Why You Should Be Using Heavy BBs For Airsoft
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 10 ก.พ. 2025
- Myths, facts, and nerd physics nobody asked for. Acquire a tangible advantage over local players with this one weird trick.
Airsoft Trajectory Project: mackila.com/air...
Music by Karl Casey @ White Bat Audio.
This is actually the craziest simplistic breakdown I've ever seen. Great job man
Not simplistic, merely concise.
"Simplistic" denotes over-simplified.
@@animal0motherok
Finally, someone presenting some actual fucking science!
Been playing Airsoft for over 10 years now, and I’ve gotten pretty tired of the same old bullshit “discussions” where people just sit parroting what their favourite TH-camr said, or desperately trying to justify the grand they dumped into their gun on “upgrades” when in actuality it performs practically the same as it did before.
Fantastic video mate. Would be cool to see you break down myths when it comes to range and accuracy too.
Ive literally heard guys say the bb keeps gaining speed for the first 5-10 feet and thats why 0.2s hurt at close range because they fly super fast and pick even more speed making them overpowered
@@Fred_uyzpeople are stupid, aren't they ? one guy told me 1 Joule out of an hpa gun has more energy than 1 joule out of an aeg 😂😂
@@Fred_uyz did they fail 5th grade physics? Also I dump money into my rifle because I prefer using a mechanical HPA engine without a line. (Kythera and WraithX stock) Because its a DMR. And I like the instant trigger. Other than that, and other than some hopup mods (such as Rhop) specifically to hop heavier BBs. All other mods are useless.
A much needed video, it suprises me how there is very little on this topic considering how fundamental it is to airsoft.
Also suprising how basic math and physics baffle so many people like its black magic.
@@KBKriechbaum I've found that a surprising amount of people just don't get math and physics. I guess different people are better at different things, but the bar really is on the floor.
I came in here with a chip on my shoulder because of knowing how RIFLE ballistics work and assumed at least 90% of it would be true for air based BB rifles, pleasantly surprised to see HOW wrong I was, good work brother
It's quite different isn't it! I was surprised too.
I would assume airsoft ballistics would be closer to muskets as they are smoothbore instead of rifled. True air rifles (.177 cal pellets) have characteristics much more similar to firearms because of their rifled barrels.
I find it funny but am also glad this is still getting discussed, and that the ATP is still being referenced after all these years. Gun Gamers made a video about this like 4 years ago with their testing, and they also basically proved the numbers on the ATP were accurate.
of course rhey would. The Gungamers rock!
Amazing that someone finally made this video. I noticed the same thing on the graphs years ago.
Almost every time I hear someone complaining about "no one is calling hits today"
"What BB weight are you using"
".25s"
I use the heaviest possible bbs that the hop up can handle in a specific replica. And so the tri-shot cyma shotgun (after Teflonfix on all 3 inner barrels and sealing the nozzle-HU chamber system) sends 0.28g bbs over 50m. The R32 nightstorm army armament (ML 2021 autobot bucking and crazyjet 138mm) has an effective range of 65-70m using 0.4g. Desert eagle L6 WE (with inner barrel 240mm x6.02mm, Mr Hop 2021 ML bucking) 75-80m with 0.4g bbs. L96 well (TM clone), lambda one 500mm, ML bucking, stock spring (in stock gun 420-430fps), heavy piston - 95M with 0.4g bbs.
Damn, everything I found out for myself, in like 18 years of playing, condensed into 8:48. I feel like I needed this way earlier..... and also I feel old.
As we are woodland players, we needed to know all this because it was always about maximizing range. Tho we didn't know, that they carry speed way better. Only things I use anything below a 0.3g BB is Shell shotguns and ofcourse Smart Shells.
Great vid, thanks!
Yeah, back when I started playing most advice for optimal range was simply “400+ FPS and extended barrel”.
One time someone told me that is gun is so shit, cause it doesn't improved in range: "Man I tried everything, I use a Titan battery and several new motors" ... omg.. he used the same 5yr old JG stock bucking😂
@@di4mondpl4ys45😂😂😂😂
This is a really good breakdown, I experimented with .28s early 2010s before we started getting drop in flat style hop packings. The Japanese were showing stock Marui's reaching 60m with G hops and .28s.
I think .32 for UK 1.14J limits is ever so slightly too heavy, I'd need to run the time to target and energy fall off numbers specifically to see if there was much in it over a .3. Usually find that most sites you struggle to get sight lines or engagements beyond 40m.
But certainly gives food for thought on how to maximise effectiveness in the MG role.
We need more XE videos! Just got back into airsoft and decided to only use gbbrs, love your channel man. Super high quality vids yet simple. Keep it up!!
For gamer kids who live and die on ping times: 1 seconds = 1,000ms, 0.5 seconds = 500ms, 0.01 seconds = 10ms etc.. For anyone who hand loads rifle ammo for accuracy, this video is very easy to understand however at the fractional weights and speeds the outcomes are very different than the time in flight vs bucking the wind arguments of combustible accelerate operated weapons (real guns).
Still impressed with every single video. Always learning more and more. Thanks
This needs to become a "required reading" for new (and most veteran) airsoft players!
Thanks for this outstanding video - as usual!
This is almost the same reason why long range cartridges use heavier projectiles. The heavier, match projectiles of a rifle benefit from advanced aerodynamics, but in either case we're talking primarily about the sectional density component of the ballistic coefficient.
A rifle projectile, unlike a BB, isn't a fixed shape, so part of rifle bulket BC is the variable form. Heavier isn't always better, but the best long-range cartridges are usually heavier than ball ammo.
Well presented 👍 The only limiting factor for me is cost of course. I think 0.28g is the best cost/performance (at least with UK prices)
I'm glad YT suggested this channel to me. Thanks for the work you put into this video. I will be sharing this.
I pretty much use .32g BBs in all my guns. Pistols, 1j SMGs and rifleman class, 1.5j guns. I want to try some .36g BBs, but damn, that price break is just silly.
Same, I also use .32 but I want something that will not be as affected by the wind.
I ironically bought 0.32g for my pistol because i was originally planning to play pistol only outdoors and needed the range. Having bought a gbbr smg as well and just now learning it was actual ideal for both pistol and smg is a nice treat
Great video- Have to agree the only reason to use sub .30 bb's is cost at this point. I have had some major residue issues with BLS heavy weight bbs (.32, .40) over the last year or two, which has been frustrating.
Same here 😢
have you tried washing your bls heavy weight bb´s? helped a lot with mine and regular barrel cleaning too
This makes understanding this so simple, amazing video. I use .28s as that is the heaviest bb i can get for a decent price where I am.
This was a GREAT breakdown, and I hope it reaches a wider audience. I've been playing on and off for 9 years, nowadays I play indoor, SpeedQB or tournament format as its known mainly, and I use between 0.2 and .25 on occasion. Indoor there is no benefit to the time on target considering, yeah I am only shooting like 50-100ft at most and no wind. But this video definitely gave me a needed review and new thought process for when I do go outdoor.
Excellent analysis. It took me years of reading airsoftsniperforum to understand these concepts. A critical component is to have a quality bucking/hop up set up to adequately hop heavyweight bbs
And this is the exact reason serious sites limit weight so that roles are better represented (0.28 assaults, 0.32 support, 0,36 dmr, 0,45 snipers)
The cost of shooting this RPK just went up alot lol
The ive noticed with airsoft bb range is no matter what someone else will always have more than me, as such its best to carry a tag launcher to yeet them 400ft
I would interested to see the joule creep in certain Gas guns. Many of my fields limit joules and I have heard that increasing bb weight can quickly take a TM and have it shooting over field limits
this is where adjustable NPAS come into play. That way you can stay in field limits while using heavier bbs :)
My stock MWS barely has a change in joules, it has a really wide and short inner barrel so it barely creeps
@@codemy666 I have the AKM and I have heard it has an issue with the Joule Creep but I don't know if it's a big deal as an American player.
@@TehPh1L does the NPAS go in the gun or on the mags?
Goes into the gun @@LtStopid
Charts VS Bullshit talks at the field : as an engineer, a such video made my day !
I love when smart people make TH-cam videos. Nailed it. Thanks.
When I started airsoft I was never sure whether to believe some of the outlandish claims about the range people were achieving with their guns. I've never seen anyone even reach 400 feet with a sniper. Perhaps it's possible, but you can only guess whether they even really knew the exact distance.
The longest shot I ever made (maybe 300 feet? who knows, which seems to be half the issue) was at a 45 degree angle pointed up and into the wind, randomly shooting from my BASR in the vague hopes of hitting one of the enemy team in the field assaulting my team. Chap came by at the end to describe the BB slowly descending from the heavens to hit him in the forehead.
Great video. Makes absolute sense when you think about it, but it's very easy to slip into the "heavy = slow" mindset without giving it further thought.
Love it!..another wonderfully technical video as per your others, please don't stop.. side note, been using Geoffs 0.32s in my MTW for the last 2 years, as mentioned, its an absolute no-brainer..
Excellent video!
I use .32's in both my AEG's and GBBP's exclusively. Best accuracy at mid range (up to 50 - 65 meters). If I need longer ranges, I can switch to my SSG10 shooting.46's.
Finally proper Airsoft lore !
Loves the video and was simple enough for my brain to understand
basic physics are now understood as "lore" 👍Wait till you find that physics work exaclty the same way in all other topics.
There is not really many science videos on airsoft. This is refreshing
I think where people stop using heavier bbs, is that aegs loose a little bit of joules when you use heavier bbs. For example I measured mine with a few different weights and got the following result:
- 0.28g 1.51 j
- 0.3g 1.51 j
- 0.32g 1.45 j
- 0.36g 1.42 j
- 0.4g 1.39 j
And when people see number go down they think its a bad thing.
Well, it is a bad thing, but .1J loss is nothing. My aeg loses even more, it goes 1.49 at .28 to .7 at .36. My mws on the other hand goes 1.1 at .28 and 1.4 at .36...
that is due to the cylinder/barrel volume ratio being to low for that bb weight, can be corrected
@@arilean it can be from increased back pressure from heavier bb increases the amount of air leakage from air leak spots. Also you need to add more hopup to float the heavier bb which causes more friction and reduces joules.
check all air seal points (piston o ring, air nozzle o ring, cylinder head o ring, nozzle to bucking mating) and r hop or flat hop are recommended for heavier bb
@arilean This is the real answer, if you have the proper volume for the barrel length and weight bb (time in barrel) then you don't lose energy. In fact, in my own experience, overvolumed aegs have the same joule creep as gas and hpa guns.
My last time on the field I switched from .25 to .32 and holy crap it made such a huge difference. I made some shots that I am still shocked about. It shoots flatter and my range is noticeably better. Absolutely worth it. Thank you so much for this breakdown.
Great video. I should probably share this with my friend who said that . 28-.30 where what you want for DMRs
Incredible breakdown. I learned some stuff that I didn't know, even after 8 years of playing.
Great video. I love the plots and math. Easy to follow.
I figured out .36s were my go to a while ago for my particular setup/playstyle. This may help me convince my cousin he doesnt need .43s in his 1.5J setup though. Thabks for the excellent breakdown.
This is by far the most badass airsoft channel. Well done!
ive been playing for over a decade and basically have gone up in weight every few years played with 30s last weekend and was very pleased
it's crazy .32s has been my go to weight for the last 7 years. We shoulld 1.69 joules and without having any scientific data to back it up, it just felt like the most accurate at any given distance I shot at. Also the whole close up lightweight is faster is so marginal that it makes zero difference when compared to a person's actual reflexes.
Another benefit to heavier BBs, though I personally haven't seen any data on the subject and my evidence is purely anecdotal, is that heavier BBs seem to have tighter groups, especially at longer ranges. Hop and barrel quality seems to have a greater effect though.
Interesting, thank you for the new knowledge about BBs Traversal
i see why my friend recommending .30g for AEGs since i played mostly outdoors with my 1.2js M4
I was missing such videos with such to-the-point topics and specific numbers. Amazing!
I will be sharing this a lot, thank you for this!
Learned the same thing in practice. My first gbb recommended .2g, they where really floaty and dropped range quickly. Got .25g and was already a lot better, but still affected by wind. .32g just hit the spot for me on 1.3j gbb. Felt a bit slower at barrel exit, but retained speed and trajectory so much better, without floating on air resistance. 0.32g all the way for me.
Lightest BB weight I’ve ever used is .28s and using .32s on my DMR. Recently I’ve started using the .32s for pretty much everything other than my LMG and pistols. LMG mainly because of cost. I’ll tend to go through approximately 2,000 rounds an hour with it. Will have to look at how costs compare now. Been a bit since I stocked up on BBs, might be worth switching to .32s there as well. Will definitely look into heavier BBs for my M14 though.
Catgut the Legend!!
Reminds me of when I stuck .43's in my 1 joule cm045 with an el-cheapo shs rubber, friend of mine saw the bb's and wondered what sort of monster sniper rifle I had brought with me.
That was the single most accurate replica i've ever used, thing shot like a frickin laser beam, at the cost of a dreary time to target.
I’m getting 55 metres (not sure what that is in feet) out of my TM with .30g, great accuracy and range
This video is very very underrated! We need more views on this. It is an "Eye opening".
I think there's a big part that we forget and that is joule creep, although this may not apply to the game of airsoft because it will always have to comply with the joule rules, simply changing bb weight still adds joules *meaning* that you in fact *can* continue to go up and up in weight as long as it can hop and you will definitely continue to benefit even at the "shorter" ranges.
another things to consider is the overall system efficiency : for example, my mp5 ngrs lose a ton of energy with heavy bbs (classic marui "magic") with a hop up set. If im at .88j with .2, im at .75 with .28, and .6 with .32. So obviously .32 are a no go in this case.
Somebody give this guy a medal. Fantastic breakdown. My brain just got a wrinkle.
Fellow airsoft tech and Physics major. You hit ever point on the head my freind 🙌
This is a much-needed video, thank you and great job!
Its a really good informative vid on the basics. Never heard dumber reasoning against hevier bb than the target can dodge it, 99% of the time the target dosnt even know he been targetet at all...
definitely switching to a heavier BB over .25s. Thank you sir!
Really nice video man, I totally agree with everything said in this video. Nice breakdown for new players, should make it easy for people to understand and make better choice of BB weights.
I generally use .28s for outdoor games, I might start using it in general for indoor use as well if it means I don't have to mess with the hopups of my gun and easier logistics. .3s are not common in the UK
As far as I can tell from my guns, there isn't a huge discernible difference in terms of performance, and often around the UK easier to find cheaper than .32s though your mileage may vary.
Use what works but always consider heavier (up to a point) if going for outdoor, and lighter if you're not too concerned about range, especially in close quarters, or if you're performing a support role where volume of fire is more useful
Well done man! Just what I needed. Cheers!!!
Thank you! Nice, simple, and easy to understand
i love science in shooting
Regarding the note at 0:35 I knew the first line but you could've fooled me with the second. I guess it comes from my favorite gun, the WE Scar-H + ML goodies, I use it with 0.4 BLS and the BB flies for so long I guess by the end it almost hovers, and I also have an LPVO on the gun so I can see the BB flying for so freaking long. Still doesn't fly as far as my sniper friends' BBs.
I totally agree I’ve been using .28 things I might have to make the move to .3 or .32 to how much more improvement I can get
Does anyone happen to know how much backspin hop ups put on bbs, ive been making a program that calculates the distance that bbs travel, however i have not been able to find a reliable statistic for the amount of backspin put on an airsoft bb.
In Europe, we usually use heavier bb. For example I use my pistol at 0.8j with 0.32 and my gun with 0.4 at 1.6j
I had a friend who played Airsoft, and when I got out of the Army, I started to play myself. Used one of his loaner guns for a few games, and then once I decided I enjoyed it, I decided to buy a gun myself. I purchased an M249 since our little team(five people, including myself) didn't have any automatic rifleman. I was infantry during my time in the Army and knew the importance of fire superiority. Out of the box with .25 bbs, it was an absolute dumpster fire. Now, because of my experience with m249s and m240b/l, I was expecting a cone of fire, but the bbs just went everywhere. Useless. So, I made a lot of modifications such as a high-quality stainless inner barrel, lipo battery, mosfet switch to prevent arcing on the trigger contacts, better piston, better cylinder, and added hop up nob to the barrel. After all of those upgrades, it performed better, but still not where I wanted it. Local shops sold bbs up to 0.35, so I had to go online. Bought .4, .45, .5, and .55 grams. For my intended purpose of putting a lot of bbs in a 5ft by 5ft box at a distance of 200ft, 0.45g bbs did the best job. I want to be clear about something, I wasn't intended for a gun that can hit a single person far away, but make one or multiple people not want to move from their piece of cover. That SAW was an absolute monster for fire superiority.
Honestly people underestimate the importance of running heavy BBS and having a good hop and barrel in a SAW. It's always Hurt Durr fire superiority by firing loads of BBs. Which doesn't really work if your cone of fire is the size of a barn door and your BBs get stopped by leaves.
In the other hand if you run heavy BBS and have an accurate setup a short burst of BBs into enemy well keep their heads down for longer as they will be like "fuck that I don't want to get hit by that"
Also if shooting at enemies behind cover don't try to hit over/around the cover. Instead for BBs right at the edge of the cover so that the enemy can hear the noise of them hitting. It keeps their heads from peeking out.
Been looking for scientific content like this for ages. Thanks a lot
Cool to see the Ballahack airsoft field in yalls video.
Nice Video! Could you please include ft and meter? Its a bit of a hustle to convert each measurement
This video is amazing. Wish I saw this 10 years ago
I have ALL my guns from my cappa to my bolt actions installed with a 70° bucking and tuned for .32s up to .49s for my sniper rigs. Heavier BBs have much better accuracy and travel than lighter ones.
Tell that to NABV
You should get a PhD on airsoft bro! You broke the myth that hunt airsofters for decades.
I got to try 0.30 BB recently and oh god it was a joy to do. I basically made my K/D ratio better, even got to do 4 out on a 4v4 round
As always, a great vid. nicely done!
Very well explained video, in France we have "chef Pan-Pan" who also explains the usefulness of using heavy bbs.
Cool video. I like ballistics whether it’s airsoft or bullets.
Excellent clip.
I can attest to running heavier bbs. I recently switched from .32 too .40 here’s my setup so you know what I’m working with
Vfc416 polarstar kythera Mapleleaf 290’mm 6.01 mm crazy jet Combat union HopUp Mapleleaf 70 degree MR HOP bucking Maple leaf omega nub I run field max fps on .32 1.62 Jules 325-320 fps and on .40bbs I try to run 1.62 Jules @ 295 fps mind you this is with a 25’ MED any thing below this I revert to my secondary pistol. That being said with .32 i can get 150-200’ kills but when I switch too .40 bbs these 200’ shots became extremely regular and I was shocked when I pushed as far out as 280’ and got back to back kills. Mind you I was not shooting flat but could aim slightly over the players head and get a chest shot. I completely agree that with a well tuned gun and .40 bbs you can cost effective shoot less bbs and get the same if not more hits at better ranges. I’ve noticed my shot count go down considerably when I switched from .32 too .40 bbs btw my home field is ballahack
Recently went from .28s to .32s when i noticed how flat some people shot with their rifles and even a stock power MWS can put some built guns to shame because they use the wrong weight
EE out here exsposing the secrets.
Most AEG can only properly handle .20g and .25g out of the box due to air volume and hop up
BIG THUMBS UP dude! Thanks for breaking this down and doing the research 🧐
Great video, bookmarked ! Audio engineer here, did you take into account the speed of sound, specificaly the target hitting to the microphone if the mic is next to the gun ? Will not matter for the end results but that tiny segment got me thinking.
Embarrassingly, we did not, and this error was pointed out to us by a friend shortly after upload. At 100ft this imposes a delay of .09s, which when subtracted from our measured time-to-target of 0.52s gets us significantly closer to the theoretical value.
Phenomenal explanation. 😎👍
I just use .22lr
After a while your enemies might build up immunity so you should up to 5.56
I cant agree more, I'm a sniper and ppl stil think that the reason i can shoot 100 meters is that i have very strong spring, which I don't have, I use only M150. I shoot .48g or .45g BBs 120m/s and 3.3 Joules. BTW if you want to have high joules forget about light weight pistons and make them heavier by wraping a wire around. Even thought you will trade a little m/s you will gain joules and you have to use heavier BBs in AEG usually .36g plus your range will increase.
0.32g is pretty much what I run in everything that isn't a DMR above 1.7j.
(I'm in Sweden and our dmr class is 1.71-2.4J.)
actualy you can easly hit target at 80m range if you use 0.4 bbs even if you have 1,6J or not more than 1,9J and its just on good sealed gearbox and maple leaf mr hop bucking
This reminds me of a comment i read years ago from a CQB player, rarely had an engagement over 10m...they used .12s
a longer barrel length is better suiter for heavier bbs then . more acceleration
Airsolf guns should have a toggle to swap ammo type. One for farther hit and the other cheaper for spray and pray
Meanwhile my local field has 0.25 limit for whatever reason
Cries in gbbr which would benefit even more from heavier bbs
outdoors always 0.30
indoors(tracers) 0.25
its the only 2 types of bbs i carry :D since i dont use sniper the max bb weight is .30 at 1.2J anyway in my country
Finnaly sombody told that! Most airsofters thinks i am crazy shooting 0.3bbs from my hi-capa.
Excellent video - thank you.
.12g gives me best results honestly.
I like madbull .46s in black because I can hit a coke can over them there mountains with both eyes closed (but actually because it's in an srs and they're a little harder for players to dodge)
I still remember that time i ask about aerodynamic properties of the bb, and my teacher said that if you could make the bbs like miniatures golf balls, they will be much more stable. I still think it's an idea ti test too see if it works in airsoft
I think a few people have tried that at times. Not perfect dimples but I don't believe it helped. Been years since I heard of that idea and could be wrong though
@@Stryker200000 man ,that would be cool if some video exists.Thanks
@@JoseMr57 it was on two old forums if I remember correctly. Airsoft Core and Airsoft Retreat. One of those "back in my days" sort of things hehe
@@Stryker200000 thank you!
People at the - now defunct - Airsoft Mechanics forums tried out that and several non-spherical bbs (including custom chambers to fire said bbs). There was some potential to non-spherical, but getting those made with proper materials was the bottleneck to further testing. Golf ball dimples had a negative effect on the hop up performance (mainly consistency) and wasn't really worth it.