Air Pistols

A BB air pistol is a handgun-style airgun that fires round .177 caliber (4.5mm) steel BBs. Most use a 12-gram CO2 cartridge for power, and some use a spring you cock by hand. They look and handle like real pistols, but there is no gunpowder, so they are made for plinking cans, shooting paper or steel targets and practicing sight picture and trigger control at home or at the range where it is safe and legal.

A BB pistol fires round steel BBs, usually through a smooth barrel. A pellet pistol fires lead or alloy pellets with a waisted, skirted shape, normally through a rifled barrel for better accuracy. Some revolvers can do both. The Schofield and 357 BB revolvers take separate pellet cartridges that each hold one .177 pellet, and BB and pellet cartridges are not interchangeable, so load each one only with its own ammo.

The pistols in this collection range from about 200 FPS to 410 FPS. The spring-powered 1911 BB Pistol Kit shoots up to 200 FPS. The 009 reaches up to 325 FPS, the 5 inch Schofield and the 1858 up to 400 FPS, and the 45, the 380, the 7 inch Schofield and the 4 and 8 inch 357 up to 410 FPS. Steel BBs can bounce back off hard surfaces, so always wear shooting glasses and use a proper backstop.

Pick the pistol that matches how you want to shoot. If you want no CO2 at all, the spring-powered 1911 BB Pistol Kit comes with BBs and a gel target. For easy repeat shots, the 45 and 380 are semi-automatic and hold 20 BBs in a drop-free magazine. If you love revolvers, the 357 fires double action or single action, and the Schofield is a single action Old West classic.

Yes, some can. The 009 is a select-fire CO2 BB pistol, so you can switch between semi-auto and full-auto. It has blowback, a metal slide on a polymer frame and an 18-round drop-free magazine that also holds the CO2 cartridge. Because each magazine carries its own CO2, spare magazines let you swap and keep shooting. Full-auto empties a magazine fast, so plan on extra BBs and CO2.

A semi-auto like the 45 or 380 fires one BB per trigger pull from a 20-round magazine, so it is quick to load and fast to shoot. A revolver loads six metal cartridges, one BB in each, into a rotating cylinder. That is slower, but it feels like the real thing and lets the Schofield and 357 shoot pellets with pellet cartridges. The 357 is double action, while the Schofield and 1858 are single action, so you cock the hammer for each shot.

Rules for air pistols and BB guns are set by states, counties and cities, and they vary a lot. Some places treat them like toys, others limit where you can carry or shoot them, and age limits differ. Check your state and local laws before you buy, carry or shoot an air pistol, and always shoot on your own property or a range where it is allowed.