Information on BBs (Bulleted Breech?)

[Black208]

I first did a search on this website and found no results.
Then Further research on google returns no significant finds.
so i post here. sorry if this has been discussed from like 20 years ago.

I was looking through chinese airsoft websites and one of the website said
BBs (commonly refered to 6mm pellets in news) stands for "Bulleted Breech".

However a quick search on wikipedia returns the following:

"The name of the gun (BB guns) refers to the original ammunition it used, which came from the lead shot used in a shotgun shell. "BB" (0.18 inch) was the size between "B" and "BBB"; modern rounds are made of non-toxic steel, plastic, or copper, and are usually .177 caliber (4.5 mm). BB is often mistaken to stand for "ball bearing", which BB ammunition resembles, but there is little to suggest that this connection is intentional."
I dont really understand what all that means..(i dont have much shotgun knowledge)

anyone with any knowledge of this? more references would be nice. Thanks

[oueleric1]

BB in the dictionary on this site says it means 'Ball Bearing'.

Search ball bearing for this site and you'll find what you need.

[FOX_111]

The Ball Bearing misconception is so wide spread that it's now accepted.
I saw a documentary on that a few years back.

[Drake]

There's confusion because the original Daisy BB guns actually WERE designed around ball bearings, but the actual term does originally come from "BB" sized shot.

some info here... here was a better site about it when I was an air rifle shooter, but I can't find it anymore.

http://www.daisymuseum.com/html/timeline/1920.htm

[Seaforth72nd]

More importantly, who really cares?

[UKAirsoftNick]

Originally Posted by Black208

I first did a search on this website and found no results.
Then Further research on google returns no significant finds.
so i post here. sorry if this has been discussed from like 20 years ago.

I was looking through chinese airsoft websites and one of the website said
BBs (commonly refered to 6mm pellets in news) stands for "Bulleted Breech".

However a quick search on wikipedia returns the following:

"The name of the gun (BB guns) refers to the original ammunition it used, which came from the lead shot used in a shotgun shell. "BB" (0.18 inch) was the size between "B" and "BBB"; modern rounds are made of non-toxic steel, plastic, or copper, and are usually .177 caliber (4.5 mm). BB is often mistaken to stand for "ball bearing", which BB ammunition resembles, but there is little to suggest that this connection is intentional."
I dont really understand what all that means..(i dont have much shotgun knowledge)

anyone with any knowledge of this? more references would be nice. Thanks

This is pretty rediculous, i've heard so many meanings of BB... 'Bulleted Breach, Bullet Ball.... Infact I understand it definately does mean 'Ball Bearing' - Why?, because BB guns fire Ball Bearings. Pretty simple really. Most AEG's fire what is in the industry refered to as a 6mm diameter plastic ball bearing. Originally as the story goes the first models used metal ball bearings but found that the considerable density and consquent weight of the ball bearing caused a more dangerous impact with flesh. They had the genious idea of making far softer plastic ones. There was a website a while back that had the history of airsoft from the very first rifles. People often mistakenly think that airsoft sprung from paintball - infact the 2 different sports evolved entirley seperatley. The mechanisms the guns use a really quite drastically different. Although a BB gun could be used to fire a 'paint containing ball bearing'. Not with HOP-up though.