Post by Josh on Jan 3, 2014 20:41:09 GMT -8
FPS Upgrades:
Some people out there just HAVE to have that fps. Just like Tumor said: "FPS is like Horsepower. 285 is just not enough." Now, as you know, (well, maybe you don't) FPS is NOT everything. Newbies may think that a gun is good because it has 430 fps stock. I can tell you one thing: FPS is nothing if you do not have a good hop up setup. FPS only gets the bb to the target faster, considering a constant speed of wind and constant wind direction. So, if you are reading this Guide because you think that fps will make your gun shoot straighter, you may want to read some more about airsoft guns.
First: There are a few different ways to achieve a higher FPS level. One, is to buy an F.T.K. (Full Tune up Kit) Another, is to buy separate Aftermarket parts. (Upgrade parts) Buying Aftermarket parts is more common, because you can mix-n-match what you want, to give you a custom setup the way you want with a variety of different brands. F.T.K.s often cost around $150-$200, and this for every part in your gearbox, excluding the Motor, Wiring, Trigger/Trigger Contacts.
Tightbore Barrels: These are outside of the budget. A good tightbore barrel can increase your Fps as much as 15 to 60 more, it depends on what brand, what kind of bbs you are using, and what seal you get with your hop up. None the less, they are a contributer to FPS.
Budget: $50
Spring: For only $50, you may want to stick with a spring that does not require you to upgrade your mechbox, along with other expensive parts. Systema is a good brand, PDI is a good brand, and so is Guarder. For this budget, you may want to stick in the M100-M120 range, If you have a CA, an M-130 is okay for a while. For PDI, an m100 will be around a 120%. An M100 for Guarder is an SP90.
Bushings: You will need to upgrade to metal bushings whenever upgrading your spring, so Area 1000 Metal Bushings will be fine for most brands outside of Echo-1 and Jing Gong. Stick with the Modify/Echo-1 Metal Bushings for the E-1 and JG V.2 Mechs. They just fit better. 6mm is the Standard size, you will want to check what mm of bushing your gearbox uses before purchase. Bearing-Bushings are usually not suitable for power upgrades.
Spring Guide: Just like the bushings, when ever putting in a stronger spring, you will want to put in a metal spring guide. an Area 1000 v.2 should do the trick. You can also use stock CA ones if you can find the in the classifieds.
Piston/Piston Head: They are not mandatory, but you can get a Guarder Blue Piston, and some type of piston head to go along with it if you would like.
Motor: Your stock motor should be able to pull up to an m120 fine.
Battery:I would suggest upgrading to some type of 9.6v battery, I would recommend a Nun-Chuck type for the M4 handguard.
What it will do: Depending on the spring you get, and how your compression is, you will get an improvement in FPS.
Total Cost: A Spring, Spring Guide, and Metal Bushings should only cost you around 30-40, depending where you get them. This is not including shipping. Obviously, if you get a piston/piston head, it will raise the price up. Your total is also depending on what brand and type of battery you get.
Budget: $100-$150
In this budget range, you can get more parts, or stronger springs, but with stronger springs comes the need for more reinforced parts. Here is what I would recommend:
Spring: A spring in this budget range can be anywhere from an M-100 to a M-130. Just as stated before, Systema, Guarder, PDI, and others are great spring makers.
Bushings: An upgraded spring requires you to upgrade to metal bushings, same bushing brand/size applies here as it does in the $50 dollar budget.
Spring Guide: Once again, it is wise to replace your spring guide to a metal one when upgrading the spring. In this budget, it would be wise to use a metal spring guide with ball bearings to release any unnecessary tension caused by the spring. Recommended for use of an M-120+.
Piston/Piston Head: Now is a necessary time to exchange your stock piston and piston head with a more durable, Aftermarket one. Recommended ones would be a Guarder Blue piston with a Systema Duracon Piston head. You can also use a G&P White Piston, but there have been reports of it failing under high pressures. Now, you may think: "I should get a metal piston head with a metal piston, it will be indestructible!" Wrong. When using a Metal Piston with a setup under 500 fps, the piston will destroy its self, along with your nice gears. The metal piston head will crack your gearbox if the gearbox is not a reinforced one. Stick with Polycarbonate Pistons and Piston Heads for this budget. (Polycarbonate=Durable Plastic)
Gears: It is not Necessary to replace your gears if using an M-120 or below spring. Classic Armys can take an M130 spring stock for a while. If you want to put in a little extra money to improve your gun's life, then get a nice set of Aftermarket gears. Systema makes some good ones, at good prices. Prometheus Double and Triple Torque Up are a bit much for an M120-130 spring.
Motor: Your AGEs motor should be able to pull up to an m130 spring, but if not, an EG1000 is a good alternative.
Battery: Recommended use of a 9.6v, 1100 mah+.
What it will do: Depending on what spring you get, It will put you at your FPS level. The Other upgrades are put in for Durability, and to run the spring that you choose.
Total Cost: Your price can range from $100-$200, depending on what you get exactly. I know it may be out of budget a little bit, but you need most of the parts mentioned to run a stronger spring reliably.
For you out there that have really no budget or limit to how much money you can spend on getting your M4 to shoot like a beast, here you go.
Budget: 200+
Well, to start, I would like to say that there is really no need for a 500 FPS+ fully auto M4A1. It would be out of range for most fields, and most people would not want to play with you.
Spring: M140-M170 PDI makes a 300% spring, which is the equivalent to an M170. Guarder's SP170 is around an M180.
Gearbox: You will need to get a reinforced version 2 mechbox for this, King Arm's 8mm Gearbox is a good one to use.
Bushings: They need to be metal, King Arms includes Bearing-Bushings with theirs.
Spring guide: It needs to be metal, and is probably a good idea to get a Ball-Bearing Metal Spring Guide of some sort.
Piston: Now, if you are using an M140 Spring, you may want to find one with half metal teeth. Over an M140, Go with a Deepfire Titanium Piston. Very durable for high power setups. If you can find a Supercore Piston, get it. They are the best pistons in the market, and will not fail you at all.
Piston Head: you may want to get a metal one on this setup, for an M140, a Systema Duracon may work for some time.
Gears: Systema Torque-Up, Prometheus Double or Triple Torque-up, What ever is suitable through your research.
Motor: "M140 and over, it's time for a Magnum"-Bronco This is true, if you want max power. If you get a Systema Magnum, you will want to replace the pinion gear on it with a Guarder Thermal Treated one. Other motors good for high power set-ups are Eagle's Hummer 1300, the Guarder Infinite Torque Up, and if you only have it, the EG-1000 will work.
Battery: You will need to get a 9.6v+ battery for this, over 1100 mah.
Wiring: If wanted, you can replace the wiring in your AEG to Dean's WetNoodle 16 or 18 gauge wiring. You will need a MOSFET for high power set-ups above an m140.
What it will do: Depends on what spring you use/compression, it will upgrade your fps.
Total Cost: anywhere from $200-$1000, depends how much you overhaul your AGE.
Shimming: Whenever you open your mechbox, why not re-shim the gun correctly? It is a very time consuming process, but when done right, it is worth it. Shimming is done to create a correct gap between the gears teeth to prevent binding, rubbing, and to promote a smooth glide between the gears.
-Josh
Some people out there just HAVE to have that fps. Just like Tumor said: "FPS is like Horsepower. 285 is just not enough." Now, as you know, (well, maybe you don't) FPS is NOT everything. Newbies may think that a gun is good because it has 430 fps stock. I can tell you one thing: FPS is nothing if you do not have a good hop up setup. FPS only gets the bb to the target faster, considering a constant speed of wind and constant wind direction. So, if you are reading this Guide because you think that fps will make your gun shoot straighter, you may want to read some more about airsoft guns.
First: There are a few different ways to achieve a higher FPS level. One, is to buy an F.T.K. (Full Tune up Kit) Another, is to buy separate Aftermarket parts. (Upgrade parts) Buying Aftermarket parts is more common, because you can mix-n-match what you want, to give you a custom setup the way you want with a variety of different brands. F.T.K.s often cost around $150-$200, and this for every part in your gearbox, excluding the Motor, Wiring, Trigger/Trigger Contacts.
Tightbore Barrels: These are outside of the budget. A good tightbore barrel can increase your Fps as much as 15 to 60 more, it depends on what brand, what kind of bbs you are using, and what seal you get with your hop up. None the less, they are a contributer to FPS.
Budget: $50
Spring: For only $50, you may want to stick with a spring that does not require you to upgrade your mechbox, along with other expensive parts. Systema is a good brand, PDI is a good brand, and so is Guarder. For this budget, you may want to stick in the M100-M120 range, If you have a CA, an M-130 is okay for a while. For PDI, an m100 will be around a 120%. An M100 for Guarder is an SP90.
Bushings: You will need to upgrade to metal bushings whenever upgrading your spring, so Area 1000 Metal Bushings will be fine for most brands outside of Echo-1 and Jing Gong. Stick with the Modify/Echo-1 Metal Bushings for the E-1 and JG V.2 Mechs. They just fit better. 6mm is the Standard size, you will want to check what mm of bushing your gearbox uses before purchase. Bearing-Bushings are usually not suitable for power upgrades.
Spring Guide: Just like the bushings, when ever putting in a stronger spring, you will want to put in a metal spring guide. an Area 1000 v.2 should do the trick. You can also use stock CA ones if you can find the in the classifieds.
Piston/Piston Head: They are not mandatory, but you can get a Guarder Blue Piston, and some type of piston head to go along with it if you would like.
Motor: Your stock motor should be able to pull up to an m120 fine.
Battery:I would suggest upgrading to some type of 9.6v battery, I would recommend a Nun-Chuck type for the M4 handguard.
What it will do: Depending on the spring you get, and how your compression is, you will get an improvement in FPS.
Total Cost: A Spring, Spring Guide, and Metal Bushings should only cost you around 30-40, depending where you get them. This is not including shipping. Obviously, if you get a piston/piston head, it will raise the price up. Your total is also depending on what brand and type of battery you get.
Budget: $100-$150
In this budget range, you can get more parts, or stronger springs, but with stronger springs comes the need for more reinforced parts. Here is what I would recommend:
Spring: A spring in this budget range can be anywhere from an M-100 to a M-130. Just as stated before, Systema, Guarder, PDI, and others are great spring makers.
Bushings: An upgraded spring requires you to upgrade to metal bushings, same bushing brand/size applies here as it does in the $50 dollar budget.
Spring Guide: Once again, it is wise to replace your spring guide to a metal one when upgrading the spring. In this budget, it would be wise to use a metal spring guide with ball bearings to release any unnecessary tension caused by the spring. Recommended for use of an M-120+.
Piston/Piston Head: Now is a necessary time to exchange your stock piston and piston head with a more durable, Aftermarket one. Recommended ones would be a Guarder Blue piston with a Systema Duracon Piston head. You can also use a G&P White Piston, but there have been reports of it failing under high pressures. Now, you may think: "I should get a metal piston head with a metal piston, it will be indestructible!" Wrong. When using a Metal Piston with a setup under 500 fps, the piston will destroy its self, along with your nice gears. The metal piston head will crack your gearbox if the gearbox is not a reinforced one. Stick with Polycarbonate Pistons and Piston Heads for this budget. (Polycarbonate=Durable Plastic)
Gears: It is not Necessary to replace your gears if using an M-120 or below spring. Classic Armys can take an M130 spring stock for a while. If you want to put in a little extra money to improve your gun's life, then get a nice set of Aftermarket gears. Systema makes some good ones, at good prices. Prometheus Double and Triple Torque Up are a bit much for an M120-130 spring.
Motor: Your AGEs motor should be able to pull up to an m130 spring, but if not, an EG1000 is a good alternative.
Battery: Recommended use of a 9.6v, 1100 mah+.
What it will do: Depending on what spring you get, It will put you at your FPS level. The Other upgrades are put in for Durability, and to run the spring that you choose.
Total Cost: Your price can range from $100-$200, depending on what you get exactly. I know it may be out of budget a little bit, but you need most of the parts mentioned to run a stronger spring reliably.
For you out there that have really no budget or limit to how much money you can spend on getting your M4 to shoot like a beast, here you go.
Budget: 200+
Well, to start, I would like to say that there is really no need for a 500 FPS+ fully auto M4A1. It would be out of range for most fields, and most people would not want to play with you.
Spring: M140-M170 PDI makes a 300% spring, which is the equivalent to an M170. Guarder's SP170 is around an M180.
Gearbox: You will need to get a reinforced version 2 mechbox for this, King Arm's 8mm Gearbox is a good one to use.
Bushings: They need to be metal, King Arms includes Bearing-Bushings with theirs.
Spring guide: It needs to be metal, and is probably a good idea to get a Ball-Bearing Metal Spring Guide of some sort.
Piston: Now, if you are using an M140 Spring, you may want to find one with half metal teeth. Over an M140, Go with a Deepfire Titanium Piston. Very durable for high power setups. If you can find a Supercore Piston, get it. They are the best pistons in the market, and will not fail you at all.
Piston Head: you may want to get a metal one on this setup, for an M140, a Systema Duracon may work for some time.
Gears: Systema Torque-Up, Prometheus Double or Triple Torque-up, What ever is suitable through your research.
Motor: "M140 and over, it's time for a Magnum"-Bronco This is true, if you want max power. If you get a Systema Magnum, you will want to replace the pinion gear on it with a Guarder Thermal Treated one. Other motors good for high power set-ups are Eagle's Hummer 1300, the Guarder Infinite Torque Up, and if you only have it, the EG-1000 will work.
Battery: You will need to get a 9.6v+ battery for this, over 1100 mah.
Wiring: If wanted, you can replace the wiring in your AEG to Dean's WetNoodle 16 or 18 gauge wiring. You will need a MOSFET for high power set-ups above an m140.
What it will do: Depends on what spring you use/compression, it will upgrade your fps.
Total Cost: anywhere from $200-$1000, depends how much you overhaul your AGE.
Shimming: Whenever you open your mechbox, why not re-shim the gun correctly? It is a very time consuming process, but when done right, it is worth it. Shimming is done to create a correct gap between the gears teeth to prevent binding, rubbing, and to promote a smooth glide between the gears.
-Josh