Jing Gong M4: The People's Airsoft Gun

Occasionally products in various industries assume the moniker of “the people’s”. One of the first to use this tag was Volkswagen, which literally means “people’s car” in German. Since then terms like “the people’s bank” and “the people’s jeans” have been used by marketing whizzes to describe things that are useful to the common man. In many cases the phrase is used when a particular product is accessible to those who could otherwise not afford to use products of its type.

Today I’ve decided to bestow this title upon another product, the Jing Gong M4. The Jing Gong M4 is one of the most popular Airsoft guns for beginners, and allows new players to own a reliable, high performance Airsoft gun for much less money than the competitors. The Jing Gong M4 was also the original platform on which the Echo 1 M4 was based, a gun that quickly became one of the most popular Airsoft guns from an American company. Many other industry leaders have tried to follow suit, some notable examples are the “Sportline” models from Classic Army and G&G.

Nowadays there are many options for affordable Airsoft guns. Some of the higher end companies have dropped their prices or released new, more affordable guns. Many of the Chinese companies like CYMA and WELL have stepped up their quality and now produce more reliable Airsoft guns. But the original people’s gun is and will remain the Jing Gong M4. Back when Chinese companies were all but untouchable, Jing Gong stepped up production and made a viable, affordable Airsoft gun. When Echo 1 began to rebrand them (for the record, the Echo 1 M4 is now based on VFC and no longer has anything to do with Jing Gong) they became even more popular.

Jing Gong M4s come in many shapes and sizes, and now they are represented in quite a few price ranges as well. What makes them so great for beginners is that they cost under $200, have reliable gearboxes based on the Tokyo Marui design, accept parts from most major Airsoft companies, shoot hard and have good externals. Five years ago this was one of the only guns that offered all of these things for such a low price. Many AEGs from Jing Gong are available with metal bodies as well, another huge draw. Most guns from Jing Gong have these qualities, but the M4s have the bonus of being ideal for CQB or outdoor scenarios and being highly receptive to mods or accessories. Of course, it is also the standard rifle used by the US Armed Forces, a fact that has undoubtedly added to the gun’s popularity.

Jing Gong has continued to improve their M4s and the current incarnation sticks with the original blueprint of a reliable, high performance gun at an affordable price. The newest M4 fires 400FPS using .2g BBs and comes packaged with a 300 round magazine. It has a high torque motor and all metal gear box with durable components. It has an ABS plastic upper receiver with a metal barrel, stock tube and other metal components. The hopup and rear sight are both adjustable and the carrying handle is removable. It has a respectable fire rate of 500-1000 rounds per minute. In short, the Jing Gong M4 is everything one wants in an AEG, nothing more and nothing less. It is still one of the best options in its price range for all the reasons it originally was. Personally I trust them more than Sportline models as well, as Sportline models generally have downgraded internals.

The Jing Gong M4 is by no means the best rifle money can buy. But the Jing Gong M4 is quite possibly the best rifle for its price. New Airsoft players should definitely consider it and other AEGS from Jing Gong when shopping for their first AEG. It isn’t a bad option for experienced players by any means, and is a great option for those who want an M4 for their collection but don’t want to break the bank. Because they accept parts from most Airsoft companies, they can be upgraded to have the best performance on the field. Check out the full selection of Airsoft guns from Jing Gong.

Q&A: Is Airsoft Just for Gun Nuts?

A friend of mine recently had some questions for me regarding Airsoft. He was interested in becoming involved in the hobby but was not sure if it was for him. I thought these questions were relevant to a lot of new Airsoft players and frankly did not like the answers that he got from others he had asked. So I’ve decided to repeat his questions and my answers to them here.

1) Is there a place in Airsoft groups for somebody who has no interest in firearms, the military, or any related phenomena? Is everyone who plays a gun-nut?

--Answer--

As a person who has no interest in firearms or the military, this is a simple question to answer. I’m just a regular person who enjoys the adrenaline rush and physical conditioning that Airsoft offers. I actually picked up Airsoft originally because I needed a sport to do in the summer when I couldn't ski. Most of the people I know have similar personalities and either picked up Airsoft as young kids or just enjoy the adrenaline.

At the end of the day it doesn't matter if you are into guns or the military or not. The Airsoft community is just like any other sports community. It’s just a group of people that come together and have a lot of fun, and really enjoy a game. If you are there, enjoying the game, then you belong to that group and will be accepted. I've never had anyone be aggressive or really even impolite to me at an Airsoft game. And for what it’s worth, most of the people I know personally who play Airsoft have never even fired a real gun.

Airsoft Scopes at HobbyTron.com

2) Are there some locations / groups / play-styles that are less focused on military simulation and more on just having good fun / more fantastical scenarios?

--Answer--

Technically Airsoft is milsim and you will hear people call it milsim. But unless you are at a scenario game, the games are run basically identically to paintball games. You will see people with military uniforms, sometimes even patches. But you will also see people with patches like "Raccoon City Police Department" (from the Resident Evil video games). I remember one local team was called the "Pansy Boys" and their logo was Duke Nukem holding a daisy. It is also common to play "Zombie" games, Capture the Flag, or "Football" (where one flag is in the center and a team has to take the flag to the opponent's end zone). My local place even does a zombie game every Halloween with people in full zombie makeup.

Tactical Airsoft Gear at HobbyTron.com

 3) Are there quality Airsoft guns that aren't trying to look like real firearms?

--Answer--

Not really. There are a few that come to mind, like the Jing GongThunder Maul, but almost all guns you find will be based on actual firearms. For many this is a draw of the sport though and adds to the fun.

High End Airsoft Guns from HobbyTron.com

4) What is a good way for somebody brand new to try out the sport? Do Airsoft centers rent out guns/equipment?

--Answer--

The best place to try Airsoft is at a professional Airsoft field, they are all over the US and there is sure to be one in your area. Some Airsoft fields do rent equipment, yes. Call in advance and ask.

HobbyTron.com Airsoft Guns

5) How badly do the BBs hurt? Is it about comparable to paintballs?

--Answer--

BBs hurt, on average, much less than paintballs. They also only leave small welts instead of massive purple/yellow bruises like paintballs tend to. Just make sure to use common sense and keep a minimum safe distance depending on how hot of a gun you are firing. Safety always comes first, so if you don't know how to be safe with your Airsoft gun, you have no business firing it.

For any further questions about getting in to the exciting world of Airsoft, check out the HobbyTron Forum. We have Airsoft experts standing by and waiting to answer your question, so just post it up in the Airsoft section and we’ll get to answering it right away.

New Airsoft Field to Open in Los Angeles

Five years ago there were almost no dedicated places to play Airsoft in the Los Angeles area. Now there are more fields popping up every day and a lot of options for the SoCal airsoft player. Tac City (formerly Airsoft Playground) continues to run one of the most exciting indoor CQB fields around and they have a dedicated player base. Jericho moved a little farther out of LA but now have even more impressive fields as well as running extremely fun vehicle games on the last weekend of every month where players can take aim at enemies form the back of a moving pickup or fire a vehicle-mounted heavy Airsoft machine gun.

Giant Paintball has also entered the fray and begun constructing Airsoft dedicated fields at their various paintball fields. SC Village was the first in the area with their SC Viper complex. It is a large outdoor field modeled on an Afghan village and contains some unique props and bunkers as well as a two-story building. Recently Santa Clarita’s own California Paintball Park opened a field for airsoft as well, known as Airsoft City. It is a fairly large field with a pretty high bunker density, and it is very fun. In eight days, Giant Paintball is set to open yet another Airsoft dedicated field, this time at Hollywood Sports Park. It will be known as HSP Combat Center.

Hollywood Sports Park has been serving paintball players for a number of years now with their friendly staff and extremely fun fields. The fields are actual movie sets from films such as Godzilla, Starship Troopers and Saving Private Ryan. They run some fun scenario games as well and overall it is a great paintball experience. They are located off the I-91 and Lakewood Boulevard, towards Long Beach. Hollywood Sports Park has a great track record with the paintball community and they have been extremely successful since they opened. The complex also contains a massive arcade, BMX racing, indoor soccer and even an RC racing track.

The new Airsoft field opens on Sunday, December 11^th and you can play for free from 9am to 4pm as part of a grand opening event. The following description of the field is taken from the HSP Combat Center Website. “The HSP Combat Center, located just off the I-91 and Lakewood Blvd in California, is a state of the art Airsoft complex centrally located to Los Angeles. Housed in a specially custom-built facility at the legendary Hollywood Sports Airsoft Park, the HSP Combat Center features a full M.O.U.T.-style Afghan village complete with 2-story perches, city streets, and building to building firefights. The concourse was designed and constructed by the world-renown field/map developers of Giant Airsoft, who were also responsible for building the hugely successfully SC Viper complex at the SC Village Airsoft Park in Corona, CA. The HSP Combat Center is perfect for elite airsofters looking for the most realistic urban combat operational zone in all of the West Coast.” They failed to mention, but Giant also built the field at California Paintball Park.

The HSP website features a virtual tour of the new field and from the pictures to looks to be an exciting experience. As someone who has spent some time on their paintball fields I can say that I have the utmost confidence in their new Airsoft field. As if playing for free on Dec. 11^th wasn’t enough, they will also be having free giveaways, prizes, a vendor village and military simulations. It should be a party and I’m sure it’s worth the trip. Field rules don’t seem to be available yet but there will be a 350FPS limit and the field is apparently available seven days a week for private party rentals. Any new local Airsoft field is cause for celebration, and HSP Combat Center seems like it will become one of the most exciting fields in Los Angeles. So head on over to HobbyTron.com and pick up some Airsoft guns and we'll see you on the field.

Choosing the Right BBs

Airsoft BBs come in all shapes and sizes. This is bad, because they should all be round. When compared to almost all other conventional ammunition, Airsoft BBs are the cheapest of the lot. Some real steel firearms owners actually own GBB pistols for target shooting because the ammunition is so much cheaper. However, some Airsoft ammunition is a little bit more expensive than the average BB. These high quality BBs are going to be what you want to shoot. Using low quality BBs will not only affect your range and accuracy, but can also seriously damage your gun. What you don’t pay now for BBs you will pay later in repairs. There are a few things that can go wrong when using low quality BBs. The worst things that can happen are jams and breaks. You may not think this is such a big deal, but it can cause permanent damage to your gun. For example, if the barrel becomes jammed when the gun is being fired on full auto it can cause a massive build up of BBs in your barrel and feeding tube. Now there is nowhere for the air being pushed out by the piston to go. This can cause the piston to not complete its full cycle, which will then cause the still spinning gears to strip and break and explode into tiny metal shards of pure failure. Low quality BBs can shatter easily as well and the shards of the broken BB can end up in the gearbox. The gearbox is a tightly fitted system of gears and electronics, and tiny plastic shards that shouldn’t be there will wreak all sorts of havoc on the internals. Improperly shaped BBs can even clog up your magazines, especially the spring-powered high capacity magazines that are so popular. Even if they don’t break your gun low quality BBs will render horrible accuracy and velocity because of non-uniform shape, low weight, and inconsistent calibers.

There are a couple easy ways to avoid low quality BBs and keep your gun happy and healthy. The first thing to do is buy your BBs at an Airsoft shop. I can’t say definitively that you will never find high quality BBs at sporting goods stores, and I know that sometimes Big 5 will have decent ones, but overall you have a much higher chance of picking up useless BBs from those places. Brightly colored BBs or clear BBs are mostly likely low quality. Most high quality BBs will be either white or black but you will sometimes find them in yellow, green, and other colors. Anything that doesn’t list a weight is low quality. Anything under .2g is not for your high quality gun. .12g BBs are fine for springers but in your AEGs, GBBs, and high quality spring rifles you will want to use .2g BBs. Some people prefer .25g BBs because they give you slightly better accuracy at range, which is more of a personal preference. Don’t ever use paint BBs. They always break and then your gun will be full of paint and probably ruined. Don’t use the sample BBs that come with your gun either, they are usually low quality. If you are buying biodegradable BBs for whatever reason you have to pay more attention to quality. High quality biodegradable BBs are probably the most expensive Airsoft BBs you can buy, but it is even more important that you use a high quality product when you are shooting biodegradables. I suggest Biotech brand, although there are other good ones out there.

A lot of Airsoft gun manufacturers make their own BBs and these can usually be trusted, at least the ones from Taiwanese and Japanese companies. I don’t particularly like CYMA BBs (Chinese), ICS ones are decent, Tokyo Marui and G&G ones are high quality, and Airsoft Elite are my favorite BBs. Some other high quality BBs are Madbull, GoldenBall, Systema, and Killer Beez. An important thing to keep in mind is that even containers of high quality BBs will occasionally have a deformed BB in there somewhere. If you see these, throw them out because they can cause jams.

When in doubt as to which BB company to purchase from, ask the internet or the guy behind the counter at your local Airsoft store. If you buy some BBs that are universally recognized as high quality you might be able to trade some to other players at the field and get a better idea of which brand is your favorite. High quality BBs are probably the most important investment you can make for your Airsoft gun, and it’ll thank you by not breaking every five minutes. Be safe and have fun and head on over to HobbyTron and I’ll see you on the field.

Price, Brands, and Walmart

Airsoft guns can range from extremely cheap to extremely expensive. Most people know you can get a simple spring operated pistol for under $20. Some people know that you can also buy guns from Systema that start at about $1000. There are many, many brands to choose from and a well made gun in almost every price range.  The long and short of it is that in Airsoft you get what you pay for, as long as you don’t get ripped off. So how do you avoid getting ripped off? There are a few basic rules you can follow to ensure everything you buy will be a high quality product, regardless of what you spend on it.

The FIRST rule is shop at an Airsoft retailer. Don’t shop at Wal-Mart unless you are buying a gun for someone under 10 years of age. They sell a brand called Crosman that is very inexpensive and perfect for the kid who is going to break it the first time out. These guns are made to expire quickly and not for someone who is really into Airsoft. The Airsoft section at Wal-Mart is very limited and is basically a teaser to get someone into Airsoft. I’m fairly certain that every brand of BB they offer is all but unusable in electric or gas guns and should only be used in cheap spring guns. The same pretty much goes for Sport Chalet, although I believe they sell some decent masks and gloves and such. Big 5 is a mixed bag. Most of their stuff isn’t worth a second look, but sometimes they will be carrying high quality BBs and gas. Occasionally you might find a decent GBB pistol there. I don’t think I’ve ever seen a high quality AEG at Big 5. The best place to buy your Airsoft gear is at an Airsoft store, which makes a lot of sense if you think about it.

The SECOND rule is to pay attention to brand. Almost all decisions as to weather a gun is good value for money can be made instantly just based on which brand it is. Some brands are better than others and belong in different price ranges. I’ll try to give a breakdown of some well known brands.

High Range:

Airsoft Elite – ICS rebrands with stronger springs and the necessary internal upgrades to handle the extra power.

Classic Army – Very well made, full metal Airsoft replicas. Known for excellent externals

Elite Force/Umarex – American company, they rebrand guns from companies such as VFC, Ares and G&G. Hold licenses to various trademarks.

G&G – G&G makes replicas in both the mid range and high range. They are known for having very durable components but being more difficult to work on.

G&P – These guys only make a few rifles and an M249. I’ve never shot one personally, but I use their midcap magazines and they are excellent.

Hudson – Hudson makes extremely high quality replicas, mostly of WWII guns.

ICS – One of TM’s main competitors, and one of the largest Airsoft manufacturers, ICS features durable internals and full metal bodies.

King Arms – Well known for their upgrades and accessories, King Arms also sells AEGs that originally come from Western Arms.

KWA/KSC – Known mostly for their GBB pistols (some of the most reliable GBB pistols you can get), KWA/KSC have made some rifles as well and they have proven to be of good quality.

Marushin – Marushin make some guns that fire 8mm BBs which is actually pretty unusual.

Maruzen – An older company with a proven track record.

Olympic Arms – These guys rebrand ICS guns.

Sheriff – Custom rebuilds of Western Arms and Maruzen guns.

SOCOM Gear – American company that rebrands pistols from WE-Tech and AEGs from VFC. Their guns feature excellent externals with licensed trademarks. Produce a high-end replica of the Barrett .50 Cal.

Systema – Basically the best Airsoft guns money can buy, used for M&P training. If you buy an upgrade for your existing gun there is a good chance it will come from Systema.

Tanaka – Known for their pistols, Tanaka makes a lot of really high quality gas rifles as well.

Tokyo Marui – The inventors of the AEG, Tokyo Marui AEGs are extremely reliable and upgradable, probably more so than the other big three companies. However, Japanese law prohibits them from selling metal bodies. Their plastics are of very high quality though.

Western Arms – Famous for their 1911 replicas, Western Arms makes incredible full metal GBB handguns.

Mid Range:

KWC – Company out of Taiwan, make a lot of gas powered guns with licensed trademarks.

APS/Javelin – Newcomer to the Airsoft game. Supposedly they made paintball markers and switched over when they noticed Airsoft was becoming popular. These guys make a lot of EBB guns and they seem to be fairly reliable.

WE-Tech – Largely a pistol manufacturer, provide clones of higher end models at a lower price.

Echo 1 – American company that sells their own versions of guns from various companies such as Jing Gong, Kart, CYMA and D-Boys

Entry Range/Chinese Brands:

Aftermath – American company that rebrands guns from various Chinese manufacturers.

Crosman – Crosman is the Wal-Mart brand. Basically all of their guns are low quality guns for the very young beginner.

CYMA – Chinese company that makes TM clones among other things, popular among beginners.

D-Boys – Sell a lot of M4s and have a very popular SCAR. They are one of the more reliable Chinese companies and known for having better externals than the competition.

Double Eagle – TM clones and LPEGs.

Game Face – Although these are sold by Crosman, they are actually the Classic Army Sportline series of guns. The internals are downgraded Classic Army gearboxes, and the externals are plastic.

Jing Gong – Extremely popular brand among beginners, these are probably the most durable and well built guns to come out of China.

Under The Gun (UTG) – Airsoft division of well-known outdoors company Leapers. They make a lot of tactical gear, and also have a line of low cost sniper rifles. They currently sell one AEG, an AK-47.

Unicorn Hobby Corp – Mostly known for cheap but reliable springers, UHC also has a line of popular low cost sniper rifles.

UK Arms – Low quality company that imports from China.

These are not all the Airsoft manufacturers by any means, and the tiers I’ve placed them in are probably arguable, but I hope that the list will help you to better understand the rather complicated world of Airsoft manufacturers. I’ve tried to place them in tiers based on what price you can pick them up for. Classic Army, Tokyo Marui, and ICS are the biggest companies and you can generally always trust products from these guys. Classic Army tends to be a bit pricier, but they have amazingly detailed full metal bodies. TM invented the AEG and features extremely reliable and durable components, but you can’t buy them with metal bodies. ICS guns are very nice, and actually what I shoot, but one downside is that they tend to be a little iffy with non-ICS components. It can be difficult to find the official ICS pieces they need, and you might have to end up doing some fabrication to make pieces from other companies fit. I recommend any of these three companies, and also Jing Gong or Echo 1 if you don’t want to spend much on your first gun.

The THIRD and final rule of not getting ripped off when shopping for an Airsoft gun is to do your research. Before making the commitment and buying a gun, make sure you are getting what you want. Many online resources are available that will give you all the pros and cons of the replica you are considering. If you can’t find any information simply sign up for an Airsoft forum (like our HobbyTron forums), and create a thread. There are a ton of people out there who really like talking about Airsoft and who will be glad to help you out. If you shop at the proper places, buy from a trusted brand, and do your research before buying, you will get exactly the gun you want. So grab a gun from HobbyTron and I will see you on the field.

Other Airsoft Necessities

Congratulations! You’ve decided on your first Airsoft gun.  I’m excited, are you? Don’t get too excited now, because there are still a few more things you will need before you get started. If you bought an AEG it most likely came with a battery so no worries there. If you got a GBB you’ll need to purchase some gas, there are different kinds and it’s important to get the right one, so do your research before you put just anything in your gun. Regardless of what you bought you will need BBs. High quality BBs are very important and cheap BBs will quickly wreck your gun. First of all, don’t ever re-use BBs or use BBs that have been rolling around on the ground. These probably have dirt on them and will seriously mess up your gun’s day. You probably got some sample BBs with your gun if it was purchased new, I would just go ahead and throw them out. It is extremely important that you buy high quality BBs, so find some good ones. Most gun manufacturers make their own BBs and these are usually pretty good.  Some companies, Madbull and Airsoft Elite come to mind, mostly make BBs and a lot of these are excellent. Ask around before committing to a brand. BB weight and caliber is important as well, most guns fire 6mm .2g BBs. BBs weighing .25g are common as well, and some guns fire different calibers, but 6mm .2g is pretty much the standard. Make sure you are firing the correct weight and caliber for your gun, or they won’t perform well and might harm your gun.

You will also need eye protection. It’s up to you whether you are going to use a full face mask or just safety goggles, some people don’t like masks because they interfere with aiming down the sights. Personally I wear a full mask and I suggest you do as well. Getting shot in the face hurts, and you could literally loose a tooth. You can buy a specifically made Airsoft mask, but paintball masks are the same thing, so just buy something that fits you well and has a good anti-fog coating on the lenses. A good trick to get masks to fit snugly is to wear a backwards baseball cap underneath the mask. I don’t know why but doing this makes masks fit infinitely better. Some Airsoft specific masks have mesh instead of goggles for the eye protection, I don’t like these at all but you might, they can’t fog up or anything so they’re worth a try. If you decide to wear only safety goggles without the mask, I strongly suggest a balaclava, bandanna, head wrap, or even one of the neoprene ski masks that covers the bottom half of your face. I can’t stress this enough. Some people wear helmets as well, feel free to. I also wear half finger gloves, because the knuckle is one of the most painful places to get shot in my experience. You can get ones with massive pieces of plastic for extra protection. If you don’t want to buy gloves basically any glove will work, spring skiing gloves for example are perfect. Just cut off the top of the index finger if you don’t want to mess with your trigger pull. Or you can just not wear gloves, quite a lot of people don’t. Be sure to wear comfortable shoes you can run in with good ankle support.

There is definitely more information to learn out there, and we’ll be going more in to detail on every piece of equipment needed as the series continues. You will almost certainly see people in full SWAT gear at your local field, but we just covered everything you need to have a ton of fun at the local field or with your friends. If you are frugal and look around you should be able to get everything you need for under $100, and still have high quality equipment. Have a great time and if you have any questions feel free to ask us at the HobbyTron Forums, or even come in to the shop for a face to face answer. So grab a gun from HobbyTron.com and I hope to see you on the field.

Advantages of Pump or Spring Operation

So now we understand how AEGs and GBB guns work, and the advantages and disadvantages of both. At this point you might be thinking these are the only two viable options, but simple pump operation has some advantages that shouldn’t be overlooked. When most people think of pump or spring Airsoft guns, their mind immediately goes to the cheap plastic pistols that can be picked up for $20 or so.  Even these guns have their place, and many of them make reliable side arms if you don’t want to spend a lot on a GBB pistol. Almost all shotguns operate on pump configurations as well, and most sniper rifles feature the same operation. The only difference is that in a rifle the “pump” usually comes in the form of a bolt to replicate the feel of bolt action rifles.

The main advantage of spring operation is reliability. These guns have very few moving parts and with proper maintenance will run forever without even really needing replacement parts. Playing with a spring operated gun forces you to choose your shots as well, and will increase your accuracy. Even before Airsoft became popular in America, this was a training technique utilized by paintball players. When playing with a spring gun, you can’t fall in to the habit of hanging back and spraying BBs all over the field from the safety of your bunker. They force you to be aggressive, flank, and find angles. Another advantage of spring operation is actually realism. If you are playing with a shotgun or bolt action rifle, pump operation just makes sense, right? Cocking a plastic Desert Eagle before every shot might seem kind of lame, but cocking a heavy full metal shotgun with a real wood grip is very satisfying. 

As for sniper rifles, many high quality offerings have very realistic bolts and can fire at extremely high FPS. Fields that allow sniper rifles to operate at FPS levels up to 600 or 700 usually require that they be single-shot only or have automatic fire disabled. If you can’t fire full auto you might as well not get an AEG and just get a bolt action instead. If nothing else it just makes you feel really cool, like a proper sniper. Don’t discount spring operation; it isn’t just for cheap guns. You could spend anywhere from $80 to over $300 on a bolt action sniper rifle. In fact, you’ll likely get shot by one at some point if you go to enough outdoor skirmishes. Expect it. So grab a gun at HobbyTron.com and I will see you on the field.

Gas Operation

At one point, before AEGs came around in the 1990s, all semi-automatic Airsoft guns were powered by gas. These generally had external tanks for the gas (like paintball guns), and worked quite well, but they weren’t very compact. Nowadays when you buy a gas Airsoft pistol you will most likely be buying a Gas Blowback. GBB guns are very popular as side arms, and before AEPs (Automatic Electric Pistols) came out a few years ago gas-powered guns were basically the only option for a semi-automatic Airsoft pistol. “Blowback” refers to the fact that the gun actually cycles the slide when firing, providing a much more realistic feel. Gas pistols exist that do not cycle the slide, called NBB (No Blowback) guns. These are more efficient than GBB guns because they operate essentially the same way but do not waste gas cycling the slide. They aren’t anywhere near as fun though. There is also an alternative to GBB called EBB, or Electric Blowback. These guns use a battery to cycle the slide. Unfortunately they don’t work very well. They don’t fire BBs at a high enough FPS. They also have slow firing rates and the action of the slide isn’t very realistic. They generally won’t be exact 1:1 scale replicas and are produced on the cheap. I would not recommend an EBB Airsoft gun.

GBB is generally used in handguns, although SMGs and even rifles exist. A lot of the crazier GBB guns are really complicated and don’t work that well, but there are many extremely solid GBB pistols available. There are a few drawbacks to GBB handguns and a couple advantages. The drawbacks include bad efficiency compared to battery-powered guns, performance being affected by weather, generally plastic bodies, lower accuracy at distance, and required knowledge of the different available gasses. The main advantage is that they are just a riot; it’s pretty much the closest you can get to shooting an actual firearm. Most of them can also be field stripped, or taken apart quickly without the need for tools.

Gas Blowback operation isn’t too complicated, there are actually less moving parts than in an AEG. They have hammers and slides and operate more like real steel firearms than AEGs as well. It all begins with filling up the mag with gas through the filling valve, and loading up. The hammer on GBB handguns is actually just cosmetic; the real hammer is inside the gun sitting underneath the cosmetic hammer. When the trigger is pulled the hammer strikes the firing valve, which is a valve located above where the gas is stored in liquid form. When the firing valve is struck it opens, allowing gas to rush up from the magazine into the cylinder. From the cylinder the gas continues to travel out the barrel, firing the BB. At the same time, pressure in the cylinder forces back the blowback ram. When the ram gets forced back, so does the slide. The slide is the top part of the gun that goes back and forward when you fire just like with a real steel pistol. When the slide moves back it cocks the hammer again, which in turn closes the firing valve and stops the flow of gas into the pistol. At this point a spring that is attached to the cylinder begins pulling it back into place. Without this spring the slide would just be loose and go wherever it wanted. As the slide returns to its starting position it grabs another BB from the top of the magazine and chambers the round. At this point the cycle is complete and another BB is ready to be fired. All this happens in a fraction of a second, and GBB guns can pretty much fire as fast as you can pull the trigger. Some are fully automatic as well, certain Glock models for example.

These are the inner workings of a GBB pistol. As you can see, the operation is not too far off from that of a real steel firearm. GBB guns provide an exciting change from springers or AEGs, and although they require more maintenance and are less efficient, the enjoyment you will get out of them is worth the cost. They make excellent side arms and are the most fun Airsoft guns to target shoot with. There are many high quality GBB Airsoft guns on the market, and there is sure to be a perfect one for you at HobbyTron.com. See you on the field.

AEGs, AEPs, and Hop Up

AEGs are by far the most popular high quality Airsoft guns and their introduction in the 1990’s completely changed the face of Airsoft forever. The revolutionary design allowed Airsoft guns to be fired without the help of gas, with a higher ROF (Rate Of Fire), in more weather conditions, more reliably, and be produced for less. Without AEGs, Airsoft as we know it today probably wouldn’t exist, especially in non-Asian countries.

AEG stands for Automatic Electric Gun. AEGs operate on battery power to fire plastic BBs at high rates of fire. It all starts with the battery. These vary in size and even type, but most Airsoft batteries are 8.4V NiMH (Nickel-Metal Hydride) batteries. Some other batteries include NiCD (Nickel-Cadmium) and Li-Po (Lithium-Polymer). Airsoft batteries vary in voltage, but are usually somewhere between 7V and 12V regardless of battery style. The battery is connected by wires to a motor, which is usually in the pistol grip of the rifle. There three different styles of motors and basically every Airsoft gun manufacturer makes their own version. This motor has a gear on the end of it, which penetrates in to the gearbox and spins its gear assembly. Generally the gear assembly inside the gear box consists of only three gears: the bevel gear, the spur gear, and the sector gear. All these gears must be shimmed properly or bad things will happen. In front of the gears are the trigger and trigger switch, and some wiring. Above the gears there is a cylinder which contains a piston. The piston is on a tight spring, and the cylinder is capped off with a cylinder head. On the end of the cylinder head is a small air nozzle, which is connected to the tappet plate, which rests on top of the sector gear. Phew!

When you pull the trigger the motor starts the bevel gear spinning, which in turn causes the spur gear and then the sector gear to spin. The sector gear does two important things. Firstly, it pulls back the piston which compresses the spring. A small metal nub on the sector gear also pulls back the tappet plate. When the tappet plate comes back, so does the air nozzle. The air nozzle covers the feeding tube that the BBs are being pushed up by a spring in the gun’s magazine. The air nozzle comes back and a BB chambers. Meanwhile, the sector gear rotates to a point where its teeth are no longer holding the piston back in place. The spring tension now causes the piston to shoot forward, creating a burst of air that travels through the cylinder head and the air nozzle. This burst of air fires the BB, and the process is repeated again. When firing in full auto, this all happens multiple times a second. That’s pretty impressive if you ask me. Regardless of what model of gun you have, or what company it came from, the basic operation will almost always be the same.

 

Hop up is a very basic concept. It is simply a rubber nub that protrudes partially from the top of the barrel. When you adjust the hop up, all it does is make this nub extend farther or less far in to the barrel. When the BB fires it catches on this nub, which puts a backspin on the BB. This makes the BBs go much farther when adjusted properly, but if it is set too high then the BBs will curve up when fired or it might even block the barrel and then they won’t fire at all. To properly adjust you simply fire a BB and see if it shoots downwards, upwards, or straight. If the gun is shooting BBs down or not very far, turn up the hop up system. If they are curving up, turn the hop up system down. Hop up adjustments can usually be made by pulling back the gun’s slide and rotating a gear. Some hop up systems are adjusted differently but the owner’s manual always point out where the adjustment point is.

In recent years there have been new guns on the market called AEPs (Automatic Electric Pistols). These are handguns and small submachine guns that operate on a scaled-down version of the Tokyo Marui AEG system. Because of the smaller components they aren’t quite as powerful as AEGs, and there is less room for upgrades. However, they are more efficient and consistent than the gas powered pistols that were the standard before AEPs came along. They are also less affected by weather, gas powered pistols basically don’t work in really cold temperatures. AEPs currently only fire in the 200-300 FPS range, which isn’t incredibly powerful, but is fine for a side arm. They are much more powerful than EBB pistols, which are the only other battery powered handgun option.

Now you have a basic understanding of how AEGs work. In fact, you pretty much understand the entire operation, except for the wiring and trigger switch, a couple other small things. AEGs aren’t terribly complicated machines, and they are pretty easy to work on. However I suggest that you don’t open up your own gearbox unless you are with a friend that knows what they are doing. There are certain components, like the anti-reversal latch (a small latch that prevents the gears from spinning backwards), that have springs on them or have to go in just the right way. If you place these components in at the wrong angle, or with the spring attached incorrectly, catastrophic failure can happen and you’ll end up breaking a bunch of teeth on your gears and all sorts of bad things will happen. The gears also need to be shimmed perfectly, and you’ll probably end up losing track of where all the shims were supposed to go, and then it can literally take hours to get it set up properly again, especially if you don’t know what you are doing. If you want to replace a spring or a piston, that is fairly easy, and you can do it without touching the gear assembly or any of the more complicated parts. It also isn’t very hard to find gearboxes, if you look around you can probably find a used one and pick it up for twenty or thirty dollars, and then you can have a gearbox just for learning on, as well as extra parts in case you need them. Be aware that if you do open the gearbox, there is a highly compressed spring inside there. You need to stick a thin screwdriver through the hole in the rear of the gearbox, to release spring tension with once the gearbox is open. Do this at your own risk, and wear some shop glasses. I hope you’ve learned something today. So head on over to HobbyTron and I’ll see you on the field.

Getting Started in Airsoft & Buying Your First Gun

So you wanna get started playing Airsoft huh? Well, you are going to need a gun, so let’s get started. One of the most important questions to ask yourself is why you want an Airsoft gun. Is it for target shooting? Are you going to be involved in Airsoft games with friends or at a local field? Do you just want a cool gun replica to mess around with? Regardless of your intentions, the most important thing to know when starting out in Airsoft is safety. We’ve already discussed Airsoft safety in our previous post, take a look. If you follow these guidelines and exercise common sense, you’ll be fine. In this post we’ll be assuming you want to eventually be involved in some form of competitive Airsoft skirmish. If you just want a cool replica I would suggest Classic Army or G&G, they make some killer guns over there that are really heavy, full metal, and do an incredible job of mimicking their real steel counterparts. If you want something just for target shooting maybe look in to Gas Blowback guns. They are amazingly entertaining because they have more realistic recoil and moving slides. If you are more in the market for a sniper rifle then bolt action is the way to go. Bolt action rifles work the same as the cheapy $20 clear Desert Eagles and such, except you can get very high quality ones that are full metal and shoot at speeds up towards 700FPS. However, if you plan on actually being involved in Airsoft skirmishes, I recommend purchasing an AEG. This is only a suggestion of course; you can play with anything you want and be effective with it if you are good enough. But AEGs are what most Airsoft players start on, what most rental guns are, and what most people at your local Airsoft field will be carrying as their primary weapon.

AEG stands for Automatic Electric Gun, and it’s pretty much what you would imagine: a gun that uses electricity to fire automatically. These are different from gas powered Airsoft guns, which use gas as a propellant for the BB instead of air. There are also simple pump-operation Airsoft guns that must be cocked before each shot, and more recently Electric Blow Back operation has been featured too. These guns use a battery instead of gas, but still provide more realistic recoil. They are generally low quality though and I wouldn’t recommend one unless you want to spend under $50. Even then you could probably find a used GBB pistol and it would work much better. However, there are many reasons that I’m suggesting an AEG for your first Airsoft gun. First of all they are well priced and readily available. You can pick up a really nice quality AEG from Jing Gong or a similar company brand new for well under $200. There are a multitude of models and companies to choose from, and I guarantee there is one out there that is perfect for you and can be picked up for not too much money. AEGs have fairly simple operation. The internals basically consist of a couple wires, a few gears, a motor, and a spring. It isn’t exactly that simple, but with all the resources available online these days you should have no problem maintaining your own AEG. AEGs have high rates of fire as well. Some people have managed to get their guns up to thirty BBs a second and other such astounding numbers. Depending on what you buy you should easily be able to get at least ten BBs a second. AEG’s are versatile and easy to maintain, and their popularity ensures upgrades and replacement parts are easily obtained.

In our next couple posts you will read up on AEG and GBB operation, maybe looked at some bolt action snipers, and you've made a decision as to which category you will be purchasing in. So how do you figure out what gun to buy? There are many resources online, including our own HobbyTron Forums which you can use to ask questions and figure out what is the best purchase for you. But where do you start? I suggest starting with the model. The Airsoft business is a fairly complicated one, with certain companies actually just selling re-branded versions (AKA clones) of other companies’ guns. For example, Echo 1 is a company that sells re-branded Jing Gong guns. Often there is nothing wrong with these “ re-branding” companies. Some, like Airsoft Elite for example, actually upgrade the internals of the original gun (which in the case of Airsoft Elite is an ICS). For this reason and others, choosing a company to purchase from can be complicated. However, choosing a model of Airsoft gun is quite easy. It’s mostly a personal thing. Some people like M4s, some people like AK-47s, RPKs, MP5s, Galils, AUGs, whatever. It is up to you to choose what model you would like to shoot, because internally they won’t differ much. The shape and size of individual components will be different, but the operation will be essentially the same. It is up to you to decide which model fits in your shoulder nicely, is the right weight, has the right sights for you, etc. If you are considering purchasing an Airsoft gun you probably already have one in mind. Perhaps you have a favorite weapon in Call of Duty, or want a gun that is used by a specific country’s military forces. This is an entirely personal choice and if you are having trouble deciding I suggest going to a local shop or field (or come stop by HobbyTron if you are in the LA area), and just picking up the different guns and finding one you like. Remember that most guns will have different variations with different stock lengths, or vertical grips, so most models can be outfitted to work perfectly for you. I would suggest some kind of rifle or sub-machine gun, maybe an M4, AK-47, or MP5, because these are very common and there are a lot of upgrades for them.

Once you have decided on a specific model it is time to choose a company. Start by finding out which companies offer the particular model you are looking for, and in which price range. Echo 1 and Jing Gong are good examples of cheaper (but still high quality) brands, Classic Army and Western Arms are the more expensive brands, and mid range brands include ICS, KWA, and Tokyo Marui. Don’t buy anything from Crosman, it’s the Walmart brand and they make truly terrible guns. With each of these companies there will probably be a major deciding factor that helps you pick. One company’s offering might shoot at a higher FPS, or have a fully metal body, or in the case of an AK-47, have real wood grips and stock. You’ll have to do a little bit of research to find these things out, but it shouldn’t take you more than a few hours to gather enough information to make a good decision. If you can’t decide between two or three companies, just head over to our forums and make a “KWA vs ICS MP5” thread or something similar, and we’ll get an expert to fully explain the differences to you.

Buying an Airsoft gun can be a complicated decision, especially when it’s your first gun and you don’t know much about the industry or its technical aspects. Just remember that most of the time you get what you pay for, but if you shop around and wait for things to go on sale you can save a lot of money. Jing Gong and Echo 1 guns are high quality and comparatively cheap. A lot of them don’t have full metal bodies and the gearboxes aren't of the best possible quality, but for the money they are excellent guns that are perfect for beginners. These days the awful sporting goods store brands (like Crosman) charge up to $100 for their Airsoft guns. For maybe $150 you can have a high quality AEG with replaceable parts that will last forever provided you properly maintain it and replace parts as needed. Later on you will probably want to buy a different gun anyway, so you might as well buy an entry-range brand like Jing Gong, and get a more expensive model later. Or you can buy a mid-range gun from a company like ICS or Tokyo Marui and you’ll probably never have to buy another AEG again if you don’t want to. It all depends on the price range, but just make sure you are purchasing from a legitimate company. As a rule of thumb, Japanese and Taiwanese brands are high quality, Chinese brands aren't. This extends to BBs and basically everything else in Airsoft although there are exceptions to the rule. Do your research, take your time, and you will end up with a gun you can fully rely on in battle. So grab a gun from HobbyTron and I will see you on the field.

History of Airsoft

Electric Airsoft Rifles

Airsoft is a relatively new sport that only began gaining popularity in the Western world in the 1990’s. It was originally developed in Japan and first became popular there, China, and Korea. America has played an important part in Airsoft development as well, and the sport is now immensely popular here. The history of Airsoft is a complicated one that isn’t explored often enough. Until the late 80's early 90’s, virtually no one in the West knew anything about Airsoft unless they had been or knew someone that had been to Asia and witnessed games over there. The internet was instrumental in the growth of Airsoft, as its invention allowed the earliest fans of Airsoft in America and Europe to purchase replicas for the first time. But to fully understand the history of Airsoft, we must travel back to a time well before the internet changed the world. We must travel to a decade of excellent music and horrendous fashion choices, the groovy 1960’s.

Since the 1960’s it has been illegal in Japan for any civilian to own firearms. They say necessity is the mother of invention, and Airsoft is proof of that. The Japanese market needed something they could use for target shooting, as various shooting sports already existed in Japan at the time of the firearms ban. It is also important to note that Japan has a penchant for plastic models, be they replicas of vehicles, firearms, or giant laser-shooting robots. It is not surprising, then, that high quality gun replicas were quickly introduced. These early replicas were extremely detailed and collectable. They were similar to blank-firing guns and even had full-auto capabilities. They did not, however, fire projectiles. At the same time in America, Daisy Outdoor Products (makers of the famous Red Ryder BB gun) began introducing a handgun series that fired small, round pellets encased in shells, similar to modern Airsoft revolvers. The pellets were fired at low power and did not go very far, and these guns were referred to as “soft-air” guns. Back in Japan, this technology was influential in the creation of what were essentially modern Airsoft guns, with both springers and gas-powered replicas becoming available in a variety of models by the mid 80’s. Many of the models had high metal content and were much more powerful than the Daisy “soft-air” guns. This is when the sport of Airsoft was born, having been made possible by the advent of well made, non-lethal, projectile-firing replica firearms. Until this point, Airsoft replicas had mostly been used for target shooting and collecting.

Airsoft Sniper Rifles

While all this development was happening in Asia, in America the sport of paintball had been created by a bunch of people messing about with guns originally meant for marking utility companies’ power poles. Paintball guns would follow a trend that emphasized functionality over realism. This, coupled with the family friendly image that paintball strived hard for in the early days, meant that paintball gun manufacturers steered away from realistic-looking firearms. It wasn’t until recent years that realistic paintball guns even became available beyond the scope of a very small niche market. This would later be important as Airsoft began to spread to the Western world, because by the 80’s and 90’s paintball was already popular in America and many European countries. Paintball is more popular than Airsoft in these countries, but as the sports are (arguably) quite similar, paintball’s success invariably helped the assimilation of Airsoft in to Western culture. Airsoft also benefitted from the family friendly image paintball had successfully created for itself. Although Airsoft is associated more with MilSim (Military Simulation), the public’s general acceptance of a sport that involved shooting at each other was almost certainly beneficial.

By the late 80’s and early 90’s both paintball and Japanese model kits had become popular in America and Europe. In the 90’s, Tokyo Marui created the first ever Automatic Electric Gun. AEGs helped Airsoft’s popularity immensely because, among other things, they were cheaper to manufacture, used no gas, and were more reliable. They became so popular that gas guns dropped out of favor and many manufacturers went out of business. However Tokyo Marui, along with some competitors, started developing more effective gas systems and began producing gas-powered guns that did not require an external tank for the gas (like those featured on modern paintball guns). Hop up systems were also invented at this time. By the mid to late 90’s AEGs were available in both America and Europe, and Airsoft really took off.

G&G Airsoft Guns

Today Airsoft is rapidly growing in popularity all over the world. Still extremely popular in Asia, Airsoft is now firmly cemented in America, Europe (especially the UK and Italy), Canada, and other countries around the world. There are professionally run fields everywhere, and the number of these fields is almost certainly dwarfed by the number of makeshift fields that kids and adults have built for themselves and their friends. There are a large number of manufactures making high quality Airsoft replicas, and they are even frequently used in films and on television. Today even Walmart sells Airsoft guns. They are terrible so don’t buy them, but it really says something about the popularity our little sport has gained in the last couple of decades.  So the next time you fire an Airsoft gun, remember that without overbearing Japanese gun control laws it wouldn’t even exist. So grab a gun from HobbyTron and I will see you on the field.