Buying Guide: BB's
The Airsoft Market can be quite bewildering, with so many variations of so many products you can often find yourself confused and unsure as to which products offer the best benefits, this is especially apparent when it comes to BB's. You've got all the weights, then BIO's, then there's Tracers too! But not to worry! As our buying guide is here to provide you with all the info that you need to make a well informed and confident purchase.
What are BB's?
BB's are the ammunition of the airsoft world, they're typically white in colour and roughly 6mm in size and often come in packs of anywhere from 40 to 3600! They're available in different weights, types and coatings all of which serve a unique purpose when fired
BB Weights
BB's differ in weight throughout their product lines, ranging from 0.20g up to 0.50g, each weight serves its own unique and individual purpose when fired out of your Airsoft Gun to provide you with a benefit that suits your playstyle and environment.
Why do heavier BB's reduce my FPS?
A common misunderstanding with BB weights is FPS loss, everyone wants to be as close to 350 as possible and no one wants that number to go down, however FPS isn't always everything! Lets use a comparison that we feel puts it into a good perspective.
If you throw a ping pong ball as hard as you can towards a target, it's going to leave your hands extremely quickly but after a few meters the ball will lose velocity due to a lack of mass and increased air resistance, this will cause the ball to lose its path and fly away.
However if you throw a golf ball with the exact same amount of force, the golf ball will travel much further with much more accuracy and consistent energy, this is due to an increased amount of mass carrying the ball forward. Granted the Golf Ball is traveling slower than the ping pong ball did, however you're going to obtain a much more accurate and reliable shot using the golf ball, albeit traveling slightly slower.
This concept applies to BB's of course, 0.20g for example being your Ping Pong ball and 0.28g being your Golf Ball, the heavier weight will travel slower and reduce your FPS reading however it will reach your target with more consistency and accuracy.
0.20g BB's
0.20g ( 0.20 Gram) BB's / Also referred to as 2's are the most commonplace BB type in the Airsoft market, they're the lightest form of Airsoft BB available and are typically used for CQC ( Close Quarter Combat ) simply due to their lightweight mass providing a super quick travel speed. They're also the cheapest BB too, with bottles of 3300 BB's rocking in at only £4.99, they're a cheap and easy way of stocking up on ammo for your next indoor skirmish. 0.20g's are also used for Chronograph reading too, as they provide a fair and precise velocity reading.
0.25g BB's
0.25g ( 0.25 Gram ) BB's again are a very popular choice for players when it comes to selecting an ammo type that suits all combat scenarios. 0.25's are favored due to their slightly denser mass which provides a more direct flight path, resulting in increased and more consistent accuracy, allowing you to get more shots on target and less fly away. 0.25g BB's are typically preferred over 0.20g BB's due to the increased accuracy and consistency, 0.20's often fly away after 15/20meters whereas 0.25's have the capability to maintain accuracy up to 50 meters! Granted you will still get the odd fly away with 0.25. 0.25's are most commonly used as ammunition for Gas Blowback Pistols and Mid Range Rifles.
0.28g BB's
0.28g BB's ( 0.28 Gram ) BB's are a popular ammunition choice for players running AR's / Marksman Rifles as they have a higher density construction, again like 0.25's providing much better accuracy and consistency with less fly away. 0.28's are the go to BB for someone looking to increase their range and accuracy without tampering with the internals of their airsoft gun. So if you're looking for an ammunition type that provides great range, accuracy and reliability for both Airsoft Skirmishing and target practice, 0.28's might be for you.
0.30g / 0.32g / 0.36g BB's
As you may have noticed, the primary difference between these BB's is the weight, as the weight increases your velocity will decrease as your gun is having to throw a heavier projectile, but your accuracy will increase. 0.30s / 32's / 0.36's are an odd weight range that are likely to be used in Single Shot only marksman rifles like DMR's / AR-10's and SR25's, as they're a little too heavy for standard assault rifles and a little too light for bolt action rifles.
0.40g BB's
0.40g BB's ( Point fours ) are the go to ammunition for bolt action sniper users, they're favoured of course due to their heavy weight allowing them to travel over large distances up to 60/75 meters depending on the gun with the right hop setting. They typically come in tubs of 1000, which may not seem like a lot in comparison to 0.20s however 1000 pulls of a bolt action rifle is slightly less ammo-consuming than an automatic M4 of course.
0.50g BB's
0.50g BB's ( Fives ) are the heaviest form of BB that you'll find available from most retailers, however they're typically quite uncommon simply due to their price tag and lack of purpose within an airsoft skirmish, 0.50's would be more suited to target practice and training.
BB Types
There are a few different types of BB's that serve their own purpose, however when faced with a big product page full of things like "TRACER BIO 0.20G DEGRADABLE GREEN 1KG BAG" it can be quite confusing to someone unfamiliar, so lets take a look at the types of BB's.
Tracer BB's
Tracer BB's are a form of BB ammunition that is finished off with a UV coating, which when under a UV light causes it to glow for a few seconds. Tracer BB's are used in combination with a Tracer Unit which is usually an illumination unit inside a mock suppressor, which flashes an ultraviolet light when a BB is passed through it, which results in your Tracer BB being illuminated for the majority of it's flight time, allowing you to trace your BB and produce a better understanding of where your rounds are landing and monitor the range capabilities of your gun. Tracer BB's typically come in either Red or Green, and are best used in either night games, for MILSIM events or at sites with dark environments.
BIO BB's
BIO BB's are a type of BB that Biodegrades over time within a regular climate. The term BIO is short for Biodegradable and they're often seen being used in back gardens and some airsoft sites require the strict sole use of BIO's only. BIO's are a great step in the direction of being environmentally friendly especially when we're slinging mass amounts of plastic at one another every other weekend, however, do note that BIO BB's won't degrade unless they're in an area that is over 16°c - As such they are better suited to a disposal method similar to compost, where they can be stored with natural properties and biodegrade.
So now you're all up to speed in the realm of Airsoft Ammunition, you can go grab yourself some ammo, load up and get ready for your next skirmish!