BB

From Airsoft Community Wiki

A small plastic ball used as ammunition in airsoft. They are highly polished, usually white and come in 6mm and 8mm diameters. Some BBs are biodegradable, some teflon coated, and some can glow in the dark (and thus function as tracer ammo) when illuminated before or during firing.

BB stands for "Ball Bullet" and not "Ball Bearing". The latter use of "BB" (as ammunition) is mainly related to the 0.177" bronze/brass coloured metal spheres fired by Daisy and Crossman "BB" guns.

BBs come in a range of weights. 0.12g BBs are usually used in springers and LPEGs. 0.20g BBs are the typical ammunition for Airsoft weapons and provide a balance of speed, distance and accuracy. 0.25gram BBs are typically used to provide greater stability and accuracy than 0.20g BBs. Heavier types, like 0.30g and 0.43g, are typically used in sniper weapons. The heaviest (silver/grey) BBs are sometimes mistaken as being coated with a thin layer of metal, they are in fact only silver or grey coloured. While other weights of BBs are available, the 0.20 and 0.25g are by far the most common. 8mm BBs are also available for specialist applications, such as airsoft shotguns, gas-powered 40mm grenades and some sniper rifles and pistols.

Good quality BBs are esential to the correct operation of any Airsoft weapon. BBs should not be reused. Once fired, they become mishapen and may have tiny splits in them. Reuse can cause damage to the magazine internals, jamming in the barrel and damage to the hop-up unit.

Commonly used BB brands are Excel, ICS, White Devils, Marushin, Digicon, and AIM. The (proven) highest precision BB's are 'Xtreme' which are made in Italy.