Where to start upgrading an AEG

[Von Nimble]

As the title suggests, I am looking to start upgrading my G&G Predator's internal parts but I am a bit of a noob when it comes to mods. I was hoping for some tips on what to start with.

I have heard some people's AEGs giving a nice quiet, almost suppressed what kind of upgrades help with the sound an AEG makes?

Cheers

[salazar]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

Getting into the mech box and swapping parts is not for the fainthearted, you can end up doing more harm than good if you don't know what you are doing.

Start off with changing barrels and hop up units. They are easier to do and will give you a taste of upgrading.

If you're planning on taking it to someone else you can get them to look at changing pistons, springs, bushes, gears, the motor and so on. If you take it to someone they will probably be able to tell which parts are not that good and could benefit from being upgraded

[Von Nimble]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

I have been looking into upgrading hop up and inner barrel to a right bore as they do seems like good starter mods but I have also read that the differences they give are negligible and more finishing touch mods. What sort of improvements do those mods give?

[tackle]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

What's wrong with it ?????

I ask 'cos if it ain't broke don't fix it !

If your not versed in v2 boxes & its doing everything you ask of it then leave well alone, could get a lot of aggro for very little gain

[Sprint]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

Some of the best gains are always had from the hop unit, however it also depends what make of AEG you intend on buying, if you start out with a high end brand such as Tokyo Marui or similar they really do perform VERY well straight out of the box, leaving you free to mod your guns looks and spend more time out playing improving your shooting and tactical skill experience instead.

Goin back to hop unit, a quality bucking and nub alone will help improve consistency and tighten up shot groupings, as will a good quality barrel.

A tightbore barrel is not THE key, a consistent and true barrel is the key.

[salazar]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

In terms of Hop up units and barrels they can make your gun more accurate and feed the BBs better so you don't double fire quite as much.
It will all depend on how good the current barrel and hop up chamber you already have is. If it is quite good then you won't see much improvement by changing it, if it isn't that good then you could see quite a bit of improvement.

[Sprint]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

Oh missed the 'quiet AEG' part of the question!

A lot of AEG noise is usually from the motor height / backlash being incorrectly set, if over tight it will sound strained and whiney, if too loose it will sound slack and mechanically noisy.

And extra noise from poor air seal, this noise is caused by the compressed air having another way to escape other than the intended route: out the barrel! This in turn means the piston inside the gearbox slams into the cylinder head macking a loud thwack / crack noise. This is another area where the hop unit can help.
If you search around there is lots of information around on how to check for good air seal in various places on your gun.

Again going inside the gearbox gets more involved, if youre keen to learn, buy a cheapo gun and chrono, play about with it and see what you can acheive.
Then when youre confident upgrade your main gun.

Nothing teaches you more than hands on experience!

Have fun!

[Eradicus]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

These guns have pretty good gears, electronic trigger, mosfet and I run mine on 11.1v no problem.

The hop units on these are pretty good to be honest.

Step one I'd say is set up a target at a big game and see how accurate it is. Compare it to other rifles with similar intermediate length barrels.

If yours is as good as all the other ones, buy a new gun instead of upgrading an already great one.

Also try some quality heavier weight bb's. See if you can get any more range and accuracy out of them.

Setup a target at a known distance, fire 30 rested aimed shots at it once you have it zero'd in and see how big the group is.

Change bb weight and repeat.

Every barrel/hop combo will like a slightly different bb best.

[tackle]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

Yep, hop is prob most important part of the gun, too many people focus solely on fps, trying to hit their site limits, only to find range & accuracy is still poo.
Quick story, stopped a player wrapping his m4 dmr round a tree mid game, screaming its shit & needs to die lol, no really.
Quick shufty in the safe zone showed his hop was damaged/incomplete, quick fix with with some fast setting two part putty & a bit of a twig as a nub & this thing was firing like an interplanetary laser.
Yet put me in a workshop with the best parts, nothing is guaranteed lol, feckin typical

[Paul55]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

Also with the noise, it will seem louder to you simply because your ear is so close to the gearbox & motor. Get someone to listen from around 30-40 feet away for a true idea.

[Ells]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

In addition to what's already been said; sorbo pads would be a wise investment and also as heavy BBS as your gun can lift. Not an internal, but something quite a few people miss

[speedbird_666]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

As you're even asking the question in the first place means that you should really leave your gearbox alone. Seriously, leave it the f**k alone, especially if it's your only gun.

If you want to muck about with gearboxes, buy a dead gun or second hand gearbox and practice on that.

Concentrate on quick wins, a decent high torque motor, barrel and hop unit/rubber will yield dividends. Flat hop if you so wish, it's a cheap addition if you modify a bucking and make your own nub from a pink eraser (YouTube is your friend).

Buy decent BBs, at a decent weight and you're golden.

[Von Nimble]

Re: Where to start upgrading an AEG

Cheers for the advice everyone! I'll be steering well clear of the gear box for now. The shout about getting a cheap gun to muck about with is a stunning idea, thanks!

For my main gun I'll likely just be trying some upgraded rubber on a metal hop for now, seeing if there's any gain, then a tightbore barrel just to bring the grouping in a little more when I know I've got good compression behind the BB. Motors and gearboxes will come later and I'll be speaking to my local techie about it rather than diving in and killing my rifle.

Again, cheers everyone!