Selecting the right BB for an airsoft sniper

There are plenty of aspects that come into play in becoming a successful airsoft sniper and using the right ammo for your gun is one of them. Your gun is only as good as the person pulling the trigger, but the ammo you're using better be right for the application!

First things first, finding the heaviest BB your gun can handle without its reducing effective range. BBs generally weigh from .12g to .43g. so how do you know what is best for your gun? It's going to take a little trial

and error usually, but there are a few basic guidelines. First of all, never use a weight below .25g. Most if not all experienced airsoft snipers will say that even this weight is too light, but it is a good place to start. The most common weight for a stock airsoft sniper will be about .27g-.29g. Any heavier than that and you will generally need to upgrade your gun internally with performance airsoft parts.

After weight you also will need to factor in sizing. Keep in mind that shooting the wrong size ammo (even being off by a fraction) in your gun could cause some serious damage! To find the right BB for you first check out the diameter of your inner barrel. A precision barrel usually runs 6.00m

m to 6.04mm. What you need to keep an eye on is selecting a BB that has a smaller diameter than the barrel including a +.02mm variance for a little security. Firing a BB that is too large is going to give you a jam in the barrel which is going to give you a huge issue in the field.

For an airsoft sniper sniper getting high end BBs is going to be important if you want the most out of your gun. High end BBs are shaped to higher standards and polished to a high extent which makes for more consistency and accuracy. Like mentioned above you may have a little trial and error when finding the right ammo for you. Check out some of these quality airsoft BBs to find the one that's right for you! Check out our selection of airsoft snipers too!

Airsoft Sniper Tactics

A sniper is an infantry soldier who specializes in shooting from a concealed position over longer ranges than regular infantry, often with a specially designed or adapted sniper rifle. It requires skill in marksmanship, camouflage and field craft. This article is about adapting sniper techniques to make you the best airsoft sniper you can be!

1. Side arms are very important to any airsoft sniper and do not require a very substantial investment. An airsoft pistol is the perfect side arm when you get into a cornered up situation. You are in a lot of trouble if your position is compromised and you get charged by the enemy with nothing to defend you but your airsoft sniper rifle. While spring is better for a sniper rifle a side arm should be at least semi-auto. One thing to remember is to bring an adequate amount of ammunition for your side arm as well as your rifle (Usually 2-3 magazines depending on magazine capacity, especially if it is semi or fully automatic).

2. Know your rifle. Spend a good amount of time getting to know your gun, and how the shots react to wind, temperature, and different distances (make sure to understand it's maximum accurate distance). Take a while to get to know your gun and make sure to practice to stay comfortable with it.

3. Know that being an airsoft sniper is not as much action as other positions of the field. A common misconception is that airsoft snipers get the most kills, when in reality, they usually get the least. Keep in mind that you might not be racking up the kills, but you can take out important targets (take out high priority targets such as Commanders, VIPs, etc.). Know that observation and sabotage are some of an airsoft snipers main goals in the field.

4. Modify your rifle to fit your needs. There are tons of aftermarket parts for airsoft sniper rifles. The main things a sniper should consider are purchasing quality BBs (More information on selecting the right BB for your airsoft sniper), a tight bore (around 6.01), and usually a new hopup. These will ensure tight compression and maximize distance and accuracy.

5. A good scope can be a snipers best friend. Make sure you get a scope that suits your rifles needs. You don't need a hugely powerful scope for an airsoft sniper. A 3-9x40 scope is plenty of scope another good coice is a 4x32 scope (try to get a scope with adjustable parallax). Bipods are extremely helpful in assisting with accuracy and also they are great for sustaining a stable shooting position for long amounts of time. You should also learn to make rests in the field from branches, sticks and other natural features.

6. Camo is important, without it you will not be able to conceal yourself from enemies and opposing snipers nearly as effectively. A gillie suit is a great form of camo that is textured to help you blend in even further. In making a gillie suit use generic colors, brown, lighter brown, greens, and even some blacks and dark greens and browns. Wearing a light mesh top layer is great in helping you create camo as you can utilize a good variety of the sticks, leaves, and dirt from the field to make a very effective gille adapting your camo to your surroundings.

7. Buy some good ammunition. High polish BBs are important to an airsoft sniper to prevent damage as well as improve accuracy. Higher weight equals higher accuracy and lower FPS, but heavier BB's carry more kinetic energy for longer distances, check out our article on selecting the right BB for an airsoft sniper.

8. If you have the opportunity before the game to check out the field make sure to do so, the more you know about the field the more of an advantage you have. Make mental notes of good sniping positions, good observation points, where trails lead, when you will have open shots, and well covered areas for a retreat.

9. Stay low. Prone is going to be the best position for an airsoft sniper as it conceals most of your body and you blend into the surroundings better as a more natural shape.

10. Always have an escape route. Good cover and an escape route is more important than field of vision. When you find a good field position make sure to have at least two routes of escape.

11. Keep on the move. Staying stagnant will ruin your cover. Take one or two shots and then move on. Even if you don't think your position has been compromised, it may very well have been. Remember that you have a limited amount of shots you can take before you are compromised, make them count. Use surprise as best you can, move about a lot and attack from many different angles not to let them rest easy.

12. Recruit a spotter. Not only can he help you in a firefight, he can also help you spot possible targets. Weigh your options here as tt is easier for one person to move unnoticed than two, but considering your competition and terrain you should be able to make the right choice.

13. Find a way to communicate with your team, especially if you are working with another team of snipers. Whether you run radios or if you create signals based on showing colors find something that works for you. You are part of a team and part of your job as a sniper is recon.

Tuck Stoffers

The Classic Army M15 A4 Automatic Electric Gun (AEG)

What's new with the M15 A4?

The two best things in the world, thats what! Power and Quality.

The a4 is mostly metallic featuring a metallic hop-up chamber (as well as metal loading nozzle) & new hop-up rubber, but a great perk is the plastic parts are made from durable fiber reinforced polymer (nylon & glass fiber) that is much stronger than its predecessor helping prevent cracking and shattering.

Another HUGE benefit is the M15 A4 now comes with a newly designed high-speed gears 6mm oily gear box featuring steel gears and also a reinforced slip ring. The previous M15 had a major strain on the gears, which would lead to a terrible noise and, more times than not a major problem with your AEG. The EG1000 motor is also a nice power compliment on the a4. It also contains a bore-up cylinder, reinforced spring guide and a new yellow piston in the box. With the gearbox screws being compatible with philips heads, it makes it easier to work with the mechbox.

The wiring for this Classic Army M15s is also improved. The loom is now made from a much nicer, fatter, and more flexible wire set. The previous (Classic Army) M15 A4s had an unappealing mess of wires.

What's in the box?

Here's what you get when you order from OvertAirsoft.Com

You get the 300 round high capacity magazine, the cleaning rod, the hop-up adjuster, and your new state of the art M15 A4!

Specs

Here's the data for the nerd inside of all of us.

- Weight: 3.143 kg / 6.9 lbs.

- Barrel Length: 510mm

- Barrel Caliber: 6.08mm

- Magazine Capacity: 300

- Projectile: 6mm BB

- Initial Bullet Speed: 85-95 m/sec or 280.5 - 313.5 fps

- Operation: AEG

The ugly.

You know not the good, not the bad, but...

Range could have been a little better, but still an improvement. The dust cover is only held on by a piece of magnet attached to it. This may be a cosmetic thing but the metal cover that is meant to look like the real bolt is quite shiny and unrealistic. The biggest downfall is the absence of the foregrip removal tool which is needed especially for quick battery changes.

The Good

Gun feels is amazingly durable and has a great rate of fire. Very respectable accuracy for not having a tightbore. Great aftermarket following (internal AND external upgrades available) with plenty of upgrades available, can support up to a 10.8 battery, and even comes with a high capacity mag to top it off. Go ahead check out our aftermarket performance accessories

The basic rundown.

You know, not the long, but the short of it.

This guy is built like a tank and you aren't going to find a better gun for the money. Internally you've got nice space inside the gearbox for upgrading. Externally its not quite as smooth because of minor sizing differences, but you can make it work with some elbow grease and a file. As with all Classic Army guns the M15 A4 is very impressionable

Gas Airsoft Guns

Gas airsoft guns are airsoft guns which are powered by one of two styles. One option is an internal tank using CO2 or green gas, generally in disposable tanks that can shoot 30 to 40 rounds before running out of power, or even within the ammunition casings. Green gas (which consists of a mixture of propane and a polysiloxane lubricant) is probably the most used option. Red gas wich is a high preformance propellant would also fall into this category. Red gas has a higher pressure can cause damage to an airsoft gun that has not ondergone upgrades, but provides a higher muzzle velocity. CO2, nitrogen, and high pressure air are less common because they need to be stored at higher pressures than the standard green gas. The second, and less common, propellant style is using an external CO₂ tank much like a paintball gun. Generally they are higher priced than an AEG airsoft gun but provide a more realistic approach to airsoft with a more approximate weight and having a recoil. Depending on your style of play the recoil can be taken as a disadvantage or a benefit. While gas airsoft guns can be adjusted to have a higher muzzle velocity than an AEG airsoft gun, most players use them at about the same power as a standard AEG airsoft gun. A great feature of gas airsoft guns are they may be fitted with Long Range Barrel or LRB over a traditional hop-up unit. The long range barrel turns the entire barrel into a hop-up system, giving a consistent spin on the BB. The rate of fire on these can be regulated by the amount of air being fed through the system, versus the motor strength of an AEG. Gas airsoft guns tend to be mostly airsoft pistols, there are few rifles or sub machine guns on the market today. This is taken as a negative for this style of gun as most players only use pistols as a back up weapon. In colder weather, spring pistols are more reliable than gas-powered pistols and even the batteries on electric airsoft guns, both of which can be adversely affected by extreme cold.

Check out our store if you are looking for an airsoft gun or an airsoft propellant!