10 Best

Bb Guns

of December 2023

There are a number of recreational guns that are suitable even for young teenagers. There are airsoft guns, which fire a 6-mm plastic pellet. These can be used for target practice, or even for close-quarters battles between two groups. There are also pellet guns, which fire a 4.5-mm lead pellet. And then we have BB guns, which fire 4.5-mm steel pellets with either zinc or copper plating.

There are BB guns that are designed for young adults, to introduce them to the techniques of loading and firing at a target, as well as hand-to-eye coordination. Then there are more serious models, which are semi-automatic or even fully automatic, to fire many shots in quick succession. (These can even be used to hunt small rodent pests, like rats or moles!)

But there is a wide variety of BB guns available. You can find some very stylish rifles, that have the look and feel of a gun out of a classic western. There are also pistols and even machine guns that are so realistic that they have the look, weight, and feel of a real firearm! We’ll go through some of the options on the market, and what to expect out of each type of gun. You’re sure to find something that gives you all of the excitement of a real shooting range!

• Pistols: You’ll find many BB pistols that are replicas of well-known firearms. For example, Umarex makes a Glock 19 Gen3 .177 Caliber BB gun as well as the Beretta M92 A1 Airgun.

Glock 19 Gen3 .177 Caliber BB Gun

Beretta M92 A1 Airgun

You’ll also see BB-gun revolvers, such as the Umarex Brodax BB Gun Air Pistol Revolver. You load 10 BBs into the revolving clip, and a CO2 canister propels the BBs at a speed of up to 375 feet per second.

Umarex Brodax BB Gun Air Pistol Revolver

• Rifles: You can find BB rifles as well. They can either be spring-loaded or use CO2 gas as a propellant. One such example is the Daisy Outdoor Products Red Ryder BB Gun. This particular model is good for young adults, since it only fires one shot at a time, and has a number of safety features to prevent firing the rifle accidentally. Even though it can be operated by youngsters as old as 10 years of age, they should only be allowed to use such guns with adult supervision.

Daisy Outdoor Products Red Ryder BB Gun

• Automatic and semi-automatic rifles: There are even semi-automatic and automatic rifles, with a drop-out magazine that holds 25 4.5-mm steel BBs. An example is the DPMS Full Auto SBR BB Air Gun. This can shoot as many as 1400 rounds per minute, at a speed of 430 feet per second!

DPMS Full Auto SBR BB Air Gun

• Submachine gun airgun: There are even submachine gun airguns, such as the Umarex Legends MP40 Semi/Full Auto Submachine Gun. It is an accurate replica of the German WWII MP40. It’s capable of firing 52 rounds at a speed of 450 feet per second.

Umarex Legends MP40 Semi/Full Auto Submachine Gun

• Realistic replicas: The manufacturers of BB guns have put in a lot of effort to make their guns look like a real firearm. But, some customers were apprehensive about carrying such an item around, even for concealed carry, considering that it could be mistaken for a real Glock or Baretta!

• Accuracy: People were impressed with the accuracy of BB rifles. Even the traditional Daisy 1938 Red Ryder BB Rifle, despite being an item suitable for even a 9- or 10-year-old, gives good practice in target shooting.

• Safety glasses: Experts recommend that you wear some sort of eye protection when firing a BB gun. Either wear safety glasses or safety-rated sunglasses. This is because BBs can ricochet unpredictably.

• Blowback and non-blowback: You’ll notice that BB guns are divided between blowback and non-blowback models. This means that there is a part that slides back every time you want to take a shot. This may use up some of the C02 in the cartridge. But, it gives the gun a certain amount of recoil, like firing a real firearm. On the other hand, a non-blowback gun has fewer moving parts, as well as less recoil when you fire them. Fewer moving parts mean that there are fewer things that can go wrong in the gun’s firing mechanism. Also, you can probably get more shots from your CO2 cartridges with a non-blowback firearm.

• CO2 versus spring-action guns: You’ll also notice that BB guns can operate on CO2 cartridges as a propellant, while others employ a spring action mechanism for you to shoot.

  • Spring-action: The Daisy Red Ryder BB Gun uses a spring action mechanism in the handle. You pull out the handle once, and it loads a single BB into the rifle’s chamber. This design is preferable for younger people learning how to shoot since the BB is propelled with less force than a CO2-propelled BB. It also is capable of firing only one pellet at a time. The speed of the BB is still impressive, at 350 feet per second, and distances of around 195 yards.

  • Pneumatic pump: A pneumatic pump firearm allows you to increase the power of the shot by pumping the handle several times. As an example, the Daisy 880 Powerline air rifle allows you to shoot a BB or pellet at a speed of 715 feet per second!

  • CO2-propelled: There are BB guns that use small cartridges of CO2 to propel the BB forward. This allows you to fire many shots in quick succession. The DPMS Full Auto CO2-powered BB Air Gun can shoot BBs at 430 feet per second.

• Rails for mounting accessories: Some of the BB rifles and machine guns will also include a Picatinny rail, which will allow you to attach a red-dot laser sight or rifle scope as well!

• Limitations on who can buy a BB gun: There are dealers who impose age limits on buying a BB gun. For example, Umarex requires that you be over 18 years old. Also, they do not deliver BB guns to residents of New York City, Chicago, Washington DC, or Philadelphia.

Final Verdict

We looked at some of the best BB guns available, ranging from pistols to rifles to even submachine guns. Always be sure to take the necessary safety precautions, and add machine oil to your BB gun regularly to maintain it. You’ll be able to enjoy the excitement of shooting and target practice for years!