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84-683: The Girandoni air rifle is an air gun designed by Italian inventor Bartolomeo Girandoni circa 1779. The weapon was also known as the Windbüchse ("wind rifle" in German ). One of the rifle's more famous associations is its use on the Lewis and Clark Expedition to explore and map the Louisiana Purchase of 1803. The Lewis and Clark Expedition used the rifle in the demonstrations that they performed for nearly every Native American tribe they encountered on

168-471: A diving cylinder or air compressor , or by manual charging with a high-pressure stand pump ), and remain pressurized until depleted after repeated shooting. During shooting, the hammer strikes the reservoir's release valve, allowing a set volume of the pressurized air to be discharged into the chamber and propel the projectile. Depending on the release valve design, PCP air guns can be categorized into two types – unregulated and regulated (which has either

252-448: A gas spring (commonly referred to as a gas piston , gas ram , gas strut or nitro piston ) instead of a mechanical spring. The spring itself is essentially a stand-alone enclosed piston pump without outlets and with pressurized air or inert gas (such as nitrogen ) held tightly sealed within the cylinder . When the gun is cocked, the gas inside the cylinder gets further compressed by the piston, stores potential energy and acts as

336-751: A laser-run event that replaced the traditional cross country run of 3,200 metres and timed air-pistol shoot. The competitors run 4 laps of 800 m combined with 4 rounds of firing. The pistols used are modified air pistols that fire an eye-safe laser beam towards a target at the same time as a discharge of air. This has made the organisation of the events easier from a safety point of view and allows competitors to travel more easily with their weapons. Airsoft pellets are plastic BBs shot from airsoft guns. The most common air gun calibers are Other less common traditional calibers include: Flechette During World War I, flechettes were dropped from aircraft to attack infantry and were able to pierce helmets. Later

420-417: A pneumatic accumulator . Gas spring units require higher precision to manufacture since they require a low-friction sliding seal that can withstand the high pressures within when cocked. The advantages of the gas spring include the ability to keep the gun cocked and ready to fire for extended periods of time without long-term spring fatigue , no twisting torque (caused by coil spring expanding) exerted onto

504-431: A spring gun or simply a " springer ") operates by means of a spring -loaded piston pump assembly contained within a compression chamber separate from the gun barrel . Traditionally, a grease -lubricated steel coil spring is used as the powerplant main spring. Before shooting, the user needs to manually cock the gun by flexing a lever connected to the pump assembly, which pulls the pump piston rearwards and compresses

588-480: A "kill zone" cut-out. Hunter field target (HFT) is a variation, using identical equipment, but with differing rules. The distances FT and HFT competitions are shot at range between 7.3 and 41.1 metres (24 and 135 ft) for HFT & 7.3 and 50.29 metres (24.0 and 165.0 ft) for FT, with varying sizes of "reducers" being used to increase or decrease the size of the kill zone. In the UK, competition power limits are set at

672-457: A Vietnam-era instinctive shooting program called " Quick Kill ". In the 18th and 19th centuries, air gun darts were popular, largely because they could be reused. Although less popular now, several different types of darts are made to be used in air guns, but it is not recommended that darts be used in air guns with rifled bores or in spring-powered air guns. Air guns that shoot darts are sometimes called dart guns , and tranquilizer guns if

756-608: A compact package without the need for complex pumping or filling mechanisms. The ability to store power for repeated shots also means that repeating arms are possible. There are many replica revolvers and semi-automatic pistols on the market that use CO 2 power. Most CO 2 guns use a disposable cylinder called a " Powerlet " cartridge, that is often purchased with 12 grams (0.42 oz) of pressurized CO 2 gas, although some, usually more expensive models, use larger refillable CO 2 reservoirs like those typically used with paintball markers . CO 2 guns are popular for training, as

840-450: A copper or zinc coating) or lead. Originally called the " round shot ", the contemporary name came from the "BB"- size lead birdshot used in shotgun shells , which the first BB gun invented in 1886 was designed to shoot. Steel BBs can be acceptably accurate at short distances when fired from properly designed BB guns with smoothbore barrels. Lead #3 buckshot pellets can be used in .25" caliber airguns as if they were large BBs. Due to

924-405: A diving cylinder provides consistently clean, dry, high-pressure air. During the typical PCP's discharge cycle, the hammer of the rifle is released by the sear to strike the bash valve . The hammer may move rearwards or forwards, unlike firearms where the hammer almost always moves forward. The valve is held closed by a spring and the pressure of the air in the reservoir. The pressure of the spring

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1008-565: A far lower rate than liquid CO 2 because there is no change in state from liquid to gas . This thermostability reduces the variation in output pressure associated with rapid successions of firing cycles, improving accuracy and reliability in extreme climates. However, because compressed air is stored at higher pressures (up to 34  MPa or 4,900  psi ) than liquid CO 2 (stored at around 8 MPa or 1,200 psi), HPA cylinders are more expensive. Cylinders smaller than 1.1  L (67  cu in ) may not even last as long as

1092-428: A greater consistency of velocity from shot to shot, which corresponds to the middle "plateau" phase of the gun's shot-to-shot muzzle velocity profile (also known as the power curve ). Well-designed PCP will display good shot-to-shot consistency over a long period, as the air reservoir is being depleted. Other PCP rifles and pistols are regulated, i.e. the firing valve operates within a secondary chamber separated from

1176-465: A high-pressure stand pump or by decanting air from a larger diving cylinder . Pump pneumatic air gun s, or pump gun s, use a lever-operated onboard air pump to pressurize an internal reservoir, and then discharge the stored compressed air during shooting. Depending on the design, pump guns can be either single-stroke or multi-stroke. Pre-charged pneumatic air guns or PCP have their internal reservoir pre-filled from an external air source (such as

1260-475: A lot of money to centerfire firearm cartridges. Care should be exercised to avoid ricochet , and safety glasses are recommended. Recently, manufacturers have created frangible BBs, which break apart and do not ricochet, reducing the hazards associated with BB guns. Some shotgunners use sightless BB rifles to train in instinctive shooting . Similar guns were also used briefly by the United States Army in

1344-469: A mechanical or electronic regulator valve). In addition to compressed air , custom PCP models using compressed pure nitrogen and even compressed helium have also been recently developed. Because of the need for cylinders or charging systems, PCP guns have higher initial costs but much lower operating costs when compared to CO 2 rifles, and have superior performance over ordinary pump guns. Having no significant movement of heavy mechanical parts during

1428-633: A particulate carbamate . The US Biological Program also had a microflechette to deliver either botulinum toxin A or saxitoxin , the M1 biodart, which resembled a 7.62 mm rifle cartridge. The USSR had the AO-27 rifle as well as the APS amphibious rifle , and other countries have their own flechette rounds. A number of prototype flechette-firing weapons were developed as part of the long-running Special Purpose Individual Weapon (SPIW) project. The Steyr-Mannlicher ACR rifle

1512-621: A pass. Though their effects were often no less indiscriminate than other projectiles, they did not leave unexploded ordnance (UXO) that could be active years after a conflict ended. Lazy Dog projectiles were used primarily during the Korean and Vietnam Wars . The excellent ballistic performance and armor-piercing potential of flechettes have made the development and integration of this class of munition attractive to small-arms manufacturers. A number of attempts have been made to field flechette-firing small arms. Work at Johns Hopkins University in

1596-411: A phenomenon referred as "dieseling", where flammable substances in the compression chamber (e.g., petroleum-based lubricant) can be ignited by the compression heat like in a diesel engine , and lead to an afterburner effect with (often unpredictable) additional thrusts. This often results in combustion smoke coming out of the muzzle and potential pressure damage to the rubber O-ring seals inside

1680-689: A plastic cup with granulated white polyethylene to maintain alignment with the bore axis, and supported by a metal disk to prevent penetration of the over-powder wad during acceleration down the bore. The tips of the flechettes were exposed in the Federal cartridges, but concealed by a conventional star crimp in WCC's cartridges. The flechettes demonstrated flatter trajectories over longer ranges than spherical buckshot, but combat effectiveness did not justify continued production. Smaller flechettes were used in special artillery shells called " beehive " rounds (so named for

1764-452: A shot without a significant muzzle report . Air guns are used for hunting (small to medium game), pest control , recreational shooting (commonly known as plinking ) and competitive sports such as the Olympic 10 m air rifle and 10 m air pistol events. Field target (FT) is a competitive form of metallic silhouette shooting in which the targets are animal-shaped steel targets with

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1848-672: A small number of incidents relating to the alleged illegal conversion of (mainly) Brococks to allow them to discharge live ammunition sparked a media frenzy . In early 2002, the BBC reported that figures from the National Criminal Intelligence Service showed converted Brococks accounted for 35 per cent of all guns recovered by the police, and David McCrone, firearms adviser to the Association of Chief Police Officers and Deputy Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police , told

1932-443: A solid front portion called the "head", which contains the center of mass and is available in a variety of shapes and styles such as flat ( wadcutter ), round (domed), cone-shaped (pointed) and pitted ( hollow point ); and a hollowed, thin-walled conical rear portion called the "skirt", which expands and fully engages the bore to provide a good seal and thus allows maximal efficiency in pellet propulsion during shooting. In flight,

2016-559: A standard CO 2 cartridge when subjected to frequent uses. It is also possible to power an HPA-compatible gun directly from a plug-in air compressor without using a gas cylinder, though this type of setup is rare. First developed in the United Kingdom during the 1980s as the Saxby-Palmer Ensign, and then by Brocock as the "Brocock Air Cartridge System" (BACS) and later into the "Tandem Air Cartridge" (TAC), this variation of

2100-632: A wider wound path. During the Vietnam War the United States employed 12- gauge combat shotguns using flechette loads. These plastic-cased shells were issued on a limited trial basis during the Vietnam War. Cartridges manufactured by the Western Cartridge Company contained 20 flechettes, each 18.5 mm (0.73 in) long and weighing 7.3 gr (0.47 g); Federal Cartridge Company rounds contained 25. The flechettes were packed in

2184-513: A working pressure of 800 psi (55 bar). The rifle was said to be capable of 22 aimed shots per minute and had a rifled bore of 0.452 in (11.5 mm) and a groove diameter 0.462 in (11.7 mm). One of the first commercially successful and mass-produced air guns was manufactured by the William F. Markham's Markham Air Rifle Company in Plymouth, Michigan , US. Their first model air gun

2268-417: Is constant, and the pressure of the air released (which is also known as the working pressure ) decreases with each successive shot. As a result, when the reservoir pressure is high, the valve opens less fully and closes faster than when the reservoir pressure is lower, resulting in a similar total volume of air flowing past the valve with each shot. This results in a degree of partial self-regulation that gives

2352-470: Is due to the extreme buffeting caused when the pellet reaches and surpasses transonic speed, then slows back down and goes through sound barrier again, which is more than enough to destabilize the pellet's flight. Shortly after leaving the barrel, the supersonic pellet falls back below the speed of sound and the shock wave overtakes the pellet, causing its flight stability to be disrupted. Drag increases disproportionately as pellet velocity increases, so it

2436-400: Is generally better to increase pellet weight to keep velocities subsonic in high-powered guns. Many shooters find that velocities in the 800–900 ft/s (240–270 m/s) range offer an ideal balance between power and accuracy. Spring guns are typically cocked by one of the following mechanisms: Spring-piston guns, especially high-powered ("magnum") models, do still recoil as a result of

2520-399: Is great medicine." The rifle was four feet (1.2 m) long and weighed ten pounds (4.5 kg), about the same size and weight as infantry muskets of the time. It fired a .46 or .51 caliber ball and had a tubular, spring-fed magazine with a capacity of 20 balls. Some of the weapons were also made using a gravity-fed magazine. Unlike its contemporary, muzzle-loading muskets, which required

2604-552: Is in the Livrustkammaren Museum in Stockholm . This is approximately what most historians recognize as the beginning of the modern air gun. Throughout 17th to 19th century, air guns in .30 to .51 calibers were used to hunt big game , deer and wild boar . These air rifles were charged using a pump to fill an air reservoir and gave velocities from 650 to 1,000 ft/s (200 to 300 m/s). They were also used in warfare,

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2688-406: Is made of lead, a heavy metal . Lead is highly poisonous (whether inhaled or swallowed), affecting almost every organ and system in the human body. For this reason, lead-free pellets are becoming increasingly popular, and are available in all major shapes and styles, just like traditional lead pellets. By far the most popular shape is the wasp-waisted diabolo pellet , which has two sections –

2772-425: Is very dense, it has a higher ballistic coefficient than lightweight alternatives such as tin, copper, or plastic. At the present time, the airgun industry does not mass-produce dense alternatives to lead with a high ballistic coefficient for long-range shooting. Some manufacturers also have recently introduced the more cylindro-conoidal -shaped " slug " pellets for the more powerful modern PCP air rifles. Compared to

2856-426: The 16th century , and have since been used in hunting , shooting sport and even in warfare . There are three different power sources for modern air guns, depending on the design: spring - piston , pneumatic or bottled compressed gas (most commonly carbon dioxide and recently nitrogen ). Air guns represent the oldest pneumatic technology. The oldest existing mechanical air gun dates back to about 1580, and

2940-513: The Tyrolean watchmaker, mechanic and gunsmith Bartholomäus Girandoni (1744–1799) and is sometimes referred to as the Girandoni air rifle or Girandoni air gun in literature (the name is also spelled "Girandony", "Giradoni" or "Girardoni". ) The Windbüchse was about 4 ft (1.2 m) long and weighed 10 pounds (4.5 kg), about the same size and mass as a conventional musket . The air reservoir

3024-461: The rifleman to stand up to reload with powder and ball, the shooter could reload a ball from the magazine by pulling a transverse chamber bar out of the breech which allowed a ball to be supplied to it and which then rebounded back to its original position with the aid of a spring, all while lying down. Contemporary regulations of 1788 required that each rifleman be equipped with the rifle, three compressed air reservoirs (two spare and one attached to

3108-411: The transonic region (272–408 m/s ~ 893–1340 ft/s). Diabolo pellets are conventionally made from lead , but are widely available in non-lead alternatives, such as tin , or a combination of materials such as steel or gold alloys with polymer tips. A variety of lead-free pellets are offered by all major pellet manufacturers, including H&N Sport, RWS, JSB, Gamo, and others. Since lead

3192-412: The 1950s led to the development of the direct injection antipersonnel chemical biological agent (DIACBA), where flechettes were grooved, hollow pointed, or otherwise milled to retain a quantity of chemical or biological warfare agent to be delivered through a ballistic wound. The initial work was with the nerve agent VX , which had to be thickened to deliver a reliable dose. Eventually this was replaced by

3276-699: The BBC's Newsnight "there is evidence which would justify banning them". After the UK government implemented the Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 in January 2004, it became illegal to possess such airguns without a firearm certificate in the United Kingdom. Brocock subsequently ceased production of all air cartridge systems and turned to focus primarily on PCP airguns. The most popular ammunition used in rifled air guns

3360-750: The Extreme Benchrest competition held annually in Green Valley, Arizona allows calibers up to .30 inches (7.6 mm) at 75 yd (68.58 m) while the Big Bore Benchrest arm of the same competition at other localities engages targets at 35 to 300 yards (32 to 274 m). The component of an airgun that provides the gas pressure needed to propel projectiles is called its powerplant , which uses internally stored pressurized gas; and compressed gas (most commonly CO 2 ), which uses external sources of pressurized gas. A spring-piston air gun (also known as

3444-568: The Japanese inventor Kunitomo Ikkansai developed various manufacturing methods for guns, and also created an air gun based on the study of Western knowledge (" rangaku ") acquired from the Dutch in Dejima . The Lewis and Clark Expedition (1804) carried a reservoir air gun. It held 22 .46 caliber round balls in a tubular magazine mounted on the side of the barrel . The butt served as the air reservoir and had

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3528-576: The U.S. used Lazy Dog bombs , which are small, unguided kinetic projectiles typically about 1.75 in (44 mm) in length, 0.5 in (13 mm) in diameter, and weighing about 0.7 oz (20 g). The weapons were designed to be dropped from an aircraft. They contained no explosive charge but as they fell they developed significant kinetic energy making them lethal and able to easily penetrate soft cover such as jungle canopy, several inches of sand or light armor. Lazy Dog munitions were simple and cheap; they could be dropped in huge numbers in

3612-612: The US Armed forces can be fitted with an anti-personnel (APERS) warhead containing 1,179 flechettes. They are carried by attack helicopters such as the AH-64 Apache and the AH-1 Cobra . Flechettes have been used during the 2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine , where samples of the projectiles were recovered in the mass graves in Bucha . A witness described munitions bursting overhead and littering

3696-403: The barrel chamber , once the air pressure has risen enough to overcome the static friction and/or barrel restriction holding back the pellet, the pellet is propelled forward by an expanding column of pressurized air. All this takes place in a fraction of a second, during which the air undergoes adiabatic heating to several hundred degrees and then cools as the air expands. This can also cause

3780-542: The club-shaped stock. With a full air reservoir, the Girardoni air rifle had the capacity to shoot 30 shots at useful pressure. These balls were effective to approximately 125 yd (114 m) on a full air reservoir. The power declined as the air reservoir was emptied. Air gun An air gun or airgun is a gun that uses energy from compressed air or other gases that are mechanically pressurized and then released to propel and accelerate projectiles , similar to

3864-560: The commonly used diabolo pellets, these slug pellets resemble Minié balls and have more contact surface with the bore and hence need greater propelling force to overcome friction, but have better aerodynamics , ballistic coefficient , and longer effective ranges due to the more similar shape to firearm bullets , however they also require a fully rifled barrel for spin stabilization in flight. They are also made of lead, and precautions should be taken when handling them, or preparing animals for food, as lead fragments can be easily missed inside

3948-412: The content when the base of the cartridge is struck. Prior to shooting, each cartridge is pre-filled with sufficient compressed air for one shot (typically via a multi-stroke hand pump ) and has a .177 / .22 caliber pellet pre-seated to its front slot, and the entire cartridge is then inserted into a chamber in the gun barrel . When shooting, the hammer hits the rear of the air cartridge, mimicking

4032-412: The darts used are loaded with anesthetic ( tranquilizer ) compounds. Some modern air guns are designed to discharge arrows and are called arrow guns or sometimes airbows . These arrows are designed with a hollow shaft that is open in the rear where the nock would normally be. When loaded, the hollow arrow shaft is slid rearwards over a barrel whose external diameter is only fractionally smaller than

4116-499: The discharge cycle, PCP airgun designs produce lower recoil , and can shoot as many as 100 shots per charge depending on the tank/reservoir size. The ready supply of air has allowed the development of semi- and fully automatic air guns. PCP guns are very popular in Europe because of their accuracy and ease of use. They are widely utilized in ISSF 10 meter air pistol and rifle shooting events and

4200-490: The expedition. Some scholars have argued that the airgun carried by Merriwether Lewis was not a Girandoni, but a Lukens, made by Isaiah Lukens of Philadelphia. However, Col. Thomas Rodney wrote the following on 8 September 1803: "Visited Captain Lewess [sic] barge. He shewed us his air gun which fired 22 times at one charge." All Lukens's known airguns were single-shot muzzleloaders, not repeaters, making it very likely that Lewis's gun

4284-493: The form of Bell Target shooting, where the competitor aims to ring a bell by shooting through a small hole in a steel plate. Prizes, such as a leg of mutton for the winning team, were paid for by the losing team. During this time, over 4,000 air rifle clubs and associations existed across Great Britain , with as many as 1,600 in Birmingham alone. During this time, the air gun was associated with poaching because it could deliver

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4368-503: The form of prefilled external gas cylinders (often with built-in regulator valves ), and are commonly referred to as CO 2 guns due to the ubiquitous commercial use of bottled liquid carbon dioxide . However, more recent high-end models sometimes use larger compressed air / nitrogen (known as HPA or "N 2 ") cylinders, which have higher operating pressures and better thermal stability. CO 2 guns , like other pneumatic guns using compressed air, offer power for repeated shots in

4452-416: The function of a centerfire ammunition . This allows the airgun to be constructed and operated in similar fashions to genuine firearms. It also allows for higher shot consistency because each cartridge can be easily filled to an identical air charge, essentially removing the "power curve" of conventional PCP guns and bypassing any need for regulators . It also simplifies the magazine feed design and eliminates

4536-599: The gun, smoother recoil pattern and faster "lock time" (the time between pulling the trigger and the pellet being discharged), which all result in more consistent accuracy. Gas springs perform more reliably in cold climates than coil springs, because metallic coil springs need to be coated with lubricating grease which often thickens in low temperatures causing the gun to "freeze up". Gas springs also have less lateral and longitudinal vibrations than coil springs, hence are usually less "hold-sensitive", making it easier to achieve consistent shot groupings . Pneumatic airguns propel

4620-437: The gun. Dieseling can be made to occur intentionally to increase power, by coating the pellet with lubricant or petroleum jelly , although this may result in damage to the breech seal. Most spring-piston guns are single-shot breechloaders by nature, but multiple-shot repeaters with magazine feeders have been introduced in recent years by manufacturers such as Gamo , Umarex and Hatsan. Spring-piston guns, especially

4704-420: The guns and ammunition are inexpensive, relatively safe to use, and no specialized facilities are needed for safety. In addition, they can be purchased and owned in areas where firearms possession is either strictly controlled or banned outright. Most CO 2 powered guns are relatively inexpensive, and there are a few precision target guns available that use CO 2 . High-pressure air (HPA) system, or N 2 ,

4788-400: The hardness of the steel, steel BBs cannot "take" to rifled barrels, which is why they are undersized (4.4 mm ball against 4.5 mm bore) to allow them to be used in .177" rifled barrels, which when used in this configuration can in effect be considered smoothbore , but with a poorer gas-seal, and if 4.5 mm diameter BBs are used, they would jam in the bore. Therefore, steel BBs lack

4872-484: The high-powered "magnum" guns, are able to achieve muzzle velocities exceeding the speed of sound . The effort required for the cocking stroke is proportional to the designed power of the gun, with higher muzzle velocities requiring a stiffer spring and hence a greater cocking effort. Spring-piston guns have a practical upper limit of 1,250 ft/s (380 m/s) for .177 cal (4.5 mm) pellets, as higher velocities cause unstable pellet flight and loss of accuracy. This

4956-528: The legal maximum for an unlicensed air rifle, i.e. 12  ft⋅lbf (16 J). Air rifle benchrest is an international shooting sport where the objective is to hit a (small) bulls eye target at 25  m (27.34 yd) shooting distance. There are two divisions ARLV 12  ft⋅lbf (16.27 J) and ARHV 20  ft⋅lbf (27.12 J). The increasing affordability of higher-power pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifles has allowed large projectiles and further target distance for competition purposes. For instance,

5040-558: The main air reservoir by the regulator body. The regulator maintains the pressure within this secondary chamber at a set pressure (lower than the main reservoir's) until the main reservoir's pressure drops to the point where it can no longer do so. As a result, shot-to-shot consistency is maintained for longer than in an unregulated rifle, and the gun can also output more shots due to reduced waste of reservoir pressure. Compressed gas guns , also known as CG guns, are essentially pneumatic airguns utilizing detachable pressure reservoirs in

5124-399: The main spring until the rear of the piston engages the sear . When shooting, the trigger is pulled and disengages the sear, allowing the main spring to decompress and release its stored elastic potential energy , pushing the piston forward, thereby compressing the air in the pump cylinder. Because the pump outlet (located to the front of the pump) is directly behind the pellet seated in

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5208-509: The mainspring pushing the piston forward. Although the recoil is less than that of some cartridge firearms, it can make the gun difficult to shoot accurately as the spring recoil is in effect while the pellet is still within the barrel. Spring gun recoil also has a sharp forward component, caused by the piston hitting the front end of the pump chamber when the spring has fully decompressed. These rapid double-jerking movements are known to damage scopes not rated for spring gun usage. In addition,

5292-495: The meat. Lead-free slugs in airgun calibers are gradually being developed and becoming available for purchase from manufacturers such as Zan Projectiles, due in part to regulations on hunting with lead projectiles in many areas. The BB shot was once the most common airgun ammunition in the US, thanks to the popularity of Daisy ’s line of BB airguns. A BB is a small metallic ball in 4.5 mm/ .177" diameter , typically made of steel (with

5376-456: The most recognized example being the Girandoni air rifle . At that time, they had compelling advantages over the primitive firearms of the day. For example, air guns could be discharged in wet weather and rain (unlike both matchlock and flintlock muskets ), and discharged much faster than muzzle-loading guns . Moreover, they were quieter than a firearm of a similar caliber, had no muzzle flash, and were smokeless. Thus, they did not disclose

5460-596: The name of the Markham company was changed to King Air Rifle Company after the company was purchased by Daisy in 1916 after decades of intense competition, and continued to manufacture the "King" model air rifle until 1935 before ceasing operation altogether in the 1940s. From the 1890s onwards, air rifles were used in Birmingham, England for competitive target shooting . Matches were held in public houses and working men's clubs , which sponsored shooting teams. This often took

5544-402: The pre-charged pneumatic design have no pressure reservoir built into the gun, but instead use removable and reusable metallic gas cylinders often known as "Brocock cartridges" after its British manufacturer. Each air cartridge is essentially a self-contained gas reservoir housed inside a cartridge case (usually in the size of a .38 Special ), with an internal bash valve designed to release

5628-812: The principle of the primitive blowgun . This is in contrast to a firearm , which shoots projectiles using energy generated via exothermic combustion ( detonation ) of chemical propellants , most often black powder or smokeless powder . Air guns come in both long gun ( air rifle ) and handgun ( air pistol ) forms. Both types typically propel metallic projectiles that are either diabolo -shaped pellets or spherical shots called BBs , although in recent years Minié ball -shaped cylindro-conoidal projectiles called slugs are gaining more popularity. Certain types of air guns (usually air rifles) may also launch fin -stabilized projectile such as darts (e.g., tranquilizer guns ) or hollow-shaft arrows (so-called "airbows"). The first air guns were developed as early as

5712-412: The projectiles by utilizing the pneumatic potential energy within compressed air , which is pressurized beforehand and stored inside the gun, and then released through valves during shooting. Single-stroke and multi-stroke pump guns utilize an on-board hand pump to pressurize air in an internal reservoir tank , while pre-charged pneumatic guns' reservoirs are filled from an external source using either

5796-401: The rifle), cleaning stick, hand pump, lead ladle and 100 lead balls, 1 in the chamber, 19 in the magazine built into the rifle and the remaining 80 in four tin tubes. Equipment not carried attached to the rifle was held in a special leather knapsack . It was also necessary to keep the leather gaskets of the reservoir moist to maintain a good seal and prevent leakage. The air reservoir was in

5880-508: The risk of deforming the projectiles when the action seats each pellet, as the soft lead pellet is protected from contact with the action probe by the harder cartridge casing. The air cartridge system, both in the rifle and revolver forms, was at the peak of its popularity throughout the 1990s. The popularity of the Brocock range was such that, by 2002, estimates put the number of air cartridge guns in circulation around 70,000-80,000. However,

5964-503: The same mechanical energy output on each shot, external ballistics are quite consistent. Most Olympic air gun competitions through the 1970s and into the 1980s were shot with spring-piston guns, often of the opposing-piston recoil-eliminating type. Beginning in the 1980s, guns powered by compressed/liquefied carbon dioxide began to dominate the competition. Today, the guns used at the highest levels of competition are powered by compressed air . Some newer generation air guns incorporate

6048-596: The shaft's interior diameter, providing a close-enough fitting that minimizes rattling and gives a reasonable enveloping seal without causing too much friction . During shooting, the trigger releases high-pressure air from the barrel to the front portion of the hollow arrow shaft, pushing the arrow forward. Such air guns can shoot arrows at launch velocities rivalling or even exceeding high-end crossbows , while retaining consistency of precision unaffected by archer's paradox , but they are also more expensive to set up and maintain. The modern pentathlon has since 2009 included

6132-457: The shooter's position or obscure the shooter's view, unlike the black powder muskets of the 18th and 19th centuries. In the hands of skilled soldiers, they gave the military a distinct advantage. France, Austria and other nations had special sniper detachments using air rifles. The Austrian 1770 model was named Windbüchse (literally "wind rifle" in German). The gun was developed in 1768 or 1769 by

6216-453: The skirt has greater drag -to-weight ratio than the head and exerts a rearward pull behind the center of mass, similar to that of a shuttlecock . This produces a phenomenon known as drag stabilization , which helps to counteract yawing and maintain a consistent flight path . However, the diabolo shape also means that the overall pellet will have poor ballistic coefficient and tends to lose energy quickly and be more unstable especially in

6300-403: The spin stabilization required for long-range accuracy, and usage in any but the cheapest rifled guns is discouraged. The softer lead BBs, however, can be used in rifled barrels. Typically BBs are used for indoor practice, casual outdoor plinking, training children, or to save money, as they are significantly cheaper than pellets. Replica CO 2 pistols allow people to train with a BB gun, saving

6384-455: The sport of Field Target shooting, and are usually fitted with telescopic sights . Early stand pump designs encountered problems of fatigue (both human and mechanical), temperature warping, and condensation – none of which are beneficial to accurate shooting or the airguns' longevity. Modern stand pumps have multi-stage chambers and built-in air filtration systems and have overcome many of these problems. Using scuba -quality air decanted from

6468-562: The spring often has unpredictable collateral transverse vibrations as well as torquing , both of which can cause accuracy to suffer. These vibrations can be controlled by adding features like close-fitting spring guides or by aftermarket tuning done by gunsmiths who specialize in air gun modifications, a common one being the addition of high viscosity tenacious grease to the spring, which lubricates and serves to dampen vibration. The better quality spring guns can have very long service lives, being simple to maintain and repair. Because they deliver

6552-500: The very distinctive whistling buzz made by thousands of flechettes flying downrange at supersonic speeds) and intended for use against troops in the open – a ballistic shell packed with flechettes was fired and set off by a mechanical time fuse, scattering flechettes in an expanding cone. During the Vietnam War 105 mm howitzer batteries and tanks (90 mm guns) used flechette rounds to defend themselves against massed infantry attacks. The ubiquitous 105 mm M40 recoilless rifle

6636-414: Was a Girandoni, the only repeating airgun of the time. Lewis stated in his journals that he purchased the airgun, but it is not known when or where he did so. Lewis fired the airgun at least 16 times to demonstrate it to various Native American tribes. On 24 January 1806, Lewis wrote "My air gun also astonishes them very much, they cannot comprehend it's shooting so often and without powder; and think that it

6720-607: Was a prototype flechette-firing assault rifle built for the US Army's Advanced Combat Rifle program of 1989–90. A variation of the flechette addressing its difficulties is the SCMITR , developed as part of the Close Assault Weapon System , or CAWS, project. Selective-fire shotguns were used to fire flechettes designed to retain the exterior ballistics and penetration of standard flechettes, but increase wounding capacity through

6804-408: Was a removable, club-shaped, butt . The Windbüchse carried twenty-two .51 caliber (13 mm) lead balls in a tubular magazine . A skilled shooter could fire off one magazine in about thirty seconds. A shot from this air gun could penetrate a one-inch-thick (2.5 cm) wooden board at a hundred paces, an effect roughly equal to that of a modern 9×19mm or .45 ACP caliber pistol. Circa 1820,

6888-454: Was originally developed for paintball markers as a replacement for CO 2 cartridges, and uses Powerlet interface-compatible diving cylinders filled with either pure nitrogen or compressed air (which is 78% nitrogen). Because nitrogen is more inert than CO 2 , it remains in the gaseous state longer when compressed; when it expands, it cools due to the Joule-Thomson effect but at

6972-472: Was primarily used as an anti-tank weapon . However, it could also be used in an anti-personnel role with the use of flechette rounds. The widely used Carl Gustaf 8.4 cm recoilless rifle also uses an Area Defence Munition designed as a close-range anti-personnel round. It fires 1,100 flechettes over a wide area. The US Air Force used 2.75 in (70 mm) rockets with WDU-4/A flechette warheads. The 70 mm Hydra 70 rocket currently in service with

7056-475: Was the wooden Challenger , marketed in 1886. In response, Clarence Hamilton from the neighboring Plymouth Air Rifle Company (later renamed to Daisy Manufacturing Company in 1895) marketed their all-metal Daisy BB Gun in early 1888, which prompted Markham to respond with their Chicago model in 1888 followed by the King model in 1890. The Chicago model was sold by Sears, Roebuck for 73 cents in its catalog. In 1928,

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