Effectively Upgrading Your Airsoft Gun

If you have just entered the fine world of real airsoft, there is a good chance you've bought a medium-quality Airsoft Electric Gun, or AEG. Several price ranges and qualities exist, including the high-end HPEGs (High Powered Electric Guns), MPEGs (what you most probably have) and LPEGs (also what you might have, but less desirable). The most common guns beginners get are Chinese/Taiwanese AEGs that clone Tokyo Marui and other major Japan/US based manufacturers. This makes it ideal to get these cheap clone guns and to use authentic upgrade parts to make them comparable to high end Japanese guns.

Most people choose to take this route and buy guns made from manufacturers like Jing Gong and Classic Army. Models from these manufacturers are very well built and often need small upgrades to make them extremely effective. The upgrades, in order of importance, are listed below along with a helpful explanation:

MOST IMPORTANT UPGRADES FOR PERFORMANCE:

Tightbore Barrel: The first major cost effective upgrade is the tightbore barrel. This barrel improves accuracy and muzzle velocity by having higher machining standards and being closer to 6.00mm than stock barrels. See, the BBs you use in airsoft guns are manufactured to be 6.00mm, but some have defects, this is why stock barrels have a diameter of 6.08mm. If you use precision BBs, you can get a tightbore barrel that is anywhere from 6.04 to exactly 6.00mm in diameter, close hugging the BB thus preventing it from rattling around inside the barrel. Usually costs between $25 to $80.

Hop-up Bucking: This is what puts backspin on the BB and improves range. The bucking is a piece of rubber that bulges into the barrel, the top of the BB hits the rubber and is spun. Usually stock rubbers are hard and not very good at providing friction to properly put backspin on the BB. Upgrading to a Systema or Firefly V-shape bucking will give the best results. Costs around $7-$15

Piston Heads/Valve Heads + Piston and Valve itself: This will give you better air compression, putting more force behind your BB, just get any MATCHING set (i.e. dont mix and match piston head brands and piston bodies). Good piston brands include Deep Fire, Systema, Echo 1 etc. Just get non-stock upgrades for these parts and your pretty much good to go. Usually costs around $40 (for head) and $50(for piston body)

MOST IMPORTANT UPGRADES FOR DURABILITY

These parts increase the lifespan of your gearbox and thus the lifespan of your gun. CAUTION: TO DO THESE UPGRADES YOU MUST TAKE APART YOUR GEARBOX WHICH IS A COMPLICATED PROCESS, HIRE A GUN-DOCTOR TO DO THESE UPGRADES.

Precision Shim Job- The gears inside your gearbox which are under extreme amounts of torque and prevented from rattling around by shims on the ends of their axles. The factory usually does a poor job of shimming these gears, putting unnecessary stress on them. Hire someone to precisely shim your gears for minimum rattling and friction. Costs around $3(for shims)$10(for labor).

Metal Gear Bushings- Usually stock gear bushings (what the gears rotate on) are nylon which wears down fast, install metal bushings to slow the wear considerably. Cost is $8(for bushings) and $15(for labor)

Thats pretty much it. Do these easy, low cost upgrades and your gun will be firing like a dream comparable to $400 Tokyo Marui AEGs. Good luck on the field!