Exploring the Lengthy History of the Air Gun

Air guns represent the earliest pneumatic technology. The oldest existing mechanical air gun, a bellows air gun dating back to about 1580, is in the Livrustkammaren Museum in Stockholm. This is the period most historians recognize since the beginning of the current air weapon. Within the seventeenth century, air guns, in calibers.30--.51, were used to hunt big sport deer and wild boar. These air weapons were charged using a pump to load an air tank and gave velocities from 650 to 1,000 feet per second (200--300 m/s). These were also used in war; the most well-known example is the Girandoni Military Repeating Air Rifle. At that time, they had compelling advantages over the primitive firearms of the day. For example, air guns might be fired in wet weather and rain (unlike matchlock muskets) and with greater rapidity than muzzle-loading guns.[citation needed] Moreover, they were quieter than a gun of similar bore, had no muzzle flash, and were entirely smokeless, thus perhaps not disclosing the shooter's position or covering his view. Black powder muskets of the 18th and 19th century produced huge volumes of dense smoke when terminated, a downside compared to air weapons. Although some fanatics suggest air guns presented a significant choice to powder weapons, that was never turned out to be the case, as valve leaks and bursting tanks were recognized issues. Air weapons also were fine, and peasant-soldiers, many of whom had never noticed any physical tools more complex than horse-drawn carriages, could not have managed or preserved them properly.[citation needed] Later improvements in valve models and tank strength both arrived too late or were too complex for the few air gunsmiths of the day. Senapan Angin Murah, Senapan Angin During the 1890s, air rifles were found in Birmingham, Britain, for aggressive target shooting. Suits were kept in public houses, which sponsored shooting teams. Prizes, including a leg of mutton for the winning team, were paid for by the losing team. The game became so wellknown that in 1899, the National Smallbore Rifle Association was created. During this period over 4,000 air rifle clubs and associations existed across Britain, many in Birmingham. During this period, the air weapon was connected with poaching because it could supply a photo without a critical statement. Today's modern air guns are normally low-powered because of safety issues and legal restrictions. High-powered models are still used for hunting. These air guns can push a pellet beyond 1100 ft/s (330 m/s), around the velocity of sound, and create a sound just like a.22 caliber rimfire gun. Using lead pellets, some current spring powered.177 pellet guns can break the sound barrier. Most low-powered air weapons can be safely fired in a backyard or garden, as well as inside, with a proper backstop.

In some states, air guns are nevertheless classified as firearms, and as such it may be prohibited to fire them in residential areas. Air weapons may be very precise and are found in target shooting activities at the Olympic Games, governed by the International Shooting Sport Federation (ISSF), where they are chance at a range of 10m or 32.8 toes.