Bushings and Bearings

Airsoft gun bearings and bushings are integral parts of your airsoft gun's gearbox. Bearings are designed to reduce the friction generated in your airsoft gun's gear set, with the two largest benefits being an increased ROF (Rate of Fire) and increased battery life due to the reduction in friction, allowing the gears to turn faster while requiring less work from the motor to do so.

Roller bearings are subject to wear and tear, and must be periodically inspected to ensure smooth actuation. A bearing that has worn “rough” or started to seize will begin to cause drag on the gear mounted in it, reducing performance and eventually leading to full gearbox failure. Most roller bearings are a “closed” or sealed system to prevent foreign debris from entering them, but some designs are “open” and require periodic lubrication.

An airsoft gun Bushing  is a solid bearing made of a flanged cylinder of metal, machined to fit the gearbox shell, with a hole in the center for the gear axle that mounts within it. The primary benefit of a bushing is that it will have a higher service life than a bearing, but will not provide the same performance benefits.  In very economical guns (nothing currently carried in our product line), plastic bushings can be found equipped in the gearboxes, which last an expectedly short service life. Metal Bushings will eventually wear out, as they are generally made of a material softer than the hardened steel used to manufacture gears.

Bearings and bushings come in various sizes depending on the specification of the gearbox they are installed in; 6mm, 7mm, 8mm, and 9mm. For bushings, sizing is only used to match the gearbox they are being installed in, additional performance improvements past that point are negligible. For a bearing however, the larger the size, the more surface area the roller balls have to disperse rotational force, increasing effectiveness, and decreasing stress on each roller ball, so that bigger is better when using bearings.