Lubricating your AEG/ Maintenance

[SAS1988]

Hi I've read about lots of things regarding lubricating and maintaining your AEG, from the type of silicone to use, to only spraying here, to using gun grease there. I need a bit of help to make sense of it.

I've got an all metal Colt M4 AEG. I'm told the crucial place is to spray silicone into the BB intake port. Is that accurate? Where else should I lubricate? My original box only comes with a very brief manual which does not describe any lubrication requirements.

Thanks lads. 

 

[Prisce]

Honestly, it’s a mixed bag depending on who you talk to. 

I’m a firm believer in don’t open it up until it gets noticeably worse or you need to replace a part, when it gets to this stage, fully service the gearbox internals, clean and re lubricate. Watch a couple of YT vids on This.

I have been told that some hard hop rubbers require a drop of silicone oil on them to stop them splitting, personally I can’t think of anything worse.

Barrel cleaning, Denatured alcohol/alcohol swab on a cleaning rod, turn hop off, measure up to hop, push in to hop(not through) twisting slowly to clean the barrel. Maybe monthly?

Thats all you’ll need for now. Others will tell you to do things to mags etc, I never have, so it’s up to you.

 

[Iceni]

Lubing your gun is quite personal. By that I mean everyone does something different, and what one person sees as right, another will shoot down.

As such there is no hard and fast way to lube a gun and please everyone.


The BB inlet port as you described it is part of the hop unit. Most people will avoid any lubrication there. If it gets onto the bucking it can mess with the backspin of the BB, Reducing range and accuracy. Some people will lube up the inner barrel, others will just clean it with rubbing alcohol.

Gearbox wise there is very little you can do without opening the gearbox. The rule of cool is metal on metal use a moly or lithium grease. Metal on plastic or plastic on plastic use a silicone based grease.

The externals of your gun should be wiped down every now and again with some oil, Silicone is fine sprayed into a rag, or in liquid form in the same way.

External moving parts generally get a light smear if silicone grease or left dry.

Plastic guns don't need external oil, A steel gun will need a light coat like a regular firearm, just to prevent rust.

 

[Sev]

I want to iterate what's been mentioned above...

NO LUBRICATION INSIDE THE BARREL GROUP

So that includes hop unit, bucking and barrel. Oil or grease in these areas will negatively affect the ability for your hop to apply backspin (as you are lubricating a part that relies on friction) as well as cause inconsistency in bb flight and accuracy. To add to that, any debris that comes into contact with those inner parts will stick inside and cause issues. A bucking will wear out eventually anyway, it's a sacrificial part, so no need to oil it. 

Clean your bucking in warm soapy water and dry naturally. Rubbing alcohol to clean the barrel. It should all be dry as a bone when you use it. Clean your barrel and bucking regularly. I do it roughly every thousand or two rounds in my AEGs, at a guess. If you're using bio bbs, then do it after every game.

Lubrication-wise it's really simple. You can use silicon or Teflon grease. Inside the box use just a little on the gears, cylinder head and piston o-rings, piston races and trigger trolley. Don't smear loads in there either. Don't ignore a touch on the motor pinion either. You WILL need to get inside the gearbox to lubricate periodically as that grease will dry up and your box will suffer, including drying/cracking o-rings and increased wear on gear teeth. Like any collection of moving parts, lubrication and servicing are important to maintain durability, reliability and lifespan. If you don't like the idea of doing that yourself, a technician will be able to help you.

Anywhere else is just to prevent corrosion on any bare metal parts, so just a squirt of silicon oil and rubbing it over the externals is fine. Normally only needed on exposed steel. 

nothing at all to get too confused about. Just remember to keep that crap out of your bucking and barrel!