What Does a Hop Up Do on an Airsoft Gun

If you've been boot around OTT or the airsoft world for a scrap, y'all've probably heard talk of something called a "hop up." But what is this all-important component? How does information technology work? What practice I need to know about it?

Now, if you've got questions, nosotros've got answers.

We're going to take a closer wait at everything hop-ups, from what it is and how it works to different types of hop-ups and how to adjust them.

Top view of a hop-upwardly unit in a CYMA Dragunov SVD burglarize.

Ready to jump in? Let's do information technology!

What is a Hop-Upward and How Does It Work?

In brusk–hop-ups brand your BBs wing straighter over a longer distance.

Long answer? A hop-upwardly is a device that puts a backspin on a BB, which helps information technology fly much further without dropping as quickly, which is known as the Magnus effect. This backspin reduces the air force per unit area at the meridian of the BB, which decreases the charge per unit at which the BB falls.

Hop-up units are essentially a sleeping room that contains a rubber bucking that the BB passes through, where a slight protrusion (chosen the nub) hinders the top of the BB for a split second and imparts a backspin. The bucking is made of rubber, which allows for some pinch and so the BB isn't slowed also much and the bucking won't habiliment every bit quickly.

These backspins can exceed 120,000 rpm, but hop-ups are adjustable and then that players can fine-melody the performance of their gun to their personal preferences.

The Magnus Effect & Hop-Up Physics

Science geek? Keep reading. If physics doesn't ring your bong, skip this department.

As we mentioned, the Magnus outcome is what makes this whole affair piece of work the mode it does, then we wanted to geek out a footling and talk almost how this causes lift, and farther flying Bbs–not to mention, a basic understanding of practical physics will assistance you larn how to arrange your hop-up to go what y'all want out of it.

Basically, when a cylindrical or a spherical projectile (like a football game or your BB) is moving through the air, at that place is a surface layer of not-moving air, called the purlieus layer. Hop-ups take advantage of the way this air tin be thrown off a projectile. When a spin is introduced to the projectile, it throws off this boundary layer at an angle.

The exact bending depends on the direction of the rotation. If we look at Newton's Laws, nosotros see that, in guild for air to exist thrown in one direction, the spinning object must motion in the contrary direction.

And then forcing a BB to spin astern as it travels through the air would cause it to throw the boundary layer downwardly and to the rear, creating elevator.

This lift is what causes the BB'south normally parabolic flight (significant that it falls as it travels forward), to level off, pregnant that the BB can travel much, much farther before it eventually falls far plenty to impact the ground.

Neat, huh?

Okay, yous may be asking, just if the BB is experiencing elevator afterward a backspin has been imparted in the outset inch of the barrel–doesn't it just scrape its way down the top of the unabridged length of the barrel. That doesn't seem practiced, right?

I hear you–it definitely sounds like that would happen, but information technology's not quite true, cheers to MOAR PHYSICS!

I told you lot to skip this part if you're not into physics, then you only accept yourself to blame if yous're still reading this.

Anyways, air over the superlative of the BB is necessary to create the Magnus outcome, and if it'due south scraping the top of the butt, there is no Magnus effect happening–which means no more lift and no more scraping the top of the barrel.

At best, the BB might bounce downward the length of the butt, only that isn't what actually happens, either.

In that location is a massive force per unit area difference on either end of the butt, which ways that there isn't much airflow around the BB. This also means that the vertical force caused by the Magnus event is also non much–until the BB leaves the barrel. Because most of the pressure comes from behind the BB equally information technology accelerates downward the barrel, the Magnus consequence doesn't have, well, effect nevertheless.

One time the BB leaves the barrel, the intense pressure from behind dissipates, and the pressure around the BB equalizes, which means the Magnus consequence tin take over.

TL;DR, the Magnus outcome doesn't practice much until the BB is out of the barrel, and then don't worry about it rubbing the top of your barrel.

Many thanks to Let's Build One for their awesome lesson on BB physics, which we summarized a bit.

Types of Hop Ups

Now that your caput is spinning like a BB from that physics lesson–let me tell you that there isn't just one type of hop-up.

Wait–stop crying. Come back. I promise information technology gets easier from here.

There are actually many types of hop-ups (and endless variants), only actually, there are only three types y'all'll run across frequently, and these are the Standard Hop, Flat Hop, and the R Hop. See? Not that bad.

Nosotros'll take a little closer look at these types of hop-ups and so you can see how they work before we get into how you adjust them to customize your BB backspin.

Standard Hop

This is what you lot'll find in almost budget AEGs, and is pretty piece of cake to work with. An arm is attached to a nub (which is really the technical term for that function), which supports the rubber bucking. The bucking is what really makes contact with the BB.

The arm is adaptable, and allows users to set how much pressure is placed on the BB by the nub. Normally, a teeny adjustment wheel behind the dust cover is how you'll adapt your hop-up.

Flat Hop

This is a slightly modified take on a Standard hop, which is intended to slightly improve the corporeality of surface that comes into contact with the BB. Essentially, it'due south a longer nub, so the BB is in contact with information technology for a little chip longer than it would be with a standard nub.

What this does is stabilize whatsoever wobble in the BB and impart a stronger backspin.

Flat hops can be adjusted the same way as a Standard hop, so they're great for modding beginners.

R Hop

Want to really boost your performance? An R hop will do that, merely be prepared to struggle a bit with information technology. If you get an R hop installed and tuned correctly your get-go time, you're an airsoft god.

That doesn't mean you tin't take one, though! If yous're crafty and patient, you can definitely learn to mod your own R hop. For the rest of u.s.a., there'south always techs!

An R hop takes the idea of a Apartment hop and turns it upwardly to 11. Rather than just using a patch of rubber at the very meridian of the butt that skims the BB, an R hop uses a safe saddle that covers the unabridged top half of the barrel for the length of the hop-upward.

This means that the BB doesn't just come into contact with the bucking at 1 indicate, but rather beyond half the circumference of the BB. This gives you far more than accuracy and range than other hop-ups provide…. and then it's piece of cake to meet why R hops are pop, despite the difficulty.

Exterior of an R Hop — Outside of an R Hop bucking

It's also worth noting that you tin can discover pre-tuned sets that incorporate everything yous demand to install your very own R hop—so it doesn't fifty-fifty take to be that difficult!

Buckings and Hop-Upwardly Nubs

Okay, these aren't technically a type of hop-up, merely both of these parts are critical to the effectiveness of your hop-up.

The bucking is, as we said above, the piddling safety piece that comes into contact with your BBs to impart backspin. It as well is responsible for providing an airtight seal between your barrel and air nozzle, which is critical for your gun to similar… work.

The nub is, as also mentioned in a higher place, a modest piece that pushes down on the bucking and holds it in place for the Bulletin board system to come into contact. Nubs are modifiable, and changing them changes how the BB is affected by the bucking.

Both buckings and nubs are fabricated of rubber, though exactly what type of prophylactic depends on the player's preferences and playing conditions. A rubber nub prevents BBs from wearing out the bucking faster than normal, so it'south important to brand certain that it has the right corporeality of give.

Generally speaking, the lower temperature a bucking can tolerate, the softer the rubber is. Softer rubbers provide more than traction and a stronger spin, while harder rubbers offer more reliability and immovability.

When shopping for new buckings and nubs, make sure that they're compatible with your gun. There are two mutual types of inner butt cuts–AEG and sniper or pistol. Don't waste material your coin buying the wrong one.

How to Adjust a Hop-Up

Okay, home stretch, people.

Adjusting a hop-up is an easy maintenance step that every player should know how to practise, especially since it plays such a big role in your gun's accuracy and range. Fortunately, information technology's not besides hard.

On pretty much every AEG, you lot'll discover the hop-upwards organization behind the dustcover or when the bolt is pulled back. Peek in in that location and you'll usually see a niggling wheel (or slider, as is often the example with AKs) that will let you tune the hop-up. There are also rotary systems, which allow for more precise adjustments.

The hop-up unit of measurement in a CYMA Dragunov SVD burglarize is located behind the commodities.

In one case you've found that and figure out how to arrange information technology, it's time to punch it in. And how do you do that? By shooting. A lot.

Find a safety, open space and start shooting. Ideally, yous'll want to warm upwards your hop-up prophylactic with about xx rounds earlier you really get into adjustments.

Tweak your hop-up until you lot've achieved a BB flightpath that leaves the barrel in a slight upwardly trajectory, levels off for a good distance, before dropping in the last 30 feet or so. Once you've got this, yous should be good to get!

Enjoy blasting the snot out of your enemies.

Conclusion

And that'due south information technology, folks! You lot're well on your mode to being an skillful in everything hop-ups, and, of form, you lot are going to kill it at parties with all your new-found physics knowledge.

Best of luck out at that place, y'all!

Have any favorite hop-upward components or tips to adapt hop-ups? Questions about adjusting your own hop-up or working on your gun? Go out us a comment! Want to keep up with us? Requite Orange Tip Tactical a like on Facebook!