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Crack Open Some BBs - BB quality and comparison discussion
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I mean I'd be surprised if the BB's internal consistency (bubbles/off-centered material) wouldn't affect the hop and consistency of the BB, but exactly how large will that affect things is something I wondered. Turbulences, FPS fluctuations or inconsistent winds probably would have a bigger effect to your BB trajectory (hence accuracy) especially at very long ranges.
But then again if you can get better BBs that doesn't have imperfections then why not anyway.
But then again if you can get better BBs that doesn't have imperfections then why not anyway.
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Had a beautiful windless game day down here in the USA—that’s when it really shows who’s using good BBs and who’s using bad ones.
You’re right overall, and that was the question I wondered; how big of a difference do bubbles actually make?
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I might still have some bls bio .30g in some of my mags. Ill have to look
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I've got some EMG .28g and .32g non bio in the mail, should be in whenever the sun explodes, and maybe in a few months some ProSlick .40g too.
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Heavier BBs not having bubbles could be just as much a byproduct -- it's just more economical to use as much plastic as possible instead of metal dust, making the BBs more dense, rather than it being better QC. Checking the QC of various manufacturers might be easier through checking their lower weight BBs.
Another brilliant thread though! Love this place.
Another brilliant thread though! Love this place.
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That's what I think now, but I'm curious about cheap .40g and .43g, the ones that have the occasional visible seam.
in lighter weights it does seem like bubbles are a huge downfall, but for heavy weights I'd wager that the roundness is what separates the good from the bad. I haven't tried many heavy brands, just BLS and one bottle of Novritsch .36g, as BLS is my cheapest option.
My best accuracy ever was in fact with BLS .36g non bio a few years ago, so next time I shop on Amped I'll be sure to grab some.
in lighter weights it does seem like bubbles are a huge downfall, but for heavy weights I'd wager that the roundness is what separates the good from the bad. I haven't tried many heavy brands, just BLS and one bottle of Novritsch .36g, as BLS is my cheapest option.
My best accuracy ever was in fact with BLS .36g non bio a few years ago, so next time I shop on Amped I'll be sure to grab some.
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Okay boys, I finally got around to cracking open what I had on hand.
I did: Valken .20g, G&G .25g and .30g, Madbull Ultimate Stainless .36g, Lancer Tactical .20g, BLS .32 non-bio, some rando “Metal-Tac” .20g from who knows where, and then some of those crappy green bio suckers you buy at Academy here in the USA.
Interestingly, some BBs were significantly harder than others when pressure was applied, and I’m tempted to relate it to performance. For example, despite the lack of any bubbles really and what looks to be exceptional grain and internal consistency, the Madbull .36g shoot like literal crap. They were so hard it was almost impossible to crack them without them slipping out of my wire cutters. On the other hand, I absolutely love shooting the G&G .30g, and they almost squished beneath the cutters. No clue what this means, but I’ll list whether the BB was soft or hard with the picture.
![Liquid Asphalt Plant Font Drink]()
The internal consistency appears to be impressive for the price, but despite the lack of bubbles, these shoot like absolute crap. I have a friend who was using these, who then borrowed some of my .25s, and reported having “double the range”. Exaggeration? Yes. Are they still crap? Also yes. These were medium hardness, but felt like cracking eggshells.
![White Light Asphalt Font Road surface]()
Not as soft as the .30g, but not particularly hard either. These appear very consistent internally with no bubbles. I’ve never actually shot these, as I just got them in from Amazon, so I’ll have to report back later on performance.
![Hood Font Automotive lighting Circle Automotive tire]()
Very consistent, very soft, no bubbles, and shoot really well. I get so much more range out of these than out of the BLS equivalent.
![Asphalt Road surface Art Font Line]()
I didn’t love how these shot, but they’re not bad. Now that I know I still have a bag, they’ll probably be fed into my assault M4 as slightly higher quality than the typical .25s. Harder than the G&G, softer than the others.
![Asphalt Road surface Font Material property Circle]()
Our first bubble! Honestly, I’ve never shot these except to chrono. These, the “Metal-Tac” BBs, and the green Academy suckers are the only ones that are made in china—everything else is Taiwan.
![Cloud Asphalt Road surface Line Art]()
Decent for .20s, but honestly haven’t shot these since my Lancer Tactical was still stock! I remember them not shooting so well, but since the gun was absolute crap, I don’t think I can blame the BBs. Medium-high hardness.
![Light Font Line Asphalt Liquid]()
One tiny hole in one of these suckers. These were incredibly hard, and shoot like crap. They’re also magnetic, which leads me to believe they used iron or steel powder to weight these. Interestingly enough, if you look very closely, you can make out crystal structure among the fine-grained plastic. These appeared the most internally consistent of any of the BBs, though that may be due to the very clean break lines.
![Cloud Sky Asphalt Road surface Font]()
And finally the “Metal-Tac” China BBs. No, these are not good. You should already know that. These are chrono BBs, grenade BBs, and throw-to-kill BBs only.
I did: Valken .20g, G&G .25g and .30g, Madbull Ultimate Stainless .36g, Lancer Tactical .20g, BLS .32 non-bio, some rando “Metal-Tac” .20g from who knows where, and then some of those crappy green bio suckers you buy at Academy here in the USA.
Interestingly, some BBs were significantly harder than others when pressure was applied, and I’m tempted to relate it to performance. For example, despite the lack of any bubbles really and what looks to be exceptional grain and internal consistency, the Madbull .36g shoot like literal crap. They were so hard it was almost impossible to crack them without them slipping out of my wire cutters. On the other hand, I absolutely love shooting the G&G .30g, and they almost squished beneath the cutters. No clue what this means, but I’ll list whether the BB was soft or hard with the picture.
The internal consistency appears to be impressive for the price, but despite the lack of bubbles, these shoot like absolute crap. I have a friend who was using these, who then borrowed some of my .25s, and reported having “double the range”. Exaggeration? Yes. Are they still crap? Also yes. These were medium hardness, but felt like cracking eggshells.
Not as soft as the .30g, but not particularly hard either. These appear very consistent internally with no bubbles. I’ve never actually shot these, as I just got them in from Amazon, so I’ll have to report back later on performance.
Very consistent, very soft, no bubbles, and shoot really well. I get so much more range out of these than out of the BLS equivalent.
I didn’t love how these shot, but they’re not bad. Now that I know I still have a bag, they’ll probably be fed into my assault M4 as slightly higher quality than the typical .25s. Harder than the G&G, softer than the others.
Our first bubble! Honestly, I’ve never shot these except to chrono. These, the “Metal-Tac” BBs, and the green Academy suckers are the only ones that are made in china—everything else is Taiwan.
Decent for .20s, but honestly haven’t shot these since my Lancer Tactical was still stock! I remember them not shooting so well, but since the gun was absolute crap, I don’t think I can blame the BBs. Medium-high hardness.
One tiny hole in one of these suckers. These were incredibly hard, and shoot like crap. They’re also magnetic, which leads me to believe they used iron or steel powder to weight these. Interestingly enough, if you look very closely, you can make out crystal structure among the fine-grained plastic. These appeared the most internally consistent of any of the BBs, though that may be due to the very clean break lines.
And finally the “Metal-Tac” China BBs. No, these are not good. You should already know that. These are chrono BBs, grenade BBs, and throw-to-kill BBs only.
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