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There are several different air-gun designs,
which differ mainly in the source of the compressed air:
- In pneumatic designs, you build up a
reservoir of compressed gas by manually pumping air. The movable lever on the
bottom of the BB gun moves a small piston in a tube. Inside the tube, there is
a check valve that lets air flow in but not back out. In this way, each
pump of the gun increases the amount of air in the reservoir, which has a set
volume. Since mass is increased while volume is held constant, the density and
pressure of the air increases with every pump.
- Another common system is the spring air
design. In this sort of BB gun, the "pump" lever pushes back on a small
piston, which compresses a spring behind it. As the piston slides back, it
catches on a small, spring-driven latch that swivels on a tiny pin. This
latch, commonly called a sear, holds the piston in position, so the
spring stays compressed. When you pull the trigger, it pushes on the sear so
it lifts off the piston. With the piston unlatched, the spring can expand out,
pushing the piston forward. This quickly compresses the air in the chamber
behind the BB, building up the pressure needed to propel it down the barrel.
- Some air guns don't have any sort of pump
action. The gas is pre-compressed and stored in cylinders, like the air in a
scuba tank. To shoot the BB, the gun mechanism just has to open the pathway
between this gas source and the chamber behind the BB (or other projectile).
There are many different air-gun designs that accomplish this feat.
Article By:
HowStuffWorks, Inc.
Boy, It's A
Daisy! The story of Daisy BB Gun
 In
1886, Plymouth inventor Clarence Hamilton introduced a new idea to the windmill
company. It was a combination of metal and wire, vaguely resembling a gun that
could fire a lead ball (BB) using compressed air. Lewis Cass Hough, then
president of the firm, gave it a try and, after his first shot, enthusiastically
exclaimed, "Boy, that's a daisy!"
The name stuck and the BB gun went
into production as a premium item given to farmers when they purchased a
windmill. The gun was such a huge success that Plymouth Iron Windmill soon began
manufacturing the Daisy BB gun in place of windmills! On January 26, 1895 the
company's board of directors officially voted to change the name to Daisy BB Gun
Manufacturing Company, Inc.
The sturdy little Daisy BB gun
quickly became a staple with American youth and youngsters all across the land
cut their shooting teeth on a Daisy. Competition was keen at the time, with guns
such as Bulls Eye, Dewey, Hero, Dandy,
Atlas and other BB guns appearing almost overnight and disappearing just as
quickly. Over the years Daisy has continued to improve and expand our line of BB
air guns, putting model after model within the reach of every young shooter's
pocketbook and skill level.
Article By: Daisy.com |
