Airsoft AEG Upgrade Guide : How do I increase rate of fire?
Improving Rate of Fire - High ROF Airsoft AEG Build
If you are interested in increasing the rate of fire of your Airsoft AEG, first you have a lot of research to do! The world of Airsoft internal upgrades is vast, and there are a wide variety of parts out there, many of which require other upgrades to ensure smooth running in the long term.
That said, with some experience working on gearboxes, and the knowledge in this article, you should be able to enhance your AEG to get a few more pews downrange per second, increasing your ROF and thus your hit probability.
Putting together your dream high ROF build will be a complex and time consuming process, and we advise that you consult an experienced Airsoft technician before attempting to upgrade your AEGs internals if you have never done this kind of thing before.
This article should help you cut down on buying errors, and prevent you from forgetting something important by giving you our favourite parts combination for increasing the rate of fire on your Airsoft AEG to keep heads down and tally more kills in game!
What parts do I need to improve my AEGs rate of fire?
Minor Electrical Upgrades
Deans connector - Reduced resistance, better electrical efficiency
Installing a Deans connector is one of the best ways to get an instant boost in the rate of fire of your Airsoft AEG. This increase will be noticeable, but not to the point that your AEG will need further upgrades to cope with the increase in speed. The design of the Deans connector has inherently lower resistance than the Mini-Tamiya connector, and as such is more efficient in delivering power from your battery to your motor.
Heavy gauge wiring - Reduced resistance, faster trigger response
Rewiring your AEG to use heavier gauge wiring will also increase the rate of fire of your AEG, and the trigger response due to the reduced resistance in the wiring, granting a similar rate of fire increase as that gained when a mini-Tamiya connector is swapped for a Deans connector.
Carrying out one or both of these upgrades should give many Airsofters seeking a higher rate of fire exactly what they need, without creating a need for strengthened parts and significant gearbox upgrades. If you want a terrifying setup, the mere sound of which sends Airsofters running for the safe zone, these upgrades will be required at some point over your journey, so we recommend starting here. To continue pulling the thread, and read our suggestions for a more demonic but still sensible high rate of fire setup, read on!
Enhanced Internal Parts
Motor - ASG Boost Ultimate Motor 30K
Let's get the juicy side of things dealt with first, if you want an AEG with what many would regard as an excessive rate of fire, one of the best ways to get there is with an upgraded motor. The ASG Boost Ultimate Motor uses high strength neodymium magnets and large carbon brushes together with high grade silver plated wiring to provide its astonishing 30,000 revolutions per minute. In theory, using an 18:1 gearset, this motor should be capable of providing nearly 1600 rounds per minute, approximately twice what most real assault rifles can do, and around 25 rounds per second!
We love this motor for its combination of superb performance, compatibility with MOSFETs such as the Gate TITAN, and its astonishing value for money. Once upon a time, a 30K motor would cost several times the amount of cash an ASG Boost will set you back, making high rates of fire ever more accessible!
Strengthened Gearset - Laylax EG Hard Gear Set 18:1 Ratio for Version 2/3 Gearbox
With a new high performance motor installed, you run the risk of damaging standard gears and causing a catastrophic failure, which will happen extra quickly due to your now monsterous ROF! We recommend an upgraded gear set to ensure your setup lasts as long as possible at its new, high level of performance. Gears of standard (18:1) ratio are perfect for the job, as going for a higher ratio will stretch the gearbox internals to the point that even more upgrades are necessary, and parts such as pistons and tappet plates will need replacing on a regular basis.
Our chosen gearset for this task is the Laylax EG Hard Gear Set, as these gears are constructed from hardened steel and have an 18:1 ratio, making them perfect for smooth and long-lasting function in a high performance set-up. The added benefit of using standard ratio gears is that the internal setup can either be optimised for a high rate of fire, or for a high torque setup suited to higher strength mainsprings, so if you change your mind down the line you won't need yet another set of gears to build a DMR!
Hardened Tappet Plate - Laylax Perfect Tappet Plate V2 or V3 Gearbox
The tappet plate is the part of the gearbox that is responsible for the movement of the air nozzle and interacts directly with the sector gear inside your gearbox. As the gears spin faster with a powerful motor behind them, the tappet plate will often be the first part to fail when under the added stress of a high rate of fire build.
The Laylax Perfect Tappet plate gives your gearbox the best chance of granting reliable feeding performance and resisting additional stress, thanks to its high-density polymer construction with a slightly thicker profile than most tappet plates. Laylax is one of the oldest names in the industry, specialising in upgrades for Tokyo Marui derived AEGs and are known for providing some of the best parts in the industry. In our opinion, the Laylax Tappet plate stands the best chance of surviving long term inside a demon of a high ROF AEG.
So, there you have it! Our picks for the best parts to put inside your high ROF Airsoft build. Granted, higher rates of fire can be had using a dual-sector gear setup, and various other complicated modifications, but we thought we would start with a high ROF setup with an emphasis on reliability and longevity, whilst still boasting an impressive rate of fire that will have the enemy running for the hills!
If you have all the speed you need but are after a bit more accuracy and range from your AEG, check out our AEG Upgrade guide on range and accuracy here.