AEG Pistons
Checkout our selection of upgraded and reinforced pistons below! Click Here to Learn About Airsoft Electric Gun pistons!. Have questions? Give us a call at 888-316-7816
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Checkout our selection of upgraded and reinforced pistons below! Click Here to Learn About Airsoft Electric Gun pistons!. Have questions? Give us a call at 888-316-7816
The piston is a compression part inside the gearbox and is responsible for forcing air through the nozzle when the gun is fired. The piston system has a few components to it: the piston body, piston head, piston head O-ring, which is pushed by a spring which is stabilized by a spring guide. When the sector gear releases the piston, it is driven forward by the spring. The spring will dictate roughly what velocity your airsoft gun will shoot. When you pull the trigger on your AEG, the motor turns the gear set which in turn pulls the piston back. As the piston is drawn back by the gears during a cycle, the air that occupies the cylinder is getting ready to be forced out. The piston has a seal around the cylinder so as it is released and driven forward, the air is compressed and should have nowhere to go but to escape out the nozzle. The piston assembly hits the cylinder head which dampens the blow to your gearbox and the air goes out the nozzle and into the hopup chamber. The BB that is chambered will be propelled by this compressed air. All airsoft guns will do this, however a nicer quality gun or a well-tuned one will have better compression inside. The velocity achieved could be reached with less wear and tear through better efficiency than a poorly made airsoft gun advertised to shoot just as hard because low tier manufacturers will use a heavier spring rather than better tolerances and production methods. Heavier springs cause wear and tear by virtue of how hard they slam the piston as the gun is fired. Upgrading the spring in any situation to something that is stiffer than the OEM spring will likely decrease the lifespan of your gearbox. We offer tech services for most airsoft guns if you upgrades installed.
Q: How do I increase my FPS?
A: Change out the spring to a stiffer spring for large changes in velocity. Other gearbox tuning could unlock a few more FPS by improving the air seal quality and improving compression, but it is not a guarantee and an exact amount cannot be estimated.
Q: What do I need to upgrade to use a different spring?
A: When switching to a stiffer spring, the piston body will be the part that is under more stress. Since many high stress components work together inside the gearbox, changing one thing could mean a shorter lifespan and less durability out of the next part that interacts in this complex system. Typically most piston bodies could last tens of thousands of rounds out of a high quality airsoft gun and not need changing until it breaks.
Q: How do I upgrade my compression?
A: If you have slop in any parts in the compression components, air can escape as you fire that could otherwise be used to drive the BB harder. This is where having exact tolerances and a really good air seal will get you those small FPS gains. Parts that form a seal should be addressed if you want to tune for optimal compression. For inside the gearbox, those parts and the parts that they seal with are: The cylinder head, cylinder, piston head, and piston head o-ring.