How to Clean a Airsoft Gun

After skirmishing with your absurd AEG a couple of times, yous'll go and so hooked that yous may want to invest some time and effort into leveling it upwardly. Hither are a few crucial tips that you should consider to go the most out of your AEG upgrade for a durable and flawless functioning. Bold you either have a mid-level or high-cease AEG, upgrades can exist done both internally and externally. In case what you use is a plastic Dick's Sporting Goods or Walmart Softair type y'all should invest your money into a quality weapon rather than upgrades. You should first start by upgrading to a brand-new gun before y'all keep reading this slice. Notwithstanding, I take to admit that fifty-fifty the CYMA, DBoys, and JG rifles can but be upgraded up to a certain caste; for case, you can't but throw in 150% spring to your M16 Airsoft and of a sudden turn it into a sniper level 450 FPS BB monster spitter.

Why You Should Upgrade Your Airsoft Gun.

Generally, nigh guys believe that upgrading airsoft guns isn't actually necessary, particularly if you carry out proper cleaning maintenance procedures as we previously discussed in several posts here. Later on all, since you paid amply for your gun, you should practise your best to get your money'south worth from the use of your piece. True enough, 'if it ain't broke, don't fix information technology'.

Notwithstanding, existent Airsoft enthusiasts prefer pushing their guns further for a more than heady performance. If you lot are that type of person, hither are a couple of tangible reasons why upgrading your Airsoft gun is a good thought and how to actually do it. Shop hundreds of different upgrade parts in our online shop once you've read this!

1. Durability

During the start maintenance session of your Airsoft gun, you should automatically get-go considering your gun upgrades because y'all'll exist able to figure out the parts that wear out faster or those that need replacement. So, the most basic forms of upgrades for your gun may include movable part replacements such every bit a metallic spring guide and metal bushings. However, since lots of modern Airsoft guns come with these parts pre-installed, ensure that you check the rifle's gearbox first before you beginning ordering any upgrade parts.

The most popular parts for immovability upgrades include:

the suitable version and size of jump guide,
the suitable size of metal bushings
full steel tooth piston

2. Performance Upgrades For a Terminal Velocity of upwards to 350 FPS

When upgrading your Airsoft gun for better performance, you should start with the internal barrel and the hop up unit, and so motion to the gear ratios.

Moreover, if yous switch to a battery with a capacity of 9.6V or higher, you volition easily boost the rate of fire. Nevertheless you should simply utilise a higher battery chapters subsequently installing aftermarket gears. Otherwise, you risk premature failure of the stock gear.

The most popular parts for significant velocity upgrades include:

six.03MM tightbore barrel
M100 spring
ix.6V NiMh battery
High speed gearset
Metallic spring guide
Metal bushings
Hop up bucking and nub
Metal or reinforced tooth piston

three. Higher Velocity Upgrades For a Final Velocity of over 350 FPS

You accept to carefully consider each of the upgrade parts for perfect compatibility if you are to achieve over 400 FPS. Unfortunately, even subsequently you gather a perfect combination of the piston, spring, high torque gears and the motor, premature article of clothing may still be a factor at the end of the day.

For a Final Velocity of over 350 FPS, some of the most pop Airsoft upgrades include:

9.6V NiMH batteries
M110 or higher spring
High torque motor
High torque gears

Note: Above anything else, you should begin by addressing the ability needs of your upgraded weapon. That's because high speed and loftier velocity Airsoft are jumbo ability hogs. For example, the majority of the 8.4V NiMh Airsoft batteries are only capable of cycling your Airsoft gun on full automated mode in sporadic bursts of burn for just a few minutes before requiring a recharge! And even worse, if you constantly use your gun this way, information technology volition atomic number 82 to premature article of clothing on your motor.

How to Upgrade Your Airsoft Gun

Now that you already have an idea of the advantages of upgrading your Airsoft gun as well every bit a quick overview of how it'due south done, it'southward time to dive into the details of how you should actually do information technology. To make things easier and more digestible for you, we'll cover the upgrading mechanics by breaking them into two chief classes;

the Compression System
the Drive Train

A. The Pinch Organisation

Generally, compression system upgrades tend to be simpler and less expensive and the best thing near them is that you'll notice a substantial comeback correct away. They work harmoniously with your current drive railroad train and other parts of your Airsoft Gun will not feel whatever kind of unnecessary stresses. You can either carry out single or grouped compression upgrades without worrying most breaking any of the stock parts.

The master aim of these types of upgrades is minimize the loss of air and direct it down the butt of your airsoft gun.

Notation: You can hands carry out a unproblematic compression test when the gear box is dismantled. Just plunge the piston quickly in the cylinder why putting your finger over the air nozzle. This is a straightforward indicator of the condition of your setup.

Barrel Upgrades

The simplest way of giving your Airsoft a quick upgrade is by replacing the hop upwards bucking plus the inner barrel particularly if you accept China made low-budget guns. In virtually cases, Airsoft guns come up with a six.10mm barrel fitted past the manufacturer. For a simultaneous boost of velocity and accurateness, only add a half dozen.03mm tight bore butt so properly fit a hop up nub and a bucking set. Any loftier quality tight diameter inner barrel of between 6.03 and vi.01mm and a suitable bucking will atomic number 82 to better use of the compressed air of your gun. In addition, this will bring an improved backspin on your gun'southward BB'southward and augment the air seal that's around the air nozzle of your gun. As a result, the accurateness and range of your gun will significantly improve and y'all'll get an actress 20 to thirty FPS.

The Compression System
Effigy 4: Field Stripped Airsoft Assembly Showing 1 - Barrel, ii-Slide, 3- Receiver, 4- Recoil spring. Source: Wikipedia Creative Commons

Barrels are usually available in lots of different materials and compositions such every bit Aluminum, Stainless Steel, and Contumely, with prices varying from i type to another. Amidst all these, brass is a great option that balances both quality and cost. However, for the best performance on a upkeep, the vi.03 Madbulls Version 2 Blackness Python barrel which is made from hard anodized aluminum is an excellent choice. You lot just have to be extra keen when using them particularly since they are mode lighter than Stainless Steel and Brass. Some of the things that you have to continue in mind include:

You should start using loftier quality precision blazon BBs exclusively once you install a tight bore barrel.
To prevent any excessive jamming of your upgraded kit, ensure that you properly clean your barrel correct afterward every use. That'due south because the tighter your barrel is, the more than susceptible it becomes to jamming as a effect of clay from plain-featured Bbs.

*Earlier because any kind of upgrades, brand sure that you counter-check your AEG'due south specs. If you already take a high-end piece, there's a proficient chance that it already has a tight bore installed by the manufacturer. An upgrade from a manufacturer's vi.04mm tight bore to a new vi.03mm barrel will inappreciably make any tangible improvement! On the other paw, regular budget AEGs will come up with an inner butt of anywhere between 6.10mm and 6.08mm.

Hop Up Bucking & Nub Upgrades

The bucking of your AEG is one of the fastest parts to wear out probably because it's likewise amongst the most driveling parts. It is commonly made of a combination of silicon and rubber and it's the part that comes into contact with the Bbs and produces a back-spin that creates the elevator which keeps the BBs in the air for a little longer. Therefore, you must match the buckings with your AEG's FPS. In essence, the higher the FPS you are looking to accomplish, the less grip or contact the bucking volition crave to create the backspin and the more rubber your bucking has, the more contact it will take. Lastly, the bucking's face should flush with the air nozzle's tip to guarantee a good air seal. There are a vast range of options out at that place just then a proficient starting point for less than 400 FPS is Guarder's 50% Clear while for annihilation to a higher place 400 FPS, 70% Hop Up Buckings are great choices.

When it comes to the housing of the Hop Upwards, no upgrades are needed unless there'southward a breakage. Many groovy options are available out at that place depending on your AEG. In case you are looking to supervene upon yours, go for something with a smooth feed tube plus a solid adjuster that does not pitter-patter with continuous employ.

The Air Nozzle

This is the part that completes the seal that comes between the barrel and the gear box and loads your BBs into the Hop-Up unit. For the all-time fit, look for air nozzles that accept an "O" in their interior parts because these improve the seal. Make sure you lot find a suitable 1 for your specific AEG.

Piston and Cylinder Associates

Depending on the kind of setup that you are looking to achieve, there are two types of piston heads; i.e. Vented/Ported and Unvented/Unported. Ported piston heads draw air from the posterior side of the piston while the unvented types pull air from the lower end of the barrel (the BB should take left the butt earlier this takes identify). Generally, the Ported piston heads are better for high RPM since they provide an allowance for richer flow of air in the course of the back and forth movement. This type is really much better for general purpose AEGs as well. If what you desire to attain is a higher FPS, then you lot're better off with the unvented piston caput blazon since the sealing up process is much quicker and therefore, more than air can be moved down the barrel. To forbid any kind of suck-dorsum in case the BB hasn't already left the barrel, ensure that that the cylinder is matched to the inner length of your barrel.

For cylinder heads, they are ordinarily available in two types based on their textile; i.due east. metal and plastic. In well-nigh cases, metallic cylinder heads are better especially since their plastic counterparts take multi-part fittings that end up trapping a metal pipe in their midst and as a result they are more susceptible to failure. When you are looking to replace your cylinder head, wait for one with double O-rings that provide better stabilization inside the cylinder and do a better task of preventing leaks.

Cylinders on the other hand are classified with respect to the length of your barrel and the position of the vent pigsty. There is the Type '4' cylinder which has a vent nearly at the middle and it'southward best for barrels that are quite short, for instance in the MP5K. For longer barrels on the other mitt, the Type '0' is amend and it doesn't have a hole. The Type '0' cylinder is adept for barrels of up to 590mm. In instance you are looking for something more advanced hither; for example installing a 650mm butt then you tin can throw in a bore-up set which is first-class for a loftier speed setup with much longer barrels. That'south because diameter-up sets have a slightly bigger internal cylinder volume and the opening in the air nozzle and cylinder head is slightly bigger as well.

B. The Drive Railroad train

Compared to the compression system, the bulldoze train upgrades are a little more complicated. In this particular section, you should brace yourself for a hefty influx of technical whys and wherefores because you'll oftentimes have to upgrade a single item and reinforce others as well. Here, we'll break downwardly the drive train upgrades into two main categories; Mechanical and Electrical upgrades. All the same, since we already comprehensively covered electrical wiring repairs and upgrades such as MOSFETs, connectors and the trigger switch on a previous post we're going to focus on mechanical upgrades of your Airsoft.

I'll attempt to keep it as simple and every bit precise equally I maybe tin.

Mechanical Upgrades

When y'all are going ahead with a drive railroad train upgrade, at that place are four primary classes of upgrades that you're looking to achieve. They are:

High Speed (CQB)
High Power (Woodland)
High FPS/RPM
A medium ground betwixt a decent RPM combined with an adequate FPS

So, as you program your upgrade, think well-nigh what you are looking to reach, carefully consider your budget. High FPS/RPM upgrades will toll you a pretty penny so yous have to be ready to dig deep into your pockets.

The Master Springs

Obviously, the main spring is the get-go matter that near of the states Airsoft fans upgrade when we are looking to boost FPS. That'south because it'due south the driving force of everything else that you lot'll find in your gearbox. When you switch to a stiffer spring, y'all'll also accept to supervene upon any plastic bushings with ones made of metal since a stiffer jump will exert more than pressure.

Whatever leap upgrade of between M110 and M130 will hateful replacing the casted pot-metal gears and reinforcing the piston heads as well. Furthermore, if you don't throw in a stronger motor and battery to your setup there may exist no acceptable power to give the new spring a full compression and thus it may issue in gearbox lock-up. Any spring in a higher place that ways that y'all volition take to construct some other gearbox from the basis up. If y'all don't exercise that, don't expect your setup to last for long every bit it will eventually succumb to the leap pressure.

On the same note, replace any plastic spring guide (plastic tends to shatter and the shrapnel may lead to much worse damage within the gearbox) that yous may find in your gearbox with a metallic ane and go for a brawl bearing version if you can so that you can permit the spring flex smoother by minimizing the stress.

The Pistons

There are a vast range of pistons bachelor depending on what you are trying to achieve for your airsoft. They include:

Half-tooth pistons: it just has a portion of the teeth molded and increases the torque for higher gear ratio to for amend compression of the main spring. Best suited for loftier FPS setups with high torque upwardly gears.
Full-tooth Pistons: suitable for higher speed and full general purpose Airsoft use
Short stroke pistons: have a few teeth taken out to reduce the altitude that the piston retracts and the magnitude of compression that is imparted on the spring.

The body and the teeth of the pistons can come up crafted in a range of material such equally synthetic or nylon which are lighter for college RPM while those made of aluminum alloys are better for higher torque and FPS. Since the piston is perhaps the hardest working detail in your AEG, you better not go cheap while going for an upgrade!

Gears

Some other cracking way of boosting the performance of your Airsoft gun is through installation of loftier speed gears. In essence, high speed gears come with a lower tooth ratio and thus, they upgrade your Airsoft gun'southward ROF (rate of fire). Stock guns unremarkably have a firing rate of well-nigh 12 BB's per second or rather 720 BB'southward per second. Once you lot install high speed gears your ROF will become to more than 20 BB's per second and y'all won't fifty-fifty have to brand any adjustments to the motor as long as you keep the FPS at a maximum of 350. For a college FPS, then you'll have to do something extra with the motor and bombardment pack.

In case you come across feeding problems, y'all tin ameliorate the feeding reliability with a Sector Gear Filibuster Clip. Information technology basically slips over the tappet plate on the sector gear's post to increase the amount of time in which the tappet plate stays in position to allow the BB to heighten upward to the hop up unit of measurement.

If you are more about ability and torque, you tin can become for gears with higher torque ratios and super torque ratios. For general purpose AEG utilize, y'all should go for gears with Standard Ratios.

Every bit a rule of thumb, make sure that you get the piston and the gear from the same manufacturer so that you tin guarantee that they are of the same pitch for optimal meshing. And by the way, this volition as well significantly reduce the intensity of noise produced.

Bushings & Ball Bearings

Since this is a pretty obvious topic, I'll just brush through the almost of import parts. First of all, you should know that bushings are virtually suitable for general purpose applications since the rate of motion is lower. Whenever y'all supersede a bushing, ensure that it snugly sits in the pigsty as whatsoever slack will consequence in premature failure since it will move around much more than and wear out faster. Mind you, this may mean that y'all'll require a whole new gearbox!

For high speed applications of your AEG, ball bearings perform best only they are a picayune more complex compared to regular bushings. Their performance is exemplary for M100 and M110 springs and can reliably support up to M130 springs. To foreclose premature failure particularly when y'all use a heavy spring ensure that y'all choose a ball bearing setup whose balls are visibly larger than the bushing of the ball bearing itself.

Motors and Batteries

Just like the gears, motors also come in High-Speed, Standard and Loftier Torque capacities. Since you buy a complete associates of these, there's really cipher to talk most but you should just know that the harder the motor works, the higher the battery chapters information technology will need. A word of communication is that if a motor works too difficult, it may heat upward excessively and volition eventually weaken the synthetic magnet'southward magnetic charge and the lacquer insulation may be burnt off the armature's wire windings. This drastically reduces the effectiveness of the motor and may fifty-fifty lead to permanent impairment. In case you notice the motor heating up excessively either increment the gear torque or reduce the spring.

For proper installation of a large sized battery, you will need a larger gun stock or find a way of securely mounting the battery to your gun. Well-nigh of the Airsoft gun designs are non made with an accommodation to fit actress-large batteries. Therefore, y'all volition take to use a bombardment bag that is externally mounted such as a replica laser battery box or swap the stock on one of the holding stocks of the CQb battery. Thankfully, the more than recent LIPO style Airsoft batteries come packed with more power for a smaller size and they perform quite well for Airsoft guns that have been properly upgraded.

Well, that's information technology for Airsoft gun upgrades today. With what we've covered so far you can be assured of carrying out more functional, durable and efficient upgrades even if you are just a beginner!