# Why don't they make automatic or semi-automatic BB guns? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 9, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012 "2002-05-09T02:47:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![airdisc](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e19adc/32.png) [@airdisc](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/airdisc)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/1 "2002-05-09T02:47:00Z")
Seriously, I think this would be a good idea. A bit dangerous, but BB guns in general are dangerous. Why haven’t they made these? I’m sure I’m not the only one who’d like one for Christmas. ---
**Author:** ![Mighty\_Maximino](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e95f7d/32.png) [@Mighty\_Maximino](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Maximino)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/2 "2002-05-09T02:51:54Z")
I don’t know if they make them for consumers, but if you go to the local county fair you’ll be able to find a compressed-air powered automatic BB gun. So they do exist. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/3 "2002-05-09T02:51:55Z")
You have to build the charge of air behind each BB. It would be hard to do it multiple times. ---
**Author:** ![mangeorge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d78d45/32.png) [@mangeorge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mangeorge)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/4 "2002-05-09T02:59:40Z")
Yeah, that would be cool; [http://www.delphion.com/details?&pn10=US06152125](http://www.delphion.com/details?&pn10=US06152125) 😉 Peace, mangeorge ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/5 "2002-05-09T03:13:36Z")
Mangeorge… That’s not a BB gun as such. It’s a CO[sup]2[/sup] gun. ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 3:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/6 "2002-05-09T03:48:19Z")
Well, if it’s not a CO2 gun, then what are you going to use as an energy source? An air compressor? A hand crank? The hamster that controls the SDMB servers? ---
**Author:** ![Sofa\_King](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/58956e/32.png) [@Sofa\_King](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sofa_King)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 3:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/7 "2002-05-09T03:49:30Z")
Jesus, you know that’s the one post that wouldn’t get devoured. ---
**Author:** ![Reeder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Reeder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reeder)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/8 "2002-05-09T03:51:41Z")
A BB gun has a pump. You pump it 5 or 6 times to give it the charge. ---
**Author:** ![Kalashnikov](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/2bfe46/32.png) [@Kalashnikov](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalashnikov)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/9 "2002-05-09T04:08:16Z")
A BB gun is a gun which fires BBs, regardless of how the mechanism works. There are CO2 powered pellet guns, some of which may also fire BBs, I’m not sure. I know there are guns that fire both pellets and BBs but the ones I’ve seen need to be cocked after each shot. But what’s really cool are airsoft guns, which can be either electric or gas powered and shoot 6mm plastic balls (bigger than BBs but smaller than paintballs). ---
**Author:** ![Craneop2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Craneop2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Craneop2)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/10 "2002-05-09T04:21:45Z")
I own a pistol that fires BB’s. Not fully automatic and is CO2 charged but it WILL fire as fast as I can pull the trigger. It’s made by daisy But it’s packed away in a box right now so I can’t give you the model number… ---
**Author:** ![Craneop2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/6bbea6/32.png) [@Craneop2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Craneop2)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/11 "2002-05-09T04:31:25Z")
I own a pistol that fires BB’s. Not fully automatic and is CO2 charged but it WILL fire as fast as I can pull the trigger. It’s made by daisy But it’s packed away in a box right now so I can’t give you the model number… ---
**Author:** ![LIONsob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/76d3ee/32.png) [@LIONsob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LIONsob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/12 "2002-05-09T04:46:55Z")
Back about 15 years or so ago, they made a bb machine gun that was powered by cans of freon-12 that you could buy at the auto parts store. A good friend of mine had one and we had a lot of fun with it untill I made the mistake of hoseing my wife with it at a range of about 75 ft uphill (I thought it was almost out of gas). Can’t remember the brand name, friend bought it from an ad in the back of a gun magizine. Peace LIONsob ---
**Author:** ![Boris\_B](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/fbc32d/32.png) [@Boris\_B](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Boris_B)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 5:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/13 "2002-05-09T05:35:35Z")
It’s a difficult question to answer without a strict definition of semi-automatic. Believe me, it isn’t easy to come up with a strict definition of semi-automatic. _a weapon which can fire repeatedly, one round per trigger pull, with no other action required by the shooter_ Sounds good at first, but nobody calls a double-action revolver a semi-automatic. _a weapon which reloads its chamber automatically through recoil energy and can thus fire a round per trigger pull with no other action required by the shooter_ A little more sophisticated, but it excludes certain weapons like Armsel’s Striker, a 12-gauge revolver with a spring-rotated cylinder, and MBA’s Gyrojet weapons, which fed its chamber IIRC by spring pressure alone. Both of these weapons are usually referred to as semi-automatics. Ditto for [Crossman’s 1077AK](http://www.crosman.com/portal/prodlist.nsf/crosmanlist?openform&brand=crosman&category=rifles&subcategory=co2), which is called a semi-automatic. The next problem with the definition is that it’s not always recoil energy per se being used, as in gas-operated weapons; there is also an obsolete category of blow-forward semi-automatics which work the other way around. (The last objection aside, the above definition does fit the word “autoloader” pretty well, demonstrating that autoloader and semi-automatic are not 100% synonymous.) _a weapon which fires repeatedly from the same chamber, one round per trigger pull, with no other action required on the part of the user_ This is the closest I can come up with. It still excludes the Striker-12 (which we’ll have to call a “spring-assisted wheelgun”) and the Webley-Fosberry Automatic revolver of 1901. Under the first and third definitions, CO2 airguns are indeed semi-automatics. Crosman’s Auto Air II is listed on their website as a BB repeater. So it sounds like the only thing standing between the OP and a nice Christmas present is a trip to the local sporting goods store. ---
**Author:** ![LIONsob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/76d3ee/32.png) [@LIONsob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LIONsob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 6:12am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/14 "2002-05-09T06:12:35Z")
Did some research on the web and found this at [http://www.textfiles.com/survival/catalogs.txt](http://www.textfiles.com/survival/catalogs.txt) LARC INTERNATIONAL P.O. BOX XXXXXXX # MAITLAND FL XXXXX SELLS A FREON-POWERED BB MACHINE GUN! RATE OF FIRE IS 3000 BB’S A MINUTE AT AN EFFECTIVE RANGE OF ABOUT 15 YARDS. USES STANDARD BB’S AND CANNED FREON (AVAILABLE FROM ANY AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLY STORE.) PRICE IS ABOUT 40. THIS GADGET IS DANGEROUS-- IT CAN TAKE OUT A PLATE GLASS WINDOW AND PUT SOMETHING ON SOME- BODY’S ASS HE WON’T FORGET! THIS BB GUN IS DEFINETELY NOT A TOY. Also found this site [http://www.geocities.com/bbmachinegun/](http://www.geocities.com/bbmachinegun/) has a freaky looking BB Gattling Gun powered by CO2 & Batterys in a single or twin mount. Peace LIONsob ---
**Author:** ![mordecaiB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mordecaib/32/7725_2.png) [@mordecaiB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mordecaiB)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 6:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/15 "2002-05-09T06:37:53Z")
Re the LARC INTERNATIONAL link provided by **LIONsob** , I fell for this one about ten years ago. Paid $40, got a plastic piece of crap that, if you used the freon canister, would shoot about thirty BBs then you would have to wait ten minutes before you could fire again. As for a range of 15 yards, more like 15 feet. ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 11:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/16 "2002-05-09T11:11:43Z")
- - - People have built their own custom air-machineguns, usually using compressed air as the power source. Sometimes these have been offered for sale on a semi-custom limited run basis. The reason that you can’t find them at Wal-Mart is that to make it any fun, you need a big air storage system, and it needs to be filled form either a dive tank ($200+$10/fill), or straight from a compressor ($1500-$2500). BB-machineguns aren’t real accurate or powerful and waste a lot of air, so serious adult airgunners aren’t much interested in laying down cash for them. So all you’ve got left to sell to is kids, who -even if the gun itself is low-priced- can’t afford either of the air supply sources. - DougC ---
**Author:** ![bhb](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7ab992/32.png) [@bhb](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bhb)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 12:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/17 "2002-05-09T12:00:46Z")
i went to cabela’s in ohio once and of course checked out their gun selection. An interesting gun I came across was a high powered BB gun that ran off a scuba tank. It could fire 1200 feet/second, that is faster than a .22 rifle! And i’m sure with that much power, it would be easy to lower the power down and then make it semi-automatic, maybe even automatic 😃 As soon as i turned 16 I ran out and bought an airpistol, for $20 it shot 6mm synthetic pellets about 300 fps. Some friends got them and we’d shoot each other all the time. (it wasn’t as powerful/hard enough to hurt, unless you were about 7 feet or closer. So it was essentially harmless.) It also came with a target, so it was a nice stress reliever before bed, shoot a couple pellets across the room, or even at the TV, it wouldn’t hurt it. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![shelbo](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/3d9bf3/32.png) [@shelbo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/shelbo)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/18 "2002-05-09T16:16:19Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Hup the Fool \* > \*\*Re the LARC INTERNATIONAL link provided by **LIONsob** , I fell for this one about ten years ago. Paid $40, got a plastic piece of crap that, if you used the freon canister, would shoot about thirty BBs then you would have to wait ten minutes before you could fire again. As for a range of 15 yards, more like 15 feet. \*\* My experience was different. A college friend bought one and did serious damage to his fraternity house. The thing sprayed bb’s like a fire hose sprayed water. He took out reinforced windows (with the wire mesh inside) from 30 feet. After a bit, the freon can would cool to the point that it would lose power, but he had three cans and kept rotating them. The thing was a hazard. He finally ran out of bb’s and lost the little o-rings that went on the freon cans. ---
**Author:** ![theleetbeagle](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/e99b99/32.png) [@theleetbeagle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/theleetbeagle)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2002, 7:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/19 "2002-05-09T19:32:30Z")
Crosman makes/made a Model 1077 semi-auto clip-fed pellet rifle. I sawed my stock and barrel off many years ago and had a sawed-off BB gun. Woot! It’s actually one of their better guns. Nice ‘n’ heavy w/ a gray finish. Lotsa metal, too. Even sawed off, it’s accurate as the devil. NJK ---
**Author:** ![drachillix](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/48db29/32.png) [@drachillix](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drachillix)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2003, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012/20 "2003-01-21T14:55:32Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Reeder \* > \*\*You have to build the charge of air behind each BB. It would be hard to do it multiple times. Might want to explain it to [these guys](http://www.warpig.com/paintball/technical/paintguns/angel_ir3_preview/index.shtml) …they don’t seem to have a problem driving paintballs full auto. The technology exists to run full auto BB’s, just a matter of adapting it to BB size. Also I don’t see where Air supply is such an issue. These guns get about 300 shots from a 9oz CO[sub]2[/sub] cylinder. A BB is much lighter and has a significantly smaller barrel. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/why-dont-they-make-automatic-or-semi-automatic-bb-guns/108012.md?page=2)