is treated under German law as an "Anscheinswaffe" (imitation firearm) rather than a firearm proper — buyable and legally carryable in public by adults under comparatively light rules. Anything above that energy falls under the same possession-and-licensing framework as real firearms, which in practice keeps most privately owned, unrestricted airsoft replicas at or under this line.

Higher-power guns still exist on skirmish fields, but they're normally limited to enclosed, licensed sites and specific rulesets rather than freely owned and carried the way a 0.5-joule replica is. This is general information, not legal advice — always confirm current requirements with your national authority and your field before you buy, carry or play.

Buyers new to the hobby sometimes assume higher power is simply better performance, but in the German market it's the opposite trade-off — crossing above 0.5 joules moves a gun into a completely different, far more restrictive legal category.