Airsoft GBB Pistol Upgrade Guide - Hi-capa - Range and Accuracy
How to get more range and accuracy from your Hi-capa GBB
If you are taking your Hi-capa toe to toe with AEG users on the skirmish field, or you are setting up for a shooting competition, you will want to get the most range and accuracy from this already impressive platform. The Hi-capa is a mature design and has been around for over two decades, the result of which is an absolute plethora of upgrade parts out there for the Hi-capa.
More options are always a good thing, but having more to choose from leaves many struggling to find the parts which work the best. This guide will outline our favourite accuracy and range upgrades which are currently on the market for Hi-capa Airsoft GBB pistols based on the original TM design, and adding one or more of the upgraded parts in this list will give you a visible improvement in range and accuracy, as long as the parts are properly installed.
Do it all in one with the Maple Leaf Complete HOP Chamber set! For Hi-capa 4.3 and Hi-capa 5.1
The Maple Leaf Complete HOP Chamber set includes a CNC machined HOP-up chamber with actuator and adjustment wheel, tightbore 6.02mm inner barrel and the impressive Maple Leaf MONSTER HOP-up rubber. The HOP-up chamber itself is constructed from brass to ensure you get a good air seal and gas efficiency.
This set offers you the opportunity to drop a complete Maple Leaf HOP and barrel upgrade into your Hi-capa, without the need to modify or tune anything as it is all designed to work together. If you aren't one for messing around, and you are looking for an accuracy boost, this set would be a solid choice.
Or, Incrementally upgrade with Maple Leaf, Airsoft Masterpiece and Laylax parts!
If you prefer to add upgrades incrementally and target the specific parts which need improvement to get the performance you need, you have a world of options for the Hi-capa GBB platform due to its impressive aftermarket support.
If your Hi-capa is based on the Tokyo Marui design, and most are, you can make use of the superb VSR-10 style HOP-up buckings and tightbore inner barrels to give you a significant improvement in accuracy and range!
Maple Leaf Crazy Jet Inner Barrel - Hi-capa 4.3 - 97mm - Hicapa 5.1 - 113mm
Installing a Maple Leaf Crazy Jet into your Hi-capa GBB is one of the most effective upgrades possible, especially when coupled with an aftermarket HOP-up rubber. The principle behind this barrel's design is to provide an ultra stable air cushion surrounding the BB for the entire duration of its journey down the barrel, to prevent the BB from impacting the sides of the barrel which can cause fliers and accuracy issues, even in tight bore barrel setups.
This is known as the "wide bore" principle, which is intended to provide similar performance to tight bore inner barrels whilst minimising the chances of jams, and reducing the frequency of necessary barrel cleaning. The Maple Leaf Crazy Jet takes this principle, and runs with it, adding their own innovation to the idea of a "wide bore" barrel with the "jet stream" system, which ensures that the BB also exits the barrel without making contact, ensuring you get a stable trajectory with minimal fliers.
Maple Leaf 6.02mm Tightbore Inner barrel - Hi-capa 5.1 - 113mm
The inner barrel is constructed from stainless steel and has a high polished internal surface for minimal friction, and a deep and smooth crown to ensure your BB leaves the barrel smoothly and consistently. This barrel is cut for either VSR/GBB style HOP buckings or Maple Leaf Hybrid buckings when used in an AEG.
Maple Leaf Decepticon HOP-up Bucking
The external surface of the Decepticon Bucking is ribbed to keep your inner barrel more stable inside your HOP-up unit and ensure you get a good air seal with no wasted gas. The contact patch inside is wider and longer than those normally found on GBB HOP-up buckings, granting greater stability and a stronger overall HOP effect.
This translates to longer range, and better accuracy when used with high quality heavy BBs, and improves the accuracy potential of almost any Hi-capa or other GBB pistol in both short and long range engagements. The Decepticon builds on Maple Leaf's superb Autobot bucking by providing a flatter contact patch for "flat HOP" like performance.
Laylax Nine Ball Purple VSR HOP-up Bucking
The Nine Ball Purple bucking has been known to be one of the best options for upgrading an Airsoft GBB pistol for pure accuracy, thanks to its high quality construction and superb brand pedigree. The manufacturer, Nine Ball, also known as Laylax, Prometheus, and First Factory, is one of the original Japanese manufacturers of Airsoft upgrade parts, and their expertise goes without saying.
The way the internal wall of the Purple HOP-up bucking has been moulded will guarantee an excellent air seal and reduce power loss, helping to stabilise each consecutive shot. We have been so impressed with the performance of this HOP-up bucking that the Bolster Armouries Tech Team decided that this is their bucking of choice for the incredible Bolster Armouries Hi-capa series, the second batch of which is already in production!
Airsoft Masterpiece Brass HOP-up Unit
Airsoft Masterpiece is a relatively new name in the world of Airsoft GBB upgrades, but they already have a reputation for producing the finest CNC parts available for the Hi-capa, amongst others. The unit is precisely machined from brass, adding ample strength and giving it a high-quality, precise build which guarantees excellent air seal, as long as your other parts are up to task.
This HOP-up unit comes with a brass adjuster wheel and HOP-up actuator pre-installed, saving you the task of adding these fiddly little parts yourself. The HOP-up unit's external surfaces are coated with a hard-wearing yet smooth gloss gold finish, which both serves to reduce friction as the outer barrel moves around the unit and to provide bespoke, custom looks.
Don't forget to clean your inner barrel!
Keeping your inner barrel clean is the key to keeping your Hi-capa shooting accurately, with or without upgrades. If you have noticed a sudden drop in your Hi-capa's accuracy, the culprit may well be built-up dirt and lubricant in the inner barrel. To clean your inner barrel you will need the following:-
What you will need
- Airsoft approved degreasing spray or silicone lubricant
- A polymer Airsoft inner barrel cleaning rod
- Microfibre cloth
- A pair of scissors
Do NOT use
- WD 40 or any lubricant which is not intended for Airsoft
- A metal cleaning rod for an Air rifle or similar
- Kitchen towel or similar
You will first need to remove the magazine, ensure the pistol is not loaded (if there is a BB in the chamber, run your cleaning rod through to clear it), and dial your HOP-up down to its lowest setting. Your pistol does not need to be field stripped in order to clean the inner barrel.
Next, cut the microfibre cloth into strips to fit your cleaning rod. These are generally sized to fit a piece of cloth measuring 10mm x 40mm, though this will depend on the thickness of your chosen microfibre cloth. You will probably need 3 or 4 strips of cloth, but we advise you to continue to clean the inner barrel until the last cloth piece comes out clean, so having one or two extra might save time later.
Insert one of your strips of microfibre cloth into the slot on your cleaning rod, and wrap it around so it barely fits inside the inner barrel. It is helpful to have your scissors handy in case you need to adjust the length of the cloth strip for a good fit. With your cloth strip in place, either spray a very small amount of degreaser or silicone lubricant onto your microfibre cloth.
With the previous steps complete you can now proceed to swab the inner barrel with your cleaning rod, taking care not to push the cleaning rod through the HOP unit. Remove the old cloth piece and add a new one to your cleaning rod. Repeat this process unit the cloth comes out clean, applying additional degreasing spray/silicone lubricant when needed. The final pass with a cleaning rod should be done with no additional spray, as this will help remove any excess which remains inside the barrel.
After cleaning your inner barrel, we recommend that you put a few magazines worth of BBs through the pistol to help clear out any excess degreasing spray from the barrel, as this will negatively affect accuracy until it has been cleared. This is more important if you choose to use silicone lubricant, as any lubricant which remains in the barrel after cleaning will affect accuracy more than degreasing spray.
So there you have it! Our favourite Hi-capa upgrades for extra range and improved accuracy. One of the best things about the Hi-capa platform is that innovation on the Hi-capa aftermarket is constant, and the attainable performance of this platform improves all the time.
These are our current top choices out of the almost endless list of upgrades available for the Hi-capa, but keep an eye out for future guides, as when the new stuff drops you know we will have our say!
If you have the accuracy performance you need but are after a snappier rate of fire and cycle speed, check out our blog on Speed and Handling Upgrades for Airsoft Hi-capa GBB pistols.