BB-guns: Toys or tell me more?

A BB gun causes terrific pain and it will stop anyone long enough for you to subdue them.

Just one shot is enough to stun. More shots is better. Have a bat in one hand and a BB gun in the other.

And a cheap bag of Zip-ties laying close by will be good.

This has to be a joke… a BB gun is a toy, a semi harmful one if you shoot your eye but it’s totally useless as a self defense weapon. As a kid, us neighborhood boys would have battles against each other with then. I’ve been shot with a bb over 100 times and look, I’m alive. The only thing a bb will do is piss the intruder/perp off and then you’re day is really gonna be ruined.

On the other hand, you may get lucky and the bad guy may laugh themself to death.

If you think pulling it out to intimidate the bad guy is an idea worth entertaining, thats even worse.. this has to be a joke..

Absolutely ludicrous.

I'm also thinking of a situation where, for example a suburb, or neighborhood is confronted by a marauding crowd.
There's no police anymore, although a few neighbors and private security still have real firearms.

And yeah that has happened in South Africa regionally (as documented elsewhere on ATS, for example the June riots last year, or the Brackenfell residents' stand-off with the EFF outside a high-school, although here there was police - actually a resident got arrested there for letting off an air-gun).

Of course many residents may also stand guard with their cricket bats and garden tools.
But before it gets to that, "the marauders" are going to think twice, because they don't immediately know which one is a real firearm or a decoy.

P.S. Also not to conflate legal protests and police presence with riots or "marauding", but in the context of SA the former can lead to the latter. Let the past be that past, but I'm thinking of what will transpire in the future. Suffice to say that many South African commentators do believe the riots of last year will happen again, although it's unlikely to be a "race war", considering most suburbs are mixed to a degree.

a reply to: ufoorbhunter
Nice mate. Check out Ravin xbows

I shoot the Bowtech CP28, wife shoots Elite

a reply to: BlueJacket
That cranking mechanism on the ravins is really slow and loading an arrow also seems to take longer than it would on a normal crossbow.

I saw that the R500 can use an electric drive system but couldn't find a vid of how fast it was. Made me think of the browning airstar that used a motor to cock the spring in an air rifle but it took about 3 to 4 seconds and at least a couple more to load a pellet. Not great if you need to take another shot quickly after the first one.

And you happy about the state of affairs?

Obviously if I was, I would have left guns (all of them) in the army.

So tell us, why would a complete hippie want to get a gun?

Security reasons.

Honestly, my heart, my blood-pressure went down.
Just some car alarm.

a reply to: halfoldman
It's South Africa, it's the context of a beautiful country.
Is it safe?
Nyaaaa ... aaa ...no.

originally posted by: cmdrkeenkid

originally posted by: halfoldman
A toy, or could it help for protecting me and my family?

No. Ballistics and mass are not in your favor.

First, ballistics. BBs often do not fly straight, lacking rifling or dimpling (such as on a golf ball). Secondly, they have very little mass. A 4.5mm BB has about 5-5.5 grains in it. A low-end 9mm round will have about 155 grains, for comparison. Even a .22 SR round has about 30 grains, if I recall correctly.

Pellet guns are still powerful enough for small game hunting
maybe bullets are overkill in most instance

Trespassers will be shot!

With a BB-gun?

"Hey, I never said I was gonna kill em".

originally posted by: BlueJacket
a reply to: ufoorbhunter
Nice mate. Check out Ravin xbows

I shoot the Bowtech CP28, wife shoots Elite

Holy smoke and many thanks for showing this manufacturer mate, what an amazing line up Ravin offer

Over here in the UK the Queen will not allow us to hunt with bows so we are limited to target practice for sport but it's still great fun.

Ravin look like a fair step up from EK. Some serious tech on the website. Looks like they are made in the States too always a good sign

originally posted by: daskakik
a reply to: halfoldman
I was going to say that you should get an airgun with more power but I see there is a limit of 5.6mm and 6 ft.lb. and anything above that is considered a firearm. May as well try to get a firearm.

A slingshot would probably pack a bigger punch than a 6 ft.lb. airgun. Even paintball guns deliver close to 10 ft.lbs. and with solid self-defense ammo, instead of paintballs, they might be better, if they are allowed.

yes i've seen some mean sling shots, they shoot ball bearings,

won't blow anyone's lungs out but it will catch their attention.

same with paint ball guns. pretty good range on them.

a reply to: treeh00d

Tell everyone you've never been shot with a pointy pellet or hollow point pellet without saying so lmao. Those things suck.

originally posted by: AutomateThis1v2
Tell everyone you've never been shot with a pointy pellet or hollow point pellet without saying so lmao. Those things suck.

To be fair, the OP did buy a BB gun and not a pellet gun.

From what I could find it seems to shoot at around 387 fps, with a metal bb that gives around 1.66 ft.lb. I'm almost tempted to say it is an airsoft gun.

Well, I was shooting with it this week, both in the backyard and in the usually deserted park where I train with my buddies, and I'm very happy with my purchase.

That gun is not a joke and with wood and even a cement wall behind my pizza-box target, the splinters and cement crumbs go flying with almost as much velocity as the BB itself.
Without goggles for now, I hope an old pair of sunglasses provides some eye-protection, but the other guys don't care at all.
I would not like to be hit with that steel BB.
Furthermore, it sounds pretty close to a real firearm (looks like it too), so at home I can't shoot too long with all the dogs going crazy in the neighborhood, and even in the park it didn't take long for a concerned elderly neighbor to emerge onto the street to see what's going on.
But luckily by that time we were packed up and carrying our weights to the car.

However, almost as important as practicing shooting is putting the BBs into the magazine, and also replacing the CO2 gas canister.
The latter has to be done using a hexagonal widget, and once in don't fiddle with it, or all the gas comes whooshing out at once and you wasted R15 per canister. Otherwise it should suffice for about 30-40 shots.
However, they do go flat over time if not in use, so don't expect your gun to lie dormant for a month, and it will work perfectly in an emergency.
You've got to have at least a weekly relationship with it to make sure it's loaded with BBs and gas.

Be careful where you practice, because it all looks and sounds very "real", and one could easily spread panic in public. In fact, the instructions say don't take it off your property and flash it around.
Also I've heard about some jerks shooting cats or birds with BBs, and you don't want to get falsely accused.
There are potential legalities about it.

PS. When I didn't realize the gas was spent at first, and the BBs were jammed in the barrel (hence, try not to "dry shoot"), the manual suggested using a thin stick to get them out. Hmm - now where do I find a stick like that? It turns out a fresh incense stick is just the thing! Now who says guns 'n' hippies can't go together? Although I do understand, chilin' time ain't training time. I must keep the two apart - although in an emergency they might not be, but then you'll just have to do your best. Don't fiddle with these things when having wine, for example.

Interesting clip - Airguns For Self Defense?



Although most of what is argued here is you may be aggravating an intruder.
My thinking's outweighing that, because when you can assume that intruder is taking no prisoners, any potential time between them and the defenders is worth it.
Yes, as far as I'm concerned, take the chance, buy seconds, because that intruder is aggravated and pitiless already.
But I'm speaking from SA, maybe different "crime" assumptions in other countries.

a reply to: daskakik

I guess. I grew up with the two terms being interchangeable.

Mum's like, "Oh those BBs look just like your dog-tag necklace".

When you run out of bullets: In case of emergency - break the necklace.

For sure the BB guns look the part but are they going to take down the intruder when TSHTF?

I would go every time with an EK Adder. Intimidating also, yet capable of delivering a 7.5" cross bow bolt into the intended target with 130 LB and every couple of seconds six times without reloading.

If I'm the guy breaking into your house I know for sure I'd rather take a shot from a BB gun than take a 7.5" bolt into my torso and skull every few seconds six times without reloading


ETA Just noticed dnaleisure are doing these at a sale price of £279.95, forty pounds off! Believe me these are totally awesome value. Did some target shooting last night while the misses did the gardening. She made a few comments when the bolts tore through the straw target. The sound of this weapon is mental