Washing bb's

[Dannn]

Well there's 15k little bastards swimming in this bucket and the crap that's come off is unbelievable!

[sp00n]

Release oil from moulding, dust from polishing and storage ?

[Jedi_Master]

So a newb question. Should you always wash your balls before using them? Or do you only do that with cheaper brands?

[FatHeadLovell]

So a newb question. Should you always wash your balls before using them? Or do you only do that with cheaper brands?

You should always wash your balls before using them. Ladies appreciate it

[TheGrover]

So what's the deal? Lob them in a bucket of water and give em a swirl?

[MxHaze]

It's pointless

 

Unless you're gunna strip and clean your mags/rifle/containers/bottles every time you play, whats washing your bbs doing? did you bleach the bottle they came of before you put them back?

[Dannn]

I do clean rifle, mags and pistol after each game...

And the bottles will be rinsed out too.

If I'm using very modified pistol and aeg which I've spend fortunes on I'm going to make sure everything is just so.

 

As for washing... Get a bucket throw your balls in, I use pure soap flakes as it doesn't leave any residue at all give them a good rattle about, then rinse off a few times to get anything off them that's left then (ask the gf/wife to help?)pour in to your wife's/ mums siv or couldiner rinse again, put them in a clean bowl, dry your bucket out put them back in and use a none fluffy towel to dry them, them I leave them in the conservatory to dry off for a day, nice smooth clean balls ready for action!

[TheGrover]

Who doesn't love nice clean and smooth balls, am I right?

 

In all fairness, does it make a difference? Maybe its just my phone but the picture above just looks like bbs in soapy water to me

[Dannn]

It was just bbs in soapy water lol

It must make some difference I guess as lots of crap comes off them, maybe an immeasurable one but some..

Maybe ?

[sp00n]

I know lots of ppl say they wash there bb's on the sniper forums, I myself am too lazy lol

[Lozart]

It's definitely more of a sniper thing. If you're using decent quality bbs you shouldn't need to wash them for your average aeg or gbb.

[Dannn]

I think I may be more a sniper thing, I started doing it for my HI-Capa to get the most out of the mods since it cost quite a bit, but as my g63 has been modded quite a lot I thought I'd use them in that too.

Plus I'm a fanny.

[MxHaze]

It must make some difference I guess

This is why its pointless, because after all fannying about, you can only hope its doing something. you cant even call it a placebo effect because its unmeasurable and there are other variables in place.

 

having said that, each to their own. But i wouldnt want any new airsofters to think washing your beebs will grant 300m headshots.

[NickM]

I genuinely wash mine, well the ones used in my sniper only. I have a 5 stage process that has been refined from the data on the sniper forums, in an AEG it's probably pointless because of the number of variables already in play. However I clean the barrels of my pistols and AEG's every game day, mags are stripped and cleaned about every 4th or 5th game day, unless they get particularly dirty somewhere like the sandpit perhaps.

 

The point of the sniper setup is to remove as much variation as possible. There is a release agent and dust from production on the bbs, the release agent causes variations in the pressure and back spin applied by the hop. Dust and release agent can cause patches within the barrel that might have an impact on the flight of the bb. The sniper forums are very details orientated, and results are published, evidence is targets with 10 or so shots, and variables are tested fairly scientifically, clean barrel + unwashed bbs, Dirty barrel + unwashed bbs, clean barrel + washed bbs. The difference in groupings was fairly clear in my eyes. Someone even tested different washing techniques.

 

My process (which is probably overkill and unnecessary, but it makes me feel better, and mistakes with shots are my fault not the kit)

Step 1, hot water and fairy liquid. 5min soak, then swirling, drain.

Step 2, diet lemonade (cheap and nasty works fine), this is for the acids. 5min soak, then swirl, drain.

Step 3, hot water and fairy liquid, swirl.

Step 4, rinse in cold water

Step 5, dry on a clean baking tray, on a windowsill in the sun as quickly as possible, store in washed 500ml coke bottles.

[Sacarathe]

My process (which is probably overkill and unnecessary, but it makes me feel better, and mistakes with shots are my fault not the kit)

Step 1, hot water and fairy liquid. 5min soak, then swirling, drain.

Step 2, diet lemonade (cheap and nasty works fine), this is for the acids. 5min soak, then swirl, drain.

Step 3, hot water and fairy liquid, swirl.

Step 4, rinse in cold water

Step 5, dry on a clean baking tray, on a windowsill in the sun as quickly as possible, store in washed 500ml coke bottles.

 

Ooooh, very interesting, but why coke bottles?

[Happy]

I only wash my sniper rifle BBs. Just to remove the grease that comes on them so it doesn't instead rub off going through the hop up. Soak in diet coke for fifteen minutes, another fifteen in soapy water and then left to air dry on a towel.

 

It's easier and quicker cleaning the BBs in one go rather than disassembling/cleaning the hop up after every game day.

[NickM]

Mostly because the blaster bottle caps are crap, every one I have ever had has split, they aren't designed to withstand any pressure, even slightly over tightening them causes them to break. Coke bottles are designed to be far more robust. My heavy weight ammo comes in plastic bags. I have a supply of 500ml coke bottles and a slightly ocd nature that means I want them in matching bottles.

 

So I now have a washed set (about 2000 of each) of .20 for chrono. 0.25, 0.28, 0.30, 0.36, 0.40, 0.43 and 0.45.

[Sacarathe]

Kudos for answering, there was zero sarcasm in my post, but it wasn't a serious question. Just a joke because you explained [why] everything else.

 

I broke my first blaster bottle.

[Samurai]

Sniper thing and depends on the BB too. I washed my Madbull 0.40s but didn't make a noticeable difference.

[BrightCandle]

I guess a lot of people don't realise that BBs are actually polished, and they come with a slight waxy coating. One of the reasons this is done is to avoid the plastic of the BBs being laid down into the inner barrel and slowly destroying the surface. Snipers don't fire many rounds so they can get away with the residue problem and just clean their weapons barrel often enough that it likely never becomes an issue. However an AEG can fire a lot of rounds in a day and end up laying down a sufficient amount of melted plastic such that it doesn't come off.

 

The waxy coating has two impacts, it gets left behind in the barrel and needs regular cleaning and it reduces the effect of the hop rubber on the BB as it slides past. But compared to having melted plastic in your barrel its a better option.

[Lozart]

Personally - I feel that washing your BBs falls under the long list of things that life is just too short for. Like bad coffee or Jeremy Kyle.

[Antt570]

Personally - I feel that washing your BBs falls under the long list of things that life is just too short for. Like bad coffee or Jeremy Kyle.

 

 

[TheFull9]

The hell is the entire military meant to do between 10 and 10:30 without jezza? Have some consideration for us scumbags that need to see some even scummier scumbags being generally awful human beings on television in order to help us feel better about ourselves.

 

Kinda surprised it took as long as it did for anybody to say what Candle did. BBs aren't just dirty, if you buy them from a decent manufacturer they've got a slightly oily coating specifically put on there and for good reason. The surfaces of solid objects moving against each other do generally want some sort of lubrication for optimal performance in most applications.

[Jedi_Master]

The surfaces of solid objects moving against each other do generally want some sort of lubrication for optimal performance in most applications.

There is always time for lubrication.

[Lozart]

There is always time for lubrication.

 

That's what she said.