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 sensibly 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! </div></div>

About the Author

Tucker Stoffers is an airsoft enthusiast and VP of marketing for OvertAirsoft.Com

The Airsoft Megablog has been delving into rifles lately, namely how to select, use and care for your airsoft rifle. So, now that we’ve covered the basics, I want to address the more complex issue of upgrading your rifle. The internet makes it easy to buy the upgrade parts for less, but it is important to understand that sometimes you will need to loop in a professional to get the job done right. If you dive into an upgrade on your own, you risk damaging the rifle and voiding your warranty. For best results, use a certified professional airsoft technician / shop. In most cases, you can have that professional show you how it’s done. This will give you a better understanding of how the firearm works which will help you troubleshoot issues in the future.

Needless to say, there are a lot of upgrades to consider. For the sake of simplicity, I’ll summarize a few of the most common upgrades for electric airsoft rifles below. Once you identify the upgrades you are interested in, you can contact an authorized retailer like Airsoft Megastore for further information and advice. In many cases, one upgrade may require further upgrades in order to make sure the parts are compatible.

• Hop Up. There are two parts to Hop Up that you may consider upgrading. Hop Up Bucking puts back spin on the bb. A quality bucking will improve your shot accuracy. Look for Bucking made in durable materials such as silicone, which will minimize deterioration. Another potential Hop Up upgrade is the chamber, which will also improve accuracy.
• Barrel. Many airsoft enthusiasts prefer to upgrade to a longer, tighter barrel. In most instances, the tighter the barrel, the better, assuming you are using quality BBs as is strongly recommended by any qualified airsoft dealer.
• Gears. There are three gears to consider: the sector, bevel and spur gears. Gears are both critical and expensive. Avoid sub-quality gears at all costs because they will break and lead to expensive gear box repairs. The type of gears you use depends on the other upgrades and I recommend speaking to a professional about your specific needs.
• Bushings. Gears rotate on the Bushings. They also keep the gears in place and are thus critical in their own right. Broken Bushings lead to stripped gears. Bigger Bushings constructed in highly durable materials are generally better.
• Piston. The piston is a flat-toothed gear that is maneuvered by the motor and spring. Because of the tremendous pressure on the piston, quality counts. Metal pistons are a common upgrade but in some firearms they may strip gears. I recommend discussing possible piston upgrades with a professional so that you can determine what will work best for you.
• Spring. Upgrading your spring will increase the velocity of the piston. If you plan on upgrading your spring, you will need to make sure your internals are upgraded as well to avoid damaged gears and pistons.
• Spring Guide. The spring guide does just what it says and prevents the spring from jumping into the gear case.
• Cylinder. The cylinder compresses the air that will force the bullet down the barrel. A longer barrel requires a bigger cylinder, so these upgrades typically go hand-in-hand.
• Cylinder Head. You can either silence your gun or improve the piece’s air seal by upgrading your rifle’s cylinder head.
• Air Nozzle. This part pushes the bb into the Hop Up chamber while also sealing the airflow.
• Motor. Too powerful a motor can (just guessed it) strip internals, so speak to a professional before you commit to a motor upgrade purchase.
• Battery. A higher voltage battery increases your rate of fire, but too high of a battery voltage may damage internal components. Again, I recommending speaking to a professional about what your gun can handle.
• Scopes and optics. This external upgrade is certainly something you can install yourself. A quality scope will improve your accuracy, especially in a sniper-type role.

About the Author

Mike Zhang is the VP of Operations of Airsoft Megastore. Please visit Airsoft Megastore to shop for airsoft AEGs, electric airsoft rifles or the right airsoft sniper rifle for players of any experience level.