VSR-10 sniper is among the most popular airsoft snipers on the market and there are a few great brands that produce them.
However, just like it’s the case with most airsoft snipers, they need to be upgraded to reach their full potential.
There are many VSR-10 upgrades you can choose from, but not all are essential and worth your money.
Thus I created a short guide that will help you figure out what upgrades you should get for your VSR-10 and why.
Best starting VSR 10 sniper
Tokyo Marui VSR 10 is in my opinion the best VSR 10 out there which can get superb with further upgrades.
However, JG Bar 10 is another great starting sniper you can get that is based on a Tokyo Marui VSR 10, they are upgrade-friendly and will serve as good entry guns along the way.
If I were you I’d get whatever I could find in stores that would fit my budget, because eventually, you’ll want to replace most parts with higher-grade parts and slowly create a monster out of it.
Thus, these two models are great starters because they are quality built from the outside and inside except for the obvious lack of high-grade inner parts that affect the effectiveness.
The only performance difference between these two snipers is that TM VSR 10 has slightly better hop-up straight out of the stock compared to JG Bar 10, but JG Bar 10 has a stronger spring and is more durable for high FPS meaning you’ll be able to rock heavier BBs which will help you on windy days.
I can’t give a serious advantage to one over another, but I guess the hop-up quality probably edges here as Tokyo Marui guns are known for having low FPS but crazy good hops-ups that make all the difference.
You should anyways upgrade both guns to make them properly good!
Durability upgrades
Once you combine these two upgrades you’ll have a great durability upgrade and will avoid issues of slam firing which is terrible and would otherwise happen sooner or later on stock versions.
Slam firing is a common problem on VSR-10 snipers as it happens that over time, the sear wears down and it can’t hold the piston back when you pull the trigger.
Trigger set and piston
Stock versions don’t have a good and durable trigger unit and there’s no action without pressing the trigger, so it better be good.
While this might not be the most important upgrade, it’s meaningful because if you are mainly running a sniper role you’ll want to become one with the sniper, and the difficult-to-press, the non-reactive trigger is going to seriously annoy you.
An upgraded trigger unit will make a big difference, and once you feel the difference you’ll know what I am talking about.
The new piston goes nicely in pair with a trigger unit upgrade, and it’s important to do both on VSR 10 sniper rifles for a real difference.
When buying these two upgrades make sure they are compatible, as there are 45 and 90-degree systems. Every trigger unit must fit the piston otherwise you won’t be able to upgrade it.
This is a simple check, yet not something to overlook accidentally.
For example, get a 90-degree trigger set from a reputable brand such as Maple Leaf or something similar that will fit VSR 10.
Spring guide, Cylinder, and Cylinder head
All these durability upgrades are optional and I wouldn’t prioritize them unless I had a big budget right at the beginning.
Both VSR 10 models I mentioned above are good enough so that you don’t have to worry that these parts will give up any time soon.
So, it’s probably best to wait and replace them sometime later after you put serious service time on your sniper.
Performance upgrades
Performance upgrades may matter the most when it comes to the performance of your VSR-10, but only after you are sure the durability of your sniper can handle them.
I’ll explain what parts you should get, but let me show you the sets I found on Airsoft Station and Amazon, that will work great for VSR-10 Snipers and you may save a buck by buying the sets instead of each piece individually.
Moreover, here’s a great Elvish Tac set with R-hop and Prometheus inner 6.03 barrel.
Inner Barrel
Regarding the inner barrels, I believe that a 6.03 mm barrel is a safe choice, but probably a 6.02 mm would be a good choice too as it gets right in the middle acquiring the benefits of 6.01 and 6.03mm barrels.
Inner barrels are important, but it’s not just about the length as it doesn’t equal a better distance, rather it’s about the quality of the build.
Material and technique used in the building of a barrel are what you should be looking for, and you can be certain that manufacturers don’t put the very best inner barrels in stock versions.
A solid choice is a Prometheus 6.03mm, but I am sure you could find other inner barrels that will work great too, I am just mentioning what I am familiar with the most.
If you find a long inner barrel that will stick out you’ll need to mask it with a silencer so you don’t bend it or allow the dirt to enter.
Spring
Velocity isn’t everything, but it certainly helps.
Spring upgrade is sometimes the difference you are looking for, while sometimes it won’t impact the gun positively at all and may as a matter of fact break it.
We don’t have to worry about a gun breaking from a powerful spring if we did a few mentioned durability upgrades, but it’s important to bear in mind that many stock guns with a weak spring for a reason don’t have a stronger spring.
Furthermore, a powerful spring will give VSR-10 sniper the required velocity to propel heavier BBs which as a result have a dramatic change in accuracy.
The extra FPS will work great with a good hop-up on TM VSR-10, and although it will be a noticeable upgrade on every other VSR-10 sniper including the mentioned JG Bar 10, you’ll see the real difference once you upgrade the hop-up as well.
You should get M170 SPRING.
Hop Up Arm
Hop Up Arm is a small upgrade that doesn’t look impressive at all, after all what’s a single piece of metal going to do? Well, a lot.
This small arm helps the hop-up bucking to acquire even pressure which stays consistent.
Sometimes the small disturbance in symmetry can mean a weird BB trajectory, but when everything is stuck in place, such a small difference makes the sniper automatically 20%+ better.
Bucking
A good bucking is important for achieving the desired backspin on a BB, so you can just be sure that hop-up upgrades will certainly impact the performance of a sniper.
Choose a quality bucking from a reputable brand, and you’ll be one step closer to the perfect sniper that will reach over 200 feet with ease.
Silencer
Tactical Silencer is not a necessary upgrade but rather a tool for covering inner barrels that stick out for protection purposes.
The second obvious reason for installing silencers is the appearance as they look so badass and for me, this would be the reason good enough to install it.
If you wonder how useful are silencers on airsoft guns regarding noise reduction, check it out, it’s not a big difference but in some cases, it can play a small role.
You might need a silencer adaptor to fit it, so I found one compatible with TM VSR 10 on Amazon (Link to Amazon).
Barrel spacers
Barrel spacers stabilize the inner barrel, so whenever you shoot, the inner barrel doesn’t shake.
You may think that airsoft sniper is not powerful enough to shake the barrel by default or that the stock versions are already dealt with this, but that’s not the case.
Although it’s not that obvious at first, barrel spacers will make a noticeable difference and you’ll see better accuracy of your shots with this simple upgrade.
You can buy barrel spacers as they are super cheap, but it’s also possible to use tape and do it yourself if you have time and will. In case you are doing it on your own, assure the layer of tape is thick and equal at all places, you don’t want to be cheap on tape.
Final take
These VSR-10 Upgrades are just some that I had in mind and you can find more useful upgrades from reputable airsoft brands.
In either case, you should expect to pay for upgrades at least what you paid for a stock sniper.
Every airsoft spring sniper needs plenty of upgrades to become a machine, so you should know what you are entering before deciding to become an airsoft sniper.
However, once you get these upgrades you’ll be the force everyone will try to avoid, yet unsuccessfully as you’ll score hits from the shadows and earn the title of a ghost.
Fortunately, while you are upgrading your VSR-10, snipers such as TM or JG BAR will work very well straight from the stock, so you’ll still have plenty of time and with each upgrade, you shall grow!