We’ve talked before about AEG performance mods, and the role the hop up bucking plays. I’d like to introduce one my personal favorites: the Prometheus Purple (soft type).
I’ve been using this bucking for several years now, and it has rapidly become one of the first AEG upgrades I reach for. It has in some circles reached legendary status for its out-of-the-box performance. In my own circle, there’s not an AEG in my arsenal that hasn’t had at least one Prometheus purple bucking it at one time or another – most are still outfitted with one. Some of my oldest AEG’s are still running the first install, despite having many countless thousands and thousands of rounds through them. Actually, I haven’t worn one out yet, except for one or two instances where I’ve destroyed one prying it from a very tight hop up chamber. I keep several spares in my field kit at all times – though I haven’t had to reach for one yet. Obviously this bucking works very well when paired with a Prometheus brand barrel too.
Prometheus makes many types of buckings, but the soft type Purple is perhaps their best. I would say it’s slightly softer than a stock KWA or Real Sword bucking, but not nearly as soft as a Guarder Clear (which is another great bucking), and certainly a bit harder than a stock Tokyo Marui bucking. It’s in that “just right” category, really. I generally disfavor very hard buckings myself; mostly due to poor performance in inclement weather. Softer buckings tend to wear out faster obviously, but I feel this is offset by the gains in performance. And as an upgrade, a bucking is one of the cheapest parts you will purchase in your AEG’s performance upgrade cycle.
These may or may not run a bit tight depending on your hop up chamber. With most Ver. 2 style hop ups, they seem to fit fine, whereas the Ver. 3 seems to be a bit tighter. In some cases, you may have to trim them for length to be able to affix the barrel retainer clip properly. A sharp razor blade does the trick, and doesn’t affect performance in any way.
I have experimented with different nubs in conjunction with the Prometheus bucking, but it seems to work the best with the one it comes with, although it is quite forgiving with what you pair it with. This bucking is also a good platform to use for building your home-brew flat-hops too. I once relegated this type of experimentation to KWA hop ups, but even in that modified state the KWA hop up is still a disappointing piece of crap.
These buckings can be a bit of a pain to find – few US retailers actually stock them (or have them in stock), and they typically run about $11 – $16 each.
Performance Rating – rating key areas on a scale of 1 – 10, 10 being the best:
Fit and Finish – score 10. This is a high quality molding. There’s no seams, rough edges, pock-marks, or unwarranted flashing. These bucking’s have always arrived in a soft pliable state, and I’ve not yet received one that has been dried out or torn.
Install – Score 8. With the obvious caveat “No two hop up chambers are alike”, install is generally 90% of the time a drop in fit.
Performance – score 8. I would personally rate it higher, but I’ve also seen greater performance from other types (custom types.) To be more concise, I would say this bucking would rate a 9 or 10 over a stock bucking, but in the face of competition from a custom installed flat-hop, R-Hop, or any of the like, it may fall behind in final performance. If you don’t want to spend time on a custom bucking (and the hours of fiddling and fussing getting them to work just right), this is the way to go, however.
Lastly, be aware there are other factors involved in accuracy and range, not the least of which is what is going on in the heart of your gearbox.
Durability – score 9. I simply haven’t worn one out yet. I have damaged one pulling it from a very tight hop up chamber, but that was because I was being very forceful. Any other bucking would have suffered similar fate, actually.
Price and availability – score 6. A lot of folks complain about the price on these. They are more expensive than most buckings, yes. But I’ve generally noted that the end performance makes believers out of even the most die-hard naysayers. For the truly cheap bastards, nothing will really appease them unless it’s simply granted for free.
Conclusions
While there are a few other buckings out there that may provide better accuracy and range gains (somewhat subjective depending on platform), for an excellent general-purpose “first upgrade” that will give marked improvements on range and accuracy without extensive installation or grief, I would definitely recommend the Prometheus to anyone.