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Before we talk about what kind of gas is right
for your gun, it is important to get all the of technical terms out
of the way. Lets go over a few key terms to make sure everyone is up
to speed on their guns. Blowback - This type of gas gun is by far the
most popular. When you fire a bb, the top of the gun will rack
backwards like the real gun it is modeled after. The real versions
of the AirSoft guns, do this to eject a cartridge and then pull an
unfired round into the chamber. Since AirSoft guns do not have
cartridges this action is only implemented to make the gun more
realistic. The gun will pull a new bb into the chamber when it racks
back and this will be important to remember later on.
Non-Blowback - This type of gas gun does all
the reloading inside the gun and does not rack back. This saves
valuable gas in the clip and in some guns it will make the gun shoot
faster. What you sacrifice when you buy a non-blowback is realism
and the ability to field strip your gun. We will cover field
stripping another time but essentially it is taking your gun apart
so you can clean it. There is no way to easily clean the inside of
your non-blowback except for cleaning the barrel.
With that out of the way, unto discussing what
kind of gas your gun needs. There are three main kinds of gas on the
market today: Green gas, Red Gas and 134a Gas. Lets discuss each one
further since just a list is not very helpful.
Green gas - This is the most popular and most
used type of gas. For blowback guns with metal slides, automatic
guns (Glock 18s, Glock 19s and Berretta 93Rs) and gas grenade shells,
you have to use this gas or Red gas. When the gun racks back after
you fire, some of the energy of the gas released is being used to
push the slide. With 134a gas I have found that it is not powerful
enough in some guns to work effectively. If your blowback is
miss-firing and you notice that the slide is not moving as far as it
should, try using Green gas if your not already. Another benefit of
Green gas is that it contains silicon lubricants that help lube your
gun while you fire it. This comes in handy because it helps
counteract the stress that the gas is putting on your gun while it
is firing. Green gas will shoot harder then 134a and you should read
the manual your gun came with to see what kind of gas they recommend
you use.
134a gas - This gas is weaker then Green gas
and some guns can only use it. Tanaka revolvers and some
non-blowback guns are an example. This gas is recommended when the
temperature is high but we will talk about the effects of the
temperature later. 134a gas does not have any lubricants in it and
as mentioned earlier it could be too weak for your gun.
Red gas - If you want to fire your gas gun at
the maximum speed and have no regard for how long it lasts then you
should meet this gas in the Little White Chapel because your going
to love it. Red gas is the most powerful of the three kinds of gas
and it does not have any lubricants included. When you fire your gun
using red gas you will feel the difference. It will slowly destroy
your gun when used excessively but it will destroy the target you
where aiming for as well.
By now you should be either really bored or
feeling proud of yourself because you know something about the
different kinds of gas used in AirSoft. Just like in real life,
nothing is that easy. Lets talk about what the temperature does to
your gun and gas. In warm conditions, all the above information will
be all you need but when the conditions get hot and it is 85+
degrees outside then you have to adjust to this climate.
Imagine an ant trail that you have found
outside. As soon as you pull out your handy dandy magnifying glass and start
frying up some ant burgers, the line moves apart and chaos ensues. All the ants
run faster then they were before and if they were in a container, they would be
running into each other. This is how the temperature affects the gas. When it is
really hot outside the gas particles get excited and they move faster and the
pressure inside the container increases. If it gets too hot, you risk the chance
that the can of gas will explode. Take a second and breathe because that is an
extreme case and it is not very likely. If you are in a very hot climate make
sure to keep your can of gas in the shade and in a cool spot and you will be
fine. Along the same note, do not keep your can of gas in your car in direct
sunlight as well.
Besides the problems of the gas inside the
canister, the increased pressure will make breaking a seal on your clip more
likely. To counteract this, try putting half 134a and half Green gas. It is ok
to mix the gases and nothing bad will happen to your gun. It is like putting
Arco gas in your car and then next week putting Chevron, they will both work.
Who knew that so much could be said about gas?
Well we are almost done but I have one more thing to add. If you stopped reading
before now than you missed out on something really important. When you
rapid-fire your clip the release of gas will make your clip cold. When the clip
is cold, the gas will be constricted and you might not be able to get a full
clip. I get a lot of clips in to repair that have nothing wrong with them but
the 'miss-fire' sometimes. If this starts happening just warm up your clip by
rubbing it or using a spare clip.
Ok that is it people!
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