Magazines
There are a lot of things to consider when choosing magazines for your airsoft gun. You have to know what you want to do with your gun and what type of magazine suits your needs. You'll be surprised how much something as simple as a magazine can effect game play and gun performance..
High caps
G36 470rd high cap magazine
High cap mags are probably the most common type of magazine. Almost every airsoft gun comes with one. They can generally hold 200-500 BB's, however some can hold even 1000. High caps feed BB's into the gun using a system of gears that create constant pressure and continually feeds the BB's. This pressure is created by the winding wheel on the bottom of the mag.
Inside the mag is a large reserve area for ammo. The biggest down fall of high caps is that once they only have about 20 rounds left, you need to turn the gun upside down to continue firing. This is not to much of a problem however, as you have at least 100 rounds to go through before that problem occurs.
Pros:
Holds large amounts of ammo
Easy to load
Reliable
Cons:
Winding is needed as you shoot
Won't feed last few rounds
Inside the mag is a large reserve area for ammo. The biggest down fall of high caps is that once they only have about 20 rounds left, you need to turn the gun upside down to continue firing. This is not to much of a problem however, as you have at least 100 rounds to go through before that problem occurs.
Pros:
Holds large amounts of ammo
Easy to load
Reliable
Cons:
Winding is needed as you shoot
Won't feed last few rounds
Mid caps
M4 mid cap magazine
Mid cap magazines attempt to combine the best of both worlds. They hold a decent amount of ammo, do not require winding, and add realism. Most Mid caps hold about 100 rounds. They are fed by a spring that decompresses and feeds BB's as they are shot. However loading the magazine can be more difficult and time consuming. Most players keep several Mid caps with them during a game. To load a mid cap magazine, a speed loader is needed or else it will take a very long time. However, though mid caps seem like the best option, they are notorious for jamming once they have been even lightly used. Many people (including myself) have spent 50+ dollars on a box of mid caps only for them to constantly jam and become useless after a few games. Though it can sometimes be fixed with certain mods, that won't always work.
Pros:
Quiet
Realistic
Decent amount of ammo
Cons:
Harder to load
Speed loader needed
Almost always jam eventually
Pros:
Quiet
Realistic
Decent amount of ammo
Cons:
Harder to load
Speed loader needed
Almost always jam eventually
Low caps or standard magazines
These magazines are just like mid caps only they hold less ammo. Most low caps or standard magazines hold between 30 and 50 rounds. They where designed mainly for the most possible realism as they hold about the same amount of ammo as a real magazine. However, many players find it takes at least 30 rounds to hit and enemy player as BB's are not the same as real bullets. So some players may find standard mags frustrating.
Pros:
Most realistic
Cons:
Very little ammo capacity
Like mid caps, harder to load
Pros:
Most realistic
Cons:
Very little ammo capacity
Like mid caps, harder to load