Home

Battery Packs 

Inner Barrels

Springs

Gears

Links

Sources

Email Grim

This document includes a general overview of what an AEG is, and how it works, and a closer look at some of the key components of the AEG and the benefits and drawbacks to upgrading these components.  This document will not cover how to perform the various upgrades, but rather concentrate on the benefits and liabilities of those upgrades.

What is an AEG?

AEG is an acronym for Automatic Electric Gun.  The AEG is generally the primary weapon used in playing airsoft.  A typical AEG uses a DC motor, powered by an 8.4V battery pack to drive an air piston through a set of gears.  AEGs are typically capable of selectable fire modes, with the operator choosing between semi-automatic fire, or fully-automatic fire via a selector switch.  AEGs are most commonly modeled after their "real-steel" counterparts, and look like genuine firearms, so caution should be used, as they may be easily mistaken for the real thing.

What AEG should I get?

It's really pretty tough to make a bad choice, but there are a few guidelines a new airsoft player should follow in choosing their first AEG.  The first consideration is what brand to buy.  It is probably best for new players to purchase one of the many Tokyo Marui products, as they are the most consistent and reliable on the market.  Tokyo Marui were the first to manufacture AEGs in quantity and have the most refined and consistent product in the marketplace.

The next factor to consider is what you intend to do with the AEG.  Are you going to sit back with it and pick targets off at range?  Are you going to be charging in, engaging at close range?  Or are you going to be doing some combination of the two?  For the sniper, a larger gun with a long barrel, like the G3 SG1 or M-16A2, is ideal.  For the close quarters combat specialist, something small and light is a better choice, such as an MP5-K.  Odds are that you will fall somewhere in the middle, making the best choice one of the many intermediate AEGs.  Really, for most people anything ranging in size from a sub-machinegun up to a light assault rifle,  make excellent all around choices that are accurate enough at range, and easy enough to handle in tighter quarters.

What it all really comes down to is what AEG's style appeals to you the most.  If there's a certain model AEG that you find yourself particularly attracted to, and it isn't a special purpose piece, you should be more than satisfied with it in a variety of conditions.  Just don't buy a sniper rifle and expect it to be nimble, and don't buy a machine pistol and expect to hit people at 150 feet.

Can I work on my own AEG?

Can you?  Yes.  Should you?  Probably not.  At least not until you've gotten a chance to get familiar with AEGs, and preferably observed someone who knows what they're doing taking one down.  If you don't know what you are doing, there is a fair chance that you may end up breaking something.  If you can't afford to accidentally break something, then you definitely shouldn't be fiddling around inside your AEG unless you know what you are doing.