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What Bio BBs should I be buying?
- Thread starter ChristianHalley
- Start date
Tactical Pith Helmet
AF-UK patch owner
- Jul 5, 2016
- 1,040
- 2,576
Good precise info!
I can't offer the same, but I can vouch for Blitz Bio BBs. I accidently bought four or five bags a couple of years ago. The boy left a couple of packets open and in sunlight. Not his fault in part as the ziplock had come unglued. But leabing them out of the drawer was bloody silly.
Anyhow, I found them again and used the incorrectly stored ones today. Not a malfunction, jam in any of the RIFs used. They shot as consistently as anything else too. I had written them off after all the horror stories but they performed fine. I didn't see one deformed/swollen BB at all.
I can't offer the same, but I can vouch for Blitz Bio BBs. I accidently bought four or five bags a couple of years ago. The boy left a couple of packets open and in sunlight. Not his fault in part as the ziplock had come unglued. But leabing them out of the drawer was bloody silly.
Anyhow, I found them again and used the incorrectly stored ones today. Not a malfunction, jam in any of the RIFs used. They shot as consistently as anything else too. I had written them off after all the horror stories but they performed fine. I didn't see one deformed/swollen BB at all.
Lozart
Supporters
- Jun 24, 2013
- 8,495
- 4,944
Just a quick note - don't buy Proball bio's. I lent my M4 and a few EPMs to a buddy last game and none of them fed properly. I never have any issues so I checked what ammo he'd bought and it was indeed Proball Bios. Dumped them out, replaced with whatever the fuck I was using (possibly Ares Amoeba Diamond Precision can't really recall) and it was faultless for the rest of the day!
Druid799
Supporters
- Sep 9, 2015
- 4,695
- 2,403
Amazing what you can find on the forum when you use THE FORUM SEARCH (and yes this snarky comment is directed at new members) am just about to run out of my humongous stock of ammo I bought a couple of yrs ago so I’m now making the change to bio and am exercising a bit of due diligence in to which to buy . So a big thank you Ad_ for the hard work you’ve put in over the past yr or so with your ongoing research , certainly helped me big time .
Cheers bud . ?
Cheers bud . ?
R
Ad_
Members
- Apr 16, 2020
- 112
- 16
That's very interesting. I guess it's not that surprising that most BBs perform about the same, as from what I've seen with my testing they tend to have similar size ranges/variation & as they mentioned in the video many brands are probably made in the same factory anyway!
It would also be interesting to see how various BBs perform after being fully loaded into midcap mags (especially ones with particularly strong springs like the EPM1s) as some BBs are much softer than others and could end up being deformed & suffer reduced performance as a result.
The results for the Ares BBs are a little surprising as the ones I got were unimpressive, with the bag I got containing a bunch of badly deformed BBs (and the ones that looked ok didn't seem all that special either). Although the ones I looked at were the 0.25g version & it wouldn't surprise me if some weights are just more consistent/better made than others for whatever reason, as I've seen with other brands. It's also possible that I just got some from a bad batch but then I would've thought that any that were so visibly dodgy as the ones I found would've been picked up by QC, especially with them being visible through the packaging...
It's a shame they didn't test any BioSphere BBs as those are the closest to perfect BBs I've found so far in terms of size & roundness, but every one I broke apart had an air bubble; it would be interesting to see how much of an effect that has on their performance.
I'll definitely have to take a look at the 6mm Ammo BBs though, those sound very promising.
Panama
AF-UK patch owner
- Jul 10, 2020
- 71
- 25
There is another favorable review of the 6mm Ammo BB's a year ago (a UK company, I believe?) https://airsoftdoorkicker.com/2020/08/23/6mm-ammo-bb-experiment/
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Members
- Apr 16, 2020
- 112
- 16
I bought some 6mm Ammo BBs to test. Shipping was extremely quick; I placed my order late on Friday evening, received the shipping notice email on Saturday & they were delivered on Monday - this was with free delivery option too!
These are the 0.30g version, in both the regular and tracer versions. The regular BBs are supplied in a black coloured bag, while the tracers are supplied in a transparent bag. Both bags are completely sealed & resealable - there are no air holes that might allow in dust or any other contaminants from the environment.
6mm Ammo 0.30g Bio BBs
Just like my other tests the very first thing I did was sift through the BBs and inspect them for any obvious defects. Unfortunately I found a number of BBs in the pack that had significant surface defects, ranging from minor dimples to larger dents/scratches (and even a protrusion on one of them) - the latter potentially being a big problem as significant defects could damage the hop rubber an/or cause a jam in addition to compromising the performance of those particular BBs. Here are some of the worst ones I found (best photos I could get; my phone's camera isn't very good):
View attachment 78708View attachment 78709
In addition to this, despite the pack having been sealed there were a few bits of dust/debris in the pack that had stuck to some of the BBs. I only noticed due to paying such close attention to them (and it's not as bad as I've seen in some other brands that don't come in fully sealed bags) so it's likely nothing to be concerned about but I think it's worth noting.
I measured only BBs that didn't have any obviously visible defects.
Weight: All but two were slightly overweight at 0.31g (my scales wavered a little between 0.30 and 0.31 on a few of them before settling on on 0.31)
Size range: 5.91 - 5.95mm; 4 measured within the 5.95 +/- 0.01mm tolerance. 1 was 5.91mm minimum, 2 were 5.92mm minimum, 13 were 5.93mm minimum, 4 were 5.94mm minimum.
Roundness: 1 measured 0mm variation all around, 15 measured with max variation up to 0.01mm, 3 with 0.02mm, 1 with 0.03mm
Defective BBs aside these are among the better BBs for consistency and roundness, with 17 being 5.93mm+ and only one having more than 0.02mm variation, although they lean towards the heavier side.
These are harder and more brittle than the Geoffs 0.30s, breaking apart cleanly. I did not find any air bubbles in the ones I broke apart.
6mm Ammo 0.30g Bio BBs (tracer)
I did not find any BBs with any visible defects in this pack. I did see some kind of minor dust/debris in the bag though, again probably not significant enough to worry about but worth noting anyway.
Weight: 15 measured 0.30g, 5 measured 0.31g. My scales wavered between 0.30/0.31 before settling for most of the ones that weighed 0.30g so these all seem to lean towards the heavier side (though not to the same extent as the regular version)
Size range: 5.93 - 5.94mm; 2 measured within the 5.95 +/- 0.01mm tolerance. 18 were 5.93mm minimum, 2 were 5.94mm minimum.
Roundness: 7 measured 0mm variation all around, 13 measured with max variation up to 0.01mm.
These seem to have slightly better sizing and consistency than the regular version, with all measuring 5.93-5.94mm and only up to 0.01mm variation.
They are a bit softer and much less brittle than the regular version. I did not find any air bubbles in these either.
These are the 0.30g version, in both the regular and tracer versions. The regular BBs are supplied in a black coloured bag, while the tracers are supplied in a transparent bag. Both bags are completely sealed & resealable - there are no air holes that might allow in dust or any other contaminants from the environment.
6mm Ammo 0.30g Bio BBs
Just like my other tests the very first thing I did was sift through the BBs and inspect them for any obvious defects. Unfortunately I found a number of BBs in the pack that had significant surface defects, ranging from minor dimples to larger dents/scratches (and even a protrusion on one of them) - the latter potentially being a big problem as significant defects could damage the hop rubber an/or cause a jam in addition to compromising the performance of those particular BBs. Here are some of the worst ones I found (best photos I could get; my phone's camera isn't very good):
View attachment 78708View attachment 78709
In addition to this, despite the pack having been sealed there were a few bits of dust/debris in the pack that had stuck to some of the BBs. I only noticed due to paying such close attention to them (and it's not as bad as I've seen in some other brands that don't come in fully sealed bags) so it's likely nothing to be concerned about but I think it's worth noting.
I measured only BBs that didn't have any obviously visible defects.
Weight: All but two were slightly overweight at 0.31g (my scales wavered a little between 0.30 and 0.31 on a few of them before settling on on 0.31)
Size range: 5.91 - 5.95mm; 4 measured within the 5.95 +/- 0.01mm tolerance. 1 was 5.91mm minimum, 2 were 5.92mm minimum, 13 were 5.93mm minimum, 4 were 5.94mm minimum.
Roundness: 1 measured 0mm variation all around, 15 measured with max variation up to 0.01mm, 3 with 0.02mm, 1 with 0.03mm
Defective BBs aside these are among the better BBs for consistency and roundness, with 17 being 5.93mm+ and only one having more than 0.02mm variation, although they lean towards the heavier side.
These are harder and more brittle than the Geoffs 0.30s, breaking apart cleanly. I did not find any air bubbles in the ones I broke apart.
6mm Ammo 0.30g Bio BBs (tracer)
I did not find any BBs with any visible defects in this pack. I did see some kind of minor dust/debris in the bag though, again probably not significant enough to worry about but worth noting anyway.
Weight: 15 measured 0.30g, 5 measured 0.31g. My scales wavered between 0.30/0.31 before settling for most of the ones that weighed 0.30g so these all seem to lean towards the heavier side (though not to the same extent as the regular version)
Size range: 5.93 - 5.94mm; 2 measured within the 5.95 +/- 0.01mm tolerance. 18 were 5.93mm minimum, 2 were 5.94mm minimum.
Roundness: 7 measured 0mm variation all around, 13 measured with max variation up to 0.01mm.
These seem to have slightly better sizing and consistency than the regular version, with all measuring 5.93-5.94mm and only up to 0.01mm variation.
They are a bit softer and much less brittle than the regular version. I did not find any air bubbles in these either.
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Members
- Apr 16, 2020
- 112
- 16
It's quite possible that this could just be a bad batch, as I've only tested the one bag / single weight - and the tracer versions are fine. It's a shame as they do look pretty good otherwise.
If anyone else gets any 6mm Ammo BBs I'd recommend spending some time checking them over before using any just in case... actually, I'd recommend doing this regardless of brand (and before opening the pack if the packaging is clear or has a window).
If anyone else gets any 6mm Ammo BBs I'd recommend spending some time checking them over before using any just in case... actually, I'd recommend doing this regardless of brand (and before opening the pack if the packaging is clear or has a window).
Panama
AF-UK patch owner
- Jul 10, 2020
- 71
- 25
I have just got some Geoff's 0.32g BIO's that I will use in Sunday's skirmish.
I don't want to open them yet just in case the site suddenly wants to see unopened bags of the bio's you intend to use. I don't think they will, nor do they say it's a requirement but having been caught out last month at Combat Thetford which was very expensive, I am not taking the chance.
I will check them after the game report back here.
I don't want to open them yet just in case the site suddenly wants to see unopened bags of the bio's you intend to use. I don't think they will, nor do they say it's a requirement but having been caught out last month at Combat Thetford which was very expensive, I am not taking the chance.
I will check them after the game report back here.
Panama
AF-UK patch owner
- Jul 10, 2020
- 71
- 25
I didn't end up using the Geoff's 0.32g Super Natural Bio bb's on Sunday as bios weren't required/enforced.
I rolled the bag of bb's around and then looked at a group of 30 using the zoom on my camera and as far as I can see the surface of them all looks really polished without any obvious blemishes.
There is fine dust in the bag, but no individual pieces of anything.
Interestingly the bag has a small hole that has clearly been intentionally punched through both sides at the top left?
Unfortunately I don't have the tools to be able to accurately measure or weigh them but as I have now almost run of of my longbow bb's I will use these next time at the shooting range on all my rif's and report back. It would be great to be able to switch permanently to bio's if they are consistent, reliable and shoot well.
I rolled the bag of bb's around and then looked at a group of 30 using the zoom on my camera and as far as I can see the surface of them all looks really polished without any obvious blemishes.
There is fine dust in the bag, but no individual pieces of anything.
Interestingly the bag has a small hole that has clearly been intentionally punched through both sides at the top left?
Unfortunately I don't have the tools to be able to accurately measure or weigh them but as I have now almost run of of my longbow bb's I will use these next time at the shooting range on all my rif's and report back. It would be great to be able to switch permanently to bio's if they are consistent, reliable and shoot well.
Last edited by a moderator:
Rogerborg
Supporters
- Aug 22, 2017
- 9,195
- 6,058
Errr: "Sure, the site says bios, but they didn't catch me so non-bio was fine." ?
Sure, the site says 1.13J, but they didn't catch me 3J was fine.
Sure, the site says plastic, but they didn't catch me so steel BBs were fine.
Sure, the site says take your hits, but they didn't catch me so...
Joking, but not joking. While I actually think that "bio" BBs are just greenwashing, I use them where the site asks for them, same as I stick to any rule even if I disagree with it.
Panama
AF-UK patch owner
- Jul 10, 2020
- 71
- 25
I must admit I don't get the point of what you have posted?
There wasn't a site requirement to use bio's, so therefore and what I think you are implying, I didn't get away with anything. Normal bb's were allowed which is what I used. Had I turned up and they had changed that then I had bio's with me and would have used those.
Last edited by a moderator:
Rogerborg
Supporters
- Aug 22, 2017
- 9,195
- 6,058
Picking a fight with the mirror, it seems. Oops.
I do apologise, I thought Gunman was bio only, but I was thinking about someone else - they don't mention it anywhere.
The background is that my local site is bio only and yet they keep catching folk using non-bio BBs. I've seen it happen three times, play was halted when they found heavy magnetic non-bios[*] at the chrono, and when the culprits were identified, it's been "Oh, I didn't know", "Nobody told me" (it's stated at every brief), and one bloke tried to brass neck it with "Oh, I didn't think you really cared."
So I've had that rant in the bag for a while, I'll pop it back in and keep it warm and dry.
[*]I actually think iron or steel dust is more degradable than PLA, but they disagree.
I always use bios,. Figure they must be slightly better for the environment- after all, we all love being out in the woods so makes sense to me that we would all want to preserve nature....
Our sport is under fire ( pun intended) about RIF's etc....we ought to avoid anything that people can use to criticize us.......when friends find out that I take my son airsofting, after criticizing the use of guns and shooting people, the next thing they move onto us the pellets everywhere!!
Our sport is under fire ( pun intended) about RIF's etc....we ought to avoid anything that people can use to criticize us.......when friends find out that I take my son airsofting, after criticizing the use of guns and shooting people, the next thing they move onto us the pellets everywhere!!
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