REGIMENT AIRSOFT BOOT CAMP – AIRSOFT BALLS DAY 2
Types of Airsoft balls
Common airsoft balls are Plastic, Biodegradable, Tracer, Marking and Novelty or ones you should never use for game play. Novelty will be covered later in the week.
Plastic balls should only be used for target shooting and game play where clean up is possible. Indoor playing fields come to mind. Plastic should never be used at
an outdoor field, just imagine what the field would look like if the biodegradable wasn’t an option. Imagine a Airsoft field in a couple of years, just full of balls.
Biodegradable balls are best suited for outside game play and plinking where cleanup isn’t a realistic option. Just like the name implies they Bio-degrade, breakdown. Also never reuse biodegradable balls in your gun for the same reason you shouldn’t reuse plastic, with the added problem of absorbing water and becoming slightly larger.
Tracers. Glow in the dark pellets are awesome. Just like the names implies the balls glow like tracers the military use, only green. They work similar to the kids
toys that when exposed to light will glow all night , the difference is the balls are hit with a strobe light to make them work. The auto tracer either attaches to
the rifle similar to a suppressor or is inside the magazine. Benefits of both and tricks using tracer ammo will be discussed in another Boot Camp
Marking balls. If anyone has had the misfortune of playing grease ball in its early days you may come across .50cal paintballs. They didn’t fly straight and rarely
broke. Guess what, airsoft “paintballs” are just as useless. Great little novelty if your shooting at a hard surface but not much else, and you loose much range and
accuracy, have fun cleaning them out if they break. Best used in spring guns and not AEG’s (Automaic Electric guns). Don’t use with hi-cap mags as the teeth that grab the balls will tear the paintball creating a mess inside hte mag or Soft.
Powder coated are the other option if you insist on balls that mark. The biggest downside is that the powder will buildup in the gun and requires more maintenance to
keep the rifle operational. This includes gun and magazines. The marking benefit is not worth the extra problems. Airsoft will still be on the honor system for quite some time.
One last point… sniper grade. These balls are more accurate due to higher manufacturing standards and work best with a tight tolerance barrel. When it comes to the
average player the extra cost isn’t worth it. Snipers with a tricked out rifle are the only ones with the skill and equipment to properly utilize these balls.