Guide to extending the life of your AEG

Airsoft guns can be expensive and are used in rugged environments the following tips will help keep your AEG in top shape.

1. Use Quality BBs – Most guns come with a pack of free BBs, toss them out, they are normally not of good quality and can cause major headaches. If you have a Metal gearbox or gas gun use .20g or heavier. Also, make sure your BBs are seamless and polished. TSD, PForce, Bioval and Elite Force are all excellent BB’s for a fair price. Using Low-Grade BBs can destroy your barrel or worst case your Gearbox. Furthermore, never re-use BBs (this is super important). Once they are fired they become chipped, grooved, and covered in dirt. All things that can damage your guns internals.
2. Avoid Long Firing on Automatic – While it may be fun to Rambo style hold the trigger and sweep the field it can cause additional premature wear and tear on the gun. Just like anything mechanical the more stress you put on it the faster it wears down. It is recommended to shoot in 3 to 5 second bursts which will not only save your gearbox but also save you money and make you more accurate overall.
3. Remove Spring Tension after Use - After using the item in full auto the spring may be partially compressed. This will cause unneeded spring wear and cause the gun to fail sooner if it is not properly dealt with. After using the gun in full auto before putting it away make sure you fire a few shots in semi auto as it will make sure the spring is uncompressed.
4. Proper Lubrication – Airsoft guns require some basic maintenance and care such as lubrication. Lubricating the gun will extend the life of it greatly. When lubricating only use Silicone lubricant, not WD-40 or other lubricants. Silicone lubricant can be found at almost every hobby shop or online, if your gun does not have a cleaning rod you may also want to pick up a .22 caliber cleaning rod. Swab the Airsoft Barrel with a cleaning cloth soaked with silicone lubricant, wrapped around the cleaning rod. Spray a small amount of lubricant in the Hop-up, into the gear box and the BB feed point. Use the Silicone lube sparingly as it attracts dust and dirt which can cause problems. Lubricate the gun every 3000-4000 rounds. Wipe off any excess lubricate.
5. Expensive doesn’t mean indestructible - Airsoft guns while durable still need to be treated with respect, even the most high end metal guns will most likely not survive being dropped. These are not real guns; they are designed for skirmishing and not for the abuse that a real gun is designed for. Treating the gun with some respect will go a long way.

Disclaimer: The following views and opinions are meant as suggestions only! There may be safety precautions that are not listed in this article. Use of our suggestions is at the sole discretion of the reader. We always recommend you research multiple sources for airsoft safety practices before using any airsoft gun.