Can I Reuse Airsoft BBs?

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I don’t know about you, but it’s hard for me to resist picking all the BBs scattered across the airsoft field. There’s literally tens of thousands of them lying about. I’m always thinking to myself….damn I could save so much money if I was to around and pocked these bad boys! But is it really a good idea? Can I reuse airsoft BBs?

In all honesty, you really shouldn’t be reusing airsoft BBs in your airsoft gun. I know it’s tempting but odds the BB could have a crack or a chip that you can’t see with the naked eye. If a BB was to explode inside the airsoft gun you could be having a really bad day. You could easily destroy your gearbox and have to buy an entirely new gun. Simply put…reusing BBs isn’t worth it.

Top Reasons Why You Shouldn’t Reuse Airsoft BBs

Did You Know There’s Different Sizes and Weights Of BBs?

Did you know there’s different sizes of airsoft BBs? If you’re picking up BBs off of the ground to reuse you probably didn’t put much thought into this. I know I didn’t when i was a youngin. Some BBs are the standard 6mm but some are 8mm. Getting that wrong could destroy your gun.

There’s also many different BB weights. This generally won’t damage your airsoft gun, but it could really put a hurt on your performance in the field. Goodluck trying to hit someone from 25 yards away with a .12 when you’re used to a .20 gram BB.

Dirt Can Destroy Your Gun

I can remember as a kid my brother and I would go around collecting literally thousands of BBs from the ground. And guess what we would never do….wash them! As you probably guessed it, after a couple years of getting lucky with no damage, some dirt got in the gearbox and destroyed the gun. I was devastated and instantly learned my lesson.

Dirt isn’t the only issue though. Lets say you take the time and filter out all the dirt and debris from your latest BB scavenger hunt. All the BBs are squeaky clean, but what you don’t know is that some BBs suffered damage that can’t be seen from the naked eye.

A BB has to be a perfect sphere without any cracks in order to shoot straight and not explode in your barrel. Odds are there’s a few BBs in your collection that are just waiting to cause you issues. The best way to avoid this is to not reuse airsoft BBs from the ground.

Can You Tell The Difference Between Biodegradable and Standard BBs?

I’ve been playing airsoft for a number of years, and to this day I can;t tell the difference between a plastic and biodegradable BB. This may not seem to be very important, but I’ve you;re in the business of collecting BBs to reuse, this could be important.

The last thing you want is to pickup a biodegradable BB that’s already in the stages of degrading, and pop that into your gun. It’s a guarantee you’re going to have a really bad day and a huge mess on your hands.

In What Situation Can I Reuse BBs?

While there isn’t many, I can think of a few exceptions to reusing BBs. But obviously use caution and do your best to make sure the BBs isn’t damaged.

Airsoft Claymores and Grenades

Airsoft claymores and airsoft grenades are generally pretty safe to reuse BBs from. The BBs that are ejected from these devices are traveling at a relatively low speed and have a low impact juele. As a result, usually the BBs are in good shape and can be reused in your gun.

On The Ground Near Reloading Stations

Especially when you’re in the heat of battle and have to go back to a respond or reloading station, your heart is going to be pumping. As a result I personally spill a crap ton of BBs all over the ground trying to reload my guns. So this would be a great place to look for BBs.

In almost all airsoft rules the reload and respond station is a safe zone. So all the BBs in the area of from clumsy players such as myself that drop ammo. Just make sure you know the rules on picking up BBs from the ground at your local airsoft field before doing this.

In Cheap Spring Pistols

If you have an airsoft gun that you really don’t care about, or it’s a simple spring action pistol, I don’t see much of an issue in reusing BBs. I have personally done this when I was younger and I didn’t have an issue. Just don’t make a habit of it in your more expensive weapons.

If The BBs Is Clean

I would’t pick a BB straight from the ground and start using it. Small dirt particles can destroy your barrel and gearbox. Collect a bunch of them and clean them with a strainer to remove all the dirt and particles. It may be a bit time consuming but can save you a couple dollars.

Using In Airsoft Claymores, Gernades, And Homemade Tripwires

Not only can you use airsoft BBs from gernades and claymores, you can also use used BBs in them too! They don’t have to do through a barrel and these not gearbox that can be destroyed from a chipped or damaged BB. Honestly this is probably the best option and the only way I would reuse any airsoft BB.

Why Do Some People Reuse Airsoft BBs?

Lack of experience and ignorance

Some people just don’t understand the consequences of using a BB they found off of the ground. They may look at the BB and not see a crack. But little do they know that inside that BB there’s a small fracture in the body that’s just waiting to explode. Experienced airsoft players know It’s not worth it.

They’re Straight Up Broke

When I was a kid a had no money and neither did my friends. We simply couldn’t afford to keep going to the store to buy packs of them. So after every game we would go around and pickup as many BBs as we could. As a result my buddy destroyed his gun so we stopped doing that.

Young Kids and Beginners

Yes airsoft BBs are cheap but as a kid $10 is a lot of money. As a mentioned before my friends and I used to collect BBs because we had no money. Young teenagers may not even have a job and are relying on their $5 allowance (or whatever kids are getting these days) to buy ammo. Scavenging around on the ground will save you a couple dollars.

Or maybe you’re just a beginner and the temptation of collection thousands of BBs on the ground is way too tempting. Not fully understanding how quickly a used BB can break your gun is to be expected. But when It happens it’s a self correcting error.

For some young kids it’s pretty fun to run around collection used BBs from the ground. It’s free after all and it’s like a scavenger hunt trying to find the little bright colors. I remember as a kid a let my brother (who was 5 at the time) do it since he really enjoyed it. I would just throw them out afterwords….lets keep that one between us please.

A Quick Look At Some Cheap Airsoft BBs

By now you probably know some of the risks of reusing bbs in your airsoft gun. We mentioned that airsoft BBs are very cheap and almost anybody can afford them. To give you a better idea we have a few listed below from Amazon.com

Recommended Airsoft BBs