Diabolo (projectile)
lower half of the picture from left to right: plastic with zinc core, hollow point, extra heavy (around 0.69 g), pointed head ( copper-plated), pointed head, flat head (fluted) (every 4.5 mm)
Diabolos ( ancient Greek διαβάλλω diabállô , German 'I throw over' ) are projectiles that are fired from air rifles , air pistols with rifled barrel and CO 2 weapons .
Sport shooters usually use pellets with a diameter of 4.48–4.52 mm (.177 cal). But there are also larger pellets with a diameter of 5 mm (.20 cal), 5.5 mm (.22 cal), 6.35 mm (.25 cal), 7.62 mm (.30 cal), 9 mm (.35 cal) or 12.7 mm (.50 cal) (the latter two are very rare and have not caught on).
In terms of shapes and materials, there are a wide variety of designs for the respective areas of application such as pest control (pointed head, hollow pointed; in Germany, vertebrate animals are prohibited without a permit and punishable under § 13 (1) and § 17 or § 18 TierSchG ) or sport shooting (flat head, round head etc.). In 2009, special online providers listed over 250 different types of air rifle projectiles.
A flat head diabolo with a diameter of 4.5 mm and a length of 5.4 mm weighs between 0.45 and 0.60 grams.
to form
The precision is largely dependent on the processing quality. The information given on precision reflects the prevailing opinion among sport shooters.
Flat head
Flat-head pellets are the standard bullets for compressed air weapons. They have a very high precision and are preferred, used in competitions as they clean holes in the shooting target punch. However, they only have a very low penetration depth and penetration power, which makes them unsuitable for hunting or plinking at targets to be destroyed. In addition, they are susceptible to cross winds, which makes them less attractive for outdoor use at distances of over 10 meters.
Pointed head
Pointed-head pellets are usually longer and heavier than the flat-head pellets. Their precision is reasonably good up to approx. 25 meters. They are often used for hunting or planking.
Round head
Round-head diabolos have a hemispherical head, are very precise and have a high penetrating effect. They are primarily used for shooting at collapsible targets (e.g. field targets), as their better aerodynamics enable them to deliver higher energy to the target.
Bulldog (English) pan head
Bulldog diabolos are a mixture of flat head and round head diabolo. The head is rounded here, but does not form a whole hemisphere, just a section. They are very precise and are used for shooting targets and folding targets. This shape is also known as the English shape as this is the standard shape in the UK.
With edge / field target
These pellets look like flat-head pellets with a sub-caliber hemisphere on their head. They are used almost exclusively for shooting at folding targets.
Hollow point
Hollow-pointed diabolos are used almost exclusively for hunting. They should mushroom like the large-caliber projectiles and kill the animal as quickly as possible. This effect can also be transferred to air guns , but the expansion ( enlargement of the cross section beyond the original caliber ) only works if the projectile has enough energy, that is, if it flies fast enough. With the air rifles freely available in Germany, this is not nearly sufficient due to the limitation of 7.5 joules of initial energy. Only with air rifles that require a purchase certificate , which in most cases achieve between 15 and 35 joules and sometimes significantly more, is the expansion clearly visible.
Corrugation
Some lead diabolos have ribbing on their cups. This originated from the manufacturing process: lead cylinders were rolled through two corrugated rollers to create the waist. Today almost all pellets are pressed, so that corrugation is no longer technically necessary. However, it is still imprinted on some varieties because of the traditional look. The corrugation has no demonstrable influence on the ballistics of the projectiles, but causes greater contamination with lead particles in the storage containers and the weapons due to higher lead abrasion.
materials
lead
Most of the diabolos used are made of soft lead (lead with a low antimony content). It is very soft, which makes it easy to process and finds hold in the features of the barrel . Since the lead deforms significantly, it loses most of its kinetic energy on a hard bullet trap and does not rebound. Lead is poisonous and dangerous for the environment , so appropriate precautions should be taken when shooting with lead bullets.
tin
Tin is rarely used as a whole diabolo, as it is significantly more expensive than lead. In addition, tin diabolos are lighter than uniform lead diabolos and thus lose energy more quickly over longer distances. However, there are some manufacturers who also produce pellets from solid tin, zinc or its alloys in order to reduce the proportion of pollutants, especially in the soil around the target.
plastic
So far there is only one type of diabolo that is made entirely of plastic . Since it is lighter, these bullets have a higher muzzle velocity. But plastic is also softer than lead and is easier to push into the cables. The resulting frictional losses lead to a reduction in the muzzle energy.
The Hungarian manufacturer ELKO produces a plastic diabolo (ELKO Pointed Poly Match) with a lead mixture (weight: 0.26 g).
copper
So far, copper has not been used as a material for the entire diabolo. However, there are copper-plated lead diabolos that the shooter can handle without direct contact with a lead surface.
Hard core plastic bullets
These bullets consist of a soft plastic jacket that fits into the trains and a core made of a hard metal such as tin or steel. There are different head shapes that do not deform in the target, but often lose the plastic coating. They are very light and imprecise, but have a high muzzle velocity. They are used almost exclusively for hunting or recreational shooting at cans. Plastic residues also remain in the barrel, which can be shot out over time, but affect precision. In addition, the steel cores can easily ricochet off hard surfaces when shot, which can lead to serious injury.
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c Ulrich Eichstädt, The detail is in the devil, Visier, the international weapons magazine 04/2009 p. 38
- ↑ https://www.hn-sport.de/en/air-gun-hunting/grizzly-35
