The Different Types of Airgun Ammunition

The Most Common Airgun Ammunition: The Pellet

Main article: Pellet (air gun)

The most popular airgun ammunition used in rifled air guns is the lead diabolo pellet. This waisted projectile is hollowed at the base and available in a variety of head styles. The diabolo pellet is designed to be drag stabilized, though is not as stable as some other shapes in the transonic region (272–408 m/s ~ 893–1340 ft/s). Pellets are also manufactured from tin, or a combination of materials such as steel-tipped plastic.

Most airguns are .177 (4.5 mm) or .22 (5.5 mm / 5.6 mm), and are designed for target practice, small game hunting and field target shooting. Cost per round is less than $0.02 (US) for Olympic-quality ammunition, and far less for cheaper grades. Though less common, .20 and .25 caliber (5.0 mm and 6.4 mm) guns also exist and are used predominantly for hunting.

BB

The BB was once the most common airgun ammunition in the USA. A BB is a small ball, typically made of steel with a copper or zinc plating, of 4.5 mm/.177″ diameter. Lead “Round Balls” are manufactured in numerous calibers too; these are often 4.5 mm/.177″ diameter and designed for use in .177 caliber rifled guns normally used for shooting pellets. Steel BBs can be acceptably accurate at short distances when fired from properly designed BB guns with smoothbore barrels. Lead number 3 buckshot pellets can be used in .25″ caliber airguns as if they were large BBs.

Due to the hardness of the steel, they can not “take” to rifled barrels, which is why they are undersized (4.4 against 4.5 mm) 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. Were they 4.5 mm diameter, they would jam in the bore. Therefore BB’s lack the spin stabilization required for long-range accuracy, and usage in any but the cheapest rifled guns is discouraged.

Typically BBs are used for indoor practice, casual outdoor plinking, training children, or for air gun enthusiasts who like to practice, but cannot afford high-powered air gun systems that use pellets. Some shotgunners use sightless BB rifles to train in instinctive shooting. Similar guns were also used briefly by the United States Army in a Vietnam-era instinctive shooting program called “Quick Kill” (Time magazine, Friday, July 14, 1967).

Darts and arrows

Airguns can also fire darts or arrows using a similar mechanism to a pneumatic nail gun.^[11] This type of air gun is usually homebuilt and typically uses various high-pressure tanks as its power source, ranging from oxygen tanks to fire extinguisher. Only Smoothbore barrels are recommended for air dart ammunition. These are usually limited to .177 cal.

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