There are many different types of BB gun. They fire little cartridges and must be used with extreme caution as they can be harmful if used incorrectly. In general, they can be considered safe unless they are aimed at sensitive areas of the body such as the eyes. They are the weapon of choice for target practice. As already mentioned there are many different types and each type has a different purpose and as a rule they can be classified by the way they are made or the action they use to fire. Here are a few examples of the different types:
Gas powered:
This style uses compressed gas as its power source and usually have a canister. They usually have a revolver style system for reloading the pellets and are one of the most powerful types on the market.
Hand pumps:
These are similar to the gas powered variety but you have to manually pump them. They are powered by compressing the air through a pumping action. These are a popular model because they are relatively cheap compared to other types and some consider them more reliable as they don't rely on cartridges. The main disadvantage is the time consumed when you are "re-pumping" your weapon is much longer than with a normal reload.
Spring rods:
This type use a spring rod system hence their name. This basically means propulsion is caused by a rod attached to a spring being activated. This propulsion system relies on cocking the gun to load the pellet and they are considered amongst the safest on the market.
Spring piston:
This type only differs from the spring rod because the rod is attached to a plunger and not a rod. The compression chamber on this particular type of gun is quite large in comparison to others which makes it more dangerous. They're famous for their reliability and are used in target competitions.
Air:
There are some air guns which use this type of pellet. They aren't the most popular type but they are very effective and reliable for target shooting and other sports. They are considered highly dangerous and you may need a licence for some weapons.
BB Guns are a very popular weapon for sports usage in the UK. They're great for target sports and training but as with all weapons should be treated with caution, respect and never pointed at another individual.
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