Alternative Air rifle ammunition

[NeoWeird]

Why not just replace the piston with a breech block with a striker inside. Then you can just ream the chamber accordingly. Heck, you MIGHT even be able to get away with a .177 cal barrel with .17HMR.

Sadly, what you describe WOULD be a firearm and it most likely would be considered a zip gun. You also didn't address the problem of hot gases going back into the seal area of the gun because with your drawing the case would only seal the walls; not the rear portion.

If you ask me, if would be 1,000 times easier, and cheaper to boot, to make a single shot firearm yourself using a piece of steel pipe/tubing and fabricating a bolt and locking mechanism. Now you might be able to use a air gun barrel, but outside of that, you're pushing it price wise already.

You have to remember that most air guns of quality that could safetly withstand firing a bullet are already $50-100, so by the time you invest another $50 in material, the $300 to make these cases, and your time - you're already pushing the price of a accurized Ruger 10/22 Magnum converted to .17HMR with decent glass on it and ammo would be cheaper and easier to get as well.

It's a great concept for countries that have super strict regulations, but we're not there yet so we have better options.

I like your line of thinking though. I truely admire what you do and try to do, Ajax.

[AJAX22]

I've scratch built guns before, ... and I could easily adapt the existing bolt on a standard barrel brake .22 or .177 air rifle into a breach block assembly, but that's been done... its quite simple, most shotgun and pistol rounds do not create enough pressure to require a locking mechanism for the breach, having a small spring and sufficient mass is typically all that is required.

I think the whole idea is really to create a new type of ammo which can be fired from any conventional air rifle (spring compression type) without modification.

Because of the low pressure nature of slow burning rocket propellants it wouldn't have to be a very high quality air gun to hold up.

I don't think the problem of the hot gasses going back into the seal area is as big of an issue with a non explosive cartridge, It wasn't the hot gasses that destroy the air rifle seals, but rather the high pressure generated by the cartridge.

My experiences here in NYC have convinced me that keeping the technology a step ahead of the legislators is absolutely necessary. The bb gun itself is already illegal here (as it is in a number of states).

However, the rocket cartridge itself could theoretically be fired from any 1/4in brake line tube ignited with just a lighter.

I know that the bullet/air gun combo would be considered a firearm, but I believe the independent components would slip between the cracks of legislation (like the cartridge converted black powder guns)

In theory the existing gyrojet cartridges could be used without a firearm, they would just be hard to aim/control.

Thanks for the compliment, but there are a number of guys on here who do way more to actually get this kind of stuff built than I do. I just daydream a lot when I'm supposed to be studying .