Airsoft Battery Guide
TOC
Your Airsoft Battery is Critical
Battery Chemistry Composition
Battery Capacity
Battery Connection
Charging Speed and Reliability
Our Favorite Battery for Airsoft Rifles
If you have purchased an electronic airsoft rifle (sometimes called an AEG) and last few years the odds are pretty good that the battery it shipped with is halfway decent – capable of holding a charge for quite a while, producing a reasonable rate of fire, and offering a decent level of reliability that you’ve come to trust in the field.
At the same time, though, if you’re looking for a bump in performance – the ability to crank up your FPS, your accuracy, your fire rate, and enjoy faster and more consistent charges all at the same time – the odds are good that you’ve started to search for a new battery power pack.
The heartbeat of your AEG, the battery that you choose to upgrade your airsoft weapon is a hugely important decision that you can’t take lightly.
Combine that with the fact that there are so many different options out there to pick and choose from and it’s easy to see why so many are a little bit hesitant to make this upgrade, even though they know just how much of a difference it can make right away.
But that’s why we have put together this airsoft gun battery guide.
Below we cover the ins and outs of what you want to look for in airsoft batteries, helping you to zero in on the right upgrade for your needs that can change the way you use your AEG from here on out. We also help shine a light on the best options money can buy so that you get the most bang for your buck, too.
Your Airsoft Battery is Critical
As highlighted above, the airsoft battery that you have installed in your AEG is going to make or break your overall experience playing airsoft as well as your combat effectiveness.
Your battery is going to determine how long you’re able to use your AEG effectively before you have to recharge or swap batteries out. It’s going to determine the fire rate that you are pumping BBs downrange at. And it’s going to determine the FPS was BBs are traveling at – which hugely influences your accuracy and your ability to engage at all kinds of ranges.
As you can see, this isn’t something you’ll want to sort of stumble into. If you’re going to deliberately upgrade your airsoft battery you need to zero in on the details provided throughout this airsoft gun battery guide.
Battery Chemistry Composition
To kick things off, you’ll want to first focus on the chemical composition of the battery that you are going to be investing in.
A lot of new airsoft guns (especially relatively inexpensive options) feature a nickel-metal hydride or nickel-cadmium battery pack (NiMH or NiCd batteries, respectively) – though there are quite a few higher-end options that ship with lithium-polymer (LiPo) and lithium-ion (Li-ion) straight from the factory.
The chemical composition of your battery is going to influence how effectively it takes a charge, how quickly it charges from completely depleted, and the overall amount of charge cycles you can expect to get out of a battery over its lifetime.
Nickel-cadmium options are reliable and durable, the trouble with these batteries is that they are a little bit on the heavier side of things and the charging capacity of these batteries die off rather quickly. You soon find yourself charging your AEG for longer and longer amounts of time while being able to run it between charges for shorter blocks of time – and nobody wants to end up in that kind of situation.
Lithium polymer batteries, however, are incredibly popular these days and are included in some of the highest-end airsoft guns for a couple of different reasons.
Super lightweight and relatively compact, they are available in a variety of different form factors that allow them to be modified and adapted to be stored in the stocks of airsoft rifles as well as in the pistol grip, foregrip, and even some accessories that can be tacked onto these weapons, too.
Most commonly available in 7.4 V and 11 V options, another big benefit of lithium polymer batteries is that they have a higher energy density and an ability to produce high power results without long charging times.
Their resistance to overcharging and the fact that they have absolutely zero charging memory whatsoever tip the scales in their favor, too – though they are (obviously) a little bit on the more expensive side of things.
Battery Capacity
Battery capacities are very important for a couple of different reasons, even if they aren’t going to directly impact your overall accuracy, the power than they provide your AEG or the FPS that they generate when you are putting BBs downrange on target.
All different kinds of capacities are available but most of the time you’re going to be looking at batteries that have 800 MAH to 1600 MAH (or more) for capacity – especially when you get into batteries for rifles that can be tucked into the buttstock or other structural components to hide bigger batteries.
The bigger your battery the longer it will run (no surprise there), but the longer it’s going to take to charge as well. If you go for extreme capacity batteries it’s a good idea to make sure they have either quick charge capabilities or a battery chemical composition that allows them to charge up in a hurry.
Airsoft Battery Connector Types
The connections that your battery has that allow you to actually use them with your AEG airsoft weapon are critically important, too.
You want something that’s going to allow electricity to flow effortlessly from the battery to your electrical components without overloading the hardware, evenly distributing a load of electricity to your airsoft weapon whenever you pull the trigger.
Plenty of connector options are available out there right now, with the overwhelming majority of options separated between older options that have higher levels of electrical resistance versus newer options that have significantly decreased levels of electrical resistance.
The good news is that even if you have older batteries can swap out the connections to improve performance quite a bit, a “quick fix” that can tide you over until you invest in a bigger or better battery set up.
The three most popular types of battery connection options out there right now include:
- Tamiya Connectors
- Mini Tamiya Connectors and
- Deans Connectors
Tamiya and Mini Tamiya connectors are (obviously) pretty similar and the type of connections that you’ll find installed on most modern airsoft AEG weapons. These kinds of connections are made from cheap plastic most of the time, have higher levels of electrical resistance, generate a little bit of extra heat when they are in use, and can (for the most part) handle anywhere between 9 A of electrical flow and 15 A of electrical flow.
Both of these connections are really better-suited batteries that have lower levels of power, lower voltages, and are connected to airsoft AEG weapons that have slower rates of fire. If you’re looking to crank your FPS through the roof with a battery upgrade you’ll probably want to look at Deans Connectors as opposed to either of these.
Deans Connectors are a far more modern design and are universally praised as one of the best upgrades you can make to your AEG airsoft rifle when you want to boost the performance of that weapon.
This connector has significantly lower levels of electrical resistance, allowing you to generate higher rates of fire using your battery and motor that came standard with your AEG – but you can crank things even higher when you upgrade either of those components open their or both of them at the same time).
The improved efficiency of the electrical flow cuts down on the amount of heat that builds up inside of your AEG and your battery components, extending the life of all components significantly. The connection is rock solid and the compact size allows you to squeeze a little more juice (the form of larger batteries) into battery compartments than you might have been able to otherwise as well.
Charging Speed and Reliability
You are obviously going to want to invest in a high-quality battery charger if you’re going to make this critical upgrade to your AEG, and just like airsoft batteries, not all airsoft battery chargers are created equally, either.
For starters, you’ll want to be sure to choose a charger that has been specifically designed for the battery chemistry of the battery pack that you are moving forward with. A nickel-cadmium battery charger isn’t going to work all that well with a lithium polymer battery, we can tell you that for sure!
Secondly, you’ll want to look for a charger that offers variable charge rates as well as one that has a peak charge detection set up. This guarantees that you’re able to efficiently and effectively charge up your batteries without wasting any energy (and spending more money) but it also helps to make sure that you extend the lifetime of your battery out as much as possible as well.
It’s also not a bad idea to invest in battery chargers that have built-in load balancers as well as variable current settings that are stepped up in .5 amp increments – particularly if you go with lithium polymer battery systems.
That’ll help avoid any potential safety issues that could arise from charging your batteries to quickly powerfully, safety issues that can include fire hazards, explosive hazards, and the potential for serious injury.
The Best Battery Type For Airsoft
At the end of the day if you look at the kinds of batteries that top airsoft players are switching to more often than not you’ll find lithium polymer options dominating the space.
Lithium polymer batteries are highly effective, super lightweight, and unbelievably efficient.
They take a really quick charge, deliver extreme capacity options as far as runtime and performance are concerned, and can increase your FPS (increasing your accuracy and combat effectiveness at the same time) right out of the box.
These new batteries are also available in a wide variety of form factors and configurations to fit pretty much every AEG format imaginable. It’s not hard to find a lithium polymer battery that can be squeezed into almost any compartment on your AEG, and it’s really easy to wire these batteries up – especially if you are using Deans connectors along the way (which is highly recommended).
If you are running an AEG airsoft rifle and want to be sure that you are getting the most value out of your battery upgrade it’s not a bad idea to look into either 7.4 V or 11.1 V lithium polymer options with the Deans Connectors we just mentioned.
Try to find batteries that fit your AEG that have at least 1600 MAH, but if you can find even larger capacities (especially 2500 to 3000 MAH capacities) to spend a lot less time charging your battery and a lot more time playing airsoft – especially since the larger rifle format you’re dealing with can hide these batteries pretty effectively.
All different kinds of chargers are available and specifically designed with lithium-polymer batteries in mind. Find something that has quick charge and trickle charge capabilities and do try to look for chargers that allow you to charge up multiple batteries all at once.
The old adage of “two is one and one is none” holds true in the world of airsoft.
Having two batteries that you can swap out with one another won’t just give you the peace of mind to know that you always have enough juice to play (especially when you aren’t near a dedicated power source), but it also helps to guarantee that battery malfunctions or breakdowns aren’t going to keep you sidelined, either.
Take advantage of the inside information we highlighted above airsoft gun battery guide and you’ll be good to go!