Home  Reviews Mega-BB Review Part I: Standard 0.20g BBs
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Mega-BB Review Part I: Standard 0.20g BBs |
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Written by Jay
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Monday, 11 April 2005 |
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Page 2 of 19 The Perfect BB
What makes for perfection in airsoft ammunition is not unlike what makes for perfection in real ammunition: a consistent and predictable trajectory. So long as every round always follows the same path to target, it doesn't really matter if this path is a straight line or a wild curve, since the aiming optics can easily be designed to compensate for even the most esoteric trajectories. Environmental and human factors aside, the key to round-to-round repeatability lies heavily in the physical consistency between rounds. For an airsoft BB, this means every round should weigh the same, be the same size, and have a uniform density. Additionally, every BB should be as perfectly spherical as possible and exhibit uniform surface characteristics. These characteristics become even more important due to the backspin imparted on each BB in order to extend range. The effects of the backspin can be drastically changed by even small surface imperfections, much akin to the ability to throw a curve ball in baseball because of the raised stitches.
Testing Methodology
All testing is performed on randomly selected lots of new BBs for each brand. A new set of BBs is selected for each test.
Weight Consistency For weight consistency measurements, 100 BBs are weighed individually using a jeweler's scale accurate to 0.001g.
Diameter Consistency For diameter consistency measurements, 100 BBs are measured inividually using a set of digital micro-calipers, accurate to 0.01mm.
Muzzle Velocity Muzzle velocity tests are conducted on 12 randomly selected BBs for each candidate. The BBs are fired from our test platform TM SG1 with Systema M120 spring and Systema BS barrel. Velocities are measured using a Chrony F1 and the highest and lowest numbers discarded. The remaining 10 are recorded.
Roundness Consistency For the roundness consistency tests, an inclined ramp is built with a 20* elevation angle and a 50" long mirror surface. A stock Marui M4 AEG barrel is afixed to the top of the ramp to serve as a BB guide. 100 BBs are randomly selected and individually allowed to roll down the barrel on to the mirror ramp surface. The BB then proceeds to roll down the length of the mirror until it has reached the foot of the ramp. At this point, the distance which the BB has deviated from centerline is recorded for subsequent analysis.
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