Increasing range and accuracy

[adamraywilson]

I'm still a bit of a noob when it comes to the internals of airlift guns and was just wondering on the best noob(ish ) friendly upgrades i can do to my gun which are not to pricey that will help increse my range and accuracy as i am noticing that my bbs are curving off to the left ad to the right before than i think they should.

Things i think i know that help (correct me if im wrong):

Barrel extension

flat hop/ Rhop

Reducing vibration in the barrel

And thats about it and i do think i would be able to flat hop but was just wondering if i should just do it with my current rubbers (G & G) or should i buy better ones and if so what ones. And if anyone could actually explain the difference between flat hop and R hop and the best video tutorial out there.

Thanks for reading and apology for asking for so much

 

[Russe11]

Everyone expects barrel length to increase accuracy. Simple answer is it doesn't.

Complex answer: There is a minimum length needed for a bb to stabilise in the barrel. Anything below this and accuracy will be impaired. That minimum length is really short. In fact this is only a factor to consider with smaller pistols.

There is a maximum accurate length of barrel which is just slightly shorter than the length needed for the barrel to have the same volume as the cylinder. After this point the bb ceases to have high pressure behind it and no air is passing between the bb and the wall of the barrel. This means the bb is free to bounce around within the barrel.

Anywhere between the minimum and maximum described above, the bb should be relatively stable within the barrel. Between these 2 lengths, a longer barrel will just have a higher fps on exiting the barrel.

For better range and accuracy there are 2 things to improve. BB's are the easiest thing to change. Most people use 0.25's or 0.28's in AEG's as the extra weight will improve range and reduce the effect of wind and leaves. The hopup is the other. A good consistent hop unit that is well adjusted will make a fair amount of difference. Opinions vary on different mods.

 

[Samurai]

^^this

As said, good quality and heavy BBs are the key.

But first: clean the gun properly. If you can't take the barrel out, then use the cleaning rod with a slice of a paper towel with rubbing alcohol (isopropyl) to clean everything, including the hopup rubber. Do this a few times until it comes clean out. Then use dry paper towel and then do a few shots to clean the rest. If you can take the barrel out (and put it back properly) then use warm soapy water to clean the rubber and the barrel, then warm water. This usually improves accuracy significantly.

In a normal AEG I use 0.28 or 0.30g BBs. Way more accurate than light ammo and fly further and gets there faster.

I just moved to a house where I have a 45m range and I tested my 340 fps sniper rifle. With 0.28 it shoots the 45m in a high arc trajectory but with 0.36 it's almost a straight line. So imagine what happens on let's say 55m with this setting. The 0.28 will hit the ground but the 0.36 will still be flying. They both can reach longer distance but with lighter ammo I would have to aim way above the target.

Anyway. Clean the gun, use good quality and heavy BBs. Make sure your gun shoots 320+ fps and with some consistency (+-5fps is okay). Put some time into setting the hopup and the sights. First set the hopup, then the sigths to about 30-40m.

Then learn to shoot. This takes some time, but this improves the accuracy a lot. First learn to shoot a target at 30-40m from standing and on one knee because these will be the most used positions. Then stand sideways, turn toward the target and shoot. Then start standing with your back to the target. Then learn shooting from cover. Then learn shooting on the move.

While doing this use single shots and make sure the first shot hits. (There are a lot more to practice, this is just for improving accuracy.)

Only after these should you consider upgrading the gun IMO.

 

[Sacarathe]

In a normal AEG I use 0.28 or 0.30g BBs. Way more accurate than light ammo and fly further and gets there faster.

 

[proffrink]

Could be to do with the hop keeping it flatter for longer so it doesn't need to arc, or maybe that it doesn't shed its speed as early as lighter ammo.

 

[Samurai]

If that's the question then yes. Heavier BBs retain their speed better. On the first 20 meters they start slower but all weights are so fast there, the difference is milliseconds. After that, heavy BBs retain the speed better.

This graph is for BBs fired from an 1.14 Joules (350fps with 0.20) gun.