Category Archives: Rifles

UTG Blister Airsoft Speedloader Review

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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Airsoft speedloaders reduce reloading time by pushing multiple BBs into the magazine with a single press of a button.

Operating the UTG Blister speedloader is pretty simple: First you fill the speedloader up with BBs. You then place the small cylinder shaped piece, located at the bottom of the speedloader, into where you’d normally insert the BBs into your airsoft rifle magazine. From there, you press a circular button, located near the top of the speedloader, which releases the long plastic piece that you can see coming out of the top of the loader in the picture above. Finally, you simply push the long arm piece downwards, and it will push BBs into the magazine.

The Blister speedloader holds about 115 BBs and ejects 4 BBs with every push of the arm. It actually does reduce reloading time quite substantially, oppose to manually reloading one BB at a time by hand.

It’s made entirely of plastic, but can withstand drops on soft surfaces.

The Blister speedloader comes with pistol magazine adapter. It’s just a small plastic piece that snaps onto the end of the speedloader and helps the speedloader stay flush against bulky spring pistol magazines while you pump BBs into it.

In a wrap, the UTG Blister speedloader is a vital piece of equipment for the 3-$5 it costs, especially if you play actual airsoft skirmishes. It cuts down loading time and keeps you in the game.

How to Make a Airsoft Masterkey

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
2

Masterkeys are basically miniature shotguns that can be attached onto tactical rails on a rifle. They’re great for CQB (Close Quarter Battle) because they have a wide spray radius and can take down multiple targets at a time. However, airsoft masterkeys are expensive and usually require Green-Gas to operate. In this post you’ll learn how to make a effective airsoft masterkey that operates without gas that’s made from inexpensive, household items.

This is what you’ll need:

  • An airsoft rifle that has tactical rails, preferably with holes lining the hand-guard. For example, the Crosman Stinger R34 is a perfect gun to use.
  • A toilet paper roll
  • Spray paint (I’d recommend using a standard color [black, OD green, etc.] for tactical reasons, but you can use a more creative color if you want to be unique)
  • Bright orange duct-tape
  • A sturdy balloon (try to keep it the same color as the spray paint you’re using)
  • A flat piece of wood, about as long and a little bit skinnier than the toilet paper roll (the wood from a mousetrap is perfect)
  • 3 zip-ties
  • A red-dot sight (this is completely optional, but it just helps aiming a little bit. Plus the red-dot sight only applies if you decide to mount it on the side instead of the bottom [I’ll explain mounting options later on]. However, if you do want the red-dot sight also get a fourth zip-tie)
  • Heavy duty tape (duct-tape will do)

Step 1: Cut the neck off your balloon so that there’s a wide opening. Don’t cut it too far down, but just down of where the narrow neck begins to widen. You can discard of the cut-off neck.

Step 2: Now take your toilet paper roll and fit the balloon over one end of it. Only have about an inch of the balloon actually over the toilet paper roll, the rest of it should just be hanging off the end. Once you have gotten the balloon about 1 inch over the toilet paper roll you can then tape it down with the heavy-duty/duct-tape. Make sure to tape it down firmly and to wrap it in several layers of tape to insure that it won’t come undone.

Step 3: Take the small piece of wood and tape it onto the toilet paper roll. But, only tape it down on either end, leaving the middle open so that you’ll be able to sqeeze the zip-ties in between the wood and the toilet paper roll later on. Make sure to tape it down tight enough so that the wood and toilet paper roll won’t become separated, but not so tight that you crush the toilet paper roll and that you’ll have enough leeway to sneak the zip-ties in-between. In the side-image below I taped the wood down with black tape so that you can see where you’re suppose to put it.

Step 4: Now you can spray paint the entire thing (try not to spray paint the balloon because it won’t be as stretchable). After the paint’s dried, take the orange duct-tape and wrap it all the way around the very front of the toilet paper roll (the opposite end of where the balloon is). The orange duct-tape will serve as the orange safety tip; It’s illegal to have a device that fires projectiles (besides real ammunition and metal BBs, that is) without a orange tip on the muzzle at least 3/4 of an inch thick. If you decide not to put the orange tape on the muzzle of your masterkey, then you run the risk of people thinking it’s a real firearm and can even get you in trouble with the police.

Step 5: Now take the zip-ties and squeeze them in between the piece of wood and the toilet paper roll. Since it’s made of cardboard, the toilet paper roll should bend inwards a little bit when you push the zip-ties though, giving you enough room to sneak them through. If you’re having a hard time, loosen the tape that’s holding it down. Make sure to space the three zip-ties at small intervals (one on near the end of the masterkey, one in the middle and one near the front). Don’t pull the zip-ties completely though. Pull/push them through just enough so that you have slack to go around the piece of wood, through one of the holes in the gun, out another hole in the gun, and back to the end of the zip-tie where you can pull it tight.

If you’re confused on what you’re suppose to be doing with the zip-tie then think of it this way: You’re basically tying the piece of wood to the gun, securing the masterkey. In the illustration below, the black part represents the zip-tie, the blue part is the hand-guard of the gun, the red parts are the holes on the hand-guard that the zip-tie goes through, the green part is the piece of wood, and finally the purple part is the actual masterkey which is obviously attached to the piece of wood:

So all you’re doing is completing that black loop with zip-ties in three different places.

If you’ve done it correctly, then it should look something like this:

As you can see, the black zip-ties go in-between the piece of wood, through a hole on the top of the hand-guard, out a hole in the bottom of the hand-guard, and finally connects back up with the other end of the zip-tie. You can then pull the zip-tie tight and cut off the excess.

It’s recommended that you mount the masterkey on the side of the gun instead of on the bottom rail; Mounting on the side allows you to pull the balloon back further when you’re firing, creating higher velocities, and it also allows you the option of attaching a sight onto it, if you’d like. The only downside is that it’s higher profile mounted on the side, and can sometimes bump into things and break.

How the masterkey works is, when you’re ready to fire, to pour 5-10 BBs directly in to the muzzle of the masterkey and let them trickle into the balloon. You then grasp the BBs from the outside of the balloon, holding them firmly in-between the balloon so that they wont fall back out the muzzle. You then  pull the balloon backwards and let it go to fire. The balloon will launch the BBs forward at about 200 FPS and has a effective range of 10-15ft.

And it’s very simple to attach a red-dot scope onto the masterkey if you want to. All you do is run a fourth zip-tie between the wood and the toilet paper roll (just like you did to mount it), except instead of going into the gun you run it over a red-dot sight and then tighten it down, keeping the sight firmly in place. The sight honestly doesn’t help too much, but it at least gives you a general idea of where you’re shooting at and it also has to “cool” factor.

Please give all credit from this project to SirBuffaloSushi and Airsofter United.

DBoys M4/M16 Airsoft 500rd Extended Magazine Review

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
1

The DBoys 500-round Extended Magazine fits onto most M4 and M16 airsoft AEGs. It’s an upgrade from the average 300-round magazines that come with the average M4/M16 AEG, giving you a 66% (or 200 BB) increase in BB capacity.

The DBoys Extended Magazine works just like any other AEG magazine. You load the BBs into a little plastic sliding door on the top of the magazine, filling up a large chamber. You then slide the little door shut and insert the magazine into your gun. From there you wind a wheel on the bottom of magazine (you can see the wheel in the picture above, at the bottom of the magazine, in the bottom right corner) until it gets hard to turn and starts to make a distinct clicking noise.

Having 500 rounds is great because you can just keep shooting without having to reload. However, about half way through the magazine, BBs will stop feeding and your gun will start to dry-fire. When this happens you need to wind the wheel on the bottom back up again. It’s not a huge deal, but it can be a chore if you’re in a actual airsoft skirmish and you have to stop to wind your magazine back up, especially when the whole point of a extended mag is to not have to stop to reload.

The DBoys Extended Magazine also claims to work with M4s and M16s from JG, AGM, DBoys, Classic Army and Echo 1, but that’s not entirely true. With my personal JG M4 2010 Upgraded Version I have to wiggle the magazine back and forth to get it to slide into my receiver and then forcefully slam the bottom of the magazine with the palm of my hand to get it to click into place (kind of like what your avatar does on Call of Duty: Black Ops when you close the top of the M60 after reloading it). The problem is that the magazine doesn’t go with the slight turn that M4 receivers have, making the back of the magazine scrape up against the M4’s receiver. Although slamming the bottom of the magazine does make it click into place and allows it to work normally, it makes reloading much slower and also causes some cosmetic damage to the magazine as well as inside receiver.

The magazine is very durable, however. It’s made completely of metal, excluding the wheel on the bottom, the plastic door on the top and a couple other little pieces. Even after upwards of 20 times of slamming it into my M4 it still works fine.

The last thing worth noting is that the little plastic sliding door that keeps the BBs from falling out of the storage chamber is very loose. This means that if you tip the magazine forward, unless it’s already inserted into your gun, the door will slide open, letting BBs fall all over the ground. Therefore, keeping spare magazines outside the gun (in a vest, backpack, etc.) is not a good idea without taping over the door first. However, this isn’t a huge problem because, being an already extended magazine, you may not need a spare.

In a wrap, the DBoys Extended Magazine is great for extended shooting. Even though you have to stop about half way through the magazine to re-wind it, it still beats having to carry a whole other magazine with you. And also just keep in mind that you might have to put some effort into getting the magazine into your gun.

Also note that this attachment is for AEGs (Automatic Electric Guns) only. It won’t work with spring rifles.

Tapco Intrafuse T6 Rubber Butt-Pad Review

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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The Tapco T6 Butt-Pad attaches to the butt of most M4s with adjustable stocks, compatible with both airsoft rifles and real ones.

The T6 Butt-Pad pops right onto most M4 style rifles with adjustable/collapsible stocks without any glue, tape, or any other bonding agent. It also pops right back off very easily if you pull on it, but it’s still snug enough that it won’t fall off in the middle of shooting. To give you an example of what type of stock works best, the T6 fits perfectly onto my personal JG M4 2010 Upgraded Version as well as the Crosman Stinger R34 airsoft rifles.

The T6 definitely helps the butt of your gun to stay up on your shoulder, especially if you’re wearing a backpack or a vest where there’s a strap right where the stock rests. It also takes off some of the impact that your shoulder gets from recoil on real guns.

The T6 also adds a full inch the the length of your gun, which can be both good and bad. If you have longer arms, you might benefit from the extra length. But if you already have your stock at a perfect length, the extension might make your rifle feel awkward. Although, truthfully, an extra inch doesn’t make that big of a difference on my personal airsoft rifles, and, besides, the T6 only fits onto adjustable stocks like I’ve mentioned, so you should be able to just adjust your stock an inch inward if you really don’t like the extra length.

It’s also extremely durable. It’s made fully of rubber, and can hold up to just about any climate or terrain you can throw at it.

In a wrap, the Tapco T6 Butt-Pad is a durable and cheap attachment for any M4. It works with both airsoft and real firearms and keeps your rifle up on your shoulder. The only down-side is the extra length, which isn’t even that big of a deal.

Crosman Nirto Lubricating Airsoft Oil Review

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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Crosman Nitro Lubricating Oil spays directly down the barrel of a airsoft gun and acts like WD40: helping decrease friction on the BB and increase velocity.

The saying “A little bit goes a long way,” is definitely applies when using Crosman Nitro Lubricant. If you spray too much then it can clog your gun and dramatically decrease BB velocity. And it’s also near impossible to remove once it’s inside the barrel, so just try to use a little bit at a time.

I personally accidentally sprayed too much into my Stinger P9, which before could hit targets from over 40 feet away with extreme accuracy, but will now only fire BBs 15 feet before they drop to the ground. I’ve tried multiple times to clean the barrel out with a cleaning rod to no effect. Like I said before, just use a little bit at a time (any more than a 2 second burst is too much).

Crosman says that for the first 100 shots after you’ve applied the Nitro Lube your gun will have decreased power and accuracy, but, in my experience, it usually takes a good 200 to 300 shots to fully regain the original power and accuracy. It’s not a huge deal, but immediately after you’ve used the Nitro Lube and cleaned out the extra residue, you should go out and stand about five feet away from your target and just unload the 200-300 shots to get your gun back to normal. This way, if the next day you want to go shoot, you can just start shooting like normal instead of having to shoot 300 breaking-in rounds.

Even after the first 200-300 shots, when you’ve regained the accuracy and power, there’s not much of a difference in velocity. In fact, if you test fired your gun before using the Nitro Lube, then test fired after you used the Nirto Lube (and fired the first 200-300 breaking-in shots), you really wouldn’t even be able to tell a difference. However, it does decrease jamming and help protect the barrel and prolong the guns overall life expectancy.

In a wrap, Crosman Nirto Lubricant won’t do much to increase velocity, but it can help protect your gun and prevent jamming. If you have a gun that’s already running well, then you might not want to risk accidentally spraying in too much lube and clogging your gun. But, for the $5 it costs, Crosman Nitro Lube can be a good investment to protect your gun in the long run or fix it if it’s prone to jamming; just don’t use too much!

JG M4 S-System Airsoft Gun Review (2010 Version)

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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The JG M4 airsoft rifle is one of the most popular airsoft AEGs on the market. It’s battery powered and has full and semi-automatic firing modes. It’s also almost completely metal making it feel sturdy and durable.

One of the first things you notice about the JG M4 is the Weaver rails. As you can see in the picture above, there’s a rail that runs along the whole top of the gun as well as one on the bottom. It also comes with two smaller rails that are meant for the sling mount, but you can place on either side of the hand guard and use for mounting accessories. The iron sights are also folding, so that you can have a unobstructed view of a scope or sight. It comes, like I mentioned, with sling mounts, too, that you can install and uninstall with a couple screws. And being built around the M4 design makes it compatible with most M16/M4 airsoft magazines and accessories.

You can also upgrade it internally. It comes with instructions on how to disassemble it so that you can easily upgrade springs, gears, etc.

The JG M4 shoots .20 gram BB’s at a blistering 420 Feet Per Second (542 FPS with .12 grams). That’s about as high as you can get from a AEG without modifying it. From 50 feet away you can shoot right through a Crosman Gel-Target. This makes target shooting a lot of fun, but it might hurt a little too much for a friendly backyard skirmish. Plus, most airsoft fields won’t allow guns over 400 FPS.

The accuracy is also very good. Right out of the box you can easily hit a person-sized target from over 90 feet away. You can also adjust the front sight, back sight, and the hop-up to make it even more accurate.

There are a lot of moving parts on the JG M4 which adds to the realism. When you pull back the charging handle a dirt-flap springs open and reveals a wheel to adjust the hop-up. And there’s also a “front aim assist” button on the right side of the gun that you can press in. On a real gun this would help unjam bullets,  but, on this airsoft version, it doesn’t do anything and is just for decoration.

The battery is really the only big problem with the gun. It’s 8.4v 1100mAh and takes about 4 hours to charge. But the main problem is getting the battery into the gun. The battery compartment is inside the hand guard where the Weaver rails are. To get to it, you turn two screws and the the lower half of the hand guard will fall open. But there’s only a little bit of space for the battery to fit into, and when you start to close the hand guard back up, the wires connecting the battery to the gun get caught in between the lower and upper half of the hand guard, making it impossible to close. It almost takes two people to keep the wires out of the way while trying to keep the battery from falling out.

But even when you do get the battery in, it drains very quickly. Within three or four magazines, you need to recharge again.

The magazines themselves are basically just like any other AEG magazine. You pour the BB’s into the top of the magazine and then wind a wheel on the very bottom to get the BB’s to feed into the gun. Although, they only hold 300 rounds, which isn’t a lot when you’re shooting on the fully-automatic setting. But, like I said before, the JG M4 is compatible with most M16/M4 magazines, so you can buy spares.

The last thing worth noting is the Rate of Fire. On the fully-automatic setting it honestly doesn’t shoot that fast (maybe about 500-600 RPM on a good day). It doesn’t shoot slow by any standard, but my $99 Crosman Pulse R76 out shoots it considerably.

Overall, the JG M4 S-System airsoft rifle is pretty nice AEG, with one of the highest velocities that you can get. It’s fully customizable with tons of Weaver rails, as well as upgradable internally. The ROF is fairly low, but the accuracy, velocity, and durable metal build more than make up for it.

Specs:
Feet Per Second: 420 with .20 gram BB’s (542 with .12 gram)
Accuracy: Great
Power: Battery
Caliber: 6mm
Recommended BB Weight: .20 grams
Magazine Capacity: 300 BBs
Manufacture: Jing Gong

20 Tips and Pointers to Greatly Improve Your Airsoft Skills

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
5

These are 20 tips and pointers to greatly improve your airsoft game. As long as you keep these tips in mind, you will see much improved accuracy, focus, and overall performance in your airsoft. But, read these tips with a grain of salt, for example, numbers 12 and 13; having a bunch of different guns gives you versatility to use different style guns in different situations. But the point 12 and 13 are making is that if you are thinking about spending a bunch of money on a bunch of different guns, maybe you should think about buying one really good gun or upgrades for a gun you already have, instead.

  1. Always use your sights. You should almost never fire from the hip, even with fully-automatic guns.
  2. Practice how you would be in a game. Wear all the equipment, clothing, and use the exact guns that you would be using in a actual airsoft match while you practice.
  3. Use the correct BB weight for each individual gun. When you first get a gun, you should test which BB weight works best for that gun (test with the three major BB weights: .12 gram, .20 gram, and .25 gram). Look for accuracy and how far the BB will go before it lands.
  4. Keep a good grip on your gun while you’re shooting. Keep the stock (if you have a stock) firmly pressed against your shoulder and your weak hand holding the gun, while your strong hand pulls the trigger.
  5. With spring pistols, keep the gun in your strong hand and cock the slide with your weak hand. (Some people do it the opposite way because it’s easier to cock with your strong hand, but it decreases accuracy)
  6. Take your time and aim. Don’t panic and start firing if you see a opponent in a airsoft match, take you time to line up your sights and make a accurate shot.
  7. Once you fire, don’t wait around to see if you hit your target. After the BB leaves the barrel, there’s nothing more you can do. Immediately re-arm (get another BB chambered) your weapon before bothering to see if you’ve hit. If you missed, fire again. If you hit, move on.
  8. Wear the appropriate clothing. If you’re hot/cold/uncomfortable you’ll start hurrying shots and sacrificing accuracy.
  9. Calm yourself before a airsoft match. If you go in angry, nervous, etc. you will make mistakes. Get in the mind set of a robot: you need to remember all of what you’ve learned while practicing and what you’ve read in this post and complete your mission.
  10. Practice makes perfect. I know I’ve mentioned practicing before, but it’s vital that you do so. The more BBs you put down range the better you’ll get.
  11. Push yourself. If you push yourself to hit a 12-inch target at 50 feet away, think about how easy it’ll be to hit a player from 20 feet. Try to find your maximum range and then practice from even farther away.
  12. Upgrade the airsoft guns you have instead of buying more of them. Investing in optics, extra magazines, and accessories will greatly improve your performance with that gun. Besides, you can only shoot one gun at a time anyway.
  13. Invest in a good quality gun. This adds to number 12, if you invest in a more expensive, better gun, it’ll pay off. AEG’s (Automatic Electronic Gun), for example, are good to invest in. They’re usually fully-automatic and one will serve you better than the two cheaper spring guns that you could have bought for the same amount of money.
  14. When retreating, don’t attempt to fire back. You should only retreat when it’s your last option and you’ve already tried everything to hold back opposing players. That said, you shouldn’t turn around to fire back if you’re already retreating. If you couldn’t hold off opposing players staying still, you’re not going to do anything randomly firing backwards as you are trying to run away. The chances of actually hitting someone is slim and trying will only slow you down and give the other team time to catch up to you.
  15. Be tactical. For example, if you’re planning to come around a corner (this especially applies for CQB game-play), take out your secondary, which is smaller and lighter than your primary, and breech the corner with that. This will allow you to bring your gun up and aim much faster than you would using your primary. As soon as you’ve cleared the corner, though, start using your primary again.
  16. Use all the tools at your disposal. If you have a airsoft grenade, don’t be afraid to use it. The same goes for if you have a flashlight, secondary, speed re-loader, or any other tool you may have. Make it as easy for yourself as you can.
  17. If cover is available use it. Unlike video games, though, visual cover might not be the greatest choice. The mandatory orange tip on the mussel of every airsoft gun pretty much makes it imposable to try to hide. If you’re laying down in visual cover and are spotted you are in some deep trouble. On the other hand, using physical cover is a good strategy. You can pop in and out of physical cover, making quick shots when you come out and then immediately going back in, gives the opposing players very little chance to hit you.
  18. When there’s a break in the action, you should immediately reload. When you do reload, make sure you’re completely maxed out. Depending on how safe you are, take time to get a BB in the chamber as well as completely reloading your magazine. Make sure to keep an eye out for enemy players and at least a couple bullets loaded into one of your weapons, while you reload the other one; you’re most vulnerable when you’re reloading.
  19. We’ve already mentioned practice multiple times before, but it’s important to maximizing your practice time. Apart from “pushing yourself”, drills are the best way to go. Practice everything: reloading, shooting while moving, shooting while lying down, coming in and out of cover, etc.. Do a drill multiple times. It will get boring and frustrating after a while but you just need to take a little break, reestablish yourself, and keep on going. Succession is key.
  20. The last tip is one of the most important and the most obvious. Take care of your guns and they will take care of you. Keep them in a safe place where they won’t be broken, lube and clean them as necessary, and (as mentioned before) give them the right ammunition.

How to Make a Airsoft Silencer/Suppressor

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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Silencers/Suppressors really don’t silence or suppress anything in airsoft, they’re mainly for looks, although they increase accuracy. This post will show you how to make a simple airsoft silencer/suppressor from around the house items. In order for this silencer/suppressor to work, you need to put it on a airsoft gun that has a long-ish safety tip that your silencer can fit over, like this:

This is what you need:

  • A cardboard paper towel roll
  • Foam pipe instillation (1/2 inch diameter is fits the average gun, but you can buy 3/4 inch and up, depending on how large your orange safety tip is. It’s better to end up with a loose fitting one than one that won’t fit at all)
  • Tape (duct tape is best)
  • Bright orange tape (again, orange duct tape is best)
  • Spray paint (it’s up to you what color you want your silencer; black is standard, but you can make it match the color of your gun, or you can use a fun color, or OD Green looks pretty cool)
  • Cutting tools (to cut your paper towel roll, the instillation, and the tape)

Step 1 – The first thing you do is take your paper towel roll and the pipe instillation and cut them both to a length of 8in. You can make them shorter for CQB, but just make sure they’re the same size (also, save any piece of cardboard paper towel roll that you cut off to use later):

Step 2 – Next, fit the pipe instillation into the cardboard roll; it should be a snug fit:

Step 3- Now tape both ends up with tape so the pipe instillation won’t come out. Tape one end with the normal duct tape and tape the other with the bright orange (just make sure that you don’t cover up the hole of the pipe instillation):

Step 4 – Now all that’s left is to spray paint the whole thing. Just do not paint over the orange duct tape; this with serve as a safety tip (it’s illegal to have a airsoft gun without a bright orange tip on the end of it):

Step 5 – Now simply slide your silencer/suppressor over the orange safety tip on your gun. If it’s loose then you can take the little piece of cardboard roll that you saved earlier and cut it so you can open it up. Then roll it as tight as you can and glue it to the inside of the silencer. What this will do is make a smaller hole for your tip to fit in. This is what it should look like when it’s on your gun:

Like I said, it doesn’t silence or suppress, but it will increase the accuracy and look really cool. If you have problems with the silencer falling off then you can take the extra piece of cardboard and make the suppressor hole smaller, as explained above. Or, if you know you want the silencer on your gun for a while, you could even glue or tape the silencer onto your gun, although the cardboard trick should keep the silencer in place.

Please give all credit for this project to SirBuffaloSushi and AirsofterUnited.wordpress.com

Crash-Course in Airsoft (The Basics of Airsoft)

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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Airsoft is as close to real combat you can get, without putting your life in peril. Airsoft is usually a team sport, and people of all ages everywhere are getting in on the action. The whole point is: take out the enemy and don’t get shot doing it. The rules are different everywhere, and depending on how many people are playing, the rules can vary from all out war, to if you get hit you must sit out for the rest of the round until a team has won, to capture the flag, to just friendly backyard skirmishes. There’s almost infinite ways to play, and there’s not a right or a wrong way.

The most important and most basic thing you need for airsofting is a airsoft gun. Basically how a airsoft gun works is, in some fashion, a spring is compressed along with a little pocket of air, which propels a BB (BBs are small plastic spheres that airsoft guns shoot. They usually have a diameter of 6mm, so they’re pretty small).  There’s several different types of guns, here’s a little list of the three different types:

AEG (Automatic Electric Gun) – This is battery powered. You must charge a 7-12 (sometimes greater) volt battery and hook it up to the gun to give it power. As far as batteries go, there’s two measurements that come into play: Volts – volts measure how powerful the battery is, the more volts, the faster a gun will shoot, and also the higher rate of fire and velocity there will be (even a small upgrade in battery can dramatically improve a gun). The only down side is that if you have to strong of a battery, it might overwhelm the gun and break it. The second measurement is mAh – this is how much power a battery can store. For example, a 1200 mAh battery can last a (let’s say) 10 hour battle; a 1800 mAh battery can last a 14 hour battle. That’s just some basic examples of different battery terminology.

The upside of an AEG is that it is usually fully automatic, which means with a single pull of the trigger multiple BB’s can be fired. AEG’s are the most popular type of airsoft gun for fights because of this. Out shooting the enemy is the biggest advantage you can have in any kind of gun fight. AEG’s usually have relatively good FPS (feet per second; I’ll talk about FPS later) which is also a benefit.

Spring/Bolt Action – Spring/Bolt Action powered means you must cock something back before each shot. On pistols you usually cock the slide back, rifles usually have a charging handle on the top or on the side, and revolvers you must cock the hammer back. Either way, what it does is compress a spring and capture air that will then help propel the BB. This type of gun is the most common type because of its simplicity, cheapness, and because it will fire under extreme heat/coldness where the batteries inside AEG’s or the CO2 inside Gas Powered guns might fail in extreme weather. You can even get spring guns wet and muddy and they still will fire (although, you should clean and dry them if they get wet because the springs will rust). But, as stated before, spring powered guns require you cock back the slide/cocking mechanism which make them slow to shoot, so they just can’t compete with AEG’s and Gas Powered guns.

Bolt action is the same thing as spring powered; basically you compress a spring to shoot the BB, it’s just in a different form. With bolt action, you take a handle and rack it back then forward again to compress the spring and get a BB in the chamber, exactly as you would with real guns (except with real bullets, also). But bolt action can compress stronger springs which results in higher FPS. This is why bolt action is almost exclusively used on sniper rifles. If you’re confused, the main difference is that with bolt action you pull a big bolt back, and with spring action you simply rack a charging handle. But, bolt can produce higher FPS than spring.

CO2/Green Gas – This type of gun requires a CO2/Green Gas power outlet to work. All you have to do is screw in your power outlet and you’re ready to shoot. With CO2 and Green Gas powered guns the emphasis is on power.

An example of CO2 power outlets

Since CO2/Green Gas is doing the work instead of springs (AEG’s and Spring/Bolt Action require springs to work), the BB can be shot at much higher velocities (C02 and Green Gas still use springs, they’re just not so vital). And like AEG’s, you don’t have to cock back each time which means you can fire as fast as you can pull the trigger. Usually Co2/Green Gas are only semi-automatic which means with every pull of the trigger one shot is fired, but there are a handful of fully-automatic Co2/Green Gas out there. Fully-automatic means with one pull of the trigger, multiple BBs can be fired.

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Now for some terms you hear a lot in airsoft:

The difference between full-automatic and semi-automatic – if you didn’t understand fully/semi-automatic guns from the descriptions I gave above, I’ll explain it further. Semi-automatic means that every time you pull the trigger, one bullet/BB will shoot out. Fully-automatic means that if you pull the trigger, multiple bullets/BBs can be fired. As long as you hold down the trigger with fully-automatic, a steady stream of BBs will be shooting out. To give you a idea of which type of gun usually does what (this is just a general overlook, there can be exceptions):

AEG’s – usually have both fully and semi-automatic features
Spring/Bolt Action – neither; you must manually pull some sort of charging lever back before each shot
Co2/Green Gas – Usually semi-automatic only. Although, there are a couple of fully-automatic models out there

Now, for those who are completely new to airsoft or any type of gun, what the “safety” feature is. Every gun has safety, every single type and model; it is both unsafe and illegal to have a firearm without a working safety. A safety locks the trigger into place, so that a gun won’t go off by bumping into things. When a working safety is on, it is impossible to discharge the gun. It’s just that simple. Every airsofter (and firearm owner, for that matter) must always have their gun on safety when not in use.

ROF (Rate of Fire) is how many BB’s a gun, usually a AEG, will fire per minuet. Pretty simple. So if a gun had a ROF of 800, that means, that it will fire 800 BBs in one minuet.

There’s also a couple different types of “Blow-back” airsoft guns. Blow-back just means that when you fire the gun, the slide will blow back, just like a real gun. Blow-back airsoft guns can be Co2 or Electric (AEG). The benefits to a blow-back gun is that it looks realistic, and it chambers a BB each shot, so that it shoots as fast as you can pull the trigger, unless it’s fully-automatic, which would basically make it a blow-back AEG. GBB (Gas Blow-Back) is basically a Co2 powered blow-back airsoft gun. EGG (Electric Blow-Back) is a Electric powered blow-back (although electric powered blow-backs are pretty rare, and usually have horrible FPS and accuracy. So, chances are that you’ll never really hear the term “EGG”). The down side of a blow-back airsoft gun, while it’s semi or fully-automatic, it costs much more money than a Co2 or AEG, plus Co2’s and AEG’s already are semi/fully-auto. And, since the slide comes back, it drains batteries and Co2 cartridges much faster than normal. So really, blow-backs just look cool.

Another term you might hear in airsoft is “CQB”. All that stands for is “Close Quarter Battle”. Basically, all that means if a gun is good for CQB, is that it’s good for close-up fighting (usually 20 feet or under). Another way you might hear CQB is a type of game mode. It’s the same thing, any shooting taking place when your target is 20 feet or closer; most of the time CQB is indoors, just because indoors are usually smaller spaces, but it can also be outdoors. Lower FPS guns are best for Close Quarter Battle, because higher FPS guns hurt to much at short range.

FPS (Feet Per Second) is a measurement used to describe how fast the BB will be traveling as it leaves the barrel. For example, if a airsoft gun has a label “375 FPS” it means when the BB exits the barrel of the gun, it will be traveling 375 feet per second. This can be calculated to better understand it to 256 Miles Per Hour. So, 375 FPS = 256 MPH. This may seem fast, but keep in mind this is barrel velocity. As soon as the BB leaves the barrel it starts slowing down. It will lose at least 25% of its speed by the time the BB actually gets to your target. Also, manufactures try to look better by trying to get the highest FPS out of their gun; so what they do is take a .12 gram BB and calculate how fast a .12 gram BB (we’ll get to what the ‘grams’ matter in a moment) is traveling right as it leaves the barrel. The bottom line is, when you’re looking at a gun’s FPS, take at least 75 off of it right away. The manufacturer’s FPS is always higher than the real thing. The effect of FPS in the field is, the higher the FPS, the faster the BB will go, the more accurate it will be, and the longer it will travel.

Now for what “grams” mean. A gram is a measurement of weight. Obviously a .12 gram BB will be lighter than a .20 gram; a .20 gram will be lighter than a .25 gram, etc. The weight of standard airsoft BB’s are from .12-.45 gram weight. The heavier the weight, the more accurate. That’s why most players use .20 and up for almost every gun. The drawback of a heavier BB is that it will dramatically decrease the FPS. Usually the general rule of thumb is, the higher the FPS, the higher gram BB you should use. 200 FPS and under is best with .12 gram; 200-400 = .20 gram; etc. Also, guns with their hop-up wound to lose should use a higher gram BB (Hop-Up, I’ll explain next). Or if the gun is fully-automatic then you should use almost strictly .20 gram because anything less/more could jam. So, you should weigh out the accuracy to power ratio to find the best weight BB for your gun.

And now for hop-up. Almost every gun has it now. Hop-Up puts a back spin on your BB, making it more accurate, and a whole lot better distance. At close range, hop-up can be annoying because the BB will tend to go upwards and be less accurate. But at long ranges, hop-up is vital, adding distance and accuracy. The “tighter” a hop-up is wound, the less backspin will be put on the BB. The “looser” the hop-up is wound the more backspin will be put on a BB. Looser = more hop-up, and the the BB will tend to float up after 50 feet. Tighter = less hop-up, and the BB will sink after about 50 feet. (When a BB will either float or sink [50 feet, 60 feet, 70 feet, etc.] depends on the velocity of your gun) If you’re target is 30 feet away you probably want less hop-up, and if your target is 70 feet away you want more hop-up. It all depends on the situation. All-and-all, hop-up is good.

A alternative to hop-up is BAXS. BAXS is relatively new to airsofters, and has gotten a so-so reception because of airsofters’ loyalty and comfort level with hop-up. BAXS is in no way bad, though. With hop-up there’s two points of contact on the BB while it’s in the chamber, the top and bottom. With BAXS there’s three points of contact, two on the top and one on the bottom. Basically, BAXS gives you more control over the BB, so instead of floating up or down after 50/60/70 feet, the BB will continue going straight. BAXS is mostly on cheaper guns because they tend to have less FPS and it would be inaccurate to have hop-up. Although, it’s not totally uncommon to have BAXS on higher end airsoft guns.

Well, that’s the end of the “crash-course” on airsoft. Congratulations on reading the whole thing. If you have any further questions regarding airsoft, email me at (sirbuffalosushi@gmail.com) or leave a comment.

(This is a posted copy of Airsofter United’s page, “Crash Course“)

Tips to Reloading Airsoft Guns (How To Get More Shots Per Magazine)

Posted on by sirbuffalosushi
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You can’t have a gun without ammo. You can’t have a airsoft gun without BBs. It just won’t work. That’s why the biggest hassle in any gun fight is reloading. In this post I’m going to show you how to get more shots per clip, which may not sound like a big deal, but when a friendly airsoft fight turns into a war, a couple extra shots can kill/tag a couple guys on the opposing team. Think about that, less players shooting at you, that’s a pretty big deal. Find your type of gun below, and get your guns locked and completely loaded.

AEG’s (Automatic Electric Guns)

AEG’s usually have big reservoirs that are pushed into the chamber via spring that you crank by turning the wheel on the bottom of the magazine. Take a completely empty magazine, and fill up the reservoir just like you normally would. Now I know that you’re suppose to put the magazine into the gun and then crank the wheel, but this time crank the wheel on the bottom of your magazine just until the BBs reach the top of the chamber. Then open up the reservoir again and there should be room for at least five more BBs if not more. Fill the space up, and then insert the fully loaded magazine into your gun and then crank the wheel all the way taught. This has now given you a average of 10 more BBs in your magazine.

Spring Pistols, Shotguns, and Sniper Rifles

Unfortunately, there’s not much extra room in pistols/shotguns/sniper-rifles magazines for extra BBs due to their slim, tidy design. However, you can add just one more shot. How you do it is, take a empty magazine from your gun. Then load it with just one BB. Now insert the magazine with the one BB in it into your gun. Now simply cock your gun just like you would to get one in the chamber. Then take the magazine back out and it should be empty. Now fill the magazine up just like you normally would and insert it into the gun. The single BB you loaded earlier is now in the chamber, giving you a extra shot. Just be careful to keep the gun on safety until you’re ready to fire because as soon as you pull the trigger, it’s loaded and will fire.

Gravity Fed Hopper Guns

Gravity fed hoppers are the most simple design out there, making it the hardest to manipulate. Basically, BBs are stored above the chamber, usually in a scope or a compartment. To juice some extra rounds out of these you’ve got to get creative. What you need to do is take a piece of construction paper and roll it into a giant straw thing and tape it so it wont unroll, make it just small enough to fit into the hole where you pour BBs into to fill up the scope/compartment. Shove it into the hole about a half inch in and tape it into place so it wont fall off. Now fill it up with BBs so it fills the compartment and the funnel you made up to the top. It might look ridicules, but it gives you a average of 50+ extra BBs. This is to give you a idea of what it would look like if you cut your gun right down the middle with your funnel inserted:

Spring Rifles

All spring rifles have different magazines, which makes explaining this part hard. There’s some guns were you have no room to “top off” (I’ll show you how to top off in a moment), and for those guns (a example is the Mossberg M590 shotgun from Soft-Air USA), the only thing you could do to get as much ammo as possible is to “get one in the chamber”. Scroll up to “Spring Pistols, Shotguns, and Sniper Rifles” to learn how to get one in the chamber, it’s the exact same concept. But some rifles (the Stinger R34 from Crosman, for example) has a little more room to work with. To give you a idea of what kinds of magazines can top off, take a look at the picture below. You need one like that, with the outward notch:
The notch usually isn’t that dramatic, but the bigger it is, the more ammo it’ll hold. On magazines like this you usually pull a spring down on the front of the magazine and you usually lock it into place some how, then you either pour the BBs in from the notch, or if you have a reservoir that you shake to make the BBs fall in from the reservoir.  As seen below, the BBs fall into a sort of chamber in the magazine. The BBs don’t take up that whole chamber, the notch up on top is empty, so you can just manually drop a couple BBs on top of the others. A idea of what you’re seeing below is the “before” is a normally loaded magazine. The “after” is a normally loaded magazine with three extra BBs on top (the extra BBs are shown in red):

Just make sure to keep the magazine up right while you insert it into your gun becuase the BBs on top are loose and could fall.

That’s about all the different ways you can extend your BB count. While these methods do take longer to load than just a regular load, you never know, maybe those few extra BBs might save your hide and keep you in the game.