What Are Airguns?

Unlike firearms, which utilize the exothermic combustion (deflagration) of chemical propellants, airguns use mechanically pressurized gases to shoot and accelerate projectiles. They can be powered by either a spring piston, pneumatic, or a small canister of compressed gas such as CO2. Most are designed to shoot pellets, although some may be used to shoot darts and others still, arrows. These weapons have been used for everything from training little ones to shoot safely, to hunting, and even for competitive shooting.

The term “air gun” is somewhat vague and, as the guns are constantly evolving, there are few universally accepted definitions. Some will argue that any smoothbore or rifled gun that propels a projectile using only compressed air qualifies. Others will define an air gun as any weapon that uses pellets, BB’s, or other small metal projectiles to train marksmanship skills, to hunt small game, or to immobilize wildlife for capture and handling.

Most of the modern guns, including both spring piston and pneumatic models, are designed to use a high-powered spring to compress air which is released when the trigger is pulled. The most common type of gun is the inexpensive BB gun, which develops only about half the muzzle velocity of light firearms and can be used for marksmanship training, to catch or kill small game, or to shoot darts with tranquilizing drugs to immobilize wildlife for handling or capture. However, there are also high-powered break-barrel air guns, or pre-charged pneumatic air guns, that can push lighter pellets to supersonic velocities which causes them to overly deform or tumble in flight.