Weather effects on Hop!

[Jamanyar]

Hey all,

 

I played at xsite (High Wycombe) last weekend.

 

Prior to setting off I always make sure that everything was packed and ready to go i.e. batteries charged and packed, hop adjusted and firing like a laser.

 

Now when I got the site and began testing the whole setup I noticed that:

 

1) Not enough hop was being applied. I assumed that during the journey the hop had shaken a little loose.

2) Upon adjusting the hop the BB's began to jam in the hop unit

 

Now while at home I am able to fire and hit targets, like a scaffolding pole, with great accuracy from about 30 metres aways. I am running this in a G&P LMT MRP AEG, with a G&P hop unit, Shredder nub, promy barrel and Madbul soft rubber. Added to this I have been using zeroin 0.2 BB's lately and to be honest have been working perfectly (I appreciate some readers might have had less convincing experiences).

 

The weather was rather warm and very humid in-between the rain. I am certain that no water dripped into the barrel, also I am sure that I had not bashed or bumped the AEG either in transport or in setting up at the site.

 

Now, I did also take my backup AEG (TM SIG 552) which worked flawless with standard TM hop unit and rubber using the same BB's.

 

I am wondering if the humidity/warmth had/has any effect on the functionality of the hop unit. It is understood that rubber expands in heat, so maybe the rubber effectiveness was indeed affected by this.

 

Anyone wish to comment.

 

Thanks,

 

J.

 

Ps please, I don't want this to boil down to a rant about how effective/un-effective M4 type hop units are, nor about which BB's are better than any other brand. So please stay on topic i.e. weather effects on hop unit functionality.

[hwagan]

Hop-up is indeed affected by weather;

 

For a start, rubber is softer when warmer, which tends to give more grip on the BB. Theoretically, this should mean you'll just need to apply slightly less hop to get the same effect.

 

However, humidity can also be a factor - If it's very humid, it stands to reason that both ammunition and the inside of the hop unit could get very slightly damp, which could cause the rubber to slip and not grip the BB.

 

 

Sounds to me like the humidity in the air caused the rubber to become damp, and the heat caused it to expand - Basically causing the BB's to slip off the bucking, not picking up a great deal of backspin and when more hop was applied, jamming them in the chamber.

 

 

Does that all make sense? Just a theory of course, but it sounds relatively logical to me.

 

 

[Jamanyar]

Hey Hwagan,

 

Your explanation sounds plausible, in-fact, it mirrored my thoughts.

 

It stands to reason that humidity should effect the rubber hop unit, indeed even the barrel. Airsoft, and airsoft equipment should fall within the effects of the physical and natural world, shame then that it is wrapped up in so much voodoo and non-sense.

 

Try finding real hard scientific based proof on anything in the airsoft world .

 

I guess as an amateur sport it'll always be the case.

 

Any other thoughts on the matter welcome.

 

Maybe some of our friends in the far east (where humidity reaches 90% and must pose a real problem) could share their experiences.

 

Thanks,

 

J.

[Jamanyar]

MODs please delete, double post!!!

[hwagan]

Trying to apply science to Airsoft is like trying to apply olive oil to a water balloon.

 

 

Still, I'd be interested to hear from HK and such too; I've noticed my PX4 overhops like mad on hot days, which i'd put down to increased power output and adjusted to compensate, but maybe it's also down to the rubber swelling?

[bulmedius]

tbh, ive never had an issue with hopups because of the weather, having played in the summer and winter... the difference, if any is hardly noticeable

[LordElpus]

The nub can also be effected. Had to swap out a players nub for a bit of biro as we couldn't get any backspin even at full hop.

[Vice]

I've only ever noticed cold weather affecting hop units. Mainly on AEGs that had been left in a cold place (garden shed) for a couple of weeks during the winter - the hops went brittle and stiff and needed replacing

[Jamanyar]

I was again at Xsite High Wycombe on Saturday and again the same phenomenon occurred when using the set up described first post. So much so that my G&P stayed in the gun bag all day and I only cleared the jammed BB's when I got home.

 

I used my other G&P LMT MRP (short), with G&P hop unit/rubber and prommy barrel. It faired a little better (no jams) but did have very inconsistent BB trajectories. Some beautifully hit on target, while every 3rd or 4th would stray wildly.

 

Now, I do feel that weather (humidity, temperature) affect the function of the hop unit, I think in this case the BB's played their part also.

 

I think from now on I'll stick with Excel, Blaster or even AIM BB's

 

J.

 

 

PS. The trusty TM Sig 552 worked flawlessly. I had lent it to a friend who was played for the first time and it worked as all TM's do. The only issue was when one of the ICS mags jammed. Back in the safe zone, upon further inspection, I noticed a weird white oblong item stuck in the mag feeding tube. Once removed I worked out it was a malformed BB..... QC issues methinks!!!