FPS For Snipers

So, The Minimum engagement distance with .2g bb's with snipers is 100 feet at 525fps. So, If I lower my fps to around 400fps using heavier bb's will my engagement distance still be 100 feet? or will it change because my fps even though it is a sniper is around 400fps? The Field I am referring to is Southern Command Airsoft

most fields chrono with .20 so no matter how low u get it with hevier bbs it is still the same. most fps limits are with .20 and thats what they go by.

I can understand that, Especially if you think about if someone was using say, .43g and had .2s in his Magazine also then that could be a bad accident. Thanks for the reply!

Even though heavier bb's lower your FPS they carry the same or more energy with them (measured in joules). That is the main reasoning behind MED's, trying to keep the average bb at 1 joule when it hits a player. So even though your sniper rifle may be at 400 fps with .43's you'll still be at the same MED.

gun_GRIFFIN wrote:Even though heavier bb's lower your FPS they carry the same or more energy with them (measured in joules). That is the main reasoning behind MED's, trying to keep the average bb at 1 joule when it hits a player. So even though your sniper rifle may be at 400 fps with .43's you'll still be at the same MED.

Precisely. Most fields require a chronograph of .20g or sometimes .25g, with the idea that at a given range and velocity, any gun will hit with a very similar amount of energy.

Bear in mind, most DMR/Sniper rifle rule sets have MEDs that place the rifle's impact energy at under 1j, for mixed reasons. The educated mindset is that not everyone can accurately gauge distance, so they add a bit in the hopes that impact energies will stay under 1j in the event of a poor-distance-judgment-shot. On the other hand, some of these fields just assign arbitrary MEDs based on whatever they feel like, and often end up making it rather unfair for the would-be marksmen.

HOWEVER,

At 400fps/.43g BBs, you are in terms of energy WAY over FPS limits for a 550fps cap field. While your rifle shoots .2g at 525, the conversion from .43g puts your energy at about 585/.2g--which means IF the field will allow you to shoot this particular replica, you'll want to follow about a 125' MED.

If you happen to be out there on the 8th, I might be there, time will tell.