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.