A Quick Lesson on the Care of AEG Airsoft Guns

DO'S

1. Clean and oil your airsoft guns regularly, to keep them in top working order, Remember to apply a  light coat of silicone lubricant on the inside and outside. Clean the barrel before and after use with a silicone lubricant, patch and rod. Guns with blow back features require silicone lubricant on the slides often. The Hop-Up needs a couple of drops of lubricant. While you are cleaning the inside of the barrel turn the Hop-Up out of the barrel to prevent damaging the Hop-Up. (Do not use real gun oil or lubricants like WD40)

2.  Use only slick seamless 6mm round ammo purchased from reliable websites. DO NOT reuse ammo or use cheap ammo, they perform poorly and will damage the weapon.

3.  Use a smart charger—this will add life and performance to your batteries. These chargers will not overcharge and damage the battery and should be used with all NiMh and LiPo batteries. (Read more about batteries below, including NiCad batteries)  

4.  Only use a gun with charged batteries.  If the gun is wearing down, take out the battery, replace it or recharge it.  DO NOT continue shooting with a low battery this will cause serious damage.

5. Keep the gun dry, water can damage any and all components of an AEG. Keep all screws tight. Dropping can also cause damage to an airsoft gun that is no repairable.

6. At the end of the day and always before storage release the tension on the spring that actually fires the projectile. Do this by selecting "semiautomatic" and pull the trigger 3-4 times. Release the tension on magazine springs by removing the BB's.

DON'T s

1. Do not shot an automatic for an extra-long burst.  AEG's are not built for continuous shooting.  Keep intervals of 1-5 second bursts to prevent your gun from overheating. A hot gun can damage the gears or motor.

2.  Never leave batteries in an airsoft gun when you have finished shooting for any extended time.

3. If your gun gets jammed you must remove the jammed BB before shooting again. Shooting a jammed gun will cause damage that may not be repairable.

4.  Never load your magazine to more than 80% capacity.  Fully loading will cause the spring to loosen then the magazine will not work properly.

5.  Never alter or try to remove the Orange Tip from your gun. This is unlawful (Federal) and some local governments have very strict laws protecting the orange tip.

6. Never discard the Owner's Manual for your airsoft gun or component; it will be a valuable maintenance   tool. Always read the safety warnings and instructions that is shipped with the gun or component. You can learn a lot from the pictures if you can't read the language.

BATTERIES used in Airsoft Guns

NiCad (nickel cadmium) batteries were the first to be used in air soft guns but due to their limitations they are included in today's cheap guns only. These batteries need to be fully discharged by a "discharger" to prevent battery memory and thus a much less full charge. A large number of suppliers have quit selling NiCad Batteries.  Discharge NiCad batteries before storage!

NiMh (nickel-metal hydride) Today's air soft battery the most used and the safest. It can be recharged without requiring discharge. These batteries are inexpensive, stable and suitable for modern air soft guns.

LiPo (lithium polymer) Known for their use in cell phones and other devices, are now used in the airsoft market. These batteries bring lighter weight and the same rapid firing from fully charged to almost deplete.  A LiPo battery will fire a gun the same RPM as a NiMh with less voltage.  A 7.4 v LiPo should be used to replace a 9.6 NiMh, to prevent damage to gears, however a high end airsoft gun with metal gears this may not be necessary.