Upgrading an AEG Airsoft Gun

AEG airsoft guns are one of the easiest types of gun to find available upgrades due to a huge aftermarket following. In this article we want to examine different parts of the airsoft gun and the available ways to upgrade them. We will examine why to upgrade a barrel, the spring system, the hop up system, and the compression system... well pretty much everything.

When it comes to upgrading the barrel, the objective is simple. Improving accuracy. The typical upgrades are going to be longer and a smaller bore size, aka tighter. Tighter equals more compression, more compression equals better use of your guns power. Upgrading a barrel should be done before any spring upgrades or you will not be able to utilize the extra power that you are getting. Most AEGs come stock with 6.08mm diameter barrels. A precision barrel usually runs 6.00mm to 6.04mm. With an upgraded barrel size being smaller it is even more essential that you are using quality bbs. See our article on selecting quality bbs for more information. Along with the barrel most airsoft guns will allow for the replacement of the stock, generally a more tactical look and feel will be the only benefits.

The next topic is going to be the spring, and again, it is a simple one. The stronger the spring, the faster it pushes your piston, and the higher velocity your bb leaves the barrel. When choosing a spring the velocity is rated in MPS (meters per second). To get feet per second from an MSP rating simply multiply by 3.28. One important thing to remember is when upgrading your spring is you are also going to need to upgrade your gears or they will be under too much pressure and give out, it is also recommended to upgrade your spring guide as well. The spring guide stops the spring from expanding into your gears. A more powerful spring usually will need a higher quality guide to stop it. The spring guides also come in different spacings allowing for different compressions and that in turn gives the potential for increased velocity.

The hop up bucking is the part that creates backpin on the bb. Upgrading the bucking will give you better spin on the bb and creating more accuracy. One thing to look at is a bucking with 2-3 nubs when upgrading. The hop up chamber is the device that feeds bbs, so sensably upgrading the hop up will be more durable and accurate in feeding BBs, this is going to improve consistency with firing as well. The air nozzle is the part that forces the bb into the hop up chamber. It is also a critical aspect in sealing the airflow between the cylinder head to the BB, this is a part that isn't going to yield worthwhile performance increases and only needs to be upgraded when, and if, it needs replaced. The last factor to the feeding system is the tappet plate. The tappet plate pulls the air nozzle back to let the BB in and if it isn't working you gun will not feed. Usually this is another aspect that doesn't need upgraded, just eventually replaced. In general upgrading the hop up system should be your first priority. You will gain a lot in consistency and like a wise man once said: If your gun ain't shooting, you probably ain't hittin' nothin'.

In an AEG airsoft gun compression is king. It is what forces out the projectile, so it has to be important... right? Right. The cylinder is the area in which the air is compressed before being forced down the barrel. Bigger cylinders let you use a longer barrel. Cylinders tend to be overbuilt and do not usually need to be upgraded on higher quality guns. If you have a cheaper gun you may find that you loose power when you upgrade your barrel. If this is the case you may want to look into upgrading your cylinder. The piston compresses the air in the cylinder by forcing the air in front of it into the cylinder when forced forward by the release of the spring. It is essentially a flat-toothed gear. It is wound back by the motor and then forced forward at by the spring. The piston is subject to incredible amounts of pressure. When selecting a piston you will want to find one that can stand the pressure, but not be too dense to strip the other gears. The front of the piston is called the piston head and seals the air into the cylinder. Compression and stealth are the benefits of an upgrade here. A high quality piston head will help ensure you are getting all of the pressure you should and usually is able to reduce noise as well.

When it comes to upgrading gears it will most always be the sector, bevel and spur gears that are being discussed as they are the main gears across the board. The anti-reversal latch can also be discussed as it keeps the gears from rotating backwards and destroying themselves, however it isn't usually sold in most gear sets and is not nearly as important to upgrade. The gears are one of the most crucial and expensive parts of an AEG airsoft gun. Don't be tempted to buy cheap gears, as more often than not, you are going to end up destroying your whole gearbox. If you are upgrading to higher powered springs and high torque motors upgrading your gears is an absolute must. Steel gears are your best choice and you can usually get them in either high speed or high torque. The bushings keep the gears in places and are what the gears rotate on. If they break there is a good chance that your gears will strip. When you are looking to upgrade your bushings, think big. Most guns come stock with plastic 6mm bushings and upgrading you can get up to 8mm metal bushings that will produce more longevity as well as a higher rate of fire and resistance to the effects of torque. Keep in mind when upgrading your bushings to think of the size of your casing, you may have to get a larger casing to accommodate the size of your new bushings. Along with the bushings shims are used to keep the gears aligned and correctly meshing. Incorrect shimming will lead to increased gear wear or failure. Be sure that if you are upgrading your gun yourself that you are taking this into account.

The motor will be an option that will yield drastic results when upgraded. The two main benefits are a higher rate of fire and more torque, most motors emphasize one more than the other. A new motor in a standard gun will strip the gears or piston, make sure that you have upgraded the gearbox before adding a new more powerful motor. The motor is powered by the real powerhouse of any AEG, the battery. When upgrading a battery you are going to be able to shoot faster and for longer. The higher the voltage, the higher your rate of fire will be. The higher the Milliampere-Hour rating (mAH), the more BBs you can fire per charge. Jumping straight to a 12 volt battery is not a good thing however, you can totally destroy components of your gun or decrease effectiveness. With a battery that is shooting at a higher rate of fire than the gun can handle the bbs can catch one another in the barrel. Be sure to consult an expert for the best battery for your gun.

Some other parts you may hear about that aren't going to be a staple to any airsoft upgrade are the cut off lever, trigger, and sector chip. The cut off lever stops the gears so you can fire in semi-automatic mode if you have the option of going back and forth on your gun. If it breaks or wears out you will only have fully automatic fire and will need to replace it if you want to go back to having the semi-automatic mode. After many moons of good use the trigger mechanism may also need replaced. There are upgrades available, but generally aren't worth the time until you need to have it replaced. Finally the sector chip. The sector chip isn't something that you will usually find on a stock gun, nor is it a common upgrade. The sector is used to hold back the tappet plate and allow the bbs more time to feed, but is a last priority in upgrading the loading system.

We hope that some of your questions where answered by this article and you've been inspired to create a dominating airsoft gun. Remember for your airsoft needs OvertAirsoft.Com has the expertise and the quality products you need to be at the top of your game!

Are airsoft guns safe?

Many people are concerned that the realism of airsoft guns makes them dangerous. Parents need to be aware that giving an airsoft gun to irresponsible children can put their child in danger. A question that we often receive here at Overt Airsoft is: "Are airsoft guns dangerous?" Just like any other firearm the real answer is no, but if misused they can be.

Airsoft guns shoot plastic bb's at moderately high speeds. Many AEG airsoft guns are fully automatic. The speed at which airsoft bb's come out of airsoft guns is much slower than the speed that bb's are shot out of a traditional bb gun. This speed allows people to shoot at each other with airsoft guns safely, under certain conditions.

Protective safety goggles are a must. Never shoot an airsoft gun at someone not wearing proper eye protection! The biggest danger of injury you can receive from airsoft guns is getting shot in the eye. Wearing safety goggles are considered by most to be sufficient eye protection, however some players will use a paintball face masks to ensure eye safety and add ear protection. You can see our line of airsoft eye protection here. Other than eye protection airsoft protective gear is more your preference. The average player is able to tolerate a direct hit to the skin from an airsoft gun, but it can still break the skin if the variables are all right. Most players would not recommend wearing anything other than a long sleeve shirt and jeans as much thicker clothing and you would not feel the hit.

Eye protection is not the only way to protect your self. The majority of injuries while playing airsoft come from the terrain. Rocks, trees, old metal or wire, sinkholes, or other natural hazards in the playing field. Before you begin playing clear out any potential safety hazards possible. Otherwise just make sure you are always aware of your surroundings. Walk the field if you are not familiar with it before your game, this will help not only with safety but strategy as well!

Those are just a few rules to keep your airsoft experience safe and enjoyable. Airsoft is not a dangerous sport as long as everyone playing understands safety. For any questions airsoft related feel free to email us at support@overtairsoft.com and we will do our best to assist you in a timely manner.

Check out our post Paintball and Airsoft Safety Tips for more valuable safety information and remember OvertAirsoft.com for all your airsoft needs!

Gas Airsoft Guns

Gas airsoft guns are airsoft guns which are powered by one of two styles. One option is an internal tank using CO2 or green gas, generally in disposable tanks that can shoot 30 to 40 rounds before running out of power, or even within the ammunition casings. Green gas (which consists of a mixture of propane and a polysiloxane lubricant) is probably the most used option. Red gas wich is a high preformance propellant would also fall into this category. Red gas has a higher pressure can cause damage to an airsoft gun that has not ondergone upgrades, but provides a higher muzzle velocity. CO2, nitrogen, and high pressure air are less common because they need to be stored at higher pressures than the standard green gas. The second, and less common, propellant style is using an external CO₂ tank much like a paintball gun. Generally they are higher priced than an AEG airsoft gun but provide a more realistic approach to airsoft with a more approximate weight and having a recoil. Depending on your style of play the recoil can be taken as a disadvantage or a benefit. While gas airsoft guns can be adjusted to have a higher muzzle velocity than an AEG airsoft gun, most players use them at about the same power as a standard AEG airsoft gun. A great feature of gas airsoft guns are they may be fitted with Long Range Barrel or LRB over a traditional hop-up unit. The long range barrel turns the entire barrel into a hop-up system, giving a consistent spin on the BB. The rate of fire on these can be regulated by the amount of air being fed through the system, versus the motor strength of an AEG. Gas airsoft guns tend to be mostly airsoft pistols, there are few rifles or sub machine guns on the market today. This is taken as a negative for this style of gun as most players only use pistols as a back up weapon. In colder weather, spring pistols are more reliable than gas-powered pistols and even the batteries on electric airsoft guns, both of which can be adversely affected by extreme cold.

Check out our store if you are looking for an airsoft gun or an airsoft propellant!

AEG Airsoft Guns

An automatic electric gun (AEG) uses an electric motor powered by a rechargable battery to give you either a fully automatic or semi-automatic operation which gives these guns their name "automatic electric guns" a.k.a. AEGs. The AEG arisoft gun is the most popular type of airsoft gun and is widely available.

AEG airsoft guns are powered by battery just like in a remote control car either nickel cadmium (NiCd) or nickel metal hydride (NiMH). The most common airsoft battery is an 8.4 V. The rule of thumb on airsoft batteries is the higher the mAh, the longer the battery lasts while the higher voltage, the higher the rate of fire. The battery-powered motor turns gears inside the gun to compress and release a piston, creating the blast of air needed to propel the airsoft bb through the gun's barrel. This system allows the gun to generate the power needed to support the fully-automatic features and allows AEG airsoft guns have an amazing rate of fire of between 100 and 3000 rounds per minute.

At OvertAirsoft.com you can find a large selection of AEG airsoft guns including airsoft sniper rifles and airsoft assault rifles. Whatever you are looking for, we have what you need in an AEG airsoft gun.