There are 3 approximate FPS levels this guide will show you how to achieve – 450, 490, and 530. In the far right column, listed is the gearbox part that needs to be upgraded and to the left of it is listed the parts we recommend

Now of course this isn’t the only way to achieve a high FPS setup. If you have a favorite part or setup, post a comment about it. Also, feel free to post a question/comment below as well.

Half teeth pistons are only used for certain gear sets.  A half teeth piston is used when the sector gear teeth that mesh with the spur gear extend farther than the base of the sector gear teeth that mesh with the piston.

This SHS gear set uses a half teeth piston.	These SHS High Speed Gears use a full teeth airsoft piston

It’s easier to understand with a picture. Notice how the gear’s bottom teeth on the left extend farther than the gear’s teeth to the right.

Half teeth pistons are most often used with helical gears, but their are some flat gears that require half teeth pistons and helical gears that use a full teeth piston.

Nylon, Polycarbonate, Or Aluminum: Choosing The Best Material

Many people have their personal preferences on what piston material is best. However, I personally think nylon pistons are the better choice.

Nylon Vs Polycarbonate. Since they are softer than polycarbonate (poly) pistons, nylon pistons are not as likely to fracture as polycarbonate ones. Also, nylon pistons don’t deform as easily because they are more elastic than poly pistons.

Aluminum. First of all, Aluminum pistons will decrease your ROF because of the added weight. Aluminum pistons are not needed unless you have a high FPS setup. Aluminum pistons are more durable than poly pistons, but they are not destructible.

What would you rather break, your $20 piston or your $60 gear set? It’s not good to have piston so durable that your gears break before your piston breaks. The piston should be the weak point of your gearbox.

How Many Metal Teeth Should I Use?

Pistons come with a varied amounts of metal teeth. There are pistons with a single metal tooth, with 3 metal teeth, 7 metal teeth, full metal teeth, and so on. The question is, how many metal teeth should my piston have? A lot of personal preference is involved in deciding that. Generally speaking though, for standard setups, a piston with a single steel tooth is best and pistons with more metal teeth are for higher FPS setups.

Attributes Related To Piston Performance

The guide rails on an airsoft piston must be made precisely. If the guide rails are too tight, the piston’s movement will be restricted. Guide rails that are too loose can lead to other issues.

How deep the piston teeth mesh with the sector gear teeth is important. There will be problems with the sector gear if it meshes to deeply with the piston teeth.

In a gearbox cycle, the length the piston is pulled back is called the Full Rack Excursion. Pistons with a higher Full Rack Excursion will have slightly higher ROF.

Airsoft pistons with an inner diameter that is too small will create friction with the spring. IF this happens, your ROF and FPS will decrease.

1.   Plastic Airsoft Bushings Can’t Be Used In High FPS Setups.

Should you replace your plastic bushings? The answer to that question all depends on how fast your AEG shoots.  Generally, if your AEG shoots less than 340FPS, stock plastic bushings will work fine.  Even though they will work in lower FPS setups, plastic bushings will fail much earlier than metal bushings.

2.   Airsoft Ball Bearing Bushings Will Increase Performance But At The Price Of Decreased Reliablity

If you want durablity, you should go with standard metal bushings because they last longer. On the other hand, ball bearing bushings will increase the performance of your AEG but at the same time, decrease it’s reliablity.

Because Ball bearing bushings decrease the friction in your gearbox, they will increase your ROF slightly.  However, bearings are more likely to fail than bushings.  It is not recommended to use 6mm ball bearing bushings with a AEGs that shoot over 350 FPS.

If you are looking for maximum performance you should go with bearings. But if you want reliabilty, bushings are the better choice.

The next point will discuss when you can use ball bearing bushings in high FPS setups.

3.   7mm And 8mm Airsoft Bearings Are Needed For Higher FPS Setups

Airsoft bushings have three main sizes, 6mm, 7mm, and 8mm.  To use ball bearing bushings in high FPS setups, you will need to use a 7mm or 8mm gearbox.

As stated before, using 6mm ball bearing bushings in a gearbox that has an FPS of greater than 350 is not recommended.  If you want to use ball bearing bushings in a gearbox that goes 350-450 FPS, you should use a 7mm gearbox.  To use ball bearing bushings in an FPS setup of less than 530 FPS, it is recommended to use an 8mm gearbox.

Even though you can use ball bearings in these high FPS setups, you gun will not be as reliable with ball bearing bushings compared to standard metal bushings.  We recommend using standard metal bushings in high FPS setups.

These 3 things will help you to pick the correct type of bushings for your gearbox setup.  Be sure to bookmark this post, so you can comeback whenever you may need this information again.  If you want to learn more about upgrading your airsoft gun, read airsoft part reviews, and recieve other information related to airsoft, be sure to sign up for our email list below (we keep these emails to ourselves, we never sell, trade, or give them away).

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]]> http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/airsoft-bushings-and-bearing/feed/ 0 http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/the-problems-of-improper-airsoft-gearbox-shimming/ http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/the-problems-of-improper-airsoft-gearbox-shimming/#comments Tue, 19 Apr 2011 18:33:01 +0000 admin http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/?p=33   [ Read More ]]]> Shimming your gearbox correctly is the most important task you are faced with when upgrading your AEG. With improper shimming, you can hurt your gearbox in a number of ways. But with proper shimming, your gearbox will run smoother and last longer. This article will show you the hazards of a poor shim job. We will be coming out with a shim guide in the future, so that you will be able to shim your gearbox correctly and hopefully not face these problems.

 

Why Shimming Your Gearbox Is Necessary

You shim your gearbox so your gears turn easily and mesh correctly.

 

Shimming Your Gearbox To Tightly

If your gearbox shimming is to tight, your gearbox will have problems. For one thing, your motor will heat up quickly because it is being over worked. Your battery will also get hot very quickly, and you won’t get as many shots out of it. This overheating will cause your battery and motor’s lifespan to be decreased.

Some other problems are caused by tighly shimmed gearboxes.  A Tighly shimmed gearbox will lock up frequently.  It will also have a decrease in ROF.

 

Shimming Your Gearbox To Loosely

You will also face problems if your gearbox shimming is done to loosely. For one thing,  your gears will go up and down, which will wear them down.  This up and down movement may lead to one of your gears breaking. The sector gear is the most likely gear to break in this situation.

You do want your gears to be slightly loose after being shimmed because when your gearbox is running for a while, your gears will expand because of the heat.

 

Shimming Your Bevel Gear Incorrectly

Shimming your bevel gear either too high or too low will cause your motor to whine.

 

A Loud Gearbox

An improperly shimmed gearbox may be much louder than it should be. A loud gearbox is a good indication that your it is shimmed incorrectly.

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]]> http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/the-problems-of-improper-airsoft-gearbox-shimming/feed/ 0 http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/guide-to-airsoft-aeg-springs/ http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/guide-to-airsoft-aeg-springs/#comments Sat, 16 Apr 2011 22:37:32 +0000 admin http://www.raptorsairsoft.com/blog/?p=6   [ Read More ]]]>

This guide to Airsoft AEG springs will talk about what the different types of AEG springs there are and what they are used for. Watch The Video.

A Little Terminology
Free Length: an airsoft spring is considered to be at free length when it is not compressed.
Length Before Set (Compressed Length): This is the length of the spring when it is fully compressed.
What Does The “M” Stand For?
Since most airsoft springs are made in Asia, they are rated in Meters Per Second rather than Feet Per Second (FPS). M stands for Meters Per Second. For example, an M100 spring is rated at 100 meters per second. How fast your gun actually shoots will depend on the manufacturer of the spring and what weight your BBs are.

Harder Vs. Softer Airsoft Springs
A general rule of thumb is: if you install a harder spring, your FPS will increase and your ROF decrease, but if you install a softer spring, your FPS will decrease and your ROF will increase. However, you can overcome some of the disadvantages of installing a softer or harder spring. For instance, if you install a harder spring, your ROF will decrease, but you can overcome this by installing a higher voltage battery to increase ROF.

Longer Springs
Some people say that you need to get a long spring if you want to achieve a high FPS. But, that’s not always true. For example, a PDI 140% is an inch shorter than the PDI 130% spring.

 

What Is A Variable Pitch Spring?

To the left is a picture of a variable pitch spring and to the right is a picture of a normal (linear) AEG spring. As you can see, the length between coils on the variable pitch spring are not all the same, where as they are on the linear spring.

If you were to break a tooth on your piston, you would most likely break the first tooth. A variable pitch spring makes it easier for the gears to pull back at first when you are most likely to damage your piston. The resistance of a variable pitch spring then increases. Variable pitch springs also take longer to break in to where they shoot at a consistent FPS.

Brand New Airsoft Springs
When springs are first installed, they need to be broken in. The softer the spring, the more drastic the change in FPS will be after it is broken in. Once your AEG spring is broken in, it should shoot an a more consistent FPS.

Installing An AEG Spring
When your spring is installed and at free length, there shouldn’t be a gap at either side. If there is space, you may need to use spacers.

Video

If you have any questions, comments, or things to add, please feel free to comment.

Products and Categories Related To This Blog Post

• Airsoft Upgrade Springs
• Guarder SP 130 Spring
• SHS M120 Spring
• SP 170 Guarder Upgrade Spring
• SHS M110 Spring

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