BB guns are a type of
air gun designed to shoot projectiles called BB after the
Birdshot pellet of approximately the same size. These projectiles are usually spherical but can also be pointed; those are usually used for bird hunting. Modern day BB guns usually have a
smoothbore barrel, with a bore diameter and caliber of 0.177 inches (4.5 mm). BB for modern day BB guns are usually
steel, plated either with
zinc or
copper to resist corrosion, and measure 0.171 to 0.173 inches (4.34 mm to 4.39 mm) in diameter. Some manufacturers also still make
lead Ball bearings of slightly larger diameter and which are generally intended for use in
rifled BB gun barrels, as were formerly used in BB guns. Some Asian companies make plastic BBs for recreation.
Airsoft guns are also commonly referred to as BB guns or pellet guns, as they also shoot spherical projectiles through a smoothbore barrel. However, airsoft "BBs" are 6 mm in diameter (0.24 inches), made of
plastic or other non-metallic materials, and are designed specifically to be
non-lethal.