Let’s talk about balls. In airsoft, we call them as Ball bullet, briefly BB or BBs. The standard is a BBs of 6 mm diameter, but the weight varies from .12 to .4g, most often ammo is made of white plastic, but there are other options. Let’s try to understand what BBs are needed for you?
In this short review, we will try to find out not only what should be paid attention to when selecting BBs, but also answer such practical questions about airsoft BBs:
- What is the weight of the BBs for my assault rifle?
- What colour of BBs do I need?
- What to take for my sniper rifle, and what for a spring pistol?
So, based on weight, the most popular are the four categories of BBs
Weight 0.12g — the lightest ammunition, therefore, is used only in low-power AEG’s (up to 260 FPS) and spring guns like a BBTac Airsoft Powerful Assault Warranty and also at spring pistols.
Taking into account the low weight – the accuracy of shooting and range is low, the impact force is also low, so there is no guarantee, that the enemy will feel your hit. For more powerful AEG’s to buy is not recommended, because these Ball bullet can break and get stuck in the tubes.
Best Airsoft BBs .12 g (plastic 6 mm)
| Name | Quantity | Color | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crosman AirSoft BBs | 5000 | Red | Check Price |
| Crosman AirSoft BBs | 10000 | Camo | Check Price |
| BBTac Bag AirSoft BBs | 1000 | Assorted colors | Check Price |
| ThunderBBs AirSoft BBs | 5000 | White | Check Price |
| ProjectZ AirSoft BBs with Bonus Gun4 | 14000 | Metallic orange | Check Price |
Weight 0.20g — the main standard for AEG’s and gas guns. If you have an assault rifle with a shot speed of about 260-380 FPS, then this is definitely your weight, for example as for Soft Air Kalashnikov Tactical Electric Powered Airsoft.
Best Airsoft BBs .20g (plastic 6 mm)
| Name | Quantity | Color | |
|---|---|---|---|
| MetalTac AirSoft BBs Perfect Grade | 5000 | White | Check Price |
| Lancer Tactical AirSoft BBs in Bag | 4000 | White | Check Price |
| OceanLoong AirSoft BBs | 5000 | White | Check Price |
| Lancer Tactical AirSoft BBs in Bag | 10000 | Color may vary | Check Price |
Weight 0.25g — these BBs are for powerful assault rifles and machine guns with the speed of the shot 380-460 FPS (for example, for Double Eagle AK-47S Automatic Electric Airsoft Assault), as well as for gas guns.
Best Airsoft BBs .25g (plastic 6 mm)
| Name | Quantity | Color | |
|---|---|---|---|
| ThunderBBs AirSoft BBs competition grade | 4000 | White | Check Price |
| Elite Force AirSoft BBs Precision | 2700 | White | Check Price |
| GameFace AirSoft BBs Maximum Precision | 5000 | Black | Check Price |
| Crosman AirSoft BBs | 2000 | Black | Check Price |
Weight 0.28g and more — such ammunition are recommended to use for shooting from sniper rifles and tuned assault rifles as well as from the machine guns. They give an increased shot range and accuracy. But be careful, do not shoot with them at players from close range.
About composition
BBs of durable plastic are most often used, but for shooting at targets (not for people !!!), you can also use galvanized steel BBs (Zinc-plated steel BBs), aluminium or glass BBs. Such BBs, due to the presence of voids inside and heavyweight, have an excellent density. However, it is important to remember that such BBs are prohibited from playing at the training ground.
In addition, there are ecological BBs, that dissolve after contact with water. They are labelled with «Bio-Degradable» or «BIO» and on some open training grounds, it is possible to use them only. Usually, they are made of special plastic, but there are more expensive options – from natural wood.
Best Biodegradable / BIO BBs (6 mm)
| Name | Quantity | Color | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Elite Force AirSoft BIO BBs | 5000 | White | Check Price |
| Black Ops .15 g AirSoft BBs Resealable | 10000 | Grey | Check Price |
| Lancer Tactical .25g AirSoft BBs in Bag | 4000 | Grey | Check Price |
| Black Ops .25g Biodegradable AirSoft BBs Triple Polished | 5000 | Grey | Check Price |
About colour
Despite the fact, that the standard is white BBs, which are easy to see from afar, sometimes it is possible to find other colourings. We’ll figure out what they’re used for:
- Black and dark green. These BBs are labelled as “invisible” and used by snipers to make it harder to track the location of the sniper’s position. The secret is simple – in contrast to white BBs in the dark is much harder to track the flight path.
- Tracer BBs – it’s ammunition for a night battle. They are very well seen in the dark and at dusk, especially against the sky. With the use of this ammunition, the game becomes truly spectacular! But you need to remember, that in order for them to shine, you need a special infrared nozzle to the weapon.
- Other colours: yellow, red, translucent, etc. – these are just the options for making it easy to distinguish teams during the game at the training ground.
Advice from office
In our short review, we provided the basic knowledge, and we hope, that everyone will be able to pick up BBs for their weapons and for their own purposes, but do not buy BBs of little-known manufacturers, because they can be of low quality, which means, that there is a risk of their rupturing inside the arms, which can lead to breakage and even loss of the guarantee.
In any case, if you are going to the game, it is better to first clarify the requirements of the organizers of ammo (weight, material, colour) and to weapons (the maximum shot speed for weapons of your type). Good luck, and remember, that the BBs are never too much!
ACRONYMS:
- AEG’s – Automatic Electric Gun.
- BBs – Ball bullet.
- FPS – Feet Per Second.