Air gun
Pneumatic guns are firearms in which air precompressed in a pressure vessel and is stored. In order to fire the shot, this stored compressed air is released via a valve system that drives the projectile. Firearms that use cold propellant gas such as carbon dioxide to propel the projectile are pressurized gas weapons . Spring-loaded guns are firearms in which a spring-loaded piston is moved in a cylinder and an air cushion generated by the piston drives the projectile.
Colloquially, all three systems are referred to as air rifles or air pistols .
The term air pressure weapon is technically incorrect , as air pressure means the hydrostatic pressure of the air and not compressed air.
history
Pneumatic weapons have been around since the 17th century. The development ran parallel to the firearms . At the time of the Napoleonic Wars , air rifles (then known as wind rifles ) were successfully used by Tyrolean freedom fighters against French and Bavarian occupiers, among others. Some of these firearms were equipped with quick-loading devices and - thanks to rifled barrels - were very precise. Such air rifles (for example the "Girandoni" system, developed by the Tyrolean Bartholomus Girandoni) were also to be taken seriously as hunting weapons. They were, for example, the hunting of ungulates used (cloven-hoofed animals such as deer, chamois or deer). Because of their low muzzle bang, these rifles were particularly popular with poachers and guerrilla fighters; her possession was therefore temporarily made a criminal offense.
technology
With compressed air weapons, air is compressed by means of an air pump or filling from a compressed air cylinder in a reusable pressure container and stored at a pressure of up to 50 bar . The pressure vessel is screwed to the pressure system of the weapon via a screw connection equipped with a sealing ring. Before each shot, a defined amount of air is released from the pressure vessel to a second pressure vessel. The working pressure is reduced using a pressure reducer . In this way, the same pressure conditions are created for each shot. At the moment the shot is fired, the trigger actuates a valve that releases the temporarily stored air volume. This drives the projectile through the barrel of the weapon.
With compressed gas weapons, a cold gas such as liquefied carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) is usually stored in a disposable capsule, which is also used in the food sector. This capsule is inserted in a recess provided for this in the grip (air pistol) or in the stock (air rifle), firmly clamped with a clamping device and pierced with a hollow mandrel through which the gas can flow into the pressure system of the weapon. As with compressed air weapons, when the shot is fired, the trigger actuates a valve that briefly releases CO 2 , which drives the bullet through the barrel. Since the pressure in the CO 2 capsule fluctuates depending on the outside temperature and the level, compressed gas weapons are less precise than compressed air weapons .
In spring-loaded guns, a piston is tensioned and locked in a cylinder against a helical spring by kinking the barrel or by tensioning a lever attached under the barrel or to the side of it . At the moment the shot is fired, the lock is released via the trigger so that the tensioned spring drives the piston, which is sealed to the rear, through the cylinder. The air cushion created in front of the piston seal drives the bullet through the barrel. At the end of the movement, the piston is hit against the cylinder wall by the spring tension. This blow is called a bounce blow. It has a detrimental effect on the precision of the spring pressure weapons. A strong jarring blow can damage one on the system (cylinder with piston and deduction) mounted due to the repeated mechanical stresses riflescope lead. To dampen the impact of spring-loaded weapons, either the system is decoupled from the stock (e.g. Feinwerkbau 300) or a double piston system is used in which two pistons in the system run in opposite directions and thus compensate for the impact (e.g. Diana 75).
The recoil of air rifles and air pistols is negligible due to the very low projectile mass and the relatively low gas pressure.
Spring bolts, spherical balls and pellets are used as ammunition for air rifles and air pistols . The latter are common today because they promise the greatest shooting precision. The most common caliber is 4.5 mm (.177). Air rifles and air pistols are also manufactured in caliber 5.5 mm (.22). The calibers 6.35 mm (.25) and 5 mm (.20) are rare.
Gun regulations
Germany
In Germany , compressed air weapons , compressed gas weapons and spring pressure weapons are subject to the Weapons Act (WaffG), which restricts the use of them.
Acquisition and possession
Acquisition is the acquisition , possession the exercise of actual power over a compressed air weapon.
The acquisition and possession of compressed air weapons, compressed gas weapons and spring pressure weapons are only permitted if
- they give the projectile a kinetic energy ( muzzle energy ) no greater than 7.5 joules and are permanently marked with an F in a pentagon (see adjacent picture) or
- they were manufactured before January 1, 1970 and placed on the market in accordance with the then applicable provisions or
- were manufactured before April 2, 1991 on the territory of the GDR and placed on the market in accordance with the regulations in force there
Air rifles and air pistols that do not meet any of these criteria require a permit. The official permit must be documented in the weapon ownership card for every weapon that requires a permit .
The prerequisite for the acquisition and possession of license-free and license-requiring compressed air guns, compressed gas guns and spring-loaded guns is the completion of the 18th year of life.
The projectiles for compressed air guns are not subject to any gun regulations.
shoot
Shooting with license-free compressed air guns, compressed gas guns and spring-loaded guns is permitted on officially approved shooting ranges as well as on fenced property , if the owner has given permission and it is ensured that the projectiles cannot leave the property.
To lead
Leading is understood to be the exercise of "actual violence" over a firearm outside one's own home, one's own fenced-in property or a shooting range. If an official license to carry a firearm is required, this is issued with a gun license.
Compressed air guns, compressed gas guns and spring-loaded guns are not exempt from the permit to carry them. For air rifles and air pistols that do not require a license, no gun license is issued, so that the carrying of such guns is only theoretically permitted for holders of an annual hunting license during authorized hunting.
Austria
The WaffG assigns compressed air weapons with a caliber of 6 mm and more to Category C ( Section 2 ). Such weapons are gun passports , hunting cards and notifiable, but not subject to authorization.
If the caliber is less than 6 mm, they fall under Section 45 ( ineffective weapons ).
use
Air rifles and pistols, especially compressed air weapons and spring pressure weapons, are primarily used today as sports equipment . Air rifle and air pistol shooting are Olympic disciplines . Simpler models are used for occasional shooting as a recreational activity (including shooting galleries at the fair ). Air rifles that require a license are used, among other things, at the field target .
Veterinarians and zoologists shoot stunning arrows with compressed air weapons . The use of license-free compressed air weapons, compressed gas weapons and spring pressure weapons for pest control is prohibited for reasons of animal welfare.
Airsoft guns are special air guns for firing plastic balls in the tactical terrain game Airsoft . These do not fall under the Weapons Act as long as the muzzle energy of the projectiles is not greater than 0.5 joules and are regarded as toys . Airsoft weapons with projectile energy between 0.51 and 7.5 joules fall under the Weapons Act. The same regulations apply to them as to license-free compressed air weapons.
Paintball weapons are also special compressed air weapons, so-called markers, which are operated either with compressed air or CO 2 and fire gelatin balls filled with food coloring (the so-called paint ). Since the muzzle energy of their projectiles is between 0.51 and 7.5 joules, they are also subject to the Weapons Act. Here, too, the same regulations apply as for license-free compressed air weapons.
Military use of compressed air weapons is rare. The cannons of the cruiser USS Vesuvius worked according to this principle. During the First World War , a compressed air powered mortar was used by France . During the Second World War , Great Britain introduced the Holman Projector, which was also powered by compressed air, as an anti-aircraft gun.
Rare compressed air mortar. France, 1918.
Holman Projector. England, 1940/41.
See also
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Weapons Act of October 11, 2002 in the version of August 7, 2013 (PDF; 200 kB)
- ↑ CO2air.de - free-wheeling system ; Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ↑ CO2air.de - Test report Diana 75 ; Retrieved August 20, 2013.
- ^ First ordinance to the Weapons Act of May 24, 1976, Annex 1, Figure 1.
- ↑ Animal Welfare Act of July 24, 1972 in the version of August 7, 2013 (PDF; 155 kB), Section 4 (1)
