What Is The Difference Between Red Gas, Green Gas, And CO2 for Airsoft Guns? Which Should You Use When?

Airsoft is a year-round sport. You can play it in different areas and in different climates. With different weather conditions and play areas, your weapons of choice, and the way they are powered should be considered every time. Some guns don’t work as well in colder climates just like gas pistols. In this article, we find out which gas to use and when to use them. We will be talking about 3 different types of gasses namely CO2, Green Gas and, Red Gas.

What is CO2 gas?

CO2 (Carbon Dioxide) is a gas used for airsoft weapons. They are stronger than most gasses used in an airsoft arena. They are kept in compact steel containers at 12 grams per cartridge. CO2 cartridges are also stored with a higher pressure at 800psi. There is usually a cut out for these cartridges on your magazines where you insert them and puncture them to use your pistol.

What is Green Gas?

Green Gas is the most commonly used gas in airsoft pistols. It also one of the cheapest options for gas-powered airsoft weapons. Unlike CO2 it is usually stored at 100psi in 16oz cans with a built-in nozzle and ready to fill your airsoft magazine reservoir. They are less compact than CO2 so you might need a lot of space to carry cans to refill your magazine. check out the best green gas pistols here.

What are Green Gas Variants?

Green gas has other variants that you can choose from depending on the amount of pressure you need and the weather conditions you are facing. There is a Red and Black gas variant that is available in the market. However, these gasses give you more firepower than CO2 and green gas so you have to be careful where you use it. The conditions have to be right to attain the pressure you need.

What are the differences between these gasses?

As mentioned, These gasses are different in many different ways. You have to know when and where to use them. Let’s talk about what makes these gasses unique from each other when using them on your airsoft pistol and when you can use them.

CO2 Gas Cartridge

The CO2 cartridge at 800psi will allow you to shoot at 400 FPS on a normal day. Of course, you can adjust that according to your need. On colder days, however, the cold affects your CO2 ever so slightly. It might shoot at a lower velocity when shot in wintertime due to the cooldown effect which lowers the temperature of your gasses that makes it harder for your gun to shoot with them.

Green Gas

The green gas can that is stored generally at 100psi allows you to shoot your pistols at around 300FPS. They are field ready and no need for adjustments to fit the requirements. One thing about green gas is that you can’t shoot them in cold weather because the gas is not hot or warm enough to generate the power to shoot your BBs. This is also another effect of the cooldown effect that as you shoot rapidly, your gas inside the chamber drops in temperature.

Red and Black Gas

Red and black gas are just different variants of green gas that is stored at higher pressures. They say that these gasses are purposely made for airsoft guns to shoot at higher velocities. For this purpose, these gasses are highly recommended to shoot within colder temperatures. Red gas can increase your FPS by at least 40 percent. It is not recommended that this be used in the summer games or you’ll be hurting other players with your firepower.

Temperature and Gas Guns

Your green gas and CO2 cartridges will start to lose its power starting at 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit). Together with the cooldown effect, the outside temperature is a big factor when playing airsoft with gas guns. It is not recommended, but sometimes, you have no choice. You have to be careful because it is not only the gasses that are affected but also your guns. Your guns are made of polymer and metal which some parts of it can turn brittle as the air gets colder. Using higher pressured gasses can also ruin the internal gears and workings of your airsoft pistol. You have to make sure that your pistol can handle the pressure and the firepower that the higher pressured gasses provide.

Recommendation

What we recommend to gas gun users is to use your gas guns in warmer temperatures. But if you absolutely have to use them, you can use the red and black gas depending on your needs. Just make sure that your pistol can handle the pressure. If not, you can take the risk of using CO2 guns and see where that takes you.