Automatic Electric Guns are a lot of fun and most commonly the first airsoft gun you will buy. They are versatile for all styles and game modes of airsoft play and most importantly, FUN! Having semi-auto is great but the first time you flip the selector to full auto, you will understand why AEG's are the dominant form of gun on the field. So now you own one of yourself; what can you do now to truly make it your very own AEG? A lot of airsoft enthusiasts will customize their AEG's with replica accessories or in some cases real optics, lights, and lasers. At some point, you may be inspired to have the same accessories on your AEG platform as you see the battle rifle configuration of your favorite Military or Law Enforcement unit... Or just like that rifle from that wild action movie you just saw! There are so many options and flavors of external customizations that you may end up with a few different looks and functions depending on what you throw on it!
Airsoft Performance Upgrades
Now you may be looking internally at your AEG. You may want to push its performance up a notch and that is good thinking. On the field for an outdoor airsoft game; the difference between 5 feet or 10 feet of BB flight will give you the upper hand when up against other players. In addition to out-ranging the opposition you may want to look into a more consistent shot grouping of your BB flight patterns. The ability to send a BB at the long-range between cracks and trees can be a game-changer! Now that you have a smooth BB sailing AEG the only thing left is increasing your ROF (Rounds Per Second) a bit and maybe achieve a quicker, snappier semi-auto trigger pull. As you go down this path of upgrades you will see all sorts of brands, specifications, differing material properties of internals, and so on. AEG gearbox upgrades can range from super simple to "nasty nightmare" very fast. Opening up a gearbox can be very similar to opening Pandora's box! On this topic, I say, take your time, do your research and keep a clean workspace, and good luck.
Airsoft Barrels, BBs, and Motors
So what can we upgrade with minimal potential headaches? Now we are on the right path; the easy path! Okay, while remembering to do your research on any particular item; let's start with a search for a new Tight Bore inner barrel and Hop-up Bucking. An improved Hop-Up bucking can help give heavier weight BB's a more stable spin and sometimes, a better airseal in the hop-up unit itself. With a quality combo on these two things, you will see a small increase in FPS (Feet Per Second) velocity, a bit of extra range, and an improved BB grouping. A stock AEG barrel is around 6.07mm inner diameter or a bit larger. Your tight bore inner barrel will size the diameter down to 6.03mm with some options going lower to 6.00mm. It is important to remember now that you have tighter tolerances, there is less room for errors in your BBs. You will want to make sure your BBs are of quality and free from seams or factory defects. I would recommend *INSERT SHAMELESS PLUG TO EF .28g BB WEBSITE LINK* for their polished coating and constant quality. No matter what BB you purchase, remember that saving a couple of bucks now may cause jams on the field and a bad day!
Now that our BB's flying perfectly let's take a look at a new motor! Depending on your FPS and local rules, you will need to decide between a High-Speed motor and a High Torque motor. As with everything else, take your time and research what motor is right for you! There are many options out there but luckily, most people will be brutally honest in their information sharing based on their experience. Last piece of advice... make sure to go with the tried and tested options and not the new "popular fads" to really make a sound investment. Upgrading your AEG like this can be fun and educational and will ultimately tempt you to see what else there is to upgrade... like in the gearbox. Don't do that, it will void your warranty. After that... well... we'll save that for another blog.
Keep your barrel out of the mud. - Diles46