Airsoft AEG Upgrades Defined

Building custom, upgraded airsoft AEG's is a favorite pastime of mine. Many of these custom builds originate on the repair bench as airsoft g*n emergencies. Normally an old team loaner or some players ancient passed down, hand me down, aeg that needs reviving. Just like some people like to restore old vehicle's, I like to restore and upgrade old airsoft G*ns. On the AGR website I have added pictures of many of these custom airsoft restoration's and upgrades like the one above as well as some World War Two styles right up to present day M4 models with M203. At first look this appears to be nice, but nothing real special, just some sweet add ons. But Lets Take A Closer Look at the internals of this beast. This is what defines the upgrade and makes it a complete custom AEG.

The after market parts installed will improve the rate of fire and overall durability of this aeg mechbox. The steel aftermarket gears assure reliability and the solid transfer of extra torque that will be produced by the newly upgraded spring. The steel spring guide will handle increased shock on one end of the mechbox while the full metal cylinder and metal air nozzle will help dampen the extra piston vibration created at the front end. The trigger switch and wiring have been replaced with a low resistance replacement harness for maximum power delivery. This version two custom mechbox, installed in the full metal m4 above, add a metal hop up chamber and tightbore barrel and you have one clear definition of an airsoft upgrade. The Cost: priceless or maybe we should just say pricey!

Airsoft Gas Pistol Repairing

Yes we repair gas blow back airsoft pistols, I get calls from our airsoftgunrepair.com customers asking me this all the time. Well my son you see...well it broke and he thought maybe...well ya uh that he could fix it and well, can we just pack up all the pieces and send that to you and maybe you can put it back together and find out whats wrong? Sure no problem, Just secure all the tiny pieces in a ziplock or other secure envelope or bag, pack the frame and envelope of pieces in a box and ship it to us.

I guess my whole point of this is you should know your airsoft gun well before you ever attempt to repair it yourself. There are hundreds of springs and small levers and gears all just waiting to jump out of the little confined spaces they normally live in. Above is a M190 full metal gas blowback shown fully disassembled. Below is a numbered parts diagram that normally is included with airsoft handguns. Notice how they show the parts in great detail but this offers little guidance with assembly. I encourage airsoft owners to learn there weapons, clean them, Yes the barrels of airsoft guns need to be cleaned. Take off slides, clean and oil the rails and valves on both the gun and the magazine.

Just keep in mind the deeper you go into your airsoft guns internals the more technical the parts become. I have done mechanical work my whole life as well as holding a journeyman electrical license and I would rate airsoft gas gun repairing as a 8 on a hardness scale of 1 to 10. Repairing an airsoft gas blowback pistol is not a task a novice should try. Typically it will lead to much frustration, possibly more broken or lost parts, and usually ends with a phone call that will sound very much like the one I described at the beginning of this blog.

Should you try these repairs at home yourself I have begun posting pictures and tutorials for AEG repairs as well as Airsoft gas pistol repairs for customers to use as home guides. The tutorials are beginning to fill up but we still have many models of airsoft guns to add and the process is extremely time consuming. If you find yourself stuck with a airsoft pistol in parts and pieces check out the airsoft gun repair tutorials and pictures today.

Airsoft Gun Repair V7 M14

The M14 presents us with the Version 7 Mechbox in two version's. The top photo is a G&G type V7 and the 2ND picture presents an AGM version M14 which is widely known as a TM clone. The mechbox parts are virtually Identical in size and shape however some clone parts are manufactured from cheaper materials. This can be both a good and bad thing for airsoft consumers as the clones are much cheaper but will need repair or part replacement sooner than the higher end AEG's.

The G&G version 7 has some bugs that need to be worked out in my opinion. The design is awesome and simple when compared to the more common V7 mechbox shown below but the selector switch lever has to be modified to obtain a proper trigger pull. On the other hand you have the more common V7 that host a whole slew of levers, springs and switches on the outside of the mechbox that need to be removed before you can even get to the internals. The M14 variants on the market today are precise, finely tuned mechboxes that the novice should not attempt to repair.

Inside the V7 you will find an in line gear train that differs from other mechbox versions. The m14 family of airsoft guns feature specialty parts that are specific to the version 7 mechbox. The tappet plate, gears and trigger switch assembly are specific to each model. All in all the v7 marui style mechbox is a solid well built long lasting design.

To upgrade or repair a V7 m14 be sure you have the right parts. You will not be able to put your M4 internals in this mechbox. Shimming is extremely important to the life of your mechbox and should be done by a qualified Airsmith or someone knowledgeable in this area. Poor shimming can get expensive quick in the cost of other repair parts. Properly maintained the V7 is an awesome design delivering as high as 400 FPS BB's at a rate of fire exceeding 900 bb's a minute. See more detailed pictures of M14 V7 repairs at Airsoft Gun Repair.

Version 6 Mechbox Repair

The version six airsoft gun mechbox has a few noticeable differences than the more common V2. The motor is encased allot like the V3 motor but mounted at a different angle in the mechbox. The internals are not the same as other gearboxes and several parts are specific for v6 models only. The tappet plate is one special part that should be kept on hand for your thompson airsoft machine gun. This mechbox is from a thompson airsoft machine gun repair that I completed for a WW II airsoft gamer who wanted his thompson shooting 375 fps. I also added a tight bore barrel and real wood grips. A reinforced tappet plate was added and a set of hardened steel gears along with a new shim job. If you need some help with your thompson repair visit our Version 6 airsoft gun repair pictures. Also if you are the proud owner of a P90 style airsoft gun you will find that this version 6 mechbox is installed in your airsoft gun as well.

Airsoft Gun Bearings VS Steel Bushings

So whats the better choice for your airsoft gun? Well my humble opinion is that steel bushings will outlast steel bearings by a year or more. Actually I have never replaced a set of steel bushings but I replace bad steel bearings on a regular basis. True bearings will gain you an extra 6-10 FPS but that small gain in velocity can cost allot in damage control.

Take a look at these 3 pictures of a version 2 gearbox that was brought in for repairs. All of this damage was caused by a high speed bearing failure. The sector gear was damaged as was the cylinder head, luckily the piston seems to have survived this crash.

This airsoft gun is only 6 months old and came with the 7mm bearings installed. A quick check for play at the gear ends after each use would reveal the problem before it causes this kind of damage. If more than 1mm of play is detected the mechbox should be serviced and the bearings should be replaced with 6 or 7mm oily steel bushings.

Save yourself the headache and switch your mechbox to oily steel hardened bushings the next time you service or have your airsoft gun serviced. If you are extremely concerned about fps then lap your gears during the installation process to break in the surface area and reduce friction. Visit our website for more DIY airsoft gun repair tips and tricks.

Airsoft Gun Version 3 Mechbox Repairs

This week I have had many AK 47 repairs come across my bench for repairs and upgrades. After doing several I decided to grab up the camera and snap some photos for you. I was amazed at how well some of these came out and I posted them in a airsoft gun repair pictorial on the AGR website . Her is a nice close up of a version three airsoft gun mechbox.


I also have been adding alot of airsoft gun repair pictures to my Google web album. You will find more than 100 mechbox and airsoft gun repair photos here

Just in New Boyi M4 airsoft gun "Lets Tear It Apart"

Ok so the new Boyi M4 S-System arrives and I say "hey can I tear one apart" and the boss says yup. So I did I not only took this airsoft gun apart but I then proceeded to take all of its fine furnishings and try them out on all the other M4 series guns in the store. This gun has some amazing parts but it has some pitfalls as well. Let me introduce you to Boyi S-System...This gun features an all metal body that is compatable with most name brand airsoft gun models. The Rail system cage is also full metal of the steel variety. The performance well lets not talk about that here check it out at the airsoft gun repair store here. You can also see pics of my custom M733 airsoft gun I built with parts from this model.

Classic Army SAR M41 Offizier Airsoft Gun Repair

Worked on several guns today but the Classic Army SAR M41 Offizier (shown above) Airsoft Gun Repair was the one that had most of my attention. Sounded like it stripped a piston, making that "playing card in the bike spoke" whirring noise. Once I got the mechbox cracked open I quickly found that the real problem was with the sector gear.

The Classic Army Sar M41 is one of my favorites to work on. The simple breakdown of this airsoft gun makes it very easy to work on. Just a reminder on airsoft guns with version two mechboxes you must remove the motor and then remove the two screws inside the handgrip to seperate the mechbox from the body of the gun.
Here is the problem, notice the clean break off of the tooth on this sector gear. Most of the time this is a good indication that the gear had a weak spot in it.
This gun got a simple upgrade to 345 FPS and out of the shop it went. For more pics of this repair visit our airsoft gun repair pics page at www.airsoftgunrepair.com
I still have to give this Classic Army airsoft gun high marks for the overall build and simple field breakdown that this model offers. The metal body and RIS system are very solidly constructed and give the M41 a nice hefty feel. Overall this gun is as much fun to work on as it is to shoot...Well almost.

Airsmith

Upgrading A Classic Army M249

The C. A. MK249 is one solid piece of airsoft gun. For those of you that own one you know that this gun has a very high rate of fire out of the box. Put a Systema or other brand 120% spring in, do not worry about the stock gears they can take it. You will find your 249 will shoot around 380 fps. Only use 8.4 volt battery. With this one simple upgrade installed you will find your airsoft gun last longer and performs better on the field. For more tips and tricks visit my shop site located at www.airsoftgunrepair.com

Jing Gong M4 commando airsoft gun upgrades

Jing Gong or better known as JG has released several new designs of AEG metal gearbox models. These airsoft guns come out of the box shooting airsoft bb's 360 to 370 FPS. The hop up unit on these new aeg models is extremely functional. One downfall I have noticed with these is the plastic bushings that come stock, need to be changed out after about 3 months of moderate to heavy use and metal bushings put in. Do to a slightly undersized bore in the mechbox the holes must be slightly enlarged with a dremel bit so they will accommodate standard 6mm oily metal bushings. As of this date I have worked on 9 of these and they all seem to have the same issue. If you put in the metal bushings without doing this the friction will be to great and the gun will not fire. By just adding the bushings, re-shimming and lapping the gears my JG M733 now chronographs at 385 FPS. Find out more airsoft gun upgrade info and view airsoft gun repair photographs at ABZ's Airsoft Gun Repair.Com