Upgrade an Airsoft AEG

There are a lot of upgrades available for airsoft AEGs. This is a basic guide to the parts you need to upgrade.

Steps

For an AEG rifle

  1. Know a few important points before beginning. Making sure you don't fall for some common mistakes or myths can help you make the most of your upgrade options:
    • Note that FPS does NOT necessitate range and or measure how good a gun is. A high quality gun with 245 fps with 0.25g or 0.28g bbs can easily out range guns with 450+ fps. FPS is only one of many factors in range. Your hopup/bucking has a much greater affect on range and accuracy than your FPS.
    • Barrel length does not equal accuracy or range. Some CQB guns with 200mm barrels can out range DMRs and snipers with 500mm+ inner barrels. Also barrels too long can hinder performance. It's all about the quality of the barrel. See the Barrel upgrade section for more.
    • Airsoft BBs, if high quality, can drastically improve an Airsoft weapons performance. Popular brands include Elite Force, Madbull, Goldenball, and G&G among others. It is best to use .25-.30g weight BBs, but as long as they are .20g seamless or heavier you'll be fine.
  2. Know what parts can be upgraded in your AEG. In a normal AEG many parts can be changed or upgraded. Here is a list of them and what they do. Be aware of which type of gearbox you have as parts for a ver. 1 gearbox will not fit in ver. 2-3-4-5-6-7 gearboxes.
    • Hop Up Bucking is the part that puts backspin on the BB. Marui guns come with decent ones but other companies make better ones. G&G green, Lonex 70 degree, Prometheus purple, Maple Leaf and Firefly are some of the best. Firefly makes a special one with 2 nubs in the top to create a better, more centered spin due to having two contact points on the BB instead of one. However, there are many diy mods that will yield better range and accuracy, with the most notable ones being the flat hop, s-hop, and r-hop.
    • Hop Up Chamber. The Hop Up Chamber can be changed for more consistency. The stock plastic ones in Tokyo Marui guns are known for their quality and consistent accuracy, but there are also upgrade units made by Systema, Lonex, SHS, King Arms, Prometheus, ProWin and Madbull, as well as many other upgrade companies. If you have an AR-type AEG, you may want to upgrade to a rotary style hopup, like the one used in Krytac AEGs, as rotary hop ups are generally​ more consistent, and are also easier to adjust.
    • Barrel. Some people change to barrels longer or tighter than their stock ones. The tighter the barrel the better. Don't get one too tight or it will jam. Most AEGs come stock with 6.08mm or 6.06mm diameter barrels. Your best bet for a barrel is 6.03, in a multitude of tests they perform better than 6.20, 6.01,6 6.02 and 6.04. Decent economic barrels include SHS, ZCI, Madbull, and Lonex. The best barrels include EdGI (which is undisputably the best), PDI, and Prometheus. NEVER buy an aluminum barrel, as they are generally less accurate than brass or steel barrels. NEVER use low quality BBs, and only clean with very soft materials. NOT paper towels. Use micro fiber cloths and rubbing alcohol to avoid scraping. 1Bullet3.jpg|center|550px]]
    • Spring. The stronger your spring, the higher the velocity the piston can be forced forward at. Don't fit a high powered spring with standard internals as you are likely to strip the gears and/or damage the piston. Guarder and PDI springs are best. Systema can crack easily but Prometheus is also good, although their "unique" coloring wears off after a while, damaging your gears. Most springs besides PDI are rated in metres per second, so a M100 spring is 100 metres per second or 328 feet per second.
    • Spring Guide. This stops the spring from jumping into the gear case. Many AEGs come with plastic guides as standard but Guarder, Systema, and Prometheus make steel ones. If it has spacers it will increase your muzzle velocity; you can also get ones with ball bearings at the base which will prevent twisting in the spring under compression, resulting in better FPS consistency shot to shot.
    • Cylinder. The cylinder is the area in which the air is compressed before being forced down the barrel. Most cylinders are ported to prevent over-voluming, which will let your rof, cause excessive wear, increase how loud your aeg is, and possibly affect your accuracy. The only reason to upgrade the cylinder is if you install a longer barrel, as it will require more air volume to push the BB out the barrel. Matching cylinder volume to the barrel volume is the the best way to get the most from your setup.
    • Cylinder Head. It is common to upgrade the cylinder head to one that has two o-rings to improve compression. Lonex, ZCI, and SHS all make good ones, but most upgrade companies make a decent one.
    • Air Nozzle. The air nozzle is the part that pushes the bb into the Hop Up Chamber. It is also needed to seal the airflow from the cylinder head to the BB, so some have internal 'O' rings like Guarder.
    • Piston. The piston compresses the air in the cylinder. It is essentially a flat-toothed gear. It is wound back by the gears from the motor and then forced forward at high speed by the spring, compressing the air in front of it. It therefore is subject to tremendous pressure. Metal pistons are good for Semi-Auto AEGs but if fired in Full Auto they may strip the gears. G&P, Guarder,and Deep Fire make good ones. Prometheus is OK with some mods. The Super Core Piston made by System (not to be confused with Systema) is probably the best of all, but is hard to find outside Japan.
    • Piston Head. The piston head seals the air into the cylinder. You can get good and bad ones. Classic Army and most clones generally have great piston heads. You can also get silent ones to quieten down your gun and bearing ones to increase the muzzle velocity. G&P, Systema, Guarder, and Prometheus make good ones.
    • Gears. The gears are a very important and expensive part of the rifle. Don't be tempted to buy cheap gears, as you will probably end up paying a lot more to fix the gearbox when they break. If you are upgrading to high powered springs or hi-speed/torque motors opt for steel gears. If you want high ROF you can buy high speed gears from Prometheus, Systema and Guarder. Systema, Guarder and Prometheus make high torque as well. Most of these are helical which means the teeth are at an angle. If you use these you need a half toothed piston. They are also harder to shim correctly. You have 3 gears, the bevel attached to the motor pinion, spur in the middle and sector gear attached to the piston.
    • Bushings and Bearings. The bushes keep the gears in places and are what the gears rotate on. If they break the gears will probably strip. The bigger the bushing the better. Most guns ship with plastic 6mm bushes fitted. If you upgrade go for metal bushes and if you are looking for higher ROF or torque, get a new gearbox casing that will take 7mm or 8mm bushes. Bearings on the other hand, have small metal balls inside of them that increases ROF even more. 6mm and 7mm bearings can't handle strong springs, while 8mm and 9mm can since of their greater size.
    • Shims. The shims are used to keep the gears aligned and correctly meshing. Incorrect shimming will lead to increased gear wear or failure.
    • Tappet plate. The tappet plate pulls the air nozzle back to let the BB in. If it snaps your gun will not feed. TM stock and ANGEL are the best. A Chinese brand called World-Element also makes decent ones for a good price.
    • Selector Plate. This part rarely breaks. It can be upgraded for more electrical stability.
    • Anti-Reversal Latch. This latch stops the gears from spinning backwards and damaging the gun. Systema and Prometheus make aftermarket versions.
    • Cut Off Lever. This stops the gears so you can fire Semi-Auto. If it does break or wear you will only have Automatic fire.
    • Trigger mechanism. If you fire too much on Full Auto the mechanism can burn out and your gun will cease to fire. Systema and Guarder make aftermarket versions. Keep the contacts clean to avoid short-circuits.
    • Sector Chip. Guns don't come stock with these but they essentially keep the tappet plate back longer so the BBs feed better. They have no negative side effects and will not break easily.
    • Motor. You can opt for hi-speed or torque. Don't put a hugely powerful motor in a standard gun and hope it will work. You will strip the gears or piston. The Systema Magnum and Turbo are excellent. Lonex also makes terrific motors that can run a bit pricey...but are well worth it
    • Battery. The higher the voltage, the higher your ROF will be. The higher the Milliampere-Hour rating (mAH), the more BBs you can fire per charge (as a rule of thumb for a fairly standard gun, 1 mAH = 1 shot). Intellect, G&P, Sanyo, Valken and Elite are great. Most guns come with poor batteries included, it's often best to test if you brand new gun will fire....and throw them away. Also, do not go for the highest power battery you can find straight away, as the voltage may be too high for your current setup and may damage components. Search the net and airsoft forums for advice on battery selection. 12volt= INSANE performance. Many guns even upgraded cannot handle these batteries.
    • THE STOCK. Most stocks can be changed for tactical ones

For a bolt action rifle

  1. The following can be upgraded on a bolt action rifle.
    • Barrel. The tighter the barrel the better your accuracy and consistency will be. PDI, Laylax and Dees Custom make them. Marui also makes a precision barrel and chamber set which is quite good.
    • Hop Up Rubber. The Hop Up Rubber gives the BB back-spin increasing the range and accuracy. GET A GOOD ONE. Nine Ball and FireFly make good ones.
    • Piston. The piston compresses the air in the cylinder. Some have air brakes which silence the gun but this reduces the power. The lighter and stronger your piston the better.
    • Spring. The stronger the spring, the faster the piston is forced forward, and the higher the muzzle velocity. Get a good quality one. Laylax make great ones.
    • Hop Up Chamber. Most clone and Chinese guns come with poor chambers. Getting a good one will greatly improve accuracy. The Marui precision one for the VSR-10 is excellent.
    • Piston head. The piston head forces the air into the barrel, propelling your BB. For the VSR-10, PDI and Laylax make good ones.
    • Spring Guide. This stops the spring from jumping about. Most guns come with plastic ones. Get a metal one and it will last longer.
    • Cylinder. If you get a teflon or polished cylinder you will have an easier bolt pull. Teflon on your cylinder means you don't need to lube it.
    • Bolt Handle. If you have a big bolt handle it will be easier to cock your gun. Guarder makes them for the L96 and APS2. PSS10 makes them for the VSR-10.
    • Trigger sear. Don't be tempted to get a cheap trigger sear. If you fit a very strong spring change your trigger seat. It keeps the gun cocked. If it breaks your gun will not cock.
    • Piston sear. Catches the piston and is supported by the trigger sear. Has a lot less strain put on it than the trigger sear.
    • Spring Guide Stopper. Keeps the cylinder in place. You should also upgrade this when increasing the muzzle velocity.
    • Trigger mechanism. The best triggers are zero trigger. They require only a light trigger pull and are very strong. Comes with a spring guide stopper, piston sear and trigger sear.



Tips

  • Get a replacement upgrade hop up first. It will increase the consistency of your shots. A tightbore barrel should be second to improve accuracy. Increasing FPS before either of these steps will actually hurt the gun's performance. After that, higher FPS can give you more range and of course power.
  • Get all the reinforcement parts you need for a certain power spring. It will save you money eventually because you won't have a bunch of parts break from too much stress.

Warnings

  • Make sure you take apart the gearbox in a place where you will not lose any parts. You might want to take pictures at the different stages so you can remember how it goes back together.

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