Since "BB" just means "ball bearing"

"Rainbow" (rainbeaux) 08/19/2017 at 09:50 • Filed to: None

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Couldn’t it be argued that a cannon is a BB gun, depending on specifically what you use as ammo?

EL_ULY > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 09:54

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TheRealBicycleBuck > EL_ULY 08/19/2017 at 09:57

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BicycleBuck

My bird IS the word > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 09:58

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No, because a cannon (and muskets) falls under the category of firearms due to the use of explosive propellant, whereas BB guns use gas of some variety.

Rainbow > My bird IS the word 08/19/2017 at 10:22

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Well that’s lame.

But now I’m curious.... Does that mean an electromagnetic rail gun is NOT considered a firearm?

Phyrxes once again has a wagon! > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 10:27

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I think depends on whose definition of firearm you are using. I believe a potato gun is a firearm because said ignition of flammable material but say a t-shirt cannon that uses air is not.

dogisbadob > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 10:28

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some cars can be BB guns, shooting out ball bearings!

A CV axle in another car I used to have spit out one of the balls

MrDakka > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 11:19

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It probably would be. While the term’ “firearm” may have started out as a term to describe powder based weapons, it’ll probably become more of a catch all term in the future, as there will be railguns, gauss guns, electrothermal guns, laser guns, plasma guns, etc.

Same thing will apply to term: rifle. Why would laser weapons need physical rifling, when there is no physical projectile to gyroscopically spin stabilize? As long as the weapon is held with 2 hands and capable of being fired when shouldered, it’ll probably be called a rifle or some derivation thereof.

Of course, this glorious gun filled future as with many things is ultimately dependent on material scientists and chemists to quit getting high off their own supply and doing their job.

HammerheadFistpunch > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 11:20

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What weight does a Canonball bear? Meets the “ball” criteria but not the “bearing”.

atfsgeoff > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 11:21

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I picked up a couple of 5" ball bearings earlier this year for stupid cheap, and they would make fantastic ammunition for an 18lb cannon.

They also work nicely as a gazing ball.

InFierority Complex > Phyrxes once again has a wagon! 08/19/2017 at 12:06

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What about the Girandoni air rifles that were on the Lewis and Clark expedition?

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > My bird IS the word 08/19/2017 at 12:34

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Firearm propellants are not explosive. The projectiles are launched by the gas released when the fuel is ignited, hence the “fire”.

Sam > EL_ULY 08/19/2017 at 13:00

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My bird IS the word > Rainbow 08/19/2017 at 14:25

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Under current laws, yeah, I guess so. As far as I know railguns are unregulated.

My bird IS the word > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/19/2017 at 14:34

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http://www.newworldencyclopedia.org/entry/Gunpowder#Not_necessarily_an_explosive

Semantics. In a confined space, it burns explosively, considered “low explosive” . It is the release of gas that causes a shockwave and force in any explosion.

Also this is oppo, chill out dude.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > My bird IS the word 08/19/2017 at 14:47

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The conversion to gas is how it launches the projectile. Modern gunpowders are designed specifically to have a smooth increase in pressure.

Explosives are compared by their brisance. Firearm propellants burn in a controlled manner like fuel in an internal combustion engine. When the pressure increase is too rapid (higher brisance), it will damage an engine or firearm.

MrDakka > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/19/2017 at 16:36

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Call it deflagration and leave it at that

My bird IS the word > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/19/2017 at 17:54

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Reference? I gave mine.

Eric @ opposite-lock.com > My bird IS the word 08/19/2017 at 23:42

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Your link explains exactly what I was talking about in the first paragraph. Nobody uses real black powder anymore - the powders sold as “black powder” are not actual black powder for safety reasons...

Gunpowders deflagrate, while explosives violently decompose from a shock wave.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Detonation

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brisance

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Table_of_explosive_detonation_velocities

Better?

My bird IS the word > Eric @ opposite-lock.com 08/20/2017 at 09:27

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Nope. Some actual quotes from these articles:

“Nitrates have the property to release oxygen when heated, and this oxygen leads to the fast burning of carbon and sulfur , resulting in an explosion-like chemical reaction when gunpowder is ignited. The burning of carbon consumes oxygen and produces heat , which produces even more oxygen, etc. The presence of nitrates is crucial to gunpowder composition because the oxygen released from the nitrates exposed to heat makes the burning of carbon and sulfur so much faster that it results in an explosive action , although mild enough not to destroy the barrels of the firearms .”

“Some definitions say that gunpowder is a “low explosive.” This is correct for black powder, but incorrect for today’s smokeless powders, which are not explosives. If smokeless powder is burned in the open air, it produces a fast burning smoky orange flame, but no explosion. It burns explosively only when tightly confined , such as in a gun barrel or a closed bomb.”

from wikipedia:

Most “ fires ” found in daily life, from flames to explosions , are deflagrations.

It’s so similar as to be highly irrelevant to discussions on a FUCKING CAR BLOG. in either way, gunpowder is explosive if the gun fails and there is nowhere for the expansion to go. If you want, contact kinja and see if they will set you up a science blog. also, for your own personal enjoyment:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semantics