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Airsoft Megastore BBs Guide - A Must Read!
Last Updated: 11/25/2009
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"BBs WILL MAKE OR BREAK YOUR AIRSOFT GUN, SO CHOOSE WISELY!"
If you're an experienced airsoft player, you should already know that BBs make a WORLD of difference, both in the performance and reliability of your airsoft gun. If you're just getting into the sport of airsoft, the best advice the staff here at Airsoft Megastore will EVER give you is: USE GOOD BBs.
Using cheap BBs (typically purchased at Sporting Goods stores, Walmart, etc.) in your high-powered airsoft gun (250 FPS+) is the equivalent of strapping ice skates onto an all-star NFL running back ... IT WILL HINDER PERFORMANCE AND CAUSE CATASTROPHIC DAMAGE!
Example of low-grade BBs obtained from our local sporting goods store causing IRREPARABLE DAMAGE to a high-grade polycarbonate piston from a M4A1 ... after only 950 shots!
Example
of low-grade BBs obtained from our local sporting goods store causing
IRREPARABLE DAMAGE to the internals of a metal gearbox after only 950 shots. Notice how the piston stripped due to BBs jamming, and has caused damage to the gears (note the piston havings on the gears).
Be aware that many low-grade Airsoft BBs, especially those sold at sporting goods stores, will be LABELED as "Seamless Airsoft 0.20g" or "Seamless Airsoft 0.12g" BBs. Just because they have run an extra layer of polish onto them and labeled them as "Seamless" DOES NOT mean that they are manufactured using the same technology as true high-grade seamless BBs (true seamless BBs are NOT butcher-cut pieces of rounded plastic, like the low grade BBs are), and DOES NOT mean they have the same high density content and precision spherical consistency that high grade airsoft BBs have.
High Quality BBs:- Are typically sold at Airsoft specialty retailers, NOT general sporting goods stores
- Will improve performance and minimize/eliminate jamming
- Will improve accuracy due to high density and spherical consistency ratings
- Will increase FPS due to better flight characteristics
Low Quality BBs:
- CAN and WILL VOID your airsoft gun's warranty
- Are typically sold at general sporting goods stores (Walmart, big-box sporting goods retailers, etc)
- Will jam in the barrel/gearbox of the gun, due to seams and/or poor craftsmanship
- CAN and WILL shatter inside high powered airsoft guns due to jams/irregular fire, causing catastrophic and often irreversible damage to the internals of your airsoft gun
- CAN and WILL strip your gears in your AEG and ultimately cause your gearbox/motor to lock up and render your entire gun INOPERABLE
- Have seams, and/or are not fully polished, and/or contain surface contaminants (specks of dirt, discolorations, etc), and/or shatter easily (reflecting low density rating), and/or contain and
Our recommendation(s): ALL BBs carried by Airsoft Megastore go through a rigorous 9-step certification process BEFORE we will stock them. We test for density, spherical consistency, power, jam-rate, diameter consistency, power to weight ratio, weight consistency, accuracy, and polish grade; ALL BBs carried by Airsoft Megastore have either a GOOD or EXCELLENT rating in these 9 fields and are GUARANTEED not to jam or break your airsoft gun. In our experience, the GoldenBall ProSlick line of BBs, purchased FACTORY-DIRECT and carried exclusively by Airsoft Megastore and a few other European (German and British) airsoft retailers, are the BEST AIRSOFT BBs ON THE MARKET. They provide HIGH GRADE JAPANESE BB QUALITY at affordable prices (some of the lowest prices per bag on the market).
Choosing the Right BBs:
If you're new to Airsoft, one of your first questions is probably: "What's the difference between 0.12g and 0.20g BBs? What does 6mm stand for? Why are there so many types of bbs!?"
Not to worry if you're frustrated or if you're simply wondering, we're here to help. To get some basics answered, here are a few simple bullet points as a rule of thumb:
- 6mm (millimeters) is the diameter of the barrel, and consequently the diameter of most airsoft bbs, +/- 0.01-0.06mm.
- Most-all (about 99%) airsoft/softair guns use 6mm BBs (you just have to determine the weight)
- Regardless of weight or size, Airsoft Megastore recommends PRECISION HIGH-GRADE seamless 6mm BBs to be used in all airsoft guns. Seamed BBs, typically the kinds purchased at sporting good stores/flea markets can and WILL ruin your airsoft gun(s).
Now, for distinguishing the BB weights:
0.12g (gram): 0.12g seamless airsoft bbs are generally used with
spring-action airsoft guns (often called "springers") and with plastic
gearbox airsoft entry-level automatic electric guns (AEGs). They are lightweight and produce the most power/range for spring airsoft guns and entry level plastic gearbox electric automatic airsoft guns.
0.20g - 0.23g (gram): 0.20g and 0.23g seamless airsoft bbs are generally used with metal gearbox airsoft electric rifles
(AEGs) that shoot from 280 FPS to 380 FPS (feet per second), gas airsoft pistols, gas airsoft rifles that shoot from 280-380 FPS, and stronger airsoft spring/bolt
action sniper rifles. These BBs CAN also be used in airsoft guns firing over 380 FPS, however, because of the extremely high power of 380 FPS+ airsoft guns, 0.20g BBs used in them tend to begin to float upwards at longer distances (typically starting from when the bb has already traveled at least 100 feet), which is why 0.23g BBs may be the perfect balance for some airsoft guns between power and accuracy.
0.25g (gram) and heavier, i.e. 0.26g, 0.28g, 0.30g, 0.32g, 0.43g, etc: 0.25g and heavier seamless airsoft bbs are for
use mostly in airsoft gas sniper rifles, airsoft bolt action sniper
rifles, and more powerful metal gearbox airsoft electric automatic guns
(AEGs). They are used for their heavier weight, which makes for more stable flight when fired out of an airsoft gun with substantial amounts of power (generally from guns shooting 380 FPS to 550 FPS). They are accurate even at a distance for powerful airsoft guns, and due to heavier weight, will not "float" as easily at further distances.
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