How to properly set up your hopup

[Renegade)]

I have read a few posts lately, and I see quite alot of the players who I know have good guns and know how to use them, use the phrase "set up your hopup correctly" and other varriations.

So its time to bring out some secrets and tips for everyone to know how a hopup unit should be properly set up and tuned as you will for maximum performance.

Some tricks I do/have done:

If I notice lack in performance, or you put too much oil on, but the rubber is still good, I will soak it in warm soapy water for a little bit to get the oil off. Rinse, then reaply to the barrel and put a drop of light weight silicon oil on, and work it around with your finger. Then reinstall into the hopup unit.

I have also used in the past instead of a stock nubbin, a peice the same size, 18gauge soft wire skin. Slightly bigger than the nubbin, really helps me get a bit more hop on the heavier bb's that I use, without going full hop setting, this leaves plenty of extra hop if I need it. Performance was excellent with this trick.

I just recently received the Shredders SCS, and I like it, but I had to add a peice of rubber to the bottom of my hopup lever to get a little bit extra push down on the unit, because I notice I was not getting full effect.

So I now open this up for discussion, please post up your methods of doing your own hopups, tricks from the pros, ect of properly assembling, tuning, and setting up your hop up units.

[CDN_Stalker]

Good tips to post up. On my end, I set for maximum straight range, then back it off a bit to make it underhop. Gives much better performance without any surprise shots overhopping due to the BBs hitting pockets of denser air.

[Danke]

Warm it up before you set it.

[Skladfin]

Originally Posted by Renegade)

If I notice lack in performance, or you put too much oil on, but the rubber is still good, I will soak it in warm soapy water for a little bit to get the oil off. Rinse, then reaply to the barrel and put a drop of light weight silicon oil on, and work it around with your finger. Then reinstall into the hopup unit.

thank you! finally people believes in washing the hop up rubber, took shitloads of patience on my part lol

[Tankdude]

Look down the side of you gun when setting it.

Start with it off and work your way up. If you try to over hop it too much it may jam depending on the gun.

Zero it in one direction and then turn 180 degrees and shoot again. Take the average. The reason is you just adjusted for wind.

Use white BB's to set your hop up. It helps

Set your hop up BEFORE the night game

[Twin#1[Op-for]]

Before a game, go to the feild or test shooting area etc, find a tree or barrel or something at a good distance for your normal shooting distance, example like 60 feet for outdoors, and adjust your hop-up accordingly. That's what I do :P

[venture]

Originally Posted by Danke

Warm it up before you set it.

Sage advice for many ACM hop-ups. Sometimes that glossy hard Chinese rubber takes a hi-cap to warm up to full effect. I find that my Tokyo Marui hop-up is ready to go at almost any time. When I clean and lube the barrel and hop-up it goes a bit wonky for a while until the silicone oil wears away.

Advice for any newbie: Learn how the hop-up in your gun works. It is one of the most important pieces of the Airsoft Puzzle. If your hop-up doesn't work well put in (or have a gun doctor put in) a one piece metal hop-up. Some folks here that know more than I about the subject can probably recommend good brands of hop-ups. I would be curious to know people's preferences.

Personally, TM 2 piece hop-up is as good as anything. I have, however, seen many reports that say a one piece metal hop-up is better.

[kalnaren]

Another:

Hop-up isn't static. It changes with BB weight, quality, and atmospheric conditions.

[m102404]

Hopup rubbers/nubs are cheap...I keep 6-10 on hand. Soft, hard, "normal".

I discard clone/hard/shiny ones.

I'll opt for one that has a good fit on the inner barrel...don't want a floppy loose one there. If you working with a quality inner barrel, quality hopup unit that's usually not an issue. Don't want the rubber/barrel loose in the hopup unit either.

Quite honestly I'll just use a bit of saliva on it when assembling...does the trick.

If I notice that when the hopup is "off" but the bump is still protruding in the barrel...I'll switch nubs. I've used soft nubs with harder rubbers and vice versa...depends on what's going on in the field (obviously changes to it are done once I'm back home and in prep for the next game). I've had great success with the guarder clear soft rubbers (with both soft and black nubs).

Most important to me is that the hopup setting stays where you put it. Shimming the hopup adjustment wheel usually does the trick. If it's going to loosen off after a mag or two...what's the point?!?

Some people don't have the visual acuity to see BBs in flight. Get someone to stand behind you and look over your shoulder. When in doubt...set your hopup 1/3rd on and adjust from there. You don't need to aim through your sights at this point...you just need to hold it steady and level. After the hopup is set...then zero your sights.

I like a little rise at the end of the shot...helps me see where my max range is when I'm shooting and it's easier for me to pick out during the game than when they fall off suddenly. But, yes, it does make your shots more susceptible to air changes.

My thinking is that you want the most amount of consistent spin applied to each BB. That means:
- the rubber has to have some grip...the more grip, the less pressure needs to be applied, which means less wear and tear.
- the BBs have to be uniform...use good bbs. Try others and you'll probably find some that work best...buy LOTS of those.
- the rubber has to be applied to as much of the BBs surface when it touches it...which means it needs to deform/conform to the BB. So I tend to think that softer nubs are the way to go.

When I set it...it's usually a pretty simple affair. I put it about 1/3rd on at home...and roughly sight in my rifle (1-1.5" high at 25-27ft). When at the field I shoot the furthest distance that I safely can...keep the sun behind you if possible, shoot into a dark(er) background. I'll set it so there's too much hop and then back it off. I'll rip a good burst of full auto to settle everything in...then check my sights for zero (and they'll usually be close...or close enough). Don't get faked out by cross winds.

Honestly...I have never touched my hopup once a game has started. I've never reset/rezeroed my sights during a game either.

If you're in doubt...politely ask someone who's just standing around (they're not frantically adjusting and zeroing like the other 20 guys because they're done already!) to help you out.

[lemegacool]

Originally Posted by Skladfin

thank you! finally people believes in washing the hop up rubber, took shitloads of patience on my part lol

i never NEVER put oil into the feed tube... i clean my barrel and hop up rupper after each game... dry rubber works way better!

[Skladfin]

Originally Posted by lemegacool

i never NEVER put oil into the feed tube... i clean my barrel and hop up rupper after each game... dry rubber works way better!

bravo lemegacool, it's great that people can finally realize how important it is to keep oil off their rubbers... the ones they use on their AIRSOFT guns atleast

[Amos]

Wash your BB's aswell

[CDN_Stalker]

Originally Posted by Amos

Wash your BB's aswell

Works best in bolt action rifles, but I wouldn't run hundreds of those through an AEG, I can see a feeding issue in the works.

[Skladfin]

Originally Posted by CDN_Stalker

Works best in bolt action rifles, but I wouldn't run hundreds of those through an AEG, I can see a feeding issue in the works.

I've actually done this with no problems.

I washed both rubber and BB(It was BB Bastards).

Accuracy/consistency improved significantly.

[Amos]

Originally Posted by CDN_Stalker

Works best in bolt action rifles, but I wouldn't run hundreds of those through an AEG, I can see a feeding issue in the works.

I've been washing my BB's in 1:100 Simple Green:Water then thorough water wash for the past while and I've never had an issue... Mind you, I don't use full auto... but I go through.. about 1000 BB's a game and haven't had anything negative happen in terms of feeding.