Why You Should Switch To 0.25g BBs

 

When I first started playing airsoft, I learned that the best BB to use is one that weighs at least 0.20 grams, is white, and is seamless.  This allows the BB to get improved range, be easy to see so you can adjust your aim, and won’t jam the gun (which can happen with the BBs you find at your local sporting goods store).  I also discovered that the most common BBs around are 0.12g and 0.20g.

I used to buy only 0.20g BBs in all my airsoft weapons.  After a couple of years of using them in my weapons, I learned that there were other, better options for my weaponry.

Although most airsofters are satisfied with using 0.20g BBs in every weapon they own, you can get a lot more out of your games if you select BBs that best fit the FPS of your weapon and the goal of your mission.

I primarily use 0.25g BBs in my weapons (including a 350 FPS, KWA SR7 designed for CQB).  Although I could achieve similar accuracy/range with 0.20g BB while playing CQB games, the extra 0.05 grams give me an advantage while battling outdoors that I would lose if I stuck with a standard 0.20g BB.  Here is a few reasons why I made the switch-

Better Accuracy:

Physics dictate that the heavier a BB, the better it resists the effects of cross wind and other environmental factors.  This significantly increases accuracy in outdoor battles, giving you the edge.

 

Greater Effective Range:

My CQB gun shoots at 350-355 FPS with 0.20g BBs.  With 0.25g, I get around 320-330 FPS.  This may appear to be a disadvantage at first look.  Less FPS ought to equal less range, right?

While it’s true that the BB will have less speed when going out the barrel, it will have the same kinetic energy (the amount of energy stored during acceleration), aka Joules, as a 0.20g BB in most airsoft weapons.  The heavier BB will gain an increased momentum, which will result in increased accuracy and yield a better effective range (the distance a BB will travel forward while still being accurate).

 

One Myth About 0.25g BBs

 

“They Are Harder Hitting”

Since the same energy is stored in the heavier BB as a lighter one, it will not transfer more energy to the target it hits.  It won’t hurt enemy players anymore than normal BBs.  The only way you could increase hitting power of your airsoft gun with BBs would be because you’re using too heavy of a BB (say 0.40g in airsoft gun that fires 350 FPS with 0.20g gun).  This would reduce the kinetic energy (Joules), meaning less hitting power (or “punch”) with each shot.  Reducing BB weight to a 0.25g would increase your kinetic energy.

 

So you’ll gain an increase in accuracy and better effective range with each shot if you use 0.25g BBs instead of 0.20g.

Now before you run out and buy a bag of 0.25g BBs, make sure you have the right weapon to handle the higher weight.  You’ll need to have a airsoft gun with a velocity of around 350 FPS with 0.20g BBs and a good hop up system to take advantage of the benefits of the heavier BB.  Otherwise, your weapon will just lose range (and the effects of increased accuracy aren’t too noticeable at 15 feet!).

Check out my “Picking The Right Pellets Of Pain (aka BBs)” post for more information on picking the right BB weight for your gun.

 

Let me know what weight of BB you use on the field and how it improves your game in the comments.  Share this post with your battle buddies and find out what type of BBs they use!