Airsoft GBB Pistol Upgrade Guide - EU Series GBB - Accuracy
EU Series Accuracy and Range Upgrades
The EU series of Airsoft GBB pistols are a perfect choice for those who like the no-frills utilitarian look of the platform and its caveman simple, yet highly modern ergonomics. The real world pistol this design is based on continues to grow in popularity and is adopted by more and more Militaries and Law Enforcement Organisations around the world.
EU series pistols can be dressed up in whatever way you like, ranging from Milsim-styled combat pistols to high speed competition pistols with weight-reducing ports and handling improvements intended for pure speed.
The main focus of this article will be on performance, more specifically, what you will need to get better range and accuracy from your EU series handgun. Benefitting from the original TM design, and its wealth of aftermarket support, EU series pistols can be upgraded to be serious tack drivers on the skirmish site, and their accuracy and range potential is enviable thanks to the compatibility of the platform with VSR-10 HOP-up buckings and tightbore inner barrels. Read on to find out our picks for the best upgrade parts for better range and improved accuracy for the EU series of Airsoft GBB pistols!
Upgraded Inner Barrel - Better Accuracy
Maple Leaf Crazy Jet Inner Barrel
Installing a Maple Leaf Crazy Jet into your Airsoft GBB pistol is one of the most effective upgrades possible, especially when coupled with an aftermarket HOP-up rubber. The principle behind this barrel's design is to provide an ultra stable air cushion surrounding the BB for the entire duration of its journey down the barrel, to prevent the BB from impacting the sides of the barrel which can cause fliers and accuracy issues, even in tight bore barrel setups.
This is known as the "wide bore" principle, which is intended to provide similar performance to tight bore inner barrels whilst minimising the chances of jams, and reducing the frequency of necessary barrel cleaning. The Maple Leaf Crazy Jet takes this principle, and runs with it, adding their own innovation to the idea of a "wide bore" barrel with the "jet stream" system, which ensures that the BB also exits the barrel without making contact, ensuring you get a stable trajectory with minimal fliers. The Crazy Jet should provide an increase in accuracy and a slight improvement in effective range, so if you play outdoors this would be a fantastic choice for your pistol.
Modify Stainless Steel 6.03mm Precision Barrel
The Modify Stainless Steel inner barrel was chosen for this guide for its rigidity and flawless internal finish, both of which contribute immensely to the performance of this aftermarket upgraded barrel. The barrel is constructed from high quality 304 Stainless steel, which offers both precise dimensions and less flex when compared to a brass or aluminium inner barrel.
The Modify barrel is regularly chosen over options such as the Crazy Jet for setups which lean into accuracy more than range, such as those used by IPSC competition shooters. If you are a CQB player who wants to be able to hit the enemy's fingertip at 10 meters every time, and you won't be needing the additional range the Maple Leaf Crazy Jet will provide, the Modify Stainless Steel barrel is the right choice for your build.
Upgraded HOP-up Bucking - Improved Range and Accuracy
Maple Leaf Super Hop Rubber 50 Degree
The maple Leaf Super Hop Rubber is designed to provide additional range when compared to other Maple Leaf buckings and has a wide diamond-shaped contact patch which provides a significantly stronger HOP-up effect. We recommend the Super for those who want the longest range possible from their sidearm and would be a great choice for a sniper's backup weapon.
The range improvement provided by the Super outdoes even the fantastic Maple Leaf Decepticon and Wonder HOP-up buckings, but loses out slightly in the accuracy department as a tradeoff for the extra range. As with other Maple Leaf buckings, the Super is designed to ensure each BB is chambered consistently every time, and installation of this bucking will improve both the range and accuracy when compared to the original HOP-up bucking. If you are looking for an all-rounder of a HOP-up bucking with equal emphasis on accuracy and range, check out the following two options:
Maple Leaf Decepticon Rubber 50 Degree
The external surface of the Decepticon Bucking is ribbed to keep your inner barrel more stable inside your HOP-up unit and ensure you get a good air seal with no wasted gas. The contact patch inside is wider and longer than those normally found on GBB HOP-up buckings, granting greater stability and a stronger overall HOP effect.
This translates to longer range, and better accuracy when used with high quality heavy BBs, and improves the accuracy potential of almost any GBB pistol in both short and long range engagements. The Decepticon builds on Maple Leaf's superb Autobot bucking by providing a flatter contact patch for "flat HOP" like performance, and when compared to the "Super", should give a more 50/50 balance of accuracy and range improvement.
Laylax Nine Ball VSR-10 Hop Rubber
The Nine Ball Purple bucking has been known to be one of the best options for upgrading an Airsoft GBB pistol for pure accuracy, thanks to its high quality construction and superb brand pedigree. The manufacturer, Nine Ball, also known as Laylax, Prometheus, and First Factory, is one of the original Japanese manufacturers of Airsoft upgrade parts, and their expertise goes without saying.
The way the internal wall of the Purple HOP-up bucking has been moulded will guarantee an excellent air seal and reduce power loss, helping to stabilise each consecutive shot. We have been so impressed with the performance of this HOP-up bucking that the Bolster Armouries Tech Team decided that this is their bucking of choice for the incredible Bolster Armouries Hi-capa series, the second batch of which is already in production!
CowCow Tactical Trigger
The CowCow Tactical Trigger combines enviable trigger speed with combat-optimised features and should provide a lighter and crisper trigger feel which will help improve the accuracy of follow-up shots. Whilst not strictly an accuracy and range upgrade, if you have replaced your inner barrel and HOP-up bucking this is the next step in making your EU series GBB pistol shoot like a dream.
The Tactical trigger sports a straight design with a finger ledge, allowing for an impressive trigger response and the potential for faster, more accurate follow up shots. The flat design forgives slapping the trigger and still allows you to be accurate when firing quickly, and also retains the EU series two-stage trigger style safety which will prevent embarrassing negligent discharges in-game. Not only does this part enhance the feel of the trigger, but it also looks fantastic. The choice of colour options and the refined, straight design gives your EU series a hint of discrete style indicating that it has been upgraded internally.
For Advanced Users...
If you are more of an advanced user, and have done your fair share of GBB upgrades you might want to take a walk on the wild side, and try some more experimental upgrades. The following parts are complete rethinks of the original TM-designed parts to provide extreme accuracy but will require expert fitting and experimentation with parts to achieve their full potential.
HADRON DESIGNS TDC Outer Barrel Assembly
The Hadron Designs TDC outer barrel assembly builds on Hadron's superb TDC for the TM MK23 platform, which is regarded as a must-have part if you want to turn your MK23 into a pocket sniper rifle.
This Hadron part is 3D printed from polymer and replaces your outer barrel to provide a more direct application of HOP up via the grub screw on the top of the chamber, which sits directly above the HOP-up rubber. This design near eliminates side-to-side deviation in your shots, and with the right HOP rubber and inner barrel can provide effective HOP-up to even 0.4g BBs, meaning your EU series will outrange most AEGs on-site if the installation is done properly. If you are building out a sidearm for your Sniper loadout, an EU series with the Hadron TDC assembly is the next best thing in accuracy to an upgraded MK23, but with a notable advantage in rate of fire over the NBB MK23.
Master Mods Master R-Hop Inner Barrel Set
Accuracy and range enthusiasts will doubtless have heard of the "R-HOP", which originated as a homemade modification to allow for heavier BBs to be used and grant a massive increase in effective range. The balancing factor with R-HOP is that the homebrew versions require modification to the inner barrel, HOP bucking, and a home made HOP "patch" to be constructed. The Master Mods R-Hop inner barrel set comes practically ready to install, including an AEG and GBB compatible HOP-up bucking, a pre-cut R-HOP patch and a hybrid inner barrel which is already set up to receive the R-HOP patch.
Despite the fact that most of the custom work has been done for you, the R-HOP set is much more fiddly to install than a standard HOP-up, and will potentially require some tuning and trial and error in your choice of BBs, gas and HOP setting. When using the R-HOP set we recommend 0.32g BBs at a minimum, as the super-strong HOP-up effect will provide too much backspin for lower BB weights.
Whether you are looking for a slight improvement in accuracy or you are going the whole hog and converting your EU series pistol into a Sniper's sidearm for long-range precision with heavy BBs, you should now have a foundational knowledge of what parts are necessary to enhance the range and accuracy of your EU series GBB.
As the aftermarket parts for the EU series continue to flow in steadily, we are certain more innovations and even greater performance will be possible in the future, so stay tuned for future upgrade guides!