reuse or not...bb's what your opinion

Fallschirmjager

i was wondering what people think. i have read numerous reports saying you should and can reuse bb's and other saying you should never reuse them as they split and damage your aeg.

if you can answer the poll or drop a line on your feedback.

thanks

ps for the record i am probably in the dont reuse camp, as the few time i have, i wound up picking split ones from my old thompson....

Shiva

Can I suggest you add a third option ?

"Sometimes, depends on the quality of the BB"

I've reused Excel .20's a few times in both a pistol and AEG without a problem.
I'd be wary of reusing cheapos where you can see seams or that are slightly misshapen.

kdouglas

never re-use them if they have hit anything which could have caused damage...

for example, i have a couple of those targets with the catcher net behind the paper target, so i take them out, remove the bits of paper that end up in the back of the net sometimes and i wash them through cold water to get any small bits of dirt/paper off them, then dry them off and look for any damaged ones, then it's back into the speedloader, i dont see the point in throwing them out as they wouldnt have been damaged and are normally still very clean aside from the odd bit of paper.

on the other hand, i constantly find random bb's on the floor in my room, but they go straight into the bin

I didn't answer the poll though, because "yes, all the time" is not the right answer, as shiva said, depends...

Fallschirmjager

well i wil if i can figure out how to do it LOL

o1s1n

It's not just impacts. They can deform in the air too. I'd strongly advise against it.

As I read somewhere else, reusing bbs is the equivalent of reusing tissues. Price wise they're completely disposable. It's beyond me why people would risk breaking a €300+ AEG.

Fallschirmjager

o1s1n wrote:

It's not just impacts. They can deform in the air too. I'd strongly advise against it.

As I read somewhere else, reusing bbs is the equivalent of reusing tissues. Price wise they're completely disposable. It's beyond me why people would risk breaking a €300+ AEG.

reusing tissue...LOL.....that is priceless...

Fallschirmjager

here the plan....if you have any other option, post your reason why ..that way i wont have to spend hours figuring out how to modify a poll...excuse my total ignorance on polls...

Harekin

Abso-f***ing-loutly not. Just dont do it, just buy some more!

o1s1n

Fallschirmjager wrote:

reusing tissue...LOL.....that is priceless...

Well, just think of it whenever you're scooping dirty used bbs up off the ground

Spitfire666

i wouldnt use them because i've seen bbs split and crack even with exel ones.
bbs hit the barrel on the way out as they are not a perfect fit so they can easily get a crack in them.

Spitfire666

o1s1n wrote:

Well, just think of it whenever you're scooping dirty used bbs up off the ground

Theres a big diff between picking up bbs from the ground and picking them from a catch net behind a paper target but i still wouldnt bother.

Fallschirmjager

well to be fair it was the catcher i had in mind...i dont plan on a commando raid on the play sites, tweezering up used bb's..

o1s1n

Spitfire666 wrote:

Theres a big diff between picking up bbs from the ground and picking them from a catch net behind a paper target but i still wouldnt bother.

The scooping dirty ones up off the ground was just artistic license. I was referring to any form of reused bb. Even when using a catch net, they can deform in flight.

If someone can afford to spend that much money on an AEG, I really don't understand why they have such issues spending a few pennys on some bbs.

Shiva

Actually, you're right O1s1n. I guess most people don't really give it much thought.

o1s1n

Shiva wrote:

Actually, you're right O1s1n. I guess most people don't really give it much thought.

I'm just trying to look out for all those new shiny AEGs in the country

Shiva

o1s1n wrote:

I'm just trying to look out for all those new shiny AEGs in the country

Hmmm...perhaps if I setup an AEG repair company, and then encourage people to reuse their BBs.............

Spitfire666

i know you where oisin. i was just saying that i still wouldnt use them from a catch net based on the fact that they can deform from hitting the barrel on the way out.

o1s1n

Shiva wrote:

Hmmm...perhaps if I setup an AEG repair company, and then encourage people to reuse their BBs.............

:eek: :eek: :eek:

I cast thee out!

Mark_Sc

I do it when i am desperate to use mt new gun and have none left... But please god dont do it, i have had lots of jams from reusing

CrazyRabbit

I was very curious as well about reusing bb's. So I tested it with my Glock (it's fairly cheap to replace should I destroy it which is unlikely).

For the last 2 months now, I've reused the exact same bb's over and over again while shooting paper/cardboard targets at home. I'm guessing that each bb has been fired at least 3 dozen times now.

Fyi, The glock only fires at about .8joules, and I use 0.2g excel bb's and the bb's that Paul sells in HRTA.

1. I've never seen any split bb's.
2. I've never seen any deformed bb's at all.
3. I've seen a bb miss it's target and bounce off 2 walls. It still looked ok, although I didn't reuse it.
4. The gun has never jammed, though it did misfeed on 2 occasions. That could be the mags though, as they are known to do that from time to time.

I wouldn't reuse bb's in my AEG though. And using bb's off the dirty ground is a big no no as well.

I really don't think that they can deform in the air. They are not travelling with enough velocity or distance to cause deformation. Hell, you can stand on them and they still stay spherical.

Oh, and yes I have had recent problems with my glock, but it turned out to be the trigger contacts, so it's unrelated.

Mark_Sc

I used to reuse with my Usp(the one on RSOV) and had frequent jams between the chamber and barell so i think it depends on bael size and bb quality

Edit= I was using the ones you get at HRTA too

kdouglas

so far the only gun i've re-used bb's in was my m9, and even at that i've only re-used them after shooting paper targets with a catch net and re-used them maybe once or twice

Evolute

Has anyone thought that cather nets arent to keep bbs intact that its just to get some target practice and not have white balls everywere in your garden??

In my opinion i wouldnt use fired bbs as i have seen far to many bbs that have been shot that are cracked deformed and completely shattered. Also as oisin said u really wanna chance screwing up ur Aeg over a few bbs that arent even worth 7 quid? Also i stupidly reused some bbs one day and two went through and then one got jammed spent half an hour getting it out because i was worried about damaging the hopup

liamo333

And they will scratch your barrle!

16airassualt

if you run out of bbs just throw stones...there id be some unhappy airsofters:mad:

ED E

I shoot metal objects with my pistol and reuse and no problem. Even if they did split in a Gbb it wouldn't really do anything. I just check them as i reuse them.

With my aug i catch em in my own DIY'd catcher:D

o1s1n

Lethal_Bullet wrote:

I shoot metal objects with my pistol and reuse and no problem. Even if they did split in a Gbb it wouldn't really do anything. I just check them as i reuse them.

With my aug i catch em in my own DIY'd catcher:D

You reuse bbs with that CA AUG of yours?

...that's it, next time I see you I'm taking it from you. It deserves better than that!



Edit; ah the confusion! I thought Liamo wrote that

o1s1n

Evolute wrote:

Has anyone thought that cather nets arent to keep bbs intact that its just to get some target practice and not have white balls everywere in your garden??

True. I have a home made one. That's the only reason I use it. The bbs go straight into the bin afterward.
Although, I don't really go through too many bbs at home. I only shoot out the back with a bolt action. The Famas is reserved for skirmishing. Overkill for a back garden I think.

kdouglas

Evolute wrote:

In my opinion i wouldnt use fired bbs as i have seen far to many bbs that have been shot that are cracked deformed and completely shattered.

what bb's are you using that are deforming so easy? even shooting at solid objects i very rarely see my bb's deform?

Lethal_Bullet wrote:

I shoot metal objects with my pistol and reuse and no problem. Even if they did split in a Gbb it wouldn't really do anything. I just check them as i reuse them.

most metal would probably do quite a bit of damage to a bb on impact, especially if it's a can or something and it's puncturing the can, personally i wouldnt go reusing them, but you should be very careful if you are

ED E

Ok, we have un Grande-Mundo Tree house. My target hags from the bottom(Pic in a sec). I stick up a line of cans. Hit hit hit hit. Empty the bbs from the shredded cans and check em out. Cracked=Binned. The rest: poured back in the Hi-cap.

And what does it matter if it shatters in my M9? The only problem would be if it went into the gas piston yoke but with gas rushing out thats hardly gonna happen.

o1s1n

kdouglas wrote:

what bb's are you using that are deforming so easy? even shooting at solid objects i very rarely see my bb's deform?

Just because you can't see the bb deform does not mean it is still perfect. If you read around most airsoft forums the general consensus seems to be that reuse will eventually mean a broken AEG.

They're precision pieces of equipment which fire 10-15 shots a second. At a rate of fire like that even just one bad one could mess something up.

Just something from AirsoftPacific.com;

Never reuse BBs! Dirt, dust, and grime can cause wear on your hopup and feeding mechanisms. Always use new BBs. If you want to reuse them so bad, save them for your cheapo spring guns but DO NOT use them again in your AEG.

Captain Chaos

kdouglas wrote:

what bb's are you using that are deforming so easy? even shooting at solid objects i very rarely see my bb's deform.

I only use Excel .23g BBs and 50% of the time they either split in half or shatter completely when they hit anything hard when fired from my P226, and thats only using 134a gas.

SpitfireIV

I reuse* my bb's in my VSR, no nasty mechanics to worry about.

*The BB's are .25g's are fired at a paper target with a loose net backing and a sponge lined base. Should any miss the target and hit the ground/wall then thats where they stay........as for the ones in the target I scoop 'em up for re use.

liamo333

what is the accuracy like with .25?

Dave!

Despite constant protests from Oisín , I usually reuse BBs that I've fired at paper targets with a cushion behind them. If they deform in the air, then it hasn't caused any problems thus far.

o1s1n

DaveMcG wrote:

Despite constant protests from Oisín , I usually reuse BBs that I've fired at paper targets with a cushion behind them. If they deform in the air, then it hasn't caused any problems thus far.

Ah, THAT's why my Famas was outperforming yours

ED E

Lol.:D

16airassualt

just give a bb a little tap with a hammer and you will see how easily they crumble.

ASI Casper

I'd sometimes spill the odd bag of bbs on the floor and would scoop them all up and then reserve them for use in my shotty or pistol in case of any dirt / debris, but I'd never reuse BBs in any of my AEGs, especially any that have been fired.

I believe a standard barrel diameter is 6.08mm. That gives .04mm of leeway on either side of the BB when it's in your barrel. Not a lot is it? And that's to allow for any imperfections of the BB, not the added problems of any dust and dirt build-up.

To add to what O1s1n was saying and put it into perspective:

-Standard bag of 5000bbs as commonly sold for £10 at some airsoft sites = 0.2p per BB
-Bag of 3700 Excels as sold for £5.49 by Flecktarn = 0.147p per BB
-My last purchase of BBs was a bulk deal of 10 bags of Excel for £40 which = 0.108p per BB

That's 0.0016 Euro per BB. I wouldn't bend over in the street to pick up a penny, so why would I bend over 10 times to pick up the equivelant in BBs?

If you really feel those little piles of spilt BBs sitting about sites are a waste, then salvage them and keep them for using in a claymore.

Spitfire666

indeed.

SpitfireIV

liamo333 wrote:

what is the accuracy like with .25?

My VSR is firing at approx 328fps, maybe a little more. Accuracy at about 12metres is pretty dead on, 2" groupings most of the time. Out to approx 25m accuracy or grouping isnt that good, but all the shots still fall within an A4 page (both these cases are firing from the shoulder, no rests or bipods).

fletch...

I definatly would not re use BBs, why pay a load of hard earned cash on an AEG then risk damaging it, about how much does A bb cost enyways, I dont do maths good but I presume its about 000.1 of a cent each or something, I wouldnt risk putting dirt trough it either.

I sometimes re use BBs in a crappy springer Walther p99 I have, but thats a piece of shoite enyways

o1s1n

fletch... wrote:

I dont do maths good but I presume its about 000.1 of a cent each or something

ASI Casper worked out the cost 4 posts back

Evolute

kdouglas wrote:

what bb's are you using that are deforming so easy? even shooting at solid objects i very rarely see my bb's deform?




most metal would probably do quite a bit of damage to a bb on impact, especially if it's a can or something and it's puncturing the can, personally i wouldnt go reusing them, but you should be very careful if you are

Well then your gun aint shooting too hard cause ive shot alot of ksc bbs through my g36c and ive found that atleast 40% of the bbs are cracked chipped deformed or otherwise have something wrong with them i fire. Also i have found that excel bbs deform and the ones paul sells at HRTA so from my experiances your gun is worth spending a few quid for new bbs

kdouglas

Evolute wrote:

Well then your gun aint shooting too hard cause ive shot alot of ksc bbs through my g36c and ive found that atleast 40% of the bbs are cracked chipped deformed or otherwise have something wrong with them i fire. Also i have found that excel bbs deform and the ones paul sells at HRTA so from my experiances your gun is worth spending a few quid for new bbs

shooting as hard as is legally allowed

in fairness i dont generally pay attention to the bb's i shoot at solid objects, the only ones i even look at after they've been through a gun is those that i fire at the target with catcher net.