The trigger response is how quickly the gun will fire after you pull the trigger, which is generally measured in milliseconds. A high trigger response increases the chance of hitting your target, especially if they are firing back at you. How can you increase the trigger response of your airsoft gun?
Here’s how to increase the trigger response of an airsoft gun:
- Clean the trigger
- Lubricate the trigger
- Inspect and replace worn-out parts
- Change to a lighter spring
- Tighten all the screws on your gun
- Check for loose wires around the battery compartment
- Install a MOSFET
- Use a high-capacity battery
- Use a high-speed motor
- Use 18–16 AWG wiring
- Use a speed trigger
- Use high-torque gears
Read on for valuable tips on how to increase your airsoft firearm’s trigger response, why a faster response matters, and answers to common questions related to the topic.
1. Clean the Trigger
The trigger response tends to slow down when it is dirty.
So the best way to increase your response time is to clean off any dirt and debris from your trigger and surrounding area on your airsoft gun. You’ll need to use a q-tip or patch/rag/brush, depending on where it is located.
Sometimes it may require taking apart parts of your gun, such as removing a grip panel to clean a dirty trigger.
Dirt particles are unwanted foreign objects that make pulling the trigger more difficult due to their small size. When the trigger is pulled, the debris can cause parts of your gun to stick together or even fall off.
Cleaning these areas will greatly improve the trigger response.
2. Lubricate the Trigger
Lubricating your airsoft gun increases its performance overall by reducing friction between moving parts, which in turn causes less wear and tear on them.
So when you’re done cleaning your airsoft gun, you’ll want to lubricate it with any general lubrication product that doesn’t evaporate quickly, such as silicone grease. Make sure to brush it past the trigger into all surrounding areas for best results.
This may require disassembling some of your gun’s exterior components, such as outer barrels.
However, it will be well worth it afterward if done properly. When you are finished cleaning your gun, the next time after it’s dry, brush some lubrication onto your trigger/moving parts.
3. Inspect and Replace Worn-Out Parts
An airsoft gun will lose its fast response time if it is worn out or damaged. So you’ll want to inspect it for any signs of wear or damage that could affect its performance.
This includes checking that all moving parts are still intact and functional. If there aren’t any broken pieces but you notice excessive wear, brush the area with silicone grease/gun oil until it looks normal again. When in doubt, use more lubricant.
Once you are done lubricating your trigger, I suggest adding more to the area that makes contact with the gearbox shell.
This will help improve durability and has a positive effect on trigger response.
4. Change to a Lighter Spring
The next thing you may want to do is to increase your airsoft gun’s trigger response is by changing the spring powering it. Using an aftermarket spring can instantly reduce trigger pull weight, giving you less time between pulling the trigger and shooting.
Be aware that some springs will require more force to cock the bolt or bolt handle back into position due to their higher power rating.
It may not be for everyone, but this should speed up the pump motion of any AEGs.
If your gun isn’t firing as fast as other players on your team because you are using a high-powered spring, this could be an easy way to turn missed shots into hits.
5. Tighten All the Screws on Your Gun
Tightened screws make your gun more solid and less like to move around while firing.
Doing this will also increase durability and decrease the trigger response time by reducing free-play between moving parts.
6. Check for Loose Wires Around the Battery Compartment
Loose wires can cause triggers to remain partially pulled even when the player takes their finger off. This means they won’t fire unless you press against them with something else, such as a QD silencer flash hider or grip panels.
Being pressed into something solid enough may mean that you don’t need to pull that extra distance on your trigger resulting in a faster trigger response.
7. Install a MOSFET
You can also increase an airsoft gun’s trigger response by installing a MOSFET (Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor).
A MOSFET replaces the trigger contacts with transistors that switch on and off depending on how much electricity is sent through them. By doing this, your AEG will be able to shoot faster without additional wiring changes or batteries needed.
They have timers on them, so they know when to cut power from your gun after pulling the trigger for increased efficiency, so if you install one, then use it.
However, if you’re unsure of how to install one, here are the steps to follow:
- Disassemble your airsoft gun’s gearbox.
- Unscrew the MOSFET from the stock and remove it from the battery compartment.
- Remove any screws or wires that are in the way of installing a new MOSFET.
- Install a new MOSFET by screwing it into place with a small Phillips head screwdriver.
- Attach wire to one side of the MOSFET using electrical tape, then attach the other end to the battery terminal.
- Re-attach wires and screws, then reassemble your airsoft gun.
Here’s a YouTube that describes these steps in more detail:
8. Use a High-Capacity Battery
Another way to increase trigger response is to use a high-capacity battery.
Using a high capacity 9.6v battery, such as this Tenergy 2 Rechargeable Battery Pack from Amazon.com, or 11.1v Li-Po, will provide enough power for your AEG and the motor. This results in less time between pulling the trigger and shooting because there won’t be any resistance slowing it down, otherwise known as FPS loss.
9. Use a High-Speed Motor
Another trick is to use a high-speed motor with more torque/power. The gears will move the piston faster, resulting in less time between pulling the trigger and shooting. You won’t get any FPS loss from the deal, so it’s an easy way to increase trigger response.
10. Use 18–16 AWG Wiring
A sure-fire way to increase your gun’s trigger response is to use 18-16AWG wiring. This makes it easier for electricity to flow due to having more surface area, so there will be less resistance on a smaller diameter wire.
This also means that a high voltage battery won’t have as much resistance, and your AEG will be able to send enough energy to the motor, increasing the rate of fire (ROF).
11. Use a Speed Trigger
Additionally, you could use a speed trigger to increase the trigger response of your airsoft gun.
This will make pulling the trigger faster because the switch only needs a fraction of the distance that it normally does, resulting in less time between pulling the trigger and shooting.
12. Use High-Torque Gears
If your motor is spinning high-torque gears, it will move the piston faster, resulting in less time between pulling the trigger and shooting. Gears with high-torque are made from metal such as steel or brass instead of plastic which means they won’t break as easily.
The Top Three Reasons You Need a Faster Trigger Response
So, why do you need a faster trigger response? Well, for one thing, you need to be able to shoot when the opportunity arises before you get shot. Another reason is that it builds confidence in your shooting skills.
Let’s talk more about these reasons now.
1. Faster Rate of Fire & More Accurate Shots
Any airsoft player will tell you that faster is better when it comes to the rate of fire, especially if you are using an AEG. The same applies to trigger a response. The less time between pulling the trigger and shooting results in more accurate shots, which is known as reactive shooting.
2. Shooting Becomes Easier
Having a fast trigger response makes shooting much easier for everyone, no matter how experienced they are.
Once you get used to that faster rate of fire, it will become natural to shoot as soon as your opponent pops out from cover. You will be able to do so accurately because you won’t have time to think about pulling the trigger instead.
3. Builds Confidence
A faster ROF or a faster trigger response is guaranteed to make other players envious and show your rivals how good you are. To win more often, all you need is confidence in your skills, which is boosted by high-performance gear. The results are that you play better, look good doing it, and win more often.
What Does Trigger Response Mean?
Trigger response is the speed at which the trigger on an AEG or gas-powered gun can be pulled and still release its projectile (BB/Pellet). It includes all factors that affect this ability, such as gearbox type and dimensions, battery voltage, battery capacity, and an AEG’s rate of fire.
The time between pulling the trigger and shooting is crucial to winning.
The time window for hitting an opponent gets smaller because there is less time to react, so any delay in pulling the trigger could cause many inconveniences.
The trigger response of an airsoft gun is affected by many different factors, which means that some firearms are naturally faster or slower than others, even if they are the same model.
Every gun has its own unique set of circumstances.
However, there are ways to get them up to par with other airsoft rifles/pistols with faster trigger response time.
In general, trigger response varies between AEG’s (Automatic Electric Guns) and gas blowback pistols because their mechanisms operate differently. An AEG runs off of an electric motor while a GBB runs off of compressed gas, so each requires different methods to increase its TR.
However, both of these platforms start with the trigger.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Airsoft Gun Has the Best Trigger Response?
Generally, gas and spring airsoft rifles provide the best trigger response. When one pulls their triggers, the pistons are immediately released, resulting in impressive rates of fire. The trigger response is everything in airsoft, and there are two main types you can find.
Here are a few of the most common airsoft gun types:
- Spring guns: These require some maintenance to stay proficient, but boasts one of the best trigger responses of all airsoft guns
- Gas airsoft guns: These require constant gas/propane refilling, but have a noticeable difference in trigger response. The rate of fire on gas rifles will also be much higher than on spring rifles
- Gas-powered airsoft weapons are also more realistic because they don’t have that “jerky” sound coming from them during operation
Can You Put a Speed Trigger on an AEG?
You can put a speed trigger on an AEG to improve its performance. A speed trigger allows the shooter to adjust the stroke distance of the trigger to either give it a shorter or longer pull. A shorter distance improves the trigger response.
An airsoft gun with a short trigger stroke will have a faster trigger response than a long trigger stroke because there is less time spent pulling.
The tradeoff for this type of trigger response is that the probability of accidentally shooting multiple consecutive shots increases due to the short trigger pull. This is undesirable for some players who prefer a slower trigger response with fewer accidental multi-shots.
What Is a Hair-Trigger on a Gun?
A hair-trigger is a mechanism on a firearm that reduces the force required to pull the trigger, allowing less distance between it and the sear. This results in a faster reaction time from when the trigger is pulled to when the firearm fires.
Conclusion
For the best trigger response, you should clean your gun’s trigger and lubricate it to ensure there are no snags. You should also inspect for any worn parts on your airsoft gun and replace them if necessary, tighten all screws around the battery compartment or switch area, check for loose wires in these areas too.
If needed, install a MOSFET to prevent power loss when shooting at high rates of fire. Use 18-16AWG wiring with a speed trigger to get faster shots off quickly.
Minimize strain on motors by using high torque gears, so they don’t burn out fast.
