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How do BB guns work?
Home » Gadgets » BB and Pellet Guns » How do BB guns work?Most BB guns have a mechanism attached which utilizes compressed air to force the BB or pellet through the barrel. Some guns have the air previously compressed in a canister of some kind. The most popular are 12 gram carbon dioxide cartridges, which are one time use cartridges. Other BB guns use canisters which can be refilled for multiple uses. In either case, the gas in these canisters is used to force the BB out of the barrel at speeds up to 800 feet per second. The cartridges need to be replaced or refilled fairly often, as peak performance is quickly lost with this type of weapon. These BB guns are generally semi-automatic, meaning you can fire several shots in a row without reloading or stopping for any reason.
Another type of BB gun features a hand pump. Hand pump BB guns compress the air which is already in the environment and then use it to force the BB or pellet out the barrel. These BB guns generally fire a bit more slowly than previously compressed air guns, but they still can reach a maximum speed of about 750 feet per second. These are more economical to use, as you never have to replace or refill any air cartridges, but they do have to be reloaded, unlike the semi-automatic others. To reload, most have a simple bolt action mechanism which usually uses a magnet to grab a BB from an area in the gun in which they are stored. These guns are more useful for firing pellets, however, because pellets can usually be loaded into the bolt action release.
There are a couple other types of BB guns: spring piston and spring rod BB guns. With a spring piston BB gun, a compression spring is attached to a plunger in a pressure chamber. The chamber is much wider than the barrel so the gases in the chamber can be propelled at a greater speed than the spring could produce on its own. When used as a rifle, spring piston guns are incredibly powerful, shooting at speeds of 1000 feet per second or more, and incredibly accurate, often being used for target shooting or to hunt small pests. Spring rod BB guns have a compression spring attached to a simple rod. When the rod is pulled back, the spring compresses and a BB is loaded. This is how you cock this type of gun. When the trigger is pulled, the spring is released, sending the rod rocketing forward. The rod propels the BB out the barrel of the gun. These are the safest type of BB gun and are often pitched to youngsters as their first BB gun, as they reach speeds of only 175 feet per second. (Please keep in mind that this is still a potentially dangerous speed which could cause serious harm.)
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