Airsoft Gun Care and Maintenance 101

As the responsible owner of a new airsoft gun you will have many new things to learn. Google airsoft safety procedures and you will find a million suggestions so I will assume you already know and follow the safety basics of airsoft. Just remember airsoft is only as safe as you make it. This article is not about internal gearbox care or upgrades of your guns gearbox. This article is about basic airsoft gun care and maintenance practices and procedures.

Get to know your airsoft gun and its anatomy. Be sure and check screws and pins after each use. Airsoft guns vibrate allot while in use and parts have a tendency to loosen. Tighten any loose part immediately.

Get to know the sounds of your airsoft gun as they are clues to performance or maintenance issues before they become major gearbox crashes. If a bb jams there will be a noticeable change in the sound of the gun, you should take out the magazine and attempt to fire once or twice to clear jam if it does not clear unjam with unjamming rod immediately DO NOT KEEP FIRING it will damage the gun internally. Always use good quality, seamless airsoft bb's as bad bb's can damage your gun. Check your airsoft guns manual for other adjustments your gun may periodically need.

Learn how to use and care for your hop up unit. Always adjust counterclockwise on M4 replicas to lessen hop effect, turning clockwise will add more hop. On other models it is different but again, read your guns owners manual. What does the hop up do? It adds a backspin to your bb's as they pass down the barrel, giving you more aerodynamic accuracy and farther bb travel. If you turn it to high the little rubber nub (see hop up photo below) pushes into the barrel to far and will jam the gun. You should take some time and adjust your hop up precisely to achieve maximum distance and a straight flat trajectory of your bb's.

Airsoft Gun General Maintenance is needed after each use. Begin by putting 2 drops of 100% silicone oil in the bb feed tube located in the magazine well of your airsoft gun, and dry fire the gun several times to lubricate the hop up bucking and the piston O-ring. Next clean and oil your barrel with the 6mm barrel cleaning-unjamming rod for your gun. Airsoft bb's leave a residue in the barrel that can build up and cause frequent jamming.

Basic airsoft care and fundamentals would include learning to care care for your battery and charger. Leaving a battery plugged into a charger can cause a fire or ruin the battery. Smart chargers are recommended. Your airsoft gun will need to be internally serviced every six months with heavy use, once a year for light to moderate use sooner if internal repairs are needed. This should only be done by experienced airsoft gun technicians. Till next time,

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