Finding right bb weight for my gun

[JS101]

Ok, so don’t shoot me!

Im not asking what is the “best” bb weight my question is how do I best go about finding the ideal weight for my aeg?

I’ve been using .25s since getting back in to the hobby but since I’ve had power down my rif as my regular site now chronos on joules only - I’m wondering how I go about finding the right bb weight for my rif.

I installed a new hop unit (this is what lead to me going over the limit) and it seemed to me that even applying a little hop would send a .25 up in the

air - whilst backing it off (possibly) led to it dropping a bit early.

That leads me to think I could go a bit heavier.

So is it as simple as I have heard some say “use the heaviest bb your gun will hop within joule limit”?

That makes sense to me - but is it as simple as that? 
 

any other advice?

FYI it’s an upgraded m4 with maple leaf bucking now shooting 330fps on .2s after changing spring.
 

thanks!

 

[EDcase]

So is it as simple as I have heard some say “use the heaviest bb your gun will hop within joule limit”?

Yup ?

For AEG users 0.28 is the most common weight and best performance vs price.

 

[infyrana]

It's as simple as you putting in the bb you want and going out and using them irregardless of the results.  Or it's as expensive and time consuming as you covering a lot of testing to fine tune and get the best result for your toy.  Personally I don't run more than .25's in anything up to 350fps in full auto for my old AEG's (those without S-Hop).  I've upped that to .3's through .4's for those with S-Hops as the result for distance is better, and run heavier in single shot bolt action or GBB's with double stack gas mags.

There's a multitude of factors that will change how your Airsoft toy performs, like the air seal of your particular toy through to cylinder volume and spring, or even the tolerances of your model versus another exactly the same etc etc etc...  But here's one way to find a reasonable BB weight for you:  (Apologies if it covers things you already know)

So firstly, knowing your own AEG and it's current setup will massively help, comparing it to the performance of other players toys of a similar nature will also aid in this, but do remember that not all toys are the same.  Once you have a base line with your existing setup and have a good idea of the distance and flight level of your shots (ie how the hop affects the bb towards the ends of the shot), you'll be able to compare any changes you make from there.

Next is to remember that not all BB's are made the same - tolerances between BB's (even in the same packet) can vary across manufacturers.  For example, you might decide to try those with better quality tolerances (Perfect Fit / Precision / Maruzen Super Grand Masters etc), they are likely to produce better consistent performance, but could also increase the FPS versus another version of the same BB weight (and cost you more).  Also, if you buy those with a slightly larger diameter, you may find they jam in a super tight barrel or that your hop setup works differently with them.  So if you test, remember to know what you are testing with and that simply keeping the weight but changing the label might result in different results.

Grab some of those BB's you want to try (I mean, fill a hi-cap or several low caps with .2's, .23, .25, or .28's etc) and note the manufacturer then go and test.  Make sure you test in the same area you did your base line testing, same distance, similar weather (ie not rainy/windy) and if you can, in somewhat similar temperature (temp' changes may affect your hop rubber).  I like to remove all the hop and slowly add a little bit at a time, helps to prevent you starting with too much and over hopping it sending the BB vertical lol.  Remember, no hop might cause the bb to fall out the end of the barrel, so when I say remove all hop, know this and keep the toy level whilst you test and add a little hop until you can see it take affect then test from there..  On the flip side, do not add way too much hop or you will likely find it jams the bb inside the barrel or knocks your hop totally out of place (bad for s-hops).  I also watch the shot from down the side of the barrel to get a better idea of the flatness of the trajectory and adjust the hop accordingly, looking straight down the sights / scope will not give you the best indication unless you're checking for hop / barrel twist sending the bb off to the side.

The results should hopefully give you the best indication.

Hope this helps, good luck in your choices!

 

[Impulse]

The unfortunate truth is that BB weight is a very empirical thing. You need to experiment with what works for you. That said, these are my two cents:

I generally run .32s in all my 1.1J builds. However, a normal rifle to me is a GBBR or a 1.1J sniper build, so I'm not exactly spamming the trigger with my 35rd magazines. I think I usually go through maybe 400 - 500 BBs in a game day if I'm using my m21, which has the largest magazines of my guns at a whopping 70rds!

I'd echo .28s as the overall best value for regular AEG usage and all-around usefulness. Will you gain a tiny bit more range and consistency with heavier BBs? Sure, but you can also just take two steps forward or arc the gun slightly. It's generally not worth the cost to upgrade to .32s or heavier if you're going through a lot of them each game day.

 

[infyrana]

I'd definitely add that BB weight in gas models versus spring / electric, will give different results.  I find heavier bb's in gas models work much more efficiently and you'll often see those differences when you plot a graph of chrono results.

I forgot to add - if you have to shoot through dense brush at your local site, there is likely more reason to run heavier bb's like the .28's which I see recommended above.  One reason being that they are less effective by things like 'leaves on a tree', the added bonus is that the player who's hit often shouts 'hit' a little sooner and clearer for you.  On the flip side, a large open site with 150+ players where you need range and plenty of bb's might justify you using something a little cheaper to spread out amongst the enemy team

 

[heroshark]

This is quite informative. They have done other videos regards BB weight, range and accuracy.

 

[Jacob Wright]

As others have said, it’s really a case of give a few different weights a go and see what works best for you. 
 

When I started off I used 0.2’s for years and just thought different weights were a phase ?

Then I accidentally bought 0.23’s and discovered that my BB’s were now less affected by the wind and gave an increase in range. 
 

And now I run 0.28’s in my recoil, the velocity is low and the flight time is a bit longer but they’re consistent, accurate and can punch through vegetation at close ranges (oh and cheaper than 0.32’s ?).

So yeah try some different weights out and see what works best!

 

[heroshark]

now I run 0.28’s in my recoil, the velocity is low and the flight time is a bit longer but 

You should watch the video above if you haven't. All be it 0.2 travels faster out the muzzle they don't hold the momentum. The initial speed of a heavier weight BBs are slower but over a distance it keeps that velocity so there's very little difference in time to target over a distance at weights below 0.28g.

 

[Tackle]

You should watch the video above if you haven't. All be it 0.2 travels faster out the muzzle they don't hold the momentum. The initial speed of a heavier weight BBs are slower but over a distance it keeps that velocity so there's very little difference in time to target over a distance at weights below 0.28g.

In much the same way that my old Mercedes sprinter van would perform, half empty it struggle to keep the pace when you hit an incline on the motorway, but fully laden it was like a missile, nothing could slow it down (not even the brakes lol) ?

 

[Jacob Wright]

@herosharkfair enough that does make sense when you put it like that!

 

[Rogerborg]

it seemed to me that even applying a little hop would send a .25 up in the

air - whilst backing it off (possibly) led to it dropping a bit early.

Getting your hop spot on can be an exercise in tiny adjustments, and going back and forth to get the perfect pressure.  That said, I find it easier to get heavier BBs dialled in and would agree that 0.28g should be your default choice until you find something that works better, and which is affordable depending on your budget and trigger happiniess.

I run 0.28g in AEG primaries, 0.32g in a DMR (and should really be running heavier, but there's quite a jump in price to 0.36g), and 0.25g in an MP5K used as a DMR/sniper secondary which is generally used at shorter ranges.

The only way to find out what your particular toys prefer is to try it and see.

 

[Impulse]

0.32g in a DMR (and should really be running heavier, but there's quite a jump in price to 0.36g)

I was considering jumping to .36s in my 1.1J builds as I don't fire that often and my hop ups could easily handle them, then I looked at the price jump and said "hell no!" .36s are where ammo starts getting pricey.

 

[Tactical Pith Helmet]

Shoot the heaviest BBs your hop lifts and you can/are prepared to afford as a rule of thumb.  

Nothing wrong with any of the previous advice, in fact it's damn good, but I find it comes down to this in practice.  I use .28g in most stuff and .30 in my DMR.  Then again I am lazy... 

 

[EDcase]

Shoot the heaviest BBs your hop lifts and you can/are prepared to afford as a rule of thumb...

I'll stick to 0.12g BBs then ?

 

[Badgerlicious]

I was considering jumping to .36s in my 1.1J builds as I don't fire that often and my hop ups could easily handle them, then I looked at the price jump and said "hell no!" .36s are where ammo starts getting pricey.

I suspect a .32 is about the heaviest that a bb can be with normal bb plastic. 

Though if you're throwing .36s you're probably not doing a run 'n' gun type build. I haven't yet been through a bag of 1000 over 2 game days so the price doesn't bother me a huge amount. £11+shipping for 1000 geoffs. 

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Shoot the heaviest BBs your hop lifts and you can/are prepared to afford as a rule of thumb.  

pretty much this.

how much a hop can lift can ofc be changed, depending on how far you want to go.

usually the .28-.32g range tends to be the balance folk end up at for assault style guns outdoors as a balance between decent performance and being affordable for the kind of round count you typically would be using.

 

[Rogerborg]

I suspect a .32 is about the heaviest that a bb can be with normal bb plastic. 

Yup. Natively, 6mm of ABS is about 0.12g, and PLA ("bio") is 0.2g.  Above that, there's got to be something else in there.

Though if you're throwing .36s you're probably not doing a run 'n' gun type build. I haven't yet been through a bag of 1000 over 2 game days 

True, but PLA will start to get sketchy over time, so there's also the consideration that you'll need to get through them, or bin them.  Granted, it took 2 years for Geoff's 0.43g bios to start to break up on me, it's not a huge issue.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Yup. Natively, 6mm of ABS is about 0.12g, and PLA ("bio") is 0.2g.  Above that, there's got to be something else in there.

remember having this conversation with a colleague who knows a lot more about polymers than me, the bits i understood seemed to suggest there's a lot of density change possible with neat polymer by changing the chain lengths. although we ended up reckoning that mixing in particles was equally feasable especially for the higher densities.

 

[Rogerborg]

mixing in particles was equally feasable especially for the higher densities

Some black and grey BBs have ferrous filings in them, as can be verified by dipping your grip in and coming out with dangling balls.

A quick Duck-Duck-Go does reveal a fairly wide range of claimed densities for ABS and PLA, with ABS listed with a lower mean density, but a higher limit. it would be interesting to hear what the actual practical limits are from someone better qualified than a typical Wikipedia editard though.

 

[Adolf Hamster]

Some black and grey BBs have ferrous filings in them, as can be verified by dipping your grip in and coming out with dangling balls.

A quick Duck-Duck-Go does reveal a fairly wide range of claimed densities for ABS and PLA, with ABS listed with a lower mean density, but a higher limit. it would be interesting to hear what the actual practical limits are from someone better qualified than a typical Wikipedia editard though.

conversation was a while back, but iirc we ended up reckoning the cost was probably the major factor, ie it'd be cheaper to buy the lower density polymer and mix in additives (especially if that same density polymer is what's used on a lighter bb in the product range)