• Hi Guest. Welcome to the new forums. All of your posts and personal messages have been migrated. Attachments (i.e. images) and The (Old) Classifieds have been wiped.

    The old forums will be available for a couple of weeks should you wish to grab old images or classifieds listings content. Go Here

    If you have any issues please post about them in the Forum Feedback thread: Go Here

Why Test With 0.20 but Recommend 0.25?

Thedadoodle

Members
Joined
Jul 1, 2020
Messages
43
Reaction score
15
I was on Patrol Base looking for a gun to buy. (I did buy one :) ) but I came across a common theme on their specifications for the guns I was viewing. So I am not sure how consistent this is with their shop but it brought a question to my mind. Why do they test their guns with 0.20 BBs and give the statistical data on the gun based on this, but then say they recommend a 0.25? Would it not make sense to use what you would recommend? or give the data of both BBs? 

I did try and find this question in the forums but nothing come up so thought ill ask it myself.

 
Simply because most sites chrono your gun with 0.20g's. However depending on your setup, you'd likely get better performance (accuracy and distance) in the game using a heavier BB.

 
I did try and find this question in the forums but nothing come up so thought ill ask it myself.
Inertia basically - historically, .2 was used far more by far more airsofters than now. I got into the sport properly around 2011 and at the time it felt like a 50:50 mix of .2 and .25 being used by people.

It's the lowest weight considered usable in airsoft, so it can make sense to chrono at that level, to a degree.

 
Just how they Chrono your guns normally. It tends to give u a rough FPS figure. But most people tend to play with .25s.

But yea it’s just based off what most sites like to Chrono your gun with. ?

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Another factor (albeit rather minimal) is cost, bit of a waste for them to use heavier BB's just for testing

 
Because 0.20g bbs have been the standard for the longest time. They are uber cheap to buy and is seen as the lowest weight possible that is accepted for skirmishing. Idk who rolled it out but before that, 0.12gs were the go to lmao. Back when I started, people were still using 0.12gs. BULLDOG 0.12G THE BEST IN TOWN ONLY FOR 5 SMACKEROONIS WITH A SPECIAL FEATURE WHERE THE BB SHATTERS UPON FIRING WHICH PROVIDES AN INSANE BUCKSHOT EFFECT! BUY NOW!!!!

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Appreciate the replies, they all make perfect sense too. I guess there isnt really a wrong answer it. @AK47frizzle full auto buck shot sounds devastating haha

 
short answer because heavier ammo travels further for the same energy, we chrono on 0.2's because it's traditional and the numbers are what people are familiar with.

long answer is here:




 
Just how they Chrono your guns normally. It tends to give u a rough FPS figure. But most people tend to play with .25s.

But yea it’s just based off what most sites like to Chrono your gun with. ?
Does most site only allow you to chrono with 1 size BB then? Only asking because the site I played would chrono you for your preferred choice and re chrono if you wanted a change.

I have only had the 1 skirmish game so sorry if this is common knowledge.

 
Does most site only allow you to chrono with 1 size BB then? Only asking because the site I played would chrono you for your preferred choice and re chrono if you wanted a change.

I have only had the 1 skirmish game so sorry if this is common knowledge.
They tend to be more personal choice now but it’s still the “go to” for Chrono testing. It’s BBs you can just throw away  as mentioned etc. 
I use a mixture of .2s and .25s.

 
Last edited by a moderator:
short answer because heavier ammo travels further for the same energy, we chrono on 0.2's because it's traditional and the numbers are what people are familiar with.

long answer is here:
I never thought they'll travel further to be honest. In my head it's added weight or size to the same internal firing mechanism would have a detrimental effect to the distance the projectile would go. 

I'll give your linked post a read though. I have seen some of your posts and comments. You seem to know a fair deal and appreciate your reply

They tend to be more personal choice now but it’s still the “go to” for Chrono testing. It’s BBs you can just throw away  as mentioned etc. 
I use a mixture of .2s and .25s.
That makes sense, I guess a universal method of testing makes sure no one misunderstands or tries to find grey areas etc. 

 
Does most site only allow you to chrono with 1 size BB then? Only asking because the site I played would chrono you for your preferred choice and re chrono if you wanted a change.

I have only had the 1 skirmish game so sorry if this is common knowledge.


what weight of ammo to chrono on is a matter of some debate.

one side of the argument is that if a site uses 0.2g to chrono all the guns then they know nobody's done the old "it's 0.2g honest guv" routine when they were actually firing say 0.4's.

the other side of the argument is that some guns (notably longer barreled gbb's and hpa's) are susceptable to what's known as joule creep, where a gun that's firing fine on 0.2's becomes much hotter only by changing ammo to something heavier. this means even an honest player might think his gun is fine because it passes on 0.2's but the 0.3g ammo he's firing in game is hitting much harder.

I never thought they'll travel further to be honest. In my head it's added weight or size to the same internal firing mechanism would have a detrimental effect to the distance the projectile would go. 


it is somewhat counter intuitive, especially to think that a round that's going slower will go further,  that's why i sat down and actually did the math to see if there was a definitive best answer.

 
@Adolf Hamster your explanation covers it so well in the post. I feel like a lot new airsoft players would gain a ton of knowledge from that (like myself). It also gives you an understanding on what upgrades you will need and how they will affect the gun too as I am not brushed up on upgrades and parts.

Feel like I just got a Airsoft + BB degree haha. Thank you 

 
Might be a dumb question to ask as I've not experienced it yet but how does the process work when they test you on site? 

Do they give you 0.2g bbs? (if you are using heavier)

Do you normally keep a spare mag empty for it? 

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Might be a dumb question to ask as I've not experienced it yet but how does the process work when they test you on site? 

Do they give you 0.2g bbs? (if you are usijg heavier)

Do you normally keep a spare mag empty for it? 


Depends on the site, some shove .2's on top of whatevers in your mag (they'll make you fire off a few rounds if its full), others will ask what weight of ammo your using.

 
Do they give you 0.2g bbs? (if you are using heavier)

Do you normally keep a spare mag empty for it? 


To add to what @Adolf Hamster said, depending on the site and who's chrono-ing, and how bothered they are, they might keep a full STANAG and an AK mag at the chrono and get grumpy if you turn up with something less dull. ;)

If they're providing the BBs, then you should bring an empty mid-cap to chrono.  If you have a hi-cap, fill it with whatever you're using, but don't wind it up. They'll put BBs into it through the feed tube, then you wind it up.

Personally I think pre-game chrono is safety theatre.  It should be provided as a service for those with the sense to use it, but actual chronoing should be done in game, early and often, e.g. at respawn or pulling folk aside entering the safe zone.  Starting with the site owner getting his personal punishment pistol chronoed in front of plenty of witnesses, and work down through the marshals, marshals' mates, regular players, and new-to-the-site players in that order.

</hobbyhorse>

 
Last edited by a moderator:
Summat in that. Swoop when its least  expected.

Nobody expects the Spanish inquisition as Monty Python said!

Regards

 
@Rogerborg yeah the place I went too, they got everyone to chrono with what they was using. Then random chrono'd 2 or 3 players at the end of each game.

 
i agree that random spot checks are a good idea, although i've yet to go to a site that actually does them.

 
Back
Top