Before we start talking about the pros and cons of AEGs, we should discuss what they are and how they operate. AEG stands for “Automatic Electric Gun” and describes the method used to propel the projectile down range. AEGs are most commonly used in Airsoft products, but we are starting to see the technology work its way into traditional airguns. The Barra 400e is a great, and currently the only, example.
If you’ve ever shot a spring-powered airgun, then you are familiar with the core components of an AEG, minus the gearbox and electronics. The process to send a bb or pellet down range typically goes like this.
First, you’ll need to cock the gun. With a gun like the Daisy Red Ryder, cocking the lever pulls a piston back against a main spring until it locks onto the seer, creating a space filled with air. Next, a BB is loaded into the breech. Lastly, you pull the trigger, releasing the piston and compressing the air in the air chamber. When the pressure in the air chamber exceeds the resistance of the projectile in the breech, the BB is sent down the barrel toward the target. All spring-powered airguns work via this same principle. The cocking method, spring type, and power output may vary, but the basic concept remains consistent. The process order would be: Cock, Load, Aim, Fire.
AEGs perform the same function “automatically” using an “electric” gearbox, albeit in a different order. Your typical AEG would operate this way. The projectile should already be loaded in the breech. When you “fire” the gun by completing an electric circuit, it activates the gearbox, which then retracts the piston against a spring and then instantly releases it. Once released, the piston compresses the air and fires the projectile. The order would be: Load, Fire, Cock. This all happens very quickly. Most AEGs operate in both semi-automatic mode, where the action is performed once per trigger pull, as well as a full-auto mode, where the gearbox will continue to operate for as long as the circuit is active. Five hundred rounds per minute is a typical rate of fire.
Benefits of AEG Airguns
The most obvious benefit to AEGs is that you don’t have to manually cock the airgun for every shot. Depending on the quality and strength of the gearbox, you can also get very consistent velocity and energy. AEGs are cost-effective to produce and maintain, and they lend themselves to shooters who like to tinker, as there are many 3rd party upgrades available. Lastly, unlike CO2 and Green Gas, they are much less susceptible to ambient temperature and don’t drop in their performance when shot.
AEGs also reduce the cost of consumables when compared to CO2 or Green Gas airguns. The Barra 400e is a very nice AR15-style BB gun, and you can expect to get at least 1000 shots per charge. You will actually get more, but for mathematical simplicity, we’ll use 1000 as a baseline. Your typical CO2-powered AR15-style BB gun may get about 100 shots per dual-cartridge setup. If each set of cartridges costs $1.00, then you’d be spending $10.00 for CO2 every 1000 rounds. Given that you can simply recharge the battery pack, as long as you have BBs to keep feeding it and a power jack, the Barra 400e becomes extremely affordable. The electric draw per recharge is negligible; we are talking pennies.
Cons of AEG Airguns
Given all the benefits of AEGs that we’ve discussed, are there really any drawbacks? Well, yes, there are. The most noticeable is going to be due to the variation in the shooting cycle. With a typical airgun, when you pull the trigger, there’s an instant response, and the gun fires. Because the AEGs utilize a gearbox to do the cocking, there’s always going to be a delay. This is certainly not an issue for general use, but if you are using airguns for hunting or something where milliseconds matter, then an AEG airgun is not practical.
Just an aside about hunting with AEGs: We do NOT recommend hunting with any AEG currently on the market. There was a time when a few high-powered big-bore PCP airguns incorporated a gearbox for semi-automatic and fully automatic operation. These have largely been replaced with newer systems that use part of the internal pressure and blowback to cycle the action for each shot. The delay and the sound generated by the gearbox made these very impractical for hunting. They were very fun on the range but not great in the field.
The final drawback is mechanical limitations and a lack of energy on target. The size and mechanics of the gearbox limit how much power you can reasonably expect to achieve. However, the Barra 400e is on par with most of its CO2 counterparts for velocity. Unfortunately, it’s much more expensive. If you plan to shoot a lot of BBs, then the cost benefits of having an AEG BB rifle do make sense over time.
AEGs are, however, ideal for Airsoft airguns, which shoot much lighter and larger 6mm (vs. 1.7mm steel) bbs. This is why AEGs are used extensively across nearly all airsoft brands.
That’s a Wrap
So now you know about AEGs, their benefits, and their drawbacks. If you have more questions about AEG airgun products, please don’t hesitate to give us a call. We 0are always here to help.
