A little confused about different gas power ratings

[Aunty Pasty]

At the moment I have around the house various bottles of gas:

Abbey Predator Ultra gas

Zero One Pro gas

WE premium green gas

Am I correct in saying that all three cans are more or less equivalent in terms of power (fps)?

Until very recently I had assumed that the Abbey Ultra gas was more powerful but recently I read something online which suggested that it may actually be less powerful than the WE gas or of a similar power.

I had assumed that the Abbey Ultra gas was the modern day equivalent of red gas (being in a red can) and that the Abbey 144a gas (green bottle) was their equivalent of green gas. Now I think I'm wrong but not sure. Can somebody clarify this for me please. I know red gas is more powerful than green gas.

Thanks.

 

[TheGrover]

Red gas is actually something they sell out in eastern Asia for airsoft, you cant buy Red Gas in the UK, but you can buy gas in a red can.

Back to the original question, the best way to find out is to put rach gas in a mag and take the chrono test, and let the science decide.

Generally, abbey gasses are less powerful than others, but usr UPL instead of silicone which is a better lubricant for gbb purposes, and on top of that, Abbey's QC is far better than the producers that WE or other brands use since Abbey is more a chemist than an airsoft supplier, so one can of predator will be almost identical to the next, whereas other brands may differ from batch to batch and even bottle to bottle

 

[PT247]

144a is the weakest, then predator ultra, no idea about the pro gas and green gas is in the past the strongest. WE now sell Nuprol 2.0 (in a green can), Nuprol 3.0 (in a red can) and Nuprol 4.0 (in a black can). The 4.0 is their strongest gas

I use 144a as a maintenance gas if leaving mags unfired for a while. In winter I'm using Nuprol 4.0 in my GBBRs and in summer will probs have to switch to Nuprol 2.0 if not running HPA.

 

[TheGrover]

well, now im at my computer, i can share what i've gleaned.

Generally, 144a is indeed the weakest, developed for games in the land of TM where fps limits are generally very low.

once you get to Europe and America, Green gas is the standard, though different producers use different recipes, so obviously each gas is different, sometimes two cans of "Green Gas" from different manufacturers can be very different, the only way to find out it to test the two. there may be a wide scale test done elsewhere to compare a bunch of gasses, but ive not seen it.

Abbey, as i mentioned, is a chemical company, so they produce very consistent gasses, and they dont fall into the trap of using silicone, which is a CRAP lubricant for airsoft purposes. Granted, it is very plastic/rubber friendly, a quality which is definitely needed, but it does not dissolve in gas, and will settle to the bottom of the can/mag and need shaking before it is any good. Let me quickly point out the major flaw in this: most gas magazines have two seals, one on the inlet valve and one on the outlet valve, these are usually at opposite ends of the mag. this means that when the silicone settles when you put them away ready for the next skirmish, the silicone can only possibly settle onto one of them. the other will be surrounded in dry (ish, depending on the ingredients) propane, which is will slowly dry out the seals, granted, it might take longer than a couple of weeks until the next time you load up for a skirmish or just to fiddle with the guns.

By contrast, the UPL lubricant used by Abbey Predator DOES remain suspended in the gas, and prevents the propane from drawing out any lubricant (silicone or UPL) from the seals, averting both problems. i personally use Coleman's propane as a propellant during games, and vent the mags at the end of each day and replace the dirty propane with Abbey maintenance gas, which is a 144a gas designed specifically to keep the seals lubricated, using a healthy dosing of UPL.

also note, that no brand green gas will inevitably be less pure than Abbey gas, and regular propane will be the least pure of them all. These little impurities might not be too bad for the gun, but over time will deposit inside the gun and particularly the barrel, and these can be anything that can remain in the gas, such as tiny fragments of metal from the various containers that the gas is moved through over its life, or other unassorted crap.

at the end of the day though, it comes down to:

1. what you can afford
2. what gas gives your particular gun a consistent FPS comfortably below your local site(s) limit(s)

 

[Aunty Pasty]

Thank you for your responses. Very interesting. I had assumed that there was some sort of standard that everyone worked to but it seems there's quite a bit of variance around.

 

[SeniorSpaz87]

Yep, there is. I use Abbey 144a maintenance gas for storing mags, or when a gun is shooting too hot for my site The Mall . Otherwise I use WE Green gas, WE Nuprol (Green) 2.0, or Abbey Ultra gas in my MP7 and my pistols. I also have a big bottle of the WE Nuprol (Black) 4.0 gas for my 40mm grenades, but I don't usually use it.

 

[TheGrover]

Thank you for your responses. Very interesting. I had assumed that there was some sort of standard that everyone worked to but it seems there's quite a bit of variance around.

In Asia, Green Gas (Note the capitals) is the standard, but in europe, its more or less a free for all