INSERT-LOCK-TRIGGER-SHOOT. Delightful! Who doesn't like to shoot the unopened soda cans? Shake them up; hit it and all the foam is out. Or balloon popping in fairs? And win a teddy. The soft air guns which are used for such plinking can have pellets or bullets in their barrels. We know about Bullets but what are Pellets?
Well, Pellet Guns have been used since a long time in Air Rifle shooting competitions, and by Government authority to control mobs in case of riots. In India, in the recent times, Pellet Guns have been used several times during the Farmers protests.
When we read about Pellet guns in the Newspaper, it does make use curious about it. If you are reading this article with that curiousity then you are at the right place, because in this article, I have shared everything about Pellet guns - What is a Pellet gun, are Pellet guns fatal, can someone die shot by Pellet guns, etc.
What is PELLET GUN?
Pellets are small, rounded(or pointy sometimes) metallic objects, generally smaller in size than a bullet, which are designed to be shot from an Air gun. Air gun pellets are not lethal and can very well function at low atmosphere of pressure. Air guns use an undersized projectile(pellet) which callouses when shot. Apparently, pellets are shot from smoothbore barrels which makes it stable and that’s why you might see many people tweet pellet (air guns) as a prop gun.
Pellets are not the type which can be shot at a supersonic speed because that can break it apart or make it tumble during its flight, thereby affecting the accuracy of the shot. Even then engineers have designed air guns to allow pellets to travel faster than the speed of sound through high powered barrels.
HISTORY of Pellet Guns
Air guns are something which has their origin millions of years ago. During the era of caveman they discovered a blowpipe that was the first gun to use the force of air to propel a projectile. During 1580, the first mechanical air gun was manufactured. Then in the 17th century, air guns of 0.30-0.51 calibre were used as nobility for hunting deer and polar beers and eventually air guns with more precision and better technology came into light as years passed and by the 19th-20th century, it became the primary weapon of skilled soldiers for militant purposes.
Specifications of Pellets
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Firing Atmospheric Pressure - 50 atm (while normal guns require about 20 times of this)
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Composition - Most of them are of lead but there are nontoxic versions available i.e. plastic or tin pellets
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Types of Pellets - GAMO Round, GAMO Pro Magnum, BB Ball, Pro Match, Cone Pellet, Scorpion Sting, etc.
Basic Types of Pellets
Here are the different types of Pellets used.
1. POINTED
2. WADCUTTER
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Flat Head shape, makes a big hole, usually used to shoot at papers.
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While practicing, its used by target shooters for closer distance shooting.
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Used generally in 4.5 mm calibre guns.
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Good accuracy
3. ROUND NOSE
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Also known as domed pellets, for their rounded head shape.
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Best for all round shooting
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Higher ballistic coefficient.
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Good for hunting
4. HOLLOW POINT
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Manufactured for maximum impact and damage.
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Epands when hits the target
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Fired using Medium to high power barrels
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For distances : 18.288 meters or close
PELLETS - Life Threatening?
As such pellet guns are barely lethal. But the use of Pellet Guns in Kashmir (India) in July, 2016 bought the pellet guns into the limelight that it maims the person's life forever.
Pellet Guns were also used in the 2022 and 2023 Farmer's protest in India, to stop marching Farmers, and many Farmers were seriously injured by the pellet gun wounds, some even lost their eye.
In 2010, Indian Government permitted pellet guns to be used for controlling furious mobs during riots.
Pellet Guns with their pump action has injured many people during a recent violence in Jammu and Kashmir. Out of 130 pellet victims, for 119, surgeries were done and around 10 people have lost one eye completely. As per the doctors there is not a single case reported yet where the patient recovered his full vision and hence the doctors as well as many activists are demanding to not to use pellets on protest mobs.
On the other hand, in New Jersey an actor is facing 10 years of state prison for using a Prop Pellet Gun in his film without the permission. People are showing anger through social media platforms to government for having strict rules for a prop airsoft gun.
Like the sun and the moon, absolute contrasting views exist for the acceptance of Pellet Guns - Where in few countries there are strict rules even for its usage for film shooting purposes and in other few, the Riot controlling Squads are allowed to use it for controlling the violent mobs. Strange! Isn’t it?
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