Cleaning out the barrel of your airsoft guns is something that should be done regularly and the first thing you should check if you start to encounter problems or lacking performance. Even if your gun is new or recently serviced it’s possible that excess lubricant from the cylinder has been blown into the barrel and has begun to obstruct the BBs passing through and if you have played in the rain you should definitely give the inner barrel a clean through before you play again. We are not talking about great big clumps of filth here either, BBs are relatively lightweight and all it takes is the smallest speck of grime or grit to upset their flight path and the critical rotation imparted by the hop unit.
A word of warning…
When cleaning or inspecting your gun’s inner barrel it’s unbelievably tempting to peer down the barrel in the vain hope you will see some offending objects in there. Put simply, DON’T! Always treat your airsoft gun as if it is loaded until the hop unit has been cleared and the battery has been disconnected. Better still, never put your eyes near the muzzle of your gun unless you are wearing suitable eye protection.
Things you’ll need…
• A clean, clear workspace
• A clean lint-free cloth (lens cloth)
• Silicone Oil
• Barrel cleaning rod.
STEP 1 – Remove Barrel
It’s possible to clean the barrel of your gun by simply turning the hop unit fully off and simply poking the cleaning rod inside the gun but it can be difficult to assess your results and verify that the barrel is as spotless as it needs to be. To do that you really need to remove the barrel from the gun. Most modern AEGs allow you to do this rather easily so follow your procedure to remove the inner barrel and hop unit from the rest of the gun. When you have it separated, it’s time to remove the hop unit from the end of the barrel too.
STEP 2 – Spot Check
With the barrel separated you can now give it a good once over to see where your problem lies. If you have been encountering jams, poor groupings, or varying FPS readings you could have dirt inside the barrel. Hold it up to the light and look through the inside. Any dirt should be quite easy to see and you might also notice some concentric rings inside the barrel, unless these are pronounced they are likely to be a side effect of the manufacturing process but if you can see any particularly pronounced marks or imperfections you barrel might be defective or the lining worn. Other places to check are the ends of the barrel where the BBs enter and leave. Make sure they are smooth, round, and free from burrs. If your inner barrel is slightly bent, you will encounter problems so roll it along a flat surface to ensure it’s perfectly straight.
STEP 3 – Clean Out
If your barrel is free from any defects, you should clean any dirt from the inside. Using a sharp pair of scissors, cut a 10mm x 30mm strip of your lint free cloth and thread it through the eye of the cleaning rod. Twist the rod to wrap the strip around and form a large Q-tip like device. Spray a little Silicone Spray down the barrel and quickly run the cloth through with the rod. Repeat this process two or three times until the inner of the barrel is completely clean. Finally, cut another piece of cloth and run it through the barrel completely dry to remove any excess silicone oil.
STEP 4 – Rubber refit
Once your barrel is cleaned, you will need to begin the process of re-assembly and the first stage is to fit the hop rubber sleeve to the end of the barrel. Before doing so give it a once over and check for wear, nicks or tears in it. There will all drastically reduce the performance of your gun. Also check inside the rubber for any grit or dirt, if necessary clean with a tiny amount of silicone spray on a patch of cloth and always remove the excess with a clean dry piece. Before inserting the barrel back into the hop unit, apply a drop of regular silicone oil to the outside of the hop sleeve. This will make it easier to insert into the hop unit without creasing or stretching. Take care not to get any inside the barrel though.
If you have any questions about this airsoft blog please contact us at Just Airsoft Guns USA.