How to Maintain Your Airsoft Gun: Tips for Longevity and Performance
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Airsoft guns are like any mechanical device: they require regular maintenance. Without care and maintenance, they will eventually stop working and require expensive repairs. Here are some simple tips for maintaining your airsoft gun in order to ensure its longevity and optimal performance on the field. Whether you're a beginner or a seasoned player, understanding the essentials of airsoft gun care can make a significant difference. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through everything you need to know about how to maintain your airsoft gun, including adjusting, cleaning, lubrication, and storage tips, so you can keep your gear in top shape.
Understanding the Importance of Regular Maintenance
Why Proper Care Extends Your Airsoft Gun's Life
Regular maintenance is essential for extending the life of your airsoft gun. Dust, dirt, and debris can accumulate in the barrel and internal mechanisms, leading to performance issues and even permanent damage. Proper care not only ensures that your gun stays functional but also enhances accuracy and reliability. Neglecting maintenance can result in costly repairs or the need to replace your gun altogether.
How Do You Know If an Airsoft Gun Requires Maintenance?
Signs Your Airsoft Gun Needs Attention
Your gun will quickly tell you if it needs care and maintenance. Here are a few telltale signs that your gun needs attention:
- Decreased accuracy or inconsistent shots
- Jamming or misfiring
- Visible dirt or residue in the barrel or on external parts
- Loud or unusual sounds
- Heat coming from your grip when firing
Regularly inspecting your gun after each game will help you catch these issues early and keep your gun in peak condition.
Regular Maintenance Checklist
Things You Need to Do Regularly
Regardless of type of airsoft gun you have, you will need to perform these tasks regularly:
1. Clean your barrel
2. Wipe off dirt or excess oil
3. Make sure your adjustable hop up is properly set
4. Tighten or thread-lock any screws on your gun
5. If it is an electric gun, adjust your motor height
6. If it is a green gas or CO2 powered gun, lubricate your fill valve and your piston seal
In the rest of this article, we will discuss how to perform these tasks in detail and when to perform them.
Essential Tools for Airsoft Gun Maintenance
Gathering Your Maintenance Kit: What You Need
Before diving into the maintenance process, it’s important to have the right tools on hand. While most airsoft guns are designed for quick disassembly, you will still run into some issues where the right tools will help. A basic airsoft gun maintenance kit should include:
- Cleaning rod, preferably plastic or rubber coated to avoid damaging your barrel
- Soft cloth
- 100%silicone oil (preferably 30wt drops)
- Barrel swabs -.22 caliber or 1x1 inch in size
- Soft brush such as a toothbrush for removing dirt and debris
- A set of metric allen/hex wrenches
- Small flathead and cross head screwdrivers
- Thread locking compound (blue Loctite)
These tools will help you perform your maintenance tasks, especially when focusing on how to clean your airsoft barrel and other critical components.
How to Clean Airsoft Barrel Effectively
Step-by-Step Guide to a Pristine Barrel
A clean barrel is essential for accuracy and performance, making it one of your most important tasks. Oil and dirt from inside your gearbox or gas magazine can enter the barrel and stick to the inside surface, affecting the BB traveling through the barrel and degrading its accuracy.. Here’s a simple guide on how to clean your airsoft barrel efficiently:
1. First, remove the magazine and ensure that the gun is unloaded
2. Turn off your hop up entirely
3. Affix a barrel swab to your cleaning rod
4. Dampen the barrel swab with 1 or 2 drops of water – do NOT soak the swab!
5. Gently insert the cleaning rod into the muzzle of the barrel
6. Push the damp swab in and out of the barrel 2-3 times to break up any debris
7. Replace the swab with a clean, dry one and repeat step 5
CAUTION: If you did not do step 2 before doing step 5, you run a high risk of damaging your hop up bucking when performing step 5.
Keeping your barrel clean is one of the most important steps in maintaining your airsoft gun, and it ensures consistent accuracy on the field.
How Often Should You Clean Your Gun?
Determining the Right Cleaning Schedule
When it comes to how often to clean your gun, the answer depends on how frequently you use it. For casual users, cleaning after every few games may suffice. However, if you’re an avid player, more frequent maintenance is recommended. In general, a thorough cleaning after every 3-5 uses is a good rule of thumb.
The environment you use your airsoft gun will be the biggest factor in how often you clean your gun. For example, shooting at targets in your backyard on a sunny, windless day will not require your to clean your gun. Crawling through mud during a Milsim game will require you clean your gun as soon as possible. Use common sense in deciding when to clean your gun.
How to Clean Your Airsoft Gun
Understanding Your Gun Simplifies the Process
When cleaning the exterior of an airsoft gun, an understanding of the materials used in its construction will help you determine how to clean it.
- Plastic parts: Very dirt and water resistant, wipe with a damp cloth and dry with a dry cloth
- Aluminum parts: Most airsoft guns use aluminum or an aluminum alloy in their “metal” construction. Like plastic, these parts are very dirt and water resistant, and you can simply wipe them down like plastic parts. They do not rust, so you do not need to coat these parts with any oil.
- Steel parts: Steel is very commonly used in screws, and in certain high stress parts of an airsoft gun such as a sling loop, hinge, or lever. Steel is magnetic, so you can test the parts’ composition with a magnet. If you encounter a steel part, dry it thoroughly and apply some oil to the surface of the part to prevent rust. Most steel parts used in airsoft are painted or coated, but long term rust prevention will be part of your maintenance routine.
You typically should not need to clean the interior of an airsoft gun unless you drop it in wet mud and step on it, for example. Cleaning the insides of an airsoft gun requires disassembly and is more advanced than the scope of this article. Search the internet for disassembly instructions specific to your gun’s make and model.
Should You Clean Your Airsoft Gun After Every Use?
Pros and Cons of Frequent Cleaning
Many players wonder, should you clean your gun after every use? While frequent cleaning can prevent dirt buildup, over-cleaning can also lead to unnecessary wear on certain parts. Striking a balance is key. If you’ve played in dusty or wet conditions, it's a good idea to strip your gun and clean it carefully after the game. For regular use, a simple wipe down and visual inspection will suffice.
Lubrication:
Differences in Maintaining Pistols vs. Rifles
Lubrication is one of the most misunderstood aspects of airsoft guns. Simply put, lubrication is required wherever there is an air or gas seal. Seals are typically in the form of o-rings or more complex gaskets. When these seals dry out from lack of lubrication, they will shrink and eventually harden. When they shrink, they no longer perform their sealing function. When they harden, they become brittle and suffer cracks or breaks in their material, rendering the seal completely useless. We will address lubrication techniques based on whether it is an electric rifle versus gas rifles and pistols.
Electric Rifle Lubrication
Every 5000 shots, drop two drops of silicone oil into the hole where BBs enter your gun from the magazine. Then, shoot around 200 BBs out of the gun. The back pressure from shooting the BBs will push the silicone oil into your gearbox nozzle and lubricate the piston head o-rings. Failing to do this will cause your velocity to drop over time as your piston head o-ring dries out. Continuing to shoot a dried out gun will result in catastrophic failure of your gearbox.
Gas Rifle and Pistol Lubrication
Gas guns require frequent maintenance in order to keep it operating. The complex gas systems include several gas seals that must be lubricated with the right amount of oil at the right time intervals in order to keep working. Furthermore, silicone lubricant acts as an anti-freeze. Each time you shoot your gas gun, the gas will get colder and colder as it transforms from a high pressure liquid into lower pressure vapor. Eventually, the internal parts of the gun will get so cold that it no longer operates. Silicone oil as an anti-freeze slows down the rate of freezing, allowing you to shoot more shots before the gun stops operating. We will break down the lubrication process for different types of gas guns on the market:
1. Place a drop of silicone oil on the CO2 inlet port before you insert your CO2 cartridge. These ports typically have a white or green color ring surrounding a needle that punctures the top of the CO2 cartridge.
2. When you finish shooting your gun, remove your CO2 cartridge from the gun as any remaining gas pressure will wear down your gas seals.
3. Note: non-blowback or semi-blowback CO2 guns are not typically designed for disassembly.
Green Gas Powered Full Blowback Pistols and Rifles
1. BEFORE YOU START: Make sure you know how to disassemble your gun. Refer to your manual for instructions or find instructions from the manufacturers’ online resources.
2. After you finish using your full blowback gun – whether you shoot 10 shots or 10,000 shots – you must place a drop of silicone oil on your magazine’s fill valve, then PUSH the oil into the magazine with your green gas. You have to get oil into the interior of the magazine in order to lubricate the fill valve and release valve o-rings. NOTE: never release the gas from inside the magazine by pushing the release valve. This action damages the o-rings by subjecting them to rapid freezing.
3. At least once per month, disassemble your gun so you can access your loading nozzle (aka piston) inside your slide or bolt carrier. Pull the nozzle or bolt forward to expose the piston seal or o-ring underneath. Place two drops of silicone lubricant directly on the seal or o-ring. Do this more frequently if you are using the gun frequently.
4. Reassemble your gun and readjust your hop up if necessary.
Lubricating Moving Parts
If your gas gun has steel components, apply a light coat of silicone oil to the steel parts to prevent rusting. Also, apply a light coat of silicone oil to where metal meets metal, e.g. where a pistol slide contacts the grip of the gun as it slides back and forth or the exterior surface of a bolt carrier as it reciprocates inside a rifle receiver.
CAUTION: too much oil is harmful. Do not apply so much oil that the liquid is visible. It is important to apply the right amounts at the right times.
CAUTION: do not use firearms lubricants. They contain solvents intended for gunpowder or metal deposits that may damage the seals in your airsoft gun.
Setting Your Hop Up Unit
Key to Making Your Gun Shoot Straight
The hop up is the heart of any high end airsoft gun. It is a mechanism that causes the BB to backspin, stabilizing the flight of the BB and maximizing its range. Your hop up setting varies depending on the weight of the BBs you shoot. Your hop up setting can always “wander” with use, so you should always make sure your hop up is set to maximize the gun’s range and optimize the trajectory of the BB.
Refer to your owner’s manual for how to adjust your gun’s hop up.
Loose Screws and Motor Height Adjustment
Ensure Your Gun Is Always In Its Best Operating Condition
Airsoft guns are mechanical items that can undergo a lot of stress, particularly if you are frequent wargame players. Be aware that your airsoft gun is an assembly of parts, held together by screws and pins. After heavy use, you should also use the appropriately sized tools to tighten any loose screws or pins.
If you detect any parts that loosen frequently, use thread locking compound, i.e. blue Loctite, on the threads to prevent them from loosening. ALWAYS tighten screws until firm. NEVER over tighten a screw as you might damage or strip the threads of the screw or the body part.
For electric airsoft rifles, the gun’s motor is aligned with your gearbox gears via a set screw. Please refer to your technical manual for the location of your motor height adjustment screw. This could be adjusted using a hex wrench or a screwdriver. You will need to adjust you motor height if you gun sounds rough or noisy. Adjust the set screw in small increments (⅛ turn at a time) while firing your gun on semi-auto. You want to make your gun sound as smooth as possible. If you cannot eliminate any rough or “scratchy” noises, you may contact us for professional assistance.
Storage Solutions for Your Airsoft Arsenal
Preventing Damage Through Proper Storage
Proper storage is just as important as cleaning and lubrication. Airsoft guns are typically made from a mix of plastics and metals, so you do not want to place heavy weight on them. The most important thing is to encase them in some sort of foam padded soft gun bag or hard gun case. Always, unload your magazines and disconnect your batteries before storing your gun for any period of time. For high end guns with steel components, store them in a cool, dry place to prevent rust and damage from moisture.
For safety and security, make sure to store your airsoft guns where they are not easily accessible to anyone else.
Common Mistakes in Airsoft Gun Maintenance
What to Avoid for Optimal Performance
Even experienced players can make mistakes when maintaining their airsoft guns. Here are some common errors to avoid:
- Using too much lubricant
- Forgetting to clean the barrel regularly
- Using harsh chemicals that can damage plastic components
- Neglecting to check for loose screws or parts
Avoiding these mistakes will help you maintain your airsoft gun in top condition and prevent unnecessary repairs.
Troubleshooting: When Your Gun Isn't Performing Well
Identifying and Solving Common Issues
If your airsoft gun doesn’t work, here is a checklist to follow before contacting us for professional assistance.
- If your gun has a fuse, check to make sure the fuse is intact
- Make sure your battery and charger are operating
- If you have a winding high-capacity magazine, make sure it is full of clean, new BBs and wind the magazine at least 25-30 strokes of the wheel
- Make sure your gas magazine is full of gas
- Make sure there are no BBs jammed inside your barrel
- Make sure your hop up unit is properly set
By regularly maintaining and troubleshooting your gun, you can prevent most performance issues before they become serious problems.
Advanced Tips for Enthusiasts
Going Beyond the Basics for Expert Care
For advanced airsoft enthusiasts, there are additional steps you can take to ensure top performance. This includes upgrading internal components, such as the gearbox or hop-up system, and using high-quality BBs to reduce wear on the barrel. Regularly testing your gun’s FPS (feet per second) can also help you monitor its performance over time. Feel free to contact us at any of our stores for professional assistance and advice on modifying your airsoft gun.
Conclusion: Ensuring the Longevity of Your Airsoft Gun
Recap of Key Maintenance Strategies
Maintaining your airsoft gun is essential for ensuring its longevity and performance. By following the steps outlined in this guide, including how to clean your airsoft barrel, proper lubrication, and regular inspections, you can keep your gun in top condition for years to come. Whether you’re a casual player or a dedicated enthusiast, taking the time to care for your airsoft gun will pay off in enhanced performance on the field.
