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Why 6/8mm?

16959 Views 62 Replies 10 Participants Last post by  Cheese Man, 
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Why has airsoft stuck to the 6/8mm (hardley 8mm anymore) platforms? Is it to preserve safe MEDs? Is it because if we went bigger there would be too much mass? Or is it just because the industry has decided that for us?

I have been looking into custom BB designs for a project and designing custom 6mm BBs is just damn small. Then I contemplated going to 8mm. Most recently I have been thinking about going as large as ~10mm (0.40cal. to be exact). From varous topics I have read I can see a few problems/hesitations for going so large, the main concern most likely being that increased mass = increased MED/more safety concerns.

However, I would pose that for a sniper role, since our MED is longer anyway; a slightly larger round at the heavier range of existing BBs (0.4 - 0.5) would be able to be fired at a lower FPS with greater stability resulting in better range and increased accuracy. Wheter it would be custom 8mm rounds or going as large as what I am thinking I don't know, but its just a thought.
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Paintballs that small are hard though. The walls have to be thick so they don't prematurely break, but they might not break if they are too thick. Also, it's hard to machine them precisely.

I think the higher caliber issue has merit, but the speeds can be unsafe. A good idea would be to have the bb's fracture when hitting a target, so they wouldn't penetrate. Hmmm... Then you could fill them with paint to make them marking, and easy to ID your hits. Oh, wait, this is called paint ball.

A smaller bb could also have merit. It would slice through the air better, but be harder to machine. Doesn't seem like this is the way to go, because it would also penetrate better.
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Wow, I'm surprised at those claims. Are those tested or manufacturers claims?

Also, I'm sure they would be just as accurate as 6mm bb's, but just might be a little more effected by the wind. They should have a higher joule limit, because they spread the force over a larger area.
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Hollow point does NOT break on impact. Hollow point is for less penetration on impact, but a greater release of the bullets kinetic energy. They also are less aerodynamic. Why do you bring this up? Also, if you know the industry, 8mm BB's have been produced less accurately than 6mm bb's, however this is probably due to less demand.
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Slice and dice some cheap stock barrels? Or totally off?
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