The Origins of Airsoft?
New York, 1909: Duelling with Wax Bullets!
By the 1890s cartridge manufacturers had developed wax and wooden bullets for target use and practice and were soon widely available on the civilian market. They were used for indoor practice and in shooting galleries.
Wax bullets did not use propellant as the lightweight hard paraffin wax projectile could be propelled at speeds of up to 450 feet per second with only the primer. This saved the cost of the propellant and of the lead and the rounds could be manufactured much more rapidly and safely. While still lethal at close range, the wax bullets were much less prone to kill or injure an innocent bystander beyond the target…
