Gas spring rifles

 

— rifles of this type are actually a type of spring-piston models (see the relevant paragraph). They use the same general principle of operation: when the weapon is cocked, the spring-loaded piston in the combat cylinder moves back and becomes locked, and when the trigger is pressed, the piston is released and moves forward, pushing air into the barrel. The main difference is in the type of spring: instead of an elastic metal coil, a sealed container with its own piston filled with a special gas is used. This design provides a number of advantages over pneumatics with conventional springs — in particular, softer recoil, lower shot volume and the possibility of long-term storage of the rifle in the cocked state. On the other hand, weapons of this type are more expensive and lose some power at low air temperatures.

The rest of the advantages and disadvantages of models with a gas spring are the same as those of spring-piston models: on the one hand, these are simplicity, reliability, excellent repeatability of shots and the ability to achieve high initial speeds; on the other hand, the need to cock the spring before each shot, applying considerable effort, and the poor suitability of the design for working with multiply charged magazines.