What is an AEG airsoft gun?

Commonly referred to as AEG airsoft gun or airsoft AEG rifle, Electric Airsoft Rifles are usually used as primary weapons in an airsoft game. That's because electric airsoft guns are designed to shoot with consistent power in full-auto mode for prolonged periods of time, making them well suited for long fire fights. Electirc airsoft rifles also have large magazine capacities. Some of them have low capacity magazines which hold about 30-50 BBs, while mid capacity or high capacity magazines can hold anywhere from 50 to 300 or more rounds. Some electric airsoft rifles can also take drum magazines that can hold thousands of rounds of BBs. With a properly charged battery, an electric airsoft rifle can shoot thousands of rounds before needing a battery change.

Electric Airsoft Rifles come in a large variety of styles and models. Most of them are replicas of real rifles, but some manufacturers create their own designs. Many people start out looking for full metal airsoft guns because they are perceived to be more realistic, but there are great advantages to using a polymer body electric airsoft rifle because a lighter body makes them easier to carry around all day, and they are more manoeuvrable in tight spaces.

Electric Airsoft Rifles come in many different lengths and you should consider where you will be playing the most. For huge outdoor fields, go with a longer rifle that has a longer inner barrel. Longer barrels have higher power potential and greater accuracy over longer distances. If you plan on playing mostly at indoor fields, opt for a shorter electric airsoft rifle with a shorter barrel. Shorter rifles allow much faster directional changes and are easily to move around with. Shorter barrels will deliver less power and accuracy but that is the tradeoff for greater agility and speed.

Many electric airsoft rifles come with a threaded outer barrel that allows you to screw on a tracer unit or a silencer. Sling mounts are usually present and allow you to attach a sling to the rifle, making carrying them around easier. Also look for rifles that have a top picatinny rail so that you can install a red dot or crosshair rifle scope. And if you plan to be using your rifle for long games, remember to get extra magazines.

If you are getting your first electric airsoft rifle, make sure to invest in a good charger and batteries. The last thing you want is to end your game day prematurely because your batteries are low quality and run down after a few hundred shots. A good charger also makes charging more safe, and chargers that have intelligent circuitry will help prolong the life of your batteries and avoid overcharging or damaging them. Improperly charging Lithium Polymer (LiPo) batteries can be dangerous so it's important not to only consider price when purchasing LiPo batteries and chargers.

If you plan on taking your AEG airsoft rifle to and from playing fields, we strongly recommend you get a rifle bag to keep your gun out of sight and trouble. For US customers, please remember that your rifle must have a permanently affixed blaze orange flash hider to differentiate it from a real rifle. Removing the orange flash hider and brandishing such an airsoft rifle in public is not only illegal but also dangerous.

Critics of Electric Airsoft Rifles will say that the shooting experience is lacking since it sounds like an electric toy. There is very little recoil and the overall shooting experience is not particularly interesting, except for some AEG airsoft rifles that have simulated electric blowback where a fake bolt cycles repeatedly when you pull the trigger. More experienced airsoft players generally prefer gas blowback airsoft rifles that offer a much more realistic shooting experience. However gas blowback airsoft rifles have much lower magazine capacity, tend to shoot with much more inconsistent power levels, and generally require a lot more experience to use and maintain. The undeniable fact is that electric airsoft rifles are the most reliable and consistent platforms for airsoft wargames and milsim games.

How do electric airsoft rifles work?

AEG airsoft rifles are driven by a battery and electric motor. When the trigger is pressed, electricity is passed into the motor so that it begins to turn. As the motor turns, it drives a series of gears with different ratios, generating a high level of torque. The last driving gear pushes a piston back to compress the main spring. As the spring is fully compressed by the motor and gear, it reaches a point where it is released suddenly and pushes the piston into a cylinder. Much like how a syringe works, the piston's rapid movement generates a pocket of compressed air that is directed onto a BB, which in turn is pushed through a barrel and out of the gun. If the gun is set to full auto mode, then this entire cycle repeats itself again immediately, totalling 15 - 25 times per second.

How to make an AEG airsoft rifle more powerful?

Upgrading an AEG airsoft rifle can be done by replacing several internal parts to create more power and accuracy. The easiest way to upgrade the power and accuracy is to install a better inner barrel. When upgrading the airsoft inner barrel, look for something longer than your original factory barrel, and something that is tighter bore like 6.03mm or 6.01mm. A tighter bore means that there is a smaller gap between your BB and the inner walls of the barrel, creating a tighter seal and therefore higher compression behind the BB as it accelerates inside the barrel. You may also want to consider steel inner barrels that are more rigid, so that they do not wobble or flex from vibration. A barrel that flexes or resonates during shooting will lead to lower accuracy, throwing BBs left and right as it moves around. You should make sure that your inner barrel is properly supported inside the outer barrel, so that it is not moving. One important point that most people miss is that you must use good quality BBs to get good accuracy. Good BBs are well balanced and are perfectly round without irregular pieces of plastic sticking out that can rub against the inside of the inner barrel. Poor quality BBs can get jammed inside very tight bore barrels so make sure to use only high quality BBs after you upgrade your AEG airsoft rifle.

Another easy way to enhance accuracy and range is to upgrade the hop-up bucking. Hop-up imparts a backspin on the BB as it travels in the air, helping it to travel further. A good hop-up bucking can also greatly increase accuracy and stabilty of the BB's flight.

A more involved and complicated upgrade involves changing the motors, gears, and main spring of the internal gearbox. The main spring is what mainly dictates the power of the rifle, but simply throwing in a stiffer spring may not be enough. Some AEG airsoft rifles have quick change gearboxes that allow you to quickly replace the spring without needing to completely disassemble the gearbox. Factory gears and motors are paired with the factory spring, so installing a much stiffer spring may require you to replace the gears, motors, bushings and many other parts to withstand the additional pressure of the new spring. Some airsoft gunsmiths may go even further and upgrade cylinders and pistons to create a better airseal. For faster trigger response, some AEG rifles already come with an electronic trigger. If the rifle did not come pre-installed with one such trigger, you can always install an aftermarket version from GATE Electronics. Electronic figures respond much more quickly than traditional contact-based triggers, and they can be programmed to shoot in burst and varying rates of automatic fire.

Upgrading an AEG airsoft rifle can be complicated work, and inexperienced airsofters should proceed with caution if they wish to attempt these modifications.