Functional and structural differences

Just curious for an idea I had (as an independent film maker and prop handler/maker):
What are the actual structural and functional differences between model guns and firearms. I shall restrict this to pistols for now as I know little of model guns at present. As I see it the main differences are:
Frame materials
Firing pin assemblies
Barrels
Slide/barrel materials.
Outside of Japan, are there limits on material used for frames (not slides or barrels), or the internal structures of working parts?

Hiya,

Sadly that’s a very complex question as the answer changes from model to model and maker to maker. There are a hundreds of variations between them which I assume is a way of stopping conversion by adding “real” components to them  


Short answer is that modelguns try to replicate the real counterpart as closely as possible in look, size, weight and function.

But….. with a lot of exceptions

Material
A move more to plastics and away from metal

Size
Some models have slightly (and not so slightly) different external/internal dimensions

Internal components
The internal components can vary in size, shape, function and placement to real internals.

Sorry to be so vague but I could type for hours about the differences between the MGC, Marushin and Hobbyfix AR15 family .. And that’s just one type of model, the same applies to 1911s, M9/92FS etc.

8Ace