If you’re a new player just getting into airsoft, the amount of technical terms bandied around can be overwhelming. You go looking for ways to improve your airsoft rifle and quickly find yourself down a forum rabbit hole going into every niche detail of your specs.
One thing you might see pop up is questions about barrel lengths. After all, if that’s where your ammo is flying from, surely that’s something that can be improved?
You might be surprised to hear that the length of your barrel actually has little to do with the accuracy of your gun.
Understanding the Impact of Barrel Lengths
Obviously, the barrel is where the magic happens in both real steel and airsoft guns.
In airsoft, whether you’re using a gas blowback (GBB) or automatic electric gun (AEG), BB pellets are pushed out by compressed air when the trigger is pulled. This air has to be a powerful enough propellant to push the BB out at enough speed for it to travel to its intended target, instead of just rolling out the barrel.
In this sense, the barrel length is crucial – if the barrel is too long for the amount of air pressure, the BB will lose momentum before it’s been shot out. On the other hand, if there’s too much air being forced out, it can cause unnecessary pressure on the weapon’s parts and create a loud noise when it escapes the barrel.
Why Barrel Length Doesn’t Matter to Most Players
When most people start to ask questions about barrel length, it’s usually down to wanting the most accuracy they can get. Basic logic suggests that a longer barrel would be more accurate as the BB has more time to steady itself, but it’s much more complicated than that.
There are so many different factors that go into the accuracy of an airsoft gun, including the quality of the inner barrel (hopefully free of defects or bumps) and its diameter compared to the BBs it's firing, the gun’s hop-up unit and the weight of the BBs themselves. Once you consider everything as a whole, the actual length of the barrel is a minor consideration.
The relative unimportance of the relationship between barrel length and accuracy is evident when you consider high-quality pistols and high-quality airsoft sniper rifles. So long as it’s a quality weapon, it will be accurate regardless of the barrel length.
The same goes for the power or FPS of your airsoft weapon. While you might think that tweaking the barrel length can help, there are many other factors, including the mechanics of the weapon itself, that have a much higher impact.
The only time you really need to be considering your barrel length is if you’re looking to tech your weapon and make serious adjustments. If that’s you, we’d recommend speaking to our technical team, who can help with custom advice regarding any changes.
Other Important Factors to Consider for Airsoft Accuracy & Power
For most new players, barrel length should not be the most important thing to consider when choosing an airsoft gun, except if it’s a style you like and feel comfortable wielding. If improved accuracy or power are high on your mind, here are some things you might want to consider instead.
BB Quality & Weight
Beginners can sometimes make the mistake of not using the ideal ammo for their airsoft weapon.
Heavier BBs tend to be more accurate as they maintain their force over longer distances. However, if the BBs you’re using are heavier than your weapon can deal with, you’ll start to see less consistent shooting, not to mention that you’ll also be putting unnecessary strain on your weapon.
Experiment with different BBs to see which shoots best in your weapon. Also, make sure you only use BBs from reputable brands; higher-quality pellets will have fewer minor defects, meaning their flight is more consistent and they’ll do less damage to the inner barrel on the way out.
Airsoft Weapon Maintenance
You’d be surprised by how much of a difference cleaning your airsoft gun can make to accuracy – it’s something new players so often underestimate.
In airsoft weapons, you’re often relying on the BBs flying through a barrel only slightly wider than the balls themselves. If any kind of dirt or grease starts to build up in there, it could knock the BB off course by enough to start sending your shots wayward.
If you’re not doing so already, get into a routine of airsoft weapon maintenance, and you’ll soon see the results on the field.
Adjust the Hop-Up
If you’re still bemused by a lack of accuracy on your airsoft weapon, one thing to potentially inspect is the hop-up.
The hop-up is arguably the single most important thing for an airsoft weapon’s accuracy. It’s a small device that creates backspin on the BB when it’s fired, which causes it to float slightly upwards (hence the name) and keep a flatter trajectory for longer.
Adjusting the hop-up is a slightly different process on different airsoft guns. Again, our team would be happy to help with technical adjustments like this, or you can speak to experienced players at your local range.
For more technical tips, why not check out our blog on FPS in airsoft and why it matters?