FPS: Store Listing vs. Actual

All,

In reading through a few posts on the REVIEW section I noticed the comment "store listings says xxxFPS, but it chrono's out higher at xxxFPS". Here is the scoop on that....

The Chinese/Taiwanese Manufacturers tend to "Pad" the FPS Ratings on their guns. Most of the good retailers will actually test out a gun w/.2g BBs and use their FPS results in the listing. Most use the lower results as the rating. This ensures 99.9% of the guns fire at an FPS as advertised, out of the box. As a result, the actual FPS rating you get may be slightly higher than what is listed. One observation, the Tiawanese manufactures (ICS, SRC, ETC) FPS Claims are usually more realistic than the Chinese manufacturers....they also tend to make better guns (IMHO).

Keep in mind once you get your gun FPS is going to vary based on the hop up "Settling In", compression, age of the gearbox, etc (see below thread on factors that directly impact FPS).

Hope that helps you in your buying process.

ontargetairsoft wrote:All,

Also, as you have already learned on your own, the type and quality of the battery directly impacts your Muzzle Velocity and Rate of Fire. Additionally, BBs will vary slightly in weight giving you an FPS that varies with each shot.

The output of the battery has no effect on the fps, all it does is allow the weapon to cycle faster. When using high quality ammo the FPS variation due to the bb will be minuscule, the compression makes a much more significant difference.



Stock, unsettled FPS is meaningless, the settled FPS (after ~2000 rounds or so) is the more important number.

A JG may start at 450 FPS but then settle at 380-420 depending on compression.

|337 wrote:

ontargetairsoft wrote:All,

Also, as you have already learned on your own, the type and quality of the battery directly impacts your Muzzle Velocity and Rate of Fire. Additionally, BBs will vary slightly in weight giving you an FPS that varies with each shot.

The output of the battery has no effect on the fps, all it does is allow the weapon to cycle faster. When using high quality ammo the FPS variation due to the bb will be minuscule, the compression makes a much more significant difference.



Stock, unsettled FPS is meaningless, the settled FPS (after ~2000 rounds or so) is the more important number.

A JG may start at 450 FPS but then settle at 380-420 depending on compression.

I second that.

Healthy debate, love it!

Just to clarify, my orginal post stated that the TYPE and QUALITY Impacts FPS and ROF. I did not state that output affects FPS, you are right is does not.

By TYPE and QUALITY i mean NiCd Vs. NiMh and Stock battery vs. higher end battery (i.e. intellect). We did a test once where we had a few "Stock" batteries and a few intellect Batteries in assorted NiMh and NiCD flavors (all the same voltage) and the FPS and ROF did vary quite a bit from battery to battery. The best results coming from the Intellect batteries.

Interesting point on compression. Do you think it has more to do with the size variation of a BB and it's ability to hold compression as the BB travels down the barrel. Even the Best BBs are + .05mm.

Agreed on Settled FPS...but your average buyer does not usually look for Settle FPS, and the manufacturers sure as heck don't use that as a selling point.

ontargetairsoft wrote:Healthy debate, love it!

By TYPE and QUALITY i mean NiCd Vs. NiMh and Stock battery vs. higher end battery (i.e. intellect). We did a test once where we had a few "Stock" batteries and a few intellect Batteries in assorted NiMh and NiCD flavors (all the same voltage) and the FPS and ROF did vary quite a bit from battery to battery. The best results coming from the Intellect batteries.

That was probably just inconsistancy in compression and a number of other factors. Batteries in no way could ever effect FPS.

ontargetairsoft wrote:Healthy debate, love it!

Just to clarify, my orginal post stated that the TYPE and QUALITY Impacts FPS and ROF. I did not state that output affects FPS, you are right is does not.

By TYPE and QUALITY i mean NiCd Vs. NiMh and Stock battery vs. higher end battery (i.e. intellect). We did a test once where we had a few "Stock" batteries and a few intellect Batteries in assorted NiMh and NiCD flavors (all the same voltage) and the FPS and ROF did vary quite a bit from battery to battery. The best results coming from the Intellect batteries.




Interesting point on compression. Do you think it has more to do with the size variation of a BB and it's ability to hold compression as the BB travels down the barrel. Even the Best BBs are + .05mm.

Agreed on Settled FPS...but your average buyer does not usually look for Settle FPS, and the manufacturers sure as heck don't use that as a selling point.

The battery chemistry will not affect the FPS, only the ROF. Like I said it only effects cycling speed. It is the same effect as putting in a more powerful motor.


The variations in bb diameter will not make as big of a difference as the seals in the gb and the hop up. With nicely built BASR's or HPA rifles the bb will make a much more noticiable difference.

I'm curious what those "other factors" might be. We did the test with the ICS-51 SG551. We used Stock/Generic 8.4v batteries (the kind that ship with Chinese guns) and an intellect 8.4v. The generic batteries were shooting in the high 370's to mid 380s and even had problems turning the spring all the way back a few times. The intellects were in the Mid-380's to low 400s on a few shots. Same results on an SRC GEN 3 G36c, lower FPS with Generic batteries. I didn't have a chance to put them on a multi-meter.

I guess I should have paid attention in electronics class.

Thoughts?

ontargetairsoft wrote:I'm curious what those "other factors" might be.

Well there could be tons that possibly affect a guns FPS.

BB variation
compression variation
Cylinder diameter
O-ring quality
Temperature?
Barrel Condition

Those are just a few that I can think of.

I personally am not an intellect fan, I have had 2 intellect packs die. They were great while they lasted though, nice high discharge and good life.



As for the fps it could be any number of things. Depending on how far apart they were the spring could have settled some. Or it could be the compression, ICS guns have a history of poor compression.

My intellect battery just fried on me

Sorry for somewhat off topic-ness but I really dont like intellect batteries. They seem to have flimsy wiring and they die more quickly than others.

Ok, now we are off topic. I think this thread has run it's course. Thank you for the intelligent feedback. I'll rephrase my orginal post as to not confuse or mis-inform 1st time readers.

In hind sight, what was I thinking? I put up a post on how FPS is determined for advertisement then I went off on a tanget about batteries. Talk about going off topic...DOH!