Units and standards
Toys and FPS, weights of balls, threads, rails, batteries and connectors: technical benchmarks to know.
Contents(6)
Power
The speed of a ball, in FPS (definition) (feet per second) or in m/s, does not say anything alone: a heavier ball comes out less quickly with the same energy. It's energy in joules that counts. A limit expressed in FPS only makes sense with the ball weight used in the chronograph.
| FPS | m/s | Toys |
|---|---|---|
| 280 | 85 | 0.73 |
| 300 | 91 | 0.84 |
| 330 | 101 | 1.01 |
| 350 | 107 | 1.14 |
| 400 | 122 | 1.49 |
| 450 | 137 | 1.88 |
| 500 | 152 | 2.32 |
Bills
A ball of airsoft measures 5.95 mm. The heavier it is, the more wind resistant it is and the more stable its trajectory, but the more power and hop-up (definition) it takes to carry it.
A good ball
- Smooth and shiny surface
- No visible seam or bubble
- Regular diameter and weight
- Biodegradable if land requires
Avoid
- First prize bill without brand
- Bills collected on the ground or fallen in water
- Metallic or reused billets
- Mixture of weight in the same charger
Threads
- 14 mm CCW
14 mm, not left
The standard of most long replicas, for silencers, flame caches and tracers.
- 14 mm CW
14 mm, not right
On some models and brands: check before buying an accessory.
- 11 mm CW
11 mm, not right
Running on the pistols and some compact replicas.
Rails
Picatinny
The most common 20 mm rail, with regular slots. Most optics and accessories attach to them.
Weaver
Close to Picatinny, with narrower slots: a Weaver accessory goes on a Picatinny, the opposite not always.
M-LOK and KeyMod
Lights in the guard where you screw a piece of rail or an accessory, only where you need it.
Batteries
| Type | Voltage per element | Current voltages | Key points |
|---|---|---|---|
| NiMH | 1.2 V | 8.4 V · 9.6 V | Robust and safe, but heavy and less nervous |
| LiPo | 3.7 V | 7.4 V · 11.1 V | Light and powerful, requires a balancer charger |
| LiFe | 3.3 V | 6.6 V · 9.9 V | More stable than a LiPo, a little less powerful |
Mini Tamiya
The original connector of many replicas. He can't handle high currents.
T-Deans
Compact and weak: the most common replacement.
XT30 and XT60
Robust and easy to connect. The XT60 (definition) is bulky in a narrow guard.
Canons
- Inner diameter from 6.01 to 6.08 mm: under about 6.05 mm, it is known as "thight bore" cannon
- A tighter cannon gains a little regularity, but crashes faster and doesn't support poor quality balls
- The length of the barrel must correspond to the volume of the cylinder (definition), much more than the length of the replica
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