Best sniper weight bb please?

[ikarma70]

Hi guys, I have decided to buy geoffs 0.4gr bb's for my Cyma m40 but wondered what else would be a good alternative please?

 

Thanks

Andy

[sp00n]

Generally speaking the lighter the faster the bb will travel

 

But a heavier bb can/will (depending on setup and bb weight/quality etc) go further, be more accurate, have less wind deflection etc, but it will fly slower

 

But there is no best, try a few different weights and see what works for you

 

I have tried 0.4's, 0.43's and I am currently using 0.45's

[proffrink]

If I can just add one correction: Over 15m a heavier BB will actually reach its target in the same amount of - if not less - time than a lighter one due to carrying its energy more efficiently during its flight. During those first 15m they lose out slightly to lighter BBs, but as that distance increases the heavier ones do pull ahead in having a reduced time to target.

 

Using a lighter BB over a heavier one only really makes sense for four reasons:

• You're using a pistol and think that 0.060 second decrease in flight time might help when really close up (I mean I guess it might)
• Heavier ammo is too expensive or unavailable
• The site you play at has banned heavier ammo as it holds its energy too well and can penetrate objects otherwise used to set up a particular scenario (a good example of this is CQB sites where netting that would otherwise stop a .20g or .25g BB would let a heavier one through or be damaged by heavier BBs over time)
• Your hop unit can't handle it (see below)

Basically just shoot the heaviest BB that your hop can lift. For most stock sniper rifles these days this is up to a .40g, but with a couple of upgrades a .45 or even a .50g (if you can find some) can be consistently lifted. Consistently being the key word as many hop units will lift heavy BBs but won't do it consistently and your shot-to-shot accuracy will suffer because of this. Many stock guns (until recently) were using significantly violent 'bumps'/'mounds' on their buckings which would not play well with heavier weights (as they'd be slamming into this bit of rubber/silicone that was protruding nearly 1/4 of the way into the barrel. This caused torn buckings and shattered BBs (in extreme circumstances). Generally when shooting sniper rifles (with a higher muzzle energy/fps) these problems are more pronounced.

 

These days properly 'ramped' bumps/mounds on the bucking apply backspin to a BB more gradually, allowing for consistent lifting of heavier BBs. Also things like R-hop, S-hop, ABCEDGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ-hop mods aim to apply hop even more gradually and so should - in theory - lift a BB of a heavier weight more consistently. Allowing you to reap the benefits of a BB that keeps its energy better during flight but also stays on target. In reality the good designs from the likes of Maple Leaf are more than enough for most people and a well installed R-hop gets only small gains over some of the very newest ones.

 

A secondary consideration is the brand of ammo as inconsistent shape or weight can cause accuracy issues too. The .40g Geoffs are well tested by now and are a solid choice.