Beginners Guide: What is an AEG?

What is an AEG?

AEG Stands for Automatic Electric Gun, and is a battery powered Airsoft gun which is driven by a gearbox and motor. While there are various versions of gearbox available, these simply denote the shape of the gearbox and thus which platform they are designed for. 

The gearbox functions by drawing power from a rechargeable battery and spinning the motor which turns the three gears inside the gearbox. These gears pull back the piston against the spring, and at the end of the cycle the piston is released, sending a blast of compressed air out of the nozzle. The nozzle pushes the BB into the HOP unit, where the compressed air from the piston sends the BB down the inner barrel and onto the target. This cycle can be repeated at an impressive rate, allowing AEGs to fire in both Semi and Fully automatic. 

The nature of this design helps AEGs perform well all year round and in any weather condition, making them the most popular platform to use in Airsoft Skirmishes. AEGs are the easiest Airsoft Gun to maintain, offer the best overall performance and can be used with equal effectiveness in any ambient temperature, which is why we recommend an AEG to any first time Airsoft Gun buyer. 

The AEG's power comes from its spring and air compression parts, whilst its rate of fire and trigger response (how quickly the gun fires when the trigger is pressed) are controlled by the battery. 

Upgrading to a stronger spring will increase the power of the AEG, though usually other upgrades are required to keep an upgraded AEG running reliably. Upgrading an AEG's spring is usually an unnecessary step, unless the AEG is to be locked to Semi-automatic only and used as a DMR, and may result in your AEG being above legal velocity limits, rendering it useless for skirmishing. Using a battery of higher voltage can increase rate of fire and trigger response, but comes at a cost of significantly increased wear on parts and possible damage to the electrical components of the AEG. We advise that you only use the battery size recommended in the "Specifications" section for each AEG, as many AEG will have different sized battery compartments and are rated for different voltages. 

Batteries and chargers are generally not supplied with AEGs, and when they are we advise that you do not use the included batteries. It is important that your AEG gets the fuel it needs, and a good battery will keep your AEG running well for the whole skirmish and avoid the disappointment of relying on a poor quality battery which can cause sluggish performance. 

It is important that you feed your AEG properly. Airsoft AEGs are a far cry from cheap spring-powered BB guns, and have precision brass inner barrels requiring highly polished projectiles to avoid jams and internal damage. We advise that you only ever use high quality BBs in your Airsoft AEG, you can easily tell these apart by their high polished surface, flawless finish and weight. The minimum BB weight an AEG needs is 0.2 grams to get the most out of the HOP up and ensure reliable feeding and long term performance. Avoid any BBs which are transparent, of a bright colour (yellow for example) or appear to have a matt finish or surface flaws. Here at Patrol Base, we do not sell any low quality BBs, so when stocking up with us you can be sure your AEG is getting the BBs it needs to stay healthy!