Internal operation of Airsoft High capacity magazines

Airsoft high capacity magazines. internal operation.

Today Balls airsoft boot camp will cover internal operation of hi-cap airsoft magazines.

Don’t get confused with all the different styles and manufactures of Airsoft hi capacity magazines. Airsoft hi-caps come in two basic flavors, manual or automatic feed.

All hi-caps have the same basic internal components. The parts are Body, Hopper and feeding mechanism.

The body of the magazine start at the same size and look of a real magazine, larger magazines mimic dual magazines clipped together, even larger styles are in the shape of drum or snail mags, and the largest being cartage magazines that are built for maximum capacity at the expense to realism.

The hopper area of the magazine is the ball storage area, larger hopper, more balls. In standard box magazines its a trade off between gadgets inside the magazine and ball capacity. More gadgets, less balls.  Standard box magazines on the low end of capacity of around 160 normally have additional features build into them. The more features leave less room for balls. Magazines constructed of plastic will have thicker walls, reducing ball capacity, Magazines like the G&P Illuminated magazine have a capacity of only 130 rounds, when a similar style mag would carry three hundred. The reason for this is stuffed inside the magazine is the feeding system, tracer illumination system and the batteries to run the whole mechanism, all that machinery requires space and ball capacity suffers.

The Feeding mechanism inside the airsoft magazines are either manual or fully automatic. Manual feed systems have a spring to wind up at the bottom of the magazine. You can clearly see the teeth of the system on the bottom of the mags, they are to the left and right of her boobs in case you didn’t notice last time the picture was profiled. Automatic feeding systems vary greatly. Some magazine feeding systems are fully automatic, and work off of sound. When the mag detects the sound of the Soft firing it turns on and feed balls to the breech, when you stop firing it stops feeding. Others require you to activate them by press switch when you fire. Higher capacity mags usually have a hi-bred system between automatic and manual. You press a button to “charge” the mags with ammo, 500 to 1000. The total capacity of the hopper is around 3500, most will work in push and feed mode if required. These type of mag get a little bit to get use to, but are really quite good, just remember that when ever there is a break in the game play, charge up your feeding area.

Remember at the end of the season to remove all the balls from the mag and ease the springs. The magazines will feed better next year. Similar to standard magazines the metal will develop a “memory” and want to say in the compressed state if kept that way over extended periods of time.

Airsoft high capacity magazines day one, the basics.

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