Battery advice for a Newbie

[Exprit70]

Have just ordered the following two guns for me and my son but now wondering what batteries are best to use.

G&P Sentry (MAGPUL) Long Barrel

G&P M4 RAS

The Sentry one looks relatively easy - I was going to buy a nunchuck 9.6V NiMh type battery and stick it in the stock, but the 2nd one suggests it can only be 7.4V Max, and fits in the tube.

I was hoping to avoid lipo because I've heard some scary stories about them, but is a 7.4V NiMh going to be suitable? I guess going to a higher voltage NiMh could damage the gun. Will a NiMh even fit in the tube?

If i do have to go lipo I might as well do it for both guns yes/no?

Any advice please. We now have all the gear on its way and these are the only parts I need to source.

Thanks, Paul

 

[Liam Porter]

Yes, a 9.6 or 8.4v nunchuck battery should fit in the stock easily on the first one (G&P Sentry).

The second one as only has place for lipos, in the stock tube. A NiMh won't fit in the tube.

You have a few options though, one being take the gun and gearbox apart and re-wire to the front. Then you can either get a battery box to go on the rails or get a different style handguard.

You could also swap the stock for one that holds nunchuck batteries. They can be expensive new, but if you look on various forums, they tend to pop up every now and they for about £10-£15.

Also, if you're in the UK and ordering from abroad, make sure you tell them your UKARA number and have the put it on the packaging - otherwise your gun won't get through customs.

 

[Exprit70]

Thanks very much Liam,

Yes, all the UKARA side of things is sorted and they were going to plaster my registration no. all over the packaging. In fact, just tracked it on Parcelfarce and they have gone through customs and are somewhere in the country now.

Your reply confirmed what I thought. I'm not going to mess about modifying the 2nd gun just yet, I'll buy some LiPos, an alarm circuit and a decent charger - it's just I've heard they can be nasty if not treated well.

Theres a good chance they could be sititng there a month or two between games - As long as they are charged after the last game would they be alright sitting around for this period of time (out of the gun) or could they discharge to the point where they become damaged?

If I'm going lipo on one I figured i might as well put lipos in both? Saves the cost of a separate charger. What do you think?

Many thanks,

Paul

 

[Hibernator]

Yes - once you go lipo you'll never go back! As a long time airsofter (nearly 10 years I reckon) I went over to lipo about a year ago and love them. I use them in all my guns now. There are a lot of horror stories about them, but most are exaggerated. If you follow the instructions and don't plan on hitting them with hammers or piercing them with knives they are fine! Any type of battery stands a chance of catching fire or being damaged if charged incorrectly, not just lipos

Fully discharging them will ruin them, so a battery alarm that costs pennies is a good idea. Or just be sensible and stop firing if you sense your gun slowing down! The batteries themselves average about £10/£15 each - so I always take 2 and swap them over at lunchtime anyway! No need to test them

Make sure the charger is a good one. I use a Bantam e-Station. It has a setting for a "Storage Charge" on lipos for when you're not going to use them for a while. They shouldn't be left fully charged for long periods - it can affect the performance over time and damage the cells, so the storage charge sets them up for being left for long periods. I only play every so often these days, so I just put everything on a storage charge after a skirmish. Then charge them up normally the day before a game.