FPS and 12g b.b.s

[Air1911]

I am new to airsoft.For my first gun I bought a cheapie spring pistol a few weeks ago for target practise only.So far it works great(2500 rounds so far).I am using 12g b.b. that shoot at 315fps.My question is :Should I be using a 20g or even heavier b.b. for shooting at 25 feet.I bought the 12g b.b with the gun and didn't really know if they were best for target practise.Thanks

[Rusty Lugnuts]

Given the inherent quality of a "cheapie spring pistol" which usually feature nonadjustable hop up units - shoot whatever you like - especially at 25 feet. Normally high quality seamless BBs in heavier weights shoot straighter.

[Drake]

As R.L said, the end result will depend on the gun. But as a rule .12g BBs wildly unstable/inaccurate; heavier BBs may not shoot "straighter" (if you're shooting 315fps with .12g you're low on power, for any number of reasons) but it should at least shoot a bit more consistently.

.20g is probably your best bet to get similar performance with more consistency. .25g or heavier may be too heavy for you to really benefit from, specially if the hop-up isn't adjustable (?); If it is, you might benefit. See if there's another player(s) in your area you can bum a few heavier weight BBs from (and fill out your location in your profile)

[Cliffradical]

I can't find any comprehensive charts for you measuring velocities from a .12 reference, I believe in great part because somebody with that kind of time and interest in these things wouldn't even bother (.20 is considered the baseline/ minimum standard by players and enthusiasts).
However, from only the first two entries in the top-left column, you can see how dramatically the nearly doubled weight of a .20 affects velocity vs. A .12g bb.

If your gun is shooting 315fps on a .12, you can infer that loading it with .20s will yield and fps value of somewhere near 200fps +/-. This doesn't mean it'll be completely ineffective (I've had fun in goofy/ challenge/ zombie games with all kinds of crap), but the bbs will be going reeeeally sloooowwwly. Adding hop (if your gun has a hopup) will slow them down even more, and your gun may not even be able to propell the bb fast enough to really be picked up by the rubber and create sufficient backspin to do anything.
Going to quality .20s (or heavier) isn't going to change your life in any way you'll appreciate, but it will show you how shitty Walmart/ Cabela/ Cantire .12s are.
Good player/ enthusiast grade bbs are perfectly smoothe, round, polished, and roll on a flat surface evenly because they nearly completely lack (or have carefully controlled) air bubbles inside them.


Experimentation with springers can be fun, and can teach you stuff, but the relative accuracy you achieve will be born more out of the jump in sheer quality than anything else.

[Air1911]

Thanks much...like I mentioned..I'm new to this so the fun is just beginning... and the experience.Seems like a fun sport though and I know I'll soon be shopping for a quality AEG..First things first I guess.

[Cliffradical]

For sure, and hell, I've been surprised by what a "crappy springer" can do in the past. Examples include my former employer's "Shottystein", a top-loading, clumsy, crummy little 3/4 sized thing that had been ziptied to an old Mauruzen 870 grip. That thing was a tac driver or .20s, and it was a lot of fun to troll junior players in CQB with it back when I thought I was hot shit.

Just make sure that the fun time you have is safe, and legal.