When people speak of BB ammo, they tend to think of it as a single thing when in reality, there are a variety of BB types with key differences between each one.
The weight of BBs determines how much force is needed to shoot BBs out of a gun and can have an impact on a gun’s accuracy and trajectory.
Different types of BBs
This is the standard weight for BBs for use in most Airsoft guns and rifles. This type of BB is simply designed to be ammunition for a number of Airsoft weapons rather than provide added benefits on top of the weapon.
Having said that, different brands producing this type of BB have a design focussed on enhancing a particular feature of a weapon’s firing ability such as the accuracy or smoothness of a shot.
This is considered medium weight BB and is suitable for any Automatic Electric Gun (AEG) used in Airsoft.
Improved accuracy on the standard 0.2g BB is the main selling point for this type of BB with an emphasis on keeping your trajectory true as you fire to get as accurate a shot as possible.
While 0.23g BBs are good for improving the accuracy of guns with a shorter range, 0.25 BBs are suitable for pistols and rifles with a longer barrel and longer range.
This helps you to make the most of and maximise the added velocity a longer barrelled weapon provides you as opposed to a shorter one.
The weight of these BBs is upwards of 0.28g suitable for sniper rifles. These BBs allow snipers to cover long distances, ensuring an accurate and powerful shot.
The strength of propulsion from the BB eliminates the factor of wind resistance to keep your shot fast and accurate.
Which one is best for you?
If you have decided on a particular weapon or a particular role for you to play on your team, your hands might be tied. For certain weapons like a sniper rifle, Heavy Weight BBs are the sensible choice.
We have leading BB brands, including Proball, ASG Blaster, Blaster Devil and Blaster Tracer.
Depending on which brand of BBs you choose, there are additional benefits on offer. Some BB brands like ProBall promise precision accuracy while ASG Blaster provides BBs with a smoother texture to ensure no loss of compression when shooting.
ASG Blaster provides tracers for a number of different sized pellets. These allow you to see the path your bullet has taken once it leaves your weapon if you are involved in any night-time skirmishes.
Both offer biodegradable BBs to ensure that pellets left on the floor will eventually go back to the earth although ASG Blaster doesn’t offer this for every size.
Overall there isn’t too much difference in the cost among the different brands. However, some offer additional features like tracers so it is up to you if the added advantage is worth the additional cost.
Quality testing
If you have the opportunity, it may be a good idea to test different weighted BBs for your Airsoft weapon to see the different effects each provide on the power, velocity and accuracy of your shot.
If you are using any weapon other than a sniper rifle, different BBs should have an impact on at least one of the factors mentioned above while sniper rifles already tend to focus on all three at a long-range.
Different BB pellets can cover the same range although some may be slower and less accurate than others if they are affected by the wind. It is one thing for the BB to reach your target but not all of them have the same power and impact as others.
Through these tests, you can be satisfied that the BB ammunition is fit for purpose for yourself so that you are not wasting ammo with inconsistent shots.