What Airsoft Gas Pistol Is Better To Use In Cold Weather? CO2 or Green Gas?

The weather when playing airsoft will not always agree with you. Especially when you use gas pistols in your game. When the cold weather hits, you are going to have a harder time shooting your gun because if the cold. The drop in temperature affects your gun so much that its velocity is not what it is normally like. So what guns should you use in cold weather? CO2 or green gas?

Cooldown Effect

When you use gas guns, at any temperature, the cooldown effect will always affect your gun, especially in rapid shooting situations. Airsoft gasses are stored as a liquid to save space. They are then transferred to the magazine to prepare it from shooting. Heat is needed to transform that liquid into that gas that you need to fire your airsoft pistol. Every time you fire your pistol, the gas takes heat from wherever it can get it. In this case, it’s the body of your magazine. That is the reason your magazine gets cold. Hence, the cooldown effect. Add on cold weather to that, and your pistol just might stop firing altogether. This usually starts to happen at temperatures below 40 degrees and will greatly affect gas blowback pistols.

CO2 on the other hand can perform better in cold weather compared to green gas, but it may take a harsher toll on the construction of your gun. The liquid to gas transition often cools the o-rings on your pistol. With the already cold temperature cooling it down, it may get too cold and damage some parts of your pistol. Like with anything that freezes or gets too cold, they get brittle and a possibility of it breaking overtime is on the table.

What To Use; CO2 or Green Gas?

Like with any situation, there is always something that you can do. Unfortunately, in this scenario, there is barely anything you can do, it’s just science. For green gas pistols, you can try to keep your magazines deep within your pockets to try to keep them warm. The idea is to generate enough heat so your pistol will work. The colder it gets, the harder it is to fire your weapon. For CO2, you may use hand warmers to keep them warm before you actually insert them into your magazine and shoot them. You want to insert them in the last minute to keep them warm and lessen the damage to your weapon. However, there are some players that say they can use their CO2 pistols in the cold just fine.

Alternatives to Green Gas and CO2

If you can do without the green gas and CO2, there are some alternatives you can use to play airsoft without taking a risk in damaging your favorite sidearm.

Electric Pistols

Cold temperatures have no effect whatsoever on the way your pistol will shoot. Since you are not using gas to fire weapons, there is no cooldown effect to worry about. Charging may be an issue but extra battery packs are often good to have on your person.

High-Pressure Air

This is the least used type of airsoft power source. It is super expensive, and it is a big inconvenience to bring such a big tank for every airsoft event you attend. It does have its benefits. You can set how much pressure you need and most of all, it is not affected by colder temperatures.

Red Gas

Red gas is a variety of green gas that you can use in colder weather. It has a similar composition to green gas, just with a higher pressure. It is marketed as good for cooler weather and increased FPS. One risk to using this is that you may overshoot your FPS and not b qualified for play.

Our Final Thoughts

Generally, we would recommend not to use gas-powered airsoft guns during the cold winter season. It takes to much strain on your pistols and you may end up buying yourself a new airsoft pistol altogether. It is better to use electric guns or other alternatives if you really want to play during the winter season. Reg gas can also be a good substitute for these kinds of events, just make sure that you have a compatible pistol to use it with.