The weapon: Marksman BB Repeater Air Pistol .177 cal.
Paid: $16.00
I have often heard it said that a “BB cannot break the skin” and have often heard these guns referred to as “toys”. Thanks to the film “A Christmas Story” I think most everyone is familiar with the phrase “you’ll shoot your eye out”, although few seem to take it seriously. For this experiment I wanted to attempt to assess the actual danger presented by a BB gun. I purchased the cheapest, lowest power “limited velocity airgun” I could find, and set to work. The gun’s packaging announced that it velocity was 220fps, however the clerk assured me that it is normally considerably lower.
I headed home with my new gun, and pondered exactly how to quantify it’s danger in the most effective way possible. After a few shots at an apple and an aluminum soda can, it occurred to me what I needed was some ballistics gel. I mixed up some gel, let it set for a day, and began work. My methods were meticulous, and my results were somewhat varied, but extremely shocking. It is probably important to note that the aim on this gun is extremely imprecise. This is even acknowledged in the pamphlet.
I began by firing into the gel from the gun’s recommended range of ten feet. The BBs consistently attained a depth of between 1” and 1 ¼” in the gel.
From point blank range, the damage is much more impressive: between 1 1/2” and 2”.
However: Even at point-blank range, the BB lacks the energy to puncture a sheet of cotton cloth, such as a t-shirt. The BB either bounces off, leaving a fairly substantial bruise, or forces the shirt into a shallow hole in the "skin."
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