Month: November 2013

Own an AKS-74U, Krinkov, AKMSU or other short barreled AK AEG variant? Want to make it a lot louder?

I’ll show you an incredibly easy way to add instant decibels to your shorty AK. Using a real steel Bulgarian 4-piece flash hider, one can achieve the lofty goal of making their AEG loud. The crafty Bulgarians were building these devices long before Mr. Noveske came along and appropriated the design with his “Fire pig” device. All that is required to make this work is that your AEG have a muzzle end that features 24mm threads (which most AKS-74U AEG’s have.) If you do not have 24mm threads, you can buy an inexpensive adapter to go from standard 14x1LH thread to 24mm.

While the 4-piece flash hider is louder than the stock AKS-74U brake all by itself, it can be made a lot louder by disassembling the unit and removing the cone device inside. A dental pick works best for prying up the retainer spring so you can unscrew the muzzle cap on the end to access the cone. One you’ve removed the cone, reattach the muzzle cap, making sure the spring is back in place and attach it to your AEG.

I suspect you could do this with a Noveske “Fire Pig” amplifier as well – if you remove the internal slotted cones. This would probably be the best option for strictly 14x1LH threaded AEG’s. I haven’t tried this yet to see if it works (will report on this tomorrow). I’ve never found the Noveske amplifiers to actually work as advertised, whereas the Bulgarian unit is actually doing the job of making things nasty loud. Obviously the shorter the barrel, the better it’s going to be for sound amplification.

Now for the bad news… Real steel Bulgarian 4-piece flash hiders apparently cost around $120 a pop now. US clone copies are about $89. I bought mine years ago for $5. Inflation sucks.

Now for the good news… Element Airsoft makes a replica that includes an adapter for 14x1LH to 24mm threads for just $34.99!

This is almost as loud as my old Tippmann A5 with the Dishka attached was… Ahhh, the memories of storming bunkers on bingo ammo and shooting nothing but air while the noobs scrambled away from a “hot” sounding weapon. Excuse the crappy cell-phone pics. It’s dark in the man cave.

The term “LiPo ready” is another marketing ploy that brands like KWA and a few others used to throw around to get their AEGs sold. And it worked. Not only did it work, but it got KWA’s AEG division off the ground and made them a huge brand.

The truth is “lipo ready” simply means the gun is electric. A LiPo is a power source. Generally, there are two flavors for Airsoft: 7.4v (two cell) and 11.1v (three cell) and both come in many different sizes and amp hour ratings for Airsoft.

When this term was coined it was more relevant then than it is today. The LiPo of old was unstable and when knocked around could become a hand grenade in your hands. Or if it was charged wrong, or was too hot, or shorted or discharged completely, or if you just didn’t buy it pie on its birthday.  LiPo’s now have a small fusible link between cells or similar safety systems because waivers cost trees. Since LiPo manufactures took liability into account on their design, the Airsoft world switched over to this new power-source, albeit with many road bumps (I’m sure you have heard the stories). The first company that could claim the title would be popular in the AEG manufacturer realm. Thus, in walks the “LiPo ready AEG” and everyone had to have one.

What does it really mean?

In reality it means the Airsoft gun doesn’t suck. If it can’t handle a LiPo in stock form then it has problems anyway and is likely garbage. When Airsoft GI did their “LiPo ready your gun for 75$” marketing schtick, it meant they opened it and re shimmed it and checked your piston. So basically: “send me your gun and 75$ + shipping and I will give you a 20 minute shim job.” Everyone major retailer would do just that with a smile back then.

There are many AEGs that should not have LiPo’s. But most today can handle an 11.1v with no problems. All manufactures around today got here by:

(Not in any order)
1. Not sucking
2. Lots of fan boys
3. Customer service
4. Quality
5. Overall appearance and feel of said product
6. Product reputation via word of mouth
7. Final cost
8. Can I make it better than the other guy
9. Reliability

All these pretty much are relevant to making an AEG lipo ready and all the manufactures left in operation today have done so by doing this list or at least most of it – and through a form of Darwinism, the weak have gone out of existence and the strong get birthday pie.

So “LiPo ready?” really is a question of gearbox quality. From a JG G36 to a Systema PTW, they both have good enough internals for a LiPo. It’s just when they break – and they all do – the LiPo will get you there faster just because it is sending more rounds downrange in less time (if that makes sense.)

A decent manufacturer can go 100,000 rounds until failure. If you’re doing more rounds per second you are simply getting there faster.

One of the new (it’s been out a while, actually) battery options on the scene for airsoft is the LiFe battery, also known as LiFePO or LFP. LiFe stands for “Lithium Iron Phosphate.”

When LiFe batteries first hit the market, they were known for having low electrical conductivity – this unfortunately has followed the reputation of the LiFe battery around like a dead turkey tied around the neck. Better engineering and technological advances have overcome this shortfall, and as such, the LiFe batteries of yesterday share nothing of their modern day counterparts except in name alone.

LiFe batteries have a few notable advantages over LIPO’s:

1) Most batteries have a highly constant discharge voltage. Voltage stays close to 3.2v during discharge until the battery is fully exhausted. This allows the battery to deliver virtually full power until it is completely discharged. This can greatly simplify or virtually eliminate the need for voltage regulation circuits.

2) LiFe cells typically experience a slower rate of capacity loss than traditional LIPO batteries. What this ultimately means is a much longer shelf life. A typical LiFe cell will have a capacity loss of up to 10% over the course of a month, whereas a NiMH can experience 30% or greater if the temperature isn’t in its favor.

3) LiFe cells are considered safer to charge and discharge than LIPO’s. The chemical composition of the cells resists heat, short circuiting, and abuse far better than LIPO’s. Granted, LIPO’s have come a looooong ways of late, and the gap between the two battery types has decreased dramatically. So short answer is yes, they are more stable and safer than LIPO’s – with the important caveat that you do your part and take care of your batteries. I have read a few accounts of individuals failing to buy the proper charger that has a “LiFe” setting and destroying their battery / personal property. Regardless of battery, type, etc. the key lesson to take away here is always: “NEVER, EVER, EVER, CHEAP OUT ON YOUR CHARGER.” I also recommend charging in a fire proof “Lipo-Sack” or even better is a .50 cal ammo can to store your batteries in. Airtight, and metal, so it’s not going to burn. No point in saving a buck today to torch a $100,000 house tomorrow.

4) LiFe cells are constructed of cheaper components than LIPO’s, but ironically, this hasn’t really trickled down to the consumer yet – LiFe cells are usually more expensive than their LIPO counterparts. Shop around and you can find some good deals, however.

5) LiFe cells are more compact than NiMH cells, so you can enjoy the benefits of small size and more power. They also come in some different voltages such as 9.9v with a 20c discharge rate, which puts it right between a 7.4v and 11.1v LIPO both of which usually have a 25c discharge rate. LiFe cells offer you more voltage per cell than NiMH. For example: the maximum voltage for a NiMH cell is 1.2v. Maximum voltage for a LiFe cell is 3.7V. This is over three times more! This also means they pack more capacity per ounce than a NiMH. An 8-cell 9.6v 600mAh NiMH battery weighs 5.7 oz. But a 3-cell 9.9v 1500mah LiFe pack offers you 250% more capacity, but only weighs a miniscule 1.2 oz.

6) The charge life of a LiFe cell is half again greater than a NiMH. Typically a LiFe pack will last over 1000 charge cycles, while the similar NiMH will run about 500 or so before it is shot. Charge capacity does not degrade as badly as a NiMH battery does over time either.

There are a few disadvantages to LiFe cells. One of them being that they haven’t really stormed the airsoft market in the same fashion as LIPO’s and NiMH batteries have. In fact, they aren’t altogether that common at all. As a result of their non-commonality, it can be a lot harder to find sizes that fit your particular AEG. Additionally, one should factor in the expense of a charger that will charge a LiFe cell if you don’t have one already.

Considering all the advantages of LiFe, it would make sense to make use of them as an upgrade – especially if you’re coming from NiMH. Switching from LIPO to LiFe is kind of a wash in my opinion if you already have a bunch of LIPO packs, and it doesn’t make a lot of sense if you can’t find LiFe packs that fit your AEG’s. If you’re getting into the Lithium technology game from the start, LiFe batteries should warrant a serious look, however.