Beginners Guide: Gas in Airsoft

When it comes to Gas in airsoft, there is a big variety of the different gases you can use, and what the pro and cons are of each type. In this post, we hope to explain each type of gas used in airsoft and what type of gas is going to suit your needs and playstyle.

Co2

Co2 (aka Carbon Dioxide) is typically preferred during the winter months as the gas is less affected by temperature making it more reliable throughout these colder months. However, we would recommend that during the summer months, you are careful when using your Co2 guns as the gas expands within the bulb and can greatly increase the power within your weapon so that it's no longer allowed at your airsoft site.

Co2 is typically supplied in a bulb and is screwed in on the pistol grip or bottom of the magazine, however, it can vary from gun to gun. Once inserted into the gun, the top of the bulb will pierce to let the gas escape into the gun ready for it to fire. You need to take care however to ensure it's not tightened too much, otherwise, the bulb can get stuck or damage the bulb or gun and let the Co2 escape without powering the gun.

SHOP CO2

Green Gas

Typically, the most common type of Gas used throughout Airsoft is Green Gas. There is a variety of different ‘Green Gasses’ available, but a lot of the time, the variety comes mainly down to amounts of Silicon Lube or other additives that are added to the mixture to control the potential power output that is provided from the Gas.

Most commonly, when using Green Gas, the gas will be stored within the magazine, and this can be easily filled by simply depressing the cans nozzle into the valve on the base of the magazine. However, as the gas is normally held within a metal magazine, the gas can be highly affected by colder temperatures. 

As mentioned, there is a variety of different ‘Green Gasses’ available, we will cover some of these below to help try and clean up any questions you have about the variety of different gasses available.

Duster/Summer Gas

The Duster/Summer gas is typically used with pistols or rifles that have a polymer slider. They can also be used when your weapon is slightly too hot for your Airsoft site and bring down its power to be in alignment with its limits.

SHOP DUSTER/SUMMER GAS

Standard Green Gas

The standard Green Gas is the gas you are most likely going to be using when visit airsoft sites. At Dave’s Custom Airsoft, when customers are buying gas weapons and ask us about which gas to use, 99% of the time we recommend standard Green Gas.

SHOP GREEN GAS

Red Gas

More commonly used in lower temperatures, Red is a little bit more powerful than your standard green gas. The main thing to remind yourself of when using Red Gas is that it's missing that silicone lubricant component to it, so the wear and tear on your weapon will be more exaggerated when using Red Gas over Green Gas.

SHOP RED GAS

HPA

The last type of gas which is commonly referred to in Airsoft is HPA, which stands for High-Pressure Airsoft. HPA guns are powered by a pressurized bottled which needs to be fed via a regulator. The regulator is needed to control the amount of gas which is transferred from the bottle to the weapon to give it a consistent feed.

The amount of gas needed is controlled by the weapon itself by either the use of a digital fire control unit or less commonly a mechanical system.

HPA guns are usually very consistent across all temperatures which means they are great weapons to use all year round.

There is however a big disadvantage to using HPA guns, and that is because you must carry around a big bottle of gas with you to power your gun. Also, pressurised bottles can be quite expensive to refill.

Hopefully, we have covered all the questions you may have about the use of gas in Airsoft.

Here are some handy links to our Gas products available on our website.

Gas Rifles / SMG / Support - View
Shotguns (Spring & Gas) - View
All Gas & Co2 Consumables - View
Gas Rifle & SMG Magazines - View

If you aren't sure which type of gun suit your playstyle, we have a handy guide here that tells you everything you need to know. - View