Long story behind this one.
I used to have a gas-powered airsoft gun. It self-destructed. I salvaged the barrel (about 4" long) from it, and decided to see just how much power I could expect my Mini to have, when it finally gets here (shipped today), from a cap/primer only, with an airsoft BB or a .22 pellet. So I wrapped the barrel in tape, and rammed it down the barrel of a real gun, with a cartridge with primer only in place.
*POP*! The little plastic 6mm, 0.2 gram BB blew a hole through the top of a pop can and exited from the bottom! From penetration into modeling clay, I estimate a velocity of 860 fps!
Then I tried placing a center punch in the skirt of a .22 pellet and pushing, until the skirt reached 6mm in diameter. Loaded it, and *POP*! The skirt obturated a ton to fill the bore, and the pellet expanded on impact with the clay by a tiny amount (it was a 13.5 gr wadcutter). Estimated velocity, 400 fps.
This was with CCI standard small pistol primers, which I'm told is the mildest brand there is. So with say, Federal magnum primers and a longer barrel, you could easily get enough power to rival a mid-power airgun.
Which brings me to the product. A "gun" which uses primers only (or percussion caps if necessary for legal reasons), to propel a standard airgun pellet, available in the common airgun calibers. Much like the "Remington Rider" parlor pistols which Pedersoli now makes replicas of. Market would be very limited. You'd probably only sell them to people in PA, as airguns are illegal for hunting here. But some people may not want the noise, meat damage, and downrange danger associated with a .22.
Whaddya think?
I used to have a gas-powered airsoft gun. It self-destructed. I salvaged the barrel (about 4" long) from it, and decided to see just how much power I could expect my Mini to have, when it finally gets here (shipped today), from a cap/primer only, with an airsoft BB or a .22 pellet. So I wrapped the barrel in tape, and rammed it down the barrel of a real gun, with a cartridge with primer only in place.
*POP*! The little plastic 6mm, 0.2 gram BB blew a hole through the top of a pop can and exited from the bottom! From penetration into modeling clay, I estimate a velocity of 860 fps!
Then I tried placing a center punch in the skirt of a .22 pellet and pushing, until the skirt reached 6mm in diameter. Loaded it, and *POP*! The skirt obturated a ton to fill the bore, and the pellet expanded on impact with the clay by a tiny amount (it was a 13.5 gr wadcutter). Estimated velocity, 400 fps.
This was with CCI standard small pistol primers, which I'm told is the mildest brand there is. So with say, Federal magnum primers and a longer barrel, you could easily get enough power to rival a mid-power airgun.
Which brings me to the product. A "gun" which uses primers only (or percussion caps if necessary for legal reasons), to propel a standard airgun pellet, available in the common airgun calibers. Much like the "Remington Rider" parlor pistols which Pedersoli now makes replicas of. Market would be very limited. You'd probably only sell them to people in PA, as airguns are illegal for hunting here. But some people may not want the noise, meat damage, and downrange danger associated with a .22.
Whaddya think?