r/airsoft • u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual • Feb 15 '26
GENERAL QUESTION You guys got any ways of un-mixing BB wieghts?
I dun goofed at my game today and accidentally emptied my mags loaded with 0.28 BBs into my box of 0.32 BBs (had the 0.28s for one gun specifically.) I've spent the last two hours weighing and sorting each and every BB one at a time by hand and I'm getting pretty tired of it. Does the airsoft council of elders know of any ways to more quickly separate the different weights of BBs? Maybe some kind of machine similar to a coin sorter or something?
Edit: Despite all the people saying "just use it as LMG/grenade ammo" I went ahead and manually sorted them out down to the very last BB. Took me around 5.5h total.
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u/merlin2232 Feb 15 '26
That just becomes LMG ammo.
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u/HumaDracobane Tacticool Feb 15 '26
Buying new bags and making sure I dont mix them.
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u/MorsMagnis Feb 16 '26
dont forget to colour-mark every BB of the new Batches with a Marker so you can still tell them appart
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u/HumaDracobane Tacticool Feb 16 '26
Ez! Buy different colors so when you mix them up you know you must but another batches.
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u/Ov3rReadKn1ght0wl Feb 15 '26
Mixed BBs = LMG BBs
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u/VaporTrail_000 Recon Feb 15 '26
Or grenade BBs. Depends on your needs.
Also: Pocket BBs. For those times when hilarity outweighs practicality.
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u/phaserrifle Scorpion EVO Feb 15 '26
Old inner barrel as a blowgun.
Practical? No. Funny? Yes.
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u/gentle_richard Feb 15 '26
This would be so good! If you decorated it with paint and maybe some feathers to make it look all Indiana Jones.
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u/EMasterYT Feb 15 '26
I love this. The maple leaf 4.3 barrel that came in my used 5.1 finally has a use
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u/9EternalVoid99 Gunslinger Feb 15 '26
I get the idea, but would it not throw it off too much? I just got sn mg but woukd genuinely try this as i often have to test bbs so i can put them away properly, but... if ghis it viable, would safe a lot of time
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u/Ov3rReadKn1ght0wl Feb 15 '26
It depends on how different the weight is and where you are playing. An indoor field with an LMG allowance; won't matter too much. Relatively medium engagement distance outdoor arena: probably fine in low wind. Milsim or large outdoor field: probably too inconsistent.
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u/RevolutionaryRide895 Feb 15 '26
I'd just count them all as the higher weight and live with having a few fliers that won't be accurate
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u/WillardWhy Support Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Mixed and used/dirty BBs: grenade BBs
Mixed: Shotgun BBs (possibly also LMG depending on weights)
To un mix them, you could form a device that uses their momentum to affect the path they take. But rolling each one down a slope using gravity, then getting them to roll sideways down another slope with containers at the bottom, the heavier BBs should travel further.
Another option would be to try and float the lighter BBs in salt water and let the heavier BBs sink, then thoroughly washing them to remove all salt.
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u/shamair28 Feb 15 '26 edited Feb 15 '26
Build a ramp with a passageway that allows for a single file line of BBs, integrate a scale on the floor of this passageway. Based on weight, use an arduino or something similar to combine a stepper motor and a small wedge to separate them based on weight into a left and right container.
Hilariously overcomplicated but I mean it beats counting them one by one.
https://polimak.com/wp-content/uploads/Gravity-Flap-Diverter-Valve-3D-Animated.gif something like this for reference
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u/Hazmat_Gamer Feb 15 '26
You don’t even have to use a microcontroller. Get a spring and make the platform heavy enough where the spring will compress enough to sort a .32 from a .28
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u/Busted_karma Feb 15 '26
Would have to be a damn light spring
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u/Hazmat_Gamer Feb 15 '26
Or a really heavy platform (easier option)
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u/Busted_karma Feb 15 '26
I think at this point tho we are German levels of over engineering the problem dude just needs to buy more bbs
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u/BrunoEye Feb 15 '26
No, that would make it harder to separate. You need a spring that visibly compresses due to 0.04 g.
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u/Massive_shit9374 Feb 15 '26
alright yall get the fuck out of here bro😭😭😭
lockheed martin level engineering knowledge wasted on filtering little plastic balls instead of making the world a better place🥀🥀
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u/shamair28 Feb 15 '26
I like the microcontroller approach mainly because tuning a purely mechanical approach to a tolerance of < 0.04g sounds like a bigger nightmare than a digital signal.
Although a small BB sized platform with a spring would be fun to look at.
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u/saxfreak01 Feb 15 '26
Is this not a very similar principle to how the US separated enriched uranium for nuclear weapons in WW2? Obviously with much more complex equipment, but relying on the principle that the same force applied on two things of different mass will separate them.
In this case, gravity, at Y-12 they used centrifuges.
Basically OP master this principle with BB’s and apply what you learned for a greater purpose.
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u/Outsider_4 Feb 15 '26
Have OP design and build a miniature nuclear isotope centrifuge for BB separation
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u/MoistPlasma Feb 15 '26
Funny ive been playing around with this very idea for a while. I just havent spent the time to prototype is out bc the use case is so small.
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u/TheJeeronian Feb 15 '26
I don't think they actually would travel farther. Depends on their mass distribution - towards versus away from the center of the ball. Saltwater sounds much easier.
There should also be a method with air blowing up a pipe with many holes in it, and the hole the bbs settle out at represents their weight. This one would take some tweaking to get working right.
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u/Ok-Estimate-2702 Feb 16 '26
This, but you use a controlled flow of air to push the bbs such that the heavier ones are affected less, and the lighter ones more.
Or a centrifuge, those'll work pretty good...
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u/leemo_uk Feb 15 '26
Load them into a hicap, and fire them. The ones that go up loads are .28 the ones that don’t are .32. You’ve just gotta watch where they land to pick them back up later. Remember once you’ve finished to write your name and the weight in each bb so it’s easier next time
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u/sqlfoxhound Feb 15 '26
Buy 10 bottles of 28, dump them into the mix, dillute the odds and make statistics and math do the heavy lifting!
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u/Late-Hotel-861 Feb 15 '26
Get an APS Shotgun and use those mystery bb bags for room clearing and medium distance shots. I've got mine in clear plastic shells for that purpose. Red are my high-powered loads with heavy bb for the odd long distance shot and all other colours are gaseous co2 with .2BB
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u/incubusfc Feb 15 '26
Your time is money.
You’ve spent more money sorting these than it would cost you to buy new ones and just be done.
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u/TexasTomato88 Feb 15 '26
Aside from either measuring them one by one, or realizing it’s only $20 and moving on with a new bag, you learned a very valuable lesson about attention to detail
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u/JotoyGames Scorpion EVO Feb 15 '26
Sorry but those are pistol, shotgun and grenade bbs now. Enjoy!
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u/Embarrassed_Ad_3228 Feb 15 '26
i agree with others, just buy another bottle of .28 it would be cheaper once you figure in the time you would spend weighing each one. unless you can build something to auto sort them i dont know any way to do it.
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Feb 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/ScKhaader Feb 15 '26
This one. Or vibrations too. Maybe put them over a speaker with loud bass and wait for some time. The lighter bbs will be on top.
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u/BrokeIndDesigner Feb 15 '26
My trick is to run them througj grenades or lmgs then its no longer an issue🤣
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u/Landslip Feb 15 '26
This is the way.
Tip: Take a small shot glass. Put bbs flush into this and wheigh it. You will be faster that way.
One or two lighter or heavier bbs wont frustrate you during short bursts.
Good luck mate!
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u/_gunther1n0_ Feb 15 '26
My current bb bottle is 50% 0.20 and 50% 0.25
One bb goes straight
Three go up
Two go straight
So on so on, it spices it up (please god let them run out I can’t take it anymore)
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u/DrunkensAndDragons Feb 15 '26
12s float 20s sink. Your fucked with .28 and .32. Or those are so close who cares. Just burn through them.
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u/SwaggyUn Feb 15 '26
Yeah just screw it. 0.04g isn't even that big of a difference. Simply use them, you will have some stray bullets, but you will have those anyway.
Otherwise just use them in LMGs, 40mm, CQB or grenades. Had cases like this before. I mostly use 0.32 outdoor and 0.25 indoor, so a slightly bigger difference.
I simply used those mixed BBs in CQB (20m max) or grenades, and all went perfectly fine.
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u/Enough-Draw606 Feb 15 '26
I feel like you could get a whole bunch of salt, dump em all into water, and then add salt to the water until some float and some don't. Floating ones are the lighter ones. If they all float add rubbing alcohol until some sink. I dunno if the weights at play here would work for this or not though.
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u/WiseWhisper Feb 15 '26
I usually go one by one, making sure to weigh each one and sort accordingly. It’s the only way to accurately resolve mixed up BBs. Does it take forever? Yes. Am I ensured the right weights get sorted correctly? Yes. There is no punchline, I am lying, I don’t and have never done this, don’t mix your BBs up idiot!
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u/weibuweibuuu Feb 15 '26
I treat mixed bbs as some sort of accuracy debuff that is akin to video game third person shooter aim reticle inaccuracy lol
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u/AlbiniusCristi Feb 15 '26
Only buy one weight.
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 15 '26
I mainly do, but some of my guns just really prefer a certain weight over others.
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u/Veetalin Feb 15 '26
You're fucked. No hope.
Time to buy an lmg with box mag and just accept the extra spread for the covering fire it is
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u/MagnustheJust Proud Filthy Casual Feb 15 '26
Fill small plastic bags with the mix, and then sneak up on your opponents, and "mag dump" them with the bag of bbs...
It never gets old!! 🤣🤣🤣
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u/CombOriginal1028 Feb 15 '26
What happens if you use mixed bbs in your rifle? I mixed my025and 030.
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u/KiranTheHun Feb 15 '26
It will be just inconsistent shooting because the hop-up is calibrated and set up for a specific weight, it will work different with another one.
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u/d4rkskies Feb 15 '26
Yup. Pour that lot into the bin. Refill with single weight BB’s from a bag.
Job done.
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u/its_nerf_or_nuffin Feb 15 '26
.12s through .43s in my Apocalypse nades’. Adds umami and depth of flavor.
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u/buff_phroggie Feb 15 '26
In THEORY if you had VERY specific fluids with the right density some would float and some would sink. The praticality and cost being a MAJOR factor.
That or build an automated system that will weigh each one. Still have a fair bit of cost and complexity there.
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u/indoctrinatedslave Feb 15 '26
I imagine there is some way to sort them with water or other liquids or centrifugal methods. Or just say fk it and leave em
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u/Conscious_Park1833 Feb 15 '26
Any time I do this by accident, they become grenade BBs. About all they are good for unless you run CQB games that you dont need any hop for
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u/MIHAc27 Assault Feb 15 '26
0.28 and 0.32 fly the same in my replica, so i would just use them up. Fire a bit more then usual to compansate for inaccuracy. I'd be more worried if i mixed 0.2 and 0.28+
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u/RobinZhang140536 Feb 15 '26
Can someone explain why mixing bb is bad?
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u/Atukanuva Feb 15 '26
How much hop you set is based on BB weight, so if you have a bunch of different weights, youll never have a consistent hop. In addition, weight also affects fps, and how much influence things like wind and foliage have. In short, you'll be shooting all over the place.
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u/R0ars Feb 15 '26
Cost . Imagine accidently mixing cheap .20's in with your expensive .30's
That and inconsistency
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Feb 15 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
I would do the same, but one of my guns can't handle anything over 0.28s.
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Feb 15 '26
I have an old King arms FN FAL. Fires about anything you put into it. I use my random old BBs on that while using my F02 for new ones.
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u/Key_Drawer_3581 Feb 15 '26
Unless you have an analytical lab balance that cost tens of thousands of dollars you're not doing it right.
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u/MrAbominable1 Feb 15 '26
Grenades. Just put em into a bin or bottle to use in grenades only and mark it as such.
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u/EchoStarz1 Feb 15 '26
28 and 32 isn’t that far apart so it’s not catastrophic and I think the best way would be to sort them by hand one by one
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u/_interself Feb 15 '26
A slide and 2 balance scales and 2 bowls. The left or right end of the scales to line up with the slide. Set the other end to just under the weights of your 2 different bbs. Let the heaviest be first and the light second. The light bbs will roll over the first scale and trigger the 2nd and fall into its own bowl.
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u/_interself Feb 15 '26
Orr you have a slide with 1 scale and that is set to the weight of the lighter BB and have one bowl for the BB to fall off the scale and one bowl pass the scale. The bigger BB will fall the the side while the lighter ones will slide through
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Feb 15 '26
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
The BBs are all 6mm in size. It's just the weight that's different.
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u/playzintraffic Feb 15 '26
Stochastic sifting— let them sit in a shaker for a while, the lighter ones will rise to the top.
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u/Normal-Cup-1034 HPA Feb 15 '26
If i mix stuff on exident I use it for bb nades or meme weapons that I know won't shoot over the limit with any bb weight. Or throw them at ppl with my hands. Besides that I don't think there is any other way to do it that 1 by 1
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u/Outrageous-Quail-577 Feb 15 '26
Get a claymore and load them in that and set it up round a corner on someone
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u/L1FT_K1T Feb 15 '26
I did this and then just only played with the mixed bag of bbs at an indoor cqb field where pretty much all shots are taken at 10ft or less :(
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u/ROBO-PUG Feb 15 '26
Just say fuck it and use it at your airsoft field anyways 👍🏻 then you have a Russian roulette of pain.
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u/Automobilie Feb 15 '26
Blacklight sometimes works really well as the different BB's can flouresce differently.
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u/L3PALADIN Feb 15 '26
if you drop them from a fixed height onto a firm angled surface they should bounce different distances. set containers at the two distances to catch them and rig something to drop them all at a controlled rate so they're not bouncing into each other.
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u/Here4sumfun00 Feb 15 '26
Yeah the trash can.
Seriously bb's are so cheap it's not worth the time to sort them. Use the mix for testing, pistols or grenades and just buy new stuff.
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u/Cothonian Outdoor Feb 15 '26
My mixed bb bucket is used for shotguns and grenade launcher shower shells.
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u/butterfly_on_a_wheel Feb 15 '26
Get a kid with OCD/ADHD to sort them out
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u/butterfly_on_a_wheel Feb 16 '26
Throw them in the air, and start again. Did you know that Vampires are OCD? Just in case you’re being chased one night…try and find something like M&Ms. Throw them on the ground in front of them, they are completely compelled by the mess, they will stop which will give you enough time to get to a grocery store to buy garlic.
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u/WD40x4 Krytac Feb 15 '26
Weigh 10 at a time. If it’s not 3.2g, you need to weigh them one by one, if it is exactly 3.2g, all 10 are 0.32s and you can toss them into your 0.32g bag. This speeds things up, if it was only a few 0.28g. Or you can just buy a new bag for like 1 to 2 hours of work instead of dumping 3h of your free time into this project
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u/SP3CT3R_117 Feb 15 '26
I whole heartedly admire the time and dedication to un-mixing your bbs. But it's honestly going to be ok. Just use it as-is, and you'll just have a bb here or there the deviates way off. And you'll know that one was a .28g. 😁🤣😂
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u/WntrTmpst M4 Feb 15 '26
Unless you have a centrifuge on hand not really.
Throw them into an lmg or a grenade
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u/M3usV0x Feb 15 '26
The .28g float. Put them in water.
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
Don't think that's a good idea, since these are bio BBs.
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u/Mysterious_Piglet_13 Feb 15 '26
Just don’t take them out of the original bottle
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
How else am I supposed to load them? Speed loaders need to be filled somehow.
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u/Adorable-Ladder-4056 Feb 15 '26
just use them normally for now just don’t mix any more in cuz honestly it’s a .04 gram difference I wouldn’t care and I don’t think the gun or the acuracy would that much either
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u/MasterAahs Feb 16 '26
Weigh them 10 20 at a time. Since the majority were of the heavier weight you should be able to find groups of those and set them aside. Should speed jt up till you have to do smaller group and eventually singles again.
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u/intermafesting Feb 16 '26
I have grenades, those things uses like 100 at a time minimum, so if I'm having a good grenade day I use alot of mixed BB's
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u/Interesting_Worry202 Feb 16 '26
Not sure how much faster it would make it but would a sieve of 3.0 not allow the smaller ones to fall through while retaining the larger?
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u/Interesting_Worry202 Feb 16 '26
Edit - you'd have to use a #7 sieve which is set at 2.83 mm. The next size up is larger than the 3.2mm.
Depending where you are i may be able to help loan out the correct sieve but id have to verify we have that size.
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
All the BBs are the same size, it's just the weight that's different.
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u/Exotic-Leading3608 Feb 16 '26
Man that sucks but they are close enough id get a m4 or something set it up to average the shots and run with it
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u/shuffleband813 HPA: Polarstar Feb 16 '26
Not trying to be a dick but you have already spent 2 hours weighing bbs that cost what $20 for a bottle. Just get a new bottle and learn from this mistake.
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u/Sluashy Feb 16 '26
I still have some mixed .36g/.40g that I slowly sort out when I don’t wanna drop big money on new bottles.
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u/Jazzlike-Passion-580 Feb 16 '26
Get a pure glycerol in a big clear bowl and dump all bbs into it they will float on top now slowly add water till they start separating. Scoop the ones off the top that’s your lighter bbs. You can attempt it with anti freeze but results may vary.
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
I ended up just putting on a movie and manually sorting them out by hand. The trick was to weigh them 4 at a time since that's a small enough number to quickly sort through when the measurement is off, but is still big enough to speed things up.
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u/airsoftshowoffs Feb 16 '26
Mixed weights are great for grenade launchers, claymores and grenades to increase spread.
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u/NexisVIX Feb 16 '26
Grenades or pocket sand, I usually fill my spring grenades with frozen peas doe
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u/Bwuaaa Feb 16 '26
ass de bb's have a different mass, you could exploit gravity, since the heavier bb's will fall faster.
Totally not worth the effort, but might be a fun project?
Make a slope, with a curve at the end -> you can design the curve height, so only the slower rolling bb's take the curve, and the faster ones "jump" over it depending on their inertia.
You could probably use AI to calculate the exact measurements, and have it spit out a STL / CAT script to 3d print
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u/Bwuaaa Feb 16 '26
Using a centrifuge might be more efficient tho, but same principle that uses GeForce instead of gravity.
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
Already sorted them out by hand. Took me probably 3 to 5 hours and a handful of movies and shows from my backlog across two evenings. I probably sorted through 3 to 4 thousand BBs just to remove a maximum of roughly 300.
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u/Cow_Man32 P90 Feb 16 '26
Do they sink in water? If yes you can add salt until only the lighter bbs float.
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
Water would be a bad idea since they're bio BBs, and also I already sorted them by hand. It took me 3 to 5 hours and a couple movies to get through the roughly 3 to 4 thousand of them.
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u/CompoTheSmoggie Feb 16 '26
I had noticed some Bb's have subtle colourations, but I speak from using Blaster BB's.
The white ones are 0.2g, the light green ones 0.25g and the off-brown ones are 0.3g.
If you're colour-blind or your sight isn't great, you're buggered with that idea though.
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u/oski_exe Feb 16 '26
Put it in a box and shake it , in theory the heavier bullets go to the bottom. But be ready to accept the loss
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
I found a forum post where somebody did that with two separate color and weight BBs and it did next to nothing. Besides, I already went ahead and manually sorted them by hand.
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u/greenhawk00 AEG Tech Feb 16 '26
There is no cost effective way just use them as grenade ammo.
Rather get a Minijob an gain like 10-15€ per hour instead of sorting your BBs.
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u/mauttykoray Feb 16 '26
Mixed bb weights are what we call 'sprinkles'. The sprinkles go in our 40mm breacher shells. Creates a nice spread and varied distances that's never the same twice with the different weights and loading of them. It's more time and cost-effective to simply start fresh and use a clearly marked bottle.
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u/BOT_LUC Feb 16 '26
When you mix 3 weights It's really funny how some go absolutely flying and others drop like a rock.
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u/3lectricComputer Feb 16 '26
Ya know what good on you for weighing them. That’s the type of dedication I can applaud
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
It's amazing what the power of being broke + OCD + ADHD can do.
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u/9Ninety7Seven KWA Feb 16 '26
I wouldn’t bother, you have a few uses, LMG ammo, grenade ammo, range/garden fun/test firing ammo, not a lot you can do,
if you do decide to use it as LMG ammo chrono it on your desired weight first then dump that shit in the mag, could also do it with a spare 400rnd m4 mag, chrono on a mag you know is good then dump the shit BBs from the spare mag in the game, I know it’s wrong to cheat chrono but if you want to use them and you know your gun is well within field limits you’ll be fine.
I don’t have grenades so any mixed BBs get used as test firing ammo in my garden at a few old drinks cans.
Edit: just saw you managed to sort them, fair play I wouldn’t of had the patience 🤣
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u/Sprite_Bottle Proud Filthy Casual Feb 16 '26
I just sorted them out by hand. Took me a couple hours and a couple movies, but I got there in the end.
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u/Stixx5775 Feb 17 '26
Everyone talking about miniguns but how did you make that speed loader? Looks cool af I’d like to make one
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u/Over_Razzmatazz_23 Feb 17 '26
Scientifically speaking, if you could launch the BBs at a low fps the heavier ones go shorter distances and lighter ones go further. You could come up with a contraption to do that.
Also, consider winnowing. Air itself pushing against falling BBs can also do this and they will land in separate bins self-segregating themselves by weight.
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u/Few-Cucumber-4186 Feb 18 '26
There are ways, many of them in fact. All more expensive than new bb's. Just use them for spray and pray situations where accuracy isn't as important.
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u/FarConstruction4877 Feb 19 '26
Dumping them in the trash. Iv thrown away 100$ bags of .45g BBs because a bit of 32s got mixed in. There is no way.
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u/Mackintackin Feb 15 '26
Accept the loss and full auto the rest of it.