| Air guns are not airsoft guns, as they function quite | | | | Finally, there is pneumatic, which is separated into |
| differently and are much more powerful. They are | | | | several different categories. First of all, pneumatic guns |
| classified as pneumatic (that means using gas to do | | | | use only gas to project the pellets; you pump, gas is |
| work in science and technology, thank you Wikipedia) | | | | compressed, pull the trigger, gas pushes the pellet out. |
| guns, and they have many different operational styles. | | | | This sounds a lot like gas-ram but, although it is similar, it |
| One must know that air guns are not new, in fact, they | | | | is not the same. In gas-ram there is already some gas |
| go back as far as the 1400s. They were favorable to | | | | inside the chamber, and that gas is further |
| alternative types of firearms because of their speed | | | | compressed, but in pneumatic, each pump there is |
| (back then it was fast), quietness, and low visibility. Air | | | | fresh gas. There are two types of regular pneumatic |
| guns could be fired more times than other times of | | | | guns; multi-stroke and single-stroke. In multi-stroke guns, |
| guns and did not make very loud sounds or put out | | | | the pump must be pulled over one time for a sufficient |
| clouds of smoke. They are also very powerful, and | | | | shot, while single-stroke guns only require one pump. |
| that is what is covered next. | | | | Multi-stroke pneumatic air guns are the most popular |
| Three main methods are available for powering air | | | | and cheapest kind of air gun. |
| guns; spring-piston, gas-ram, and pneumatic. Spring | | | | Pre-Charged Pneumatic air guns, PCP, are filled with air |
| piston air guns are pumped by cocking the barrel or a | | | | by a high pressure hand pump or a diving cylinder (like |
| level. The strength required to cock is directly | | | | what scuba divers use). After filling the gas chamber |
| proportional to the power of the air gun. Typically, | | | | with gas, you can fire without having to constantly refill |
| spring pistons shoot pellets at the speed of sound. | | | | the chamber. The amount of shots one gets |
| They operate through an internal spring-loaded piston, | | | | completely depends on the time of PCP gun used. |
| which is pulled back and locked into a sear. After | | | | Due to the speed and ammunition used with air guns, |
| pulling the trigger, the piston is released and | | | | they cannot be used in a game like airsoft. Unlike |
| compresses air heavily in a chamber directly behind | | | | airsoft guns, several different calibers, ranging from |
| the pellet, and that pressure pushes the pellet out | | | | 4.5mm 6.35mm, are available, and the ammunition |
| through the barrel. Many modern spring piston guns | | | | includes the lead pellet (most popular) and steel BB. |
| have a battery to automatically cock the gun, and | | | | You would not want to get shot with one of those! |
| although many are single-shot and are loaded through | | | | Air guns are many times a hunter's weapon of choice |
| a breech (like a shotgun), advancements have allowed | | | | due to the near silence and adequate power of an air |
| multi-shot spring piston guns. | | | | gun. Air guns can easily kill small, or, in some cases, |
| Gas-ram air guns are quite interesting, in the fact that | | | | large animals, and the shots do not scare away |
| their spring is gas itself. There is a small amount of gas | | | | nearby targets (unlike firearms). Air guns are mainly |
| in a chamber behind the pellet, and after cocking, that | | | | used for marksmanship practice, hunting, pest control |
| air becomes much more pressurized. Gas-rams are | | | | (that's right), and target shooting. The Olympics have |
| much more efficient and overall better than spring | | | | featured marksmanship events which utilized air guns, |
| pistons because of their durability and advanced | | | | and this attests to their relative popularity. |
| accuracy, although they do cost more. | | | | |