How many times have you gone to fill your magazine with gas, only to be met with the awful sound of your magazine leaking – or ‘gassing out’?
This is one of the most common issues with Action Air Pistol Shooting – and the most frustrating!
We would like to share some tips with you on how to preserve your magazines, hopefully avoid leaks, or fix them if they occur.
Please note a few things:
You should only do this if you feel confident as you can do more damage.
Invest in a good quality magazine valve tool if you are going to work on your own magazines
Only use Silicone Oil and Grease that is tried and tested for airsoft guns – often oil used in other firearms – even air guns – is too heavy and not suitable – this can actually damage airsoft guns and magazines
SO, bearing in mind the above:
If your fill valve is leaking, remove the valve with a valve removal tool – or if you’re really careful, a small flathead screwdriver.
You can then use a GOOD QUALITY teflon/silicone grease to apply to the seal and replace – make sure you fully tighten the valve on replacing,
but take care not to damage the threads or the screw end as these are relatively soft metal.
If this does not fix the issue, you can remove the valve, fill a plastic Ziploc bag with a small amount of silicone oil.
Submerge the valve in the oil and let it sit overnight. Re-install the valve using the silicone grease.
If the valve and the gun still leaks, it may be time to inspect the valve for damage and replace, if necessary.
These quick fix techniques can also be applied to the release valve.
To ensure a functioning magazine does not develop leaks, store the magazine full with gas. This keeps pressure on the seal and prevents it from ‘drying out’. Also it is often when pressure is reapplied to a ‘dry’ seal that the issues occur.
These are some tips that hopefully will help you deal with leaky magazines.
Now that maybe you can fix some of yours that you thought were broken, take some of the problems out of your shooting – and save some money on replacements – and wasted gas!
At AAA we have people who can help with this – if you need assistance just ask.
AAA