THE CAGE
CLOSE OF PLAY
Kit and Then Self” and it’s a mantra that will see you
right every time. Let it become an enjoyable part of your
airsoft day and your AEG and GBB will thank you!
With this in mind and given the fact that our guns are
now away for longer than usual, I got together with the
team and asked them:
“What maintenance regime do you have for your
AEGs and GBBs and what small and simple jobs can be
carried out easily that will make a positive difference to
performance?”
Scott: “I always fire it until it stops working, or unless
I notice something isn’t shooting right. Generally a year
or two before anything goes nowadays…”
Christopher J W: “Any issues, give them to a friend
or just buy a new one! I did once when I used GBBs
before swapping to TM Recoils strip one of them and
re-lube… to be honest I have not taken apart a gearbox
for over 8 years…”
Frenchie: “I clean everything before putting it away.
Really boring I know but I swab out the barrels, clean the
exterior then into the case knowing I could grab and go
the next time. As for upgrades, commonly for a techie,
I do very few to my own gear, just keep it running as
necessary. Too much like a bus-man’s holiday to open
guns just for shits and giggles!”
Craig: “AEG maintenance for me is just cleaning the
barrels after each game day. For gas, mainly pistols, I’ll
clean the barrel and check the slide isn’t catching or
that it’s not bone dry on the internals and apply silicone
or lubricant if needed. Easy upgrades? For AEGs almost
every time would be a tight bore barrel, hop rubber and
bucking. With the exception of my TM Recoil, I tend to
buy cheap and upgrade because I enjoy the tinkering
side of the hobby as well.”
Phil: “Having teched for years on other people’s
guns I tend to leave mine alone until they need it now.
Obviously a spring change if a gun is a little “warm”
shall we say. Apart from that the only thing I do for
pretty much every gun I buy is swap out the stock hop
rubber for a guarder clear 50deg. In my experience
across a number of platforms and manufacturers it is the
best one around for UK power levels.”
Stu: “Run it like I stole it. Cry when it breaks. I need
to be better at preventative maintenance! #haikustu”
Rob: “#1 is clean the barrel over and over as a dirty
barrel (and hop bucking) is the first cause of inaccuracy.
So I use clean patch, then a patch with alcohol and dish
soap and water (usually several, this is a degreaser that is
safe), then follow with just alcohol (removes any residue)
and finally just dry. I want zero dirt and residue (most
new and recently worked on AEGs still spit grease across
the nozzle and down the barrel). #2 I clean the outside
down with my degreaser (Alcohol, dish soap and water
combo again) and in many cases will apply a very thin
layer of coconut oil or grizzly-frog lube type, then warm
the replica up with a hairdryer and rub the excess off,
followed by a polish to keep tarnish and rust away.”
PULLING THROUGH
It’s actually very interesting to me that, given we have
a LOT of technical knowledge between us amongst the
AA crew, there are actually very few of us that go in for
major upgrades “off the bat”. This has been discussed
before but it’s still uncanny when you find out that even
some of the most experienced airsofters out there will
“run their gun” pretty much stock until something goes
wrong!
I’ll have to say that I’m in total agreement with my
peers in this respect, as although I know what goes
on inside and AEG or GBB, I’ll leave it pretty much
alone until something really needs doing and even
then I’ll usually hand it off to a dedicated tech who
deals with internals day in, day out. As I regularly say,
“I’m a shooter, not an armourer”. That’s not to say
that upgrading is a bad thing; as Craig pointed out,
sometimes you can buy a budget AEG and turn it into an
absolute beast by installing the right aftermarket parts
in the correct way, if that’s what you like to do. Don’t
forget that most good retailers are still able to send out
parts right now, at least if you order them online!
For me, well I still revert to those happy days with
my Dad, make a brew and break out the cookies and
depending on the model in question at the end of each
day (including multi-day games and events where I’ll
carry a little cleaning kit in my gear!) I’ll spend a few
minutes “pulling through” or cleaning the barrel, brush
everything down with a small paintbrush, wipe down
the metalwork, and where necessary re-lube. I’ll also
clean the glass on any optics and taclites I may have
fitted. I’ll remove and test batteries both from the gun
and accessories and empty magazines completely so as
not to stress the springs. I’ll purge the gas from my GBB
mags and put a squirt of gas back in and I’ll strip down
my GBBs and lube internally where appropriate. Finally,
I’ll test all the screws and hexes to make sure they’re
nice and tight before I give a final wipe down and place
everything safely back in safe storage.
I treat my AEGs, and especially my GBBs, just like the
real thing and time and experience has taught me that if
I look after my guns, when the time comes they will look
after me in return! AA
“I’LL SPEND A FEW MINUTES “PULLING THROUGH” OR CLEANING THE BARREL, BRUSH
EVERYTHING DOWN WITH A SMALL PAINTBRUSH, WIPE DOWN THE METALWORK, AND WHERE
NECESSARY RE-LUBE. I’LL ALSO CLEAN THE GLASS ON ANY OPTICS AND TACLITES I MAY HAVE
FITTED.”
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