Rate of fire is one of those stats on your airsoft gun that makes the difference between pressuring the target down or letting them escape by an inch. Therefore, it is logical to assume that players want to increase the fire rate by upgrading the gun to the next level.
Fire rate is not only about performance, but there is something magical about the way the gun sounds and feels in arms, just like there is something magical about an engine in the car, you can sense it from afar.
The good news is that you can upgrade the fire rate on your airsoft gun without too much technical knowledge and you indeed might need it if you have a brand new stock airsoft replica that did not cost a fortune.
The thing with common brand new stock guns is that they are rarely upgraded to its full potential and it allows the owner to upgrade those parts that they want to perform on a high tier.
In this guide I will mention what are the components that affect the fire rate of your airsoft gun and how to upgrade them without a pain.
In short, the processes of how to increase the fire rate looks like the following:
To increase the fire rate on your airsoft gun you will need to change the batteries, motor and gearset by upgrading them with the superior one. Batteries are the easiest implementation (along with wires, connectors and MOSFET) that you should upgrade first and then move to more complex parts such as the motor and gearbox.
This guide is applicable for all AEGs and will make it easier to understand what affects the rate of fire and what components you may need to get, but I won’t document the whole upgrading process with photos and instructions in this post.
This is the series of upgrade guides, so feel free to check my guide on how to improve the accuracy if you feel that your airsoft gun could be more accurate.
1. Upgrade the batteries, connectors and wires
The very first step you should think of is to upgrade the batteries because brand new stock guns often do not come with the optimal battery.
This is also the cheapest and the easiest implementation that you can think of when trying to increase the rate of fire on your AEG.
The whole processes requires you to open the gun, take out the old battery and insert the new one, quite simple of a task and gun manuals always explain how to do this step by step, so you won’t get stuck.
A good battery will provide a motor with more energy which will better power the gears and piston of the AEG.
The best battery, wires and connectors choice for your AEG
There are different batteries on the market out there, but you want to get the one that has more power than the previous one, which is quite logical.
However, it does not mean that every more powerful battery will be a better pick, so if you do not want to make a long research on batteries, simply go with the proven-to-work LiPo batteries that are known for their long lasting quality.
The one that I recommend just like most people do is the 11.1 V lithium-polymer (LiPo) battery that you can find on Amazon here.
Simultaneously you will want to upgrade the connectors for the battery to Deans connectors which is also a very easy task and will maximize the effect of the new battery.
You will ideally want to do the same with the wires by switching to the more efficient low resistance wires.
The thing with low resistance wires is that they will optimize the electricity flow better and reduce the resistance and the heat accumulation.
My suggested pick for low resistance wires is the 16AWG.
In case that you do not have these but have a battery, they can be found on Amazon here.
2. Install MOSFET to the AEG
To install a MOSFET should be a norm in almost every case and it is certainly one of the ways to increase the gun’s performance and protect it from inner damages at the same time.
Some airsoft manufacturers already put a MOSFET in a gun, but very often they do not.
If your gun came with a low voltage battery, it will be easy to assume that the gun does not have a MOSFET installed either and this will certainly be a case if you had to upgrade the battery on your own.
MOSFET is a must in any high performing AEG because it allows the high voltage batteries to functionate properly by preserving their power, maximizing the efficiency of the electricity and further protecting the trigger system of your AEG from possible damages that can occur from accumulation of the heat and resistance.
If you decide to upgrade to the 11.1 V LiPo you will need to install MOSFET as well!
Best MOSFET picks for your AEG
When it comes to the best MOSFET I can suggest the following, but bear in mind that I recommend that you always do additional research to find the best opportunities that will suit you based on your expectations.
You can find one here on Airsoft Station for a pretty decent price.
A short conclusion on the first part
We have went through the easiest and cheapest implementations that one can do to increase the rate of fire on their AEG.
I want to sum-up the previous by saying that the whole idea you should primary focus on is to get a higher power battery that is properly connected and that its energy is properly transmitted to the motor.
Therefore, we may begin with an improved battery, but connectors, wires and especially important MOSFET play a big role in final performance and with these changes alone you can expect a solid up to 50% increased higher rate of fire.
( I have not literally measured the difference in performance by any scientific and mathematical techniques, it is rather my mere approximation on increased rate of fire that you can expect)
As you can see by now, its not just about the energy but also about how well is the energy preserved and transmitted within the gun.
The similar approach is also taken to the account when we try to maximize the FPS, accuracy and range of the gun. The difference is though, that in that case we want to seal the gun properly so no air unnecessarily escapes, but rather contributes to the accumulation of the power to its fullest potential.
The continued guide will be about motor and gearbox and you can expect this part to be quite expensive and difficult to manage if you are not experienced with the airsoft internals.
I suggest that you implement the mention improvements first because in that case you can already expect amazing difference in a fire rate, so upgrading the motor and gearbox may not be necessarily needed at this time.
If you decide to continue to follow, here we go.
3. Upgrade the motor
To say what difference may it make, you would need to compare the current motor to the new one, but approximately up to 40% or greater increased performance can be expected.
If you have an average stock motor upgrading to a better airsoft motor can mean a big difference in rate of fire and trigger response.
Motors are the heart and soul of every AEG, but yet again a gun never fulfills its full potential based on one component.
If you decide to upgrade the motor it is also recommended that you upgrade the gearset that will go well along with it to maximize its potential.
We will mention the gearbox next, but lets first talk about the importance of AEG motors and what change in rate of fire you can expect if you change the existing one for the better.
Speaking of this, there are almost no airsoft guns that will immediately come with the best performing motors on the market unless you have paid extra for it.
There are greater and more powerful motors that you can get for your AEG and expect a solid difference in rate of fire and trigger response.
It is easier to change the motor than to play with the gearbox, but it still is not a child’s game and will require some basic knowledge.
Best motor upgrade for your AEG (quick suggestion)
This motor works great with 11.1 LiPo battery, 12:1 and 13:1 gearset, so it should not disappoint you! However, I suggest that you look into my updated list of best airsoft motors. High torque and brushless motors are the best.
Alternatively, You can find an example of a motor you should be aiming for on Amazon here.
4. Upgrade the gearset
Upgraded gearset may result in another up to 40% increased fire rate performance.
Personally, I would not touch the gears anytime soon unless I were a master technician and really wanted to get that extra edge, so I won’t go too much into this.
To upgrade an airsoft gun means to have some knowledge on how the gun works and unless you are experienced or know someone who can do it for you, as a beginner it will take time before you can comfortably disassemble the whole gun and assemble it back to the functioning shape.
Gearbox is a very important part of the gun and it is directly connected with the motor, so for proper effectiveness the motor should also be of a higher tier.
Most airsoft guns come with the standard 18:1 ratio and that means that each time the motor spins for 18 times, the sector gear will make a full spin for once.
If you upgrade the gears with the 13:1 or something similar to that and lower than 18:1 it will result in higher rate of fire.
I think that 13:1 gearset seems to be the optimal pick, but 12:1 gearset also seems to be a choice of many players.
Therefore, this change will certainly make a big impact, but will also be a slightly bigger investment, especially when combined with the brand new motor that goes nicely with it.
If the money is not a problem, then you will still need some knowledge or pay someone to do it for you.
You can check on Airsoft Station the 13:1 gearset that is mentioned above to understand the point better.
Final conclusion on airsoft rate of fire upgrades
There you go, to upgrade the rate of fire on your AEG you do not need to upgrade the whole gun, but rather start with the easiest implementations that will provide you with a pretty decent change.
Some players want their gun to perform on the Godlike level and in that case you should consider upgrading the motor and the gearbox to reach the gun’s full potential.
The upgrades that I mentioned above should be more than solid and should not disappoint you, however always make a complete research for the best offers and options before you spend your whole budget, plan in advance on how you are going to implement those upgrades, whether you will be able to do it on your own or you will need someone else’s help.
The choices are there and it is up to you, but in my opinion you do not need some crazy rate of fire on your airsoft gun to perform competitively unless this is your higher goal and you want to take airsoft really serious and in that case I think that it is a wonderful idea!