Article on gas for airsoft guns

Available Gas Types

OK, so by now you've re-checked your manual to ensure that you know which type of gas you are after, and are now ready to browse the available selections. Here they are:
HFC 134A "Duster" Gas

This gas is the weakest of the three gases available, and is generally used in either cheaply made Airsoft guns (their cheap o-ring seals and gas chambers cannot contain anything stronger) or extremely high-quality (and thus extremely fragile!) Airsoft guns. FPS using this gas is usually well below 250, and if guns rated to "Green" Gas use HFC 134A instead, then you can expect an even lower drop. (Note: I believe it is called "Duster" gas because it has about the same power as those gas cleaners that you use to blow the dust and such off of your desk). Pricing can range from $11.00 to $17.00 for a 750 mL canister, and slightly more for the larger 1000 mL canister. With the larger canister, though, you get anywhere from 4000-6000 shots (depending on gun type, magazine capacity, and trigger-happiness).

HFC 22 "Green" or "TOP" Gas*

This gas is the staple "Airsoft Gas" that most people think of when they think "Airsoft Gas." Much stronger than HFC 134A, it works in most "stock" guns (i.e. just out of the box, with no modifications whatsoever), and only a few guns are unable to take HFC 22 without modifications (these would use HFC 134A instead). Usually shooting around 250-350 FPS (depending on the gun, as well as any modifications, of course), this is the gas that your manual most probably recommends buying (Note: there is no real difference between "Green" and "TOP" Gas besides the names). Pricing can range from $11.00 to $30.00 for a 1000 mL canister ($11.00 being the best deal I ever saw, and that being on eBay), and slightly less for the smaller 750 mL canister. Again, with the 1000 mL canister, you get around 4000-6000 shots.


*Note: For the more experienced Airsofter, it has been determined that Green Gas is basically Propane mixed with silicon for internal lubrication purposes. If you are a veteran Airsofter and happen to have a large amount of Propane that you have no other use for, you can buy the above attachment (approximately $30-$50) for use on a Propane canister, while buying your silicon lubrication at a significantly reduced price. However, I only recommend this for experienced Airsofters, as separate lubrication necessitates knowledge of the internals of your gun well enough to dismantle it, lube each part, rebuild it, and have it still function. Those interested can search "Propane Adaptor for Airsoft Guns" on eBay for more information.

"Red" Gas

A very vague name, I've never heard it called anything else - however, seeing as this is the most powerful Airsoft-made gas on the market, it can afford to sound vague. Very few guns can take this gas "stock," and most require a large amount of costly upgrades and modifications to enable them to take Red Gas without extreme damage. The effort is worth it, however: Red Gas generally adds around 30-50 FPS to your gun's FPS rating, and can easily push that rating over 400 if used correctly (and the gun is able to take it). Pricing can range from $20-$40 for a 2000 mL container (I have not yet found Red Gas in a smaller container), and as such you generally get twice the amount of shots as from a 1000 mL container (in the neighborhood of 7000-9000).

CO2 Gas

CO2 gas is by far the most powerful Airsoft propellant, even compared to Red Gas. CO2, however, is in a whole different category from either Red, Green, or Duster Gas: CO2 can only go in guns that are specifically made to carry the CO2 cartridge in their magazines (very, very few guns out there are able to take both CO2 and Red/Green/Duster Gas magazines). For Airsoft usage, CO2 gas comes in 12g canisters (enough for approximately 50 shots before needing replacement), and unlike the other gases, the entire canister of CO2 is placed inside the magazine of the gun (making the magazine rather large and heavy). In the firepower department, CO2-powered guns can reach FPS speeds far in excess of 400, with some hitting around 500 (pistols) and even 600 (rifles), and are generally full-automatic in nature. Many people prefer these types of guns over the Red/Green/Duster Gas counterparts due to their enormous range and fast Rate of Fire (ROF). However, with prices for individual CO2 canisters ringing in at around $3-$8 per canister, CO2 gun owners/users can find themselves spending a fortune on propellant (if they didn't already on the gun itself, which is usually much more expensive than the Red/Green/Duster Gas counterparts). Thus, CO2 offers a huge increase in firepower, but an equally huge increase in price.

orginal article found at:
http://reviews.ebay.com/Airsoft-apos-s-A-Gas_W0QQugidZ10000000000912268

Hope this helps out

Then I'm sure you're interested in the following articles:

Laboratory Analysis of Green Gas
http://www.airsoft-innovations.com/lab1.html

Western Arms Blowback Flow Restrictor
http://www.airsoft-innovations.com/lab2.html

Jawz

Arnie's Airsoft reported on one unfortunate UK player who had a can explode on the roof of his car, with fragments puncturing the vehicle.

holy crap!

Just to add a few notes note in regards to using straight propane and separate silicone oil.

1. Make sure you use silicone oil and not spray. There is a big difference.

2. All you need to do is add 3 to 4 drops of silicone oil to the propane port before you screw on the adapter. This will care small amounts of silicone oil with the propane being released from the canister. 3 to 4 drops will last you about 20 mag fills.

3. The silicone in green gas is meant to lubricate the o-ring seals in the gas transport system. This will not lubricate the slide or other parts out side this system with sufficient lubrication. This means you still need to remove the slide and lubricate these areas. For this I would suggest using white lithium grease. Silicone is prone to thinning under higher temperatures and friction. So learn to take your GBB pistol apart or find some one that can do this for you.

4. If you take a dremel and polish all the contact points between the slide and frame the pistol will function much better. In short you are reducing the friction between moving parts and the slide will move back more easily. This will give you more gas pressure being applied to the firing of the BB, higher FPS. When a GBB is fired the discharge of gas is split between firing the BB and pushing the slide back. The harder the slide is to move the more gas pressure it takes to complete this action thus taking away from the pressure to fire the BB. Just so it is said, DO NOT USE A SANDING BIT to polish the slide, use a buffing bit. If you sand your slide you will destroy your gun.

5. Propane will only cost you about $5.00 for 2 bottles and a bottle of oil should be around the same. The Adapter is $20 - $50 bucks but will pay for its self very quickly. Green gas was Haz Matted about a year ago and this affected avalibility and the cost of the product.

6. Even though you use GREEN GAS you still need to lubricate the gun. Dont think that green gas is going to lubricate everything or you are in for a bad surprise.

Hope this sheads a little more light on the subject.

Chad
Mantis Airsoft

Chad,

Can you provide a link to a source with the silicon oil?

TY!

Jawz

http://www.airsoftatlanta.com/miscstuff.htm

The silicone oil I use is the 3rd item down. Great stuff.

Chad

Thanks for the quick response .

Jawz