Whether you’re new to airsoft or are a seasoned pro, maintaining your kit is essential if you want to ensure your gun continues performing at its best and lasts for years to come.
When it comes to basic airsoft maintenance, you’ll need to know how to clean your gun, understand how to unblock it and use the right ammo to ensure you don’t damage anything, among other basic care and maintenance tasks.
If your airsoft gun ever needs a new part or an upgrade, check out our range of airsoft gun replacement parts to ensure you only ever have the best game.
How Long Does an Airsoft Gun Last?
A quality airsoft gun, along with all the best accessories, can leave your wallet feeling a little lighter, so you’ll obviously want to keep it in action as long as possible. Good maintenance and taking care of your airsoft equipment can help you ensure it keeps performing at a high level, leading you to victory on the field!
So long as you clean and maintain your gun, it should continue functioning for as long as you need it, with more major repairs likely required every couple of years.
Reasons Your Airsoft Gun Breaks
There are a couple of reasons why your airsoft gun starts to break or become faulty. Some common factors that can be fixed with a good maintenance routine include:
- Dirt or dust in the barrel – this needs to be properly cleaned.
- Dirt in other movable parts.
- Using incorrect lubrication.
- Dropping the gun on the ground or storing it somewhere insufficient.
Having a decent understanding of why certain problems might occur and how to fix them will help ensure you don’t have to turn to a professional at the first sign of trouble; although, there are some fixes that are best left to the professionals if you don’t want to cause further damage.
How Often Should You Clean Your Airsoft Gun?
Airsoft gun barrels need to be cleaned fairly regularly as BB pellets leave a residue when shot out of the gun, which can build up and prevent your gun from firing. This means how often you use your gun will affect how often you need to clean it.
You should look to clean your barrel about every two or three games or when you go through around 2000 BBs.
Many airsoft enthusiasts prefer to have the gearbox of their gun cleaned by a professional as it needs to be disassembled, which can be tricky if you don’t know what you’re doing. The barrel, however, is perfectly safe to clean yourself without fear of causing more damage.
How to Clean Your Airsoft Gun: Exterior Maintenance
When it comes to cleaning your airsoft gun, steer clear of strong cleaning products as these can damage the exterior of the weapon. You should only need to use a soft, damp cloth and a bit of elbow grease!
Most airsoft guns will require minimal cleaning when considering the exterior, so this is just a chance to remove any lingering mud or dirt that’s accumulated during a game. You may also want to use gun oil every now and again on any metal components to prevent rust and corrosion.
There are, however, certain elements of your gun, like the barrel, that will need a bit extra care.
How to Clean Your Airsoft Gun Barrel
To clean the barrel properly, spray a small amount of 100% silicone spray onto a cleaning patch on a cleaning rod and insert it into the barrel after you have turned off the hop up.
If the hop up is on, you can damage it, and the cleaning rod can become stuck. In fact, it is better for the barrel if you remove it from the AEG and hop rubber; however, as this can damage the hop rubber if done improperly or too often, we don’t recommend doing this unless you really know what you’re doing.
Clean the barrel using a back and forth motion, then remove the cleaning rod. Attach a new dry cleaning patch to remove any excess residue. Once the patch comes out clean, test fire the gun and reset your hop.
How to Care for Your Mags
Before you load your magazine, always check with the user manual of your gun and follow their advice. However, there are a couple of general rules worth remembering, including:
- Use clean, new BBs. Dirty BBs or ones which have been fired before and are now deformed can harm the mechanisms of your gun and cause magazines to jam.
- Keep your BBs and magazines away from dirt and debris to ensure no foreign bodies get stuck, which can, again, cause jamming.
Knowing Which Ammunition to Use
Only use high-quality BBs, as poor quality brands can damage both your gun and the barrel.
High-quality airsoft guns are designed to use 0.2-gram BBs or heavier. Any BBs lighter than this can jam or break and cause over hopping and inaccuracy.
You should never reuse your BBs as they become deformed once fired, as this can damage your airsoft gun.
If you are ever in doubt about the best ammo for your gun, please feel free to get in touch with our expert team at Surplus Store.
To find out more about the best air gun ammo, you can also read our guide to air gun ammunition.
How to Unjam an Airsoft Gun
Sometimes, your gun will jam, no matter how well you look after it, so knowing how to resolve this is essential.
If a BB jams in your gun, stop firing immediately. If you continue firing, it could lead to a broken gear or piston.
Completely turn off your hop up and insert the reverse end of your cleaning rod (which should be angled) into the barrel with the angle facing the feed tube in the magazine well.
Turn the gun upside down, look inside the magazine well and gently move the BB inside the barrel; you should see the BB pop out of the feed tube and then see the end of the cleaning rod. Test fire the airsoft gun, and if it sounds good, crack on!
If you are having trouble removing a BB or the problem keeps happening, it is worth seeking an expert’s help as there might be an underlying problem that you can’t resolve alone.
The Best Equipment for Airsoft Gun Maintenance & Cleaning
So what exactly will you need to keep your gun in tip-top shape?
Opting for an airsoft maintenance kit is often a good idea for beginners, as this will have most of what you need to get started. Exactly what is contained in a maintenance kit may vary depending on the product.
Common items included in many kits might include:
- Gear grease
- Bearing oil
- Oil remover and pump
- Lubricant
- Silicone oil
- Cleaning brush
You will also need to get your hands on:
- Cleaning/unjamming rod
- Cleaning patches/cloths
If you’re ever in doubt about the best way to care for your kit, get in touch with the Surplus Store team – we are always happy to advise on all things airsoft.
And if you’re looking to get your hands on quality airsoft guns in the UK, you’re certainly in the right place! Browse our range now to find the perfect gun or other accessories to give you that edge in your next airsoft game.