Guns with the "happy switch"

[alpha33]

I've always been a fan of weapons/guns with a happy switch. I currently have two, a WW2 Thompson M1A1 in .45ACP and a Colt M4 SBR in .223. Love em' but they are just toooo expensive to take out and play with nowadays. I've been looking around for an alternative (that's how I landed here). I had no idea of the advances bb/pellet guns have made over the years. Hence my question .......What is the opinion of you all in the know, regarding the Barra 400E ??? Alpha33

 

[extradrygin2001]

You should look at a SMG by Air Ordnance, it’s a belt fed full auto air rifle that runs on either CO2 or HPA.

 

[Treefrog]

There's this - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McGlashan_Air_Machine_Gun

If you look around you'll find more on non-NFA full-auto fun on YT.

Cheers,

J~

 

[Sawney Bean]

I love mine, but you have to keep in mind that it is just a BB gun. Within 10 yards it is accurate enough to be good for offhand target shooting. Not precision target shooting, but it can consistently hit targets 1” or larger at 10 yards. I’d say its maximum effective range is about 30 yards. At that distance I can hit cans with most every shot. Past 30 yards and the BBs are dropping fast and veering off on their own weird trajectories.

The batteries seem to last forever. 1000 shots on one is no problem.

If you want a more realistic full auto replica the Crosman CO2 versions of the AR and AK have a cycling bolt and are closer to the manual of arms on an AR or AK. I personally think the Barra is hands down a better gun however.

I’ve got a .30 Sidewinder with a happy switch as well, but that’s in an entirely different price range.

 

[JimD]

Depends on what makes you happy I guess. I value accuracy more than launching the most projectiles per minute. But I'm sure I'd enjoy tearing up soda cans with a full auto bb gun. For a little while at least. Hitting a X dot smaller than a bb at 30 yards makes me happy. Especially doing it consistently.

 

[RIshooter]

Check out the western airguns sidewinder, you'll get a kick out of it, I think.

 

[Franklink]

Depends on what makes you happy I guess. I value accuracy more than launching the most projectiles per minute. But I'm sure I'd enjoy tearing up soda cans with a full auto bb gun. For a little while at least. Hitting a X dot smaller than a bb at 30 yards makes me happy. Especially doing it consistently.

Yep yep, all my airguns have a happy switch. It's called the trigger.

 

[Sawney Bean]

Full-auto and BB guns are actually a great combination. BBs are dirt cheap but inherently inaccurate, so full auto adds about 50% to a BB guns range while still being very affordable to shoot.

I’m not certain yet on full auto and pellets or slugs. With the .30 Sidewinder I can get about 3” 3 shot bursts at 50 yards and that’s using 50.1 grain pellets at 950 fps and a longer burst means a bigger group. Now that’s not accuracy worth writing home about, but it is good enough to land 3 100 fpe projectiles in the kill zone of medium sized game, so maybe it does have some practical utility.

Unlike with the Barra, I can’t just keep the crosshairs perfectly centered on the target while emptying the Sidewinders magazine, so it in no way improves its range. I’m guessing that it might be different with a .22 however.

I’ll probably end up getting a .22 Blitz at some point in the future, but the funds don’t permit it right now.

 

[dizzums]

i have a hatsan blitz in .22, its definitely 'on' when i hit the happy switch haha .. dont consider it extremly reliable but hey it is what it is .. id luv to have the .30 with the optional bigger mag oh yeah .. 'just because' .. check it out -->

 

[Florida_Man]

My jollies come from hitting a very small spot on paper or an animal. Bullseye or brain.

The rifle I have had the most fun with is a single shot PP700SA.

 

[OBG]

You should look at a SMG by Air Ordnance, it’s a belt fed full auto air rifle that runs on either CO2 or HPA.

In fact I have one for sale in .22 and 400 round belt

 

[Privateer]

In fact I have one for sale in .22 and 400 round belt

I had a couple once. Ran HPA and donated it at a GTA fun shoot in Kentucky.
I had a 400 round belt with it also! Where did you get yours?

 

[Septicdeath]

Yep yep, all my airguns have a happy switch. It's called the trigger.

Ditto

 

[weevil]

i have a hatsan blitz in .22, its definitely 'on' when i hit the happy switch haha .. dont consider it extremly reliable but hey it is what it is .. id luv to have the .30 with the optional bigger mag oh yeah .. 'just because' .. check it out -->

Yikes. Do you consider that a “showcase video”? I’d hate to see your reject reels.

 

[Septicdeath]

Yikes. Do you consider that a “showcase video”? I’d hate to see your reject reels.

Seem like a waist of ammo, one clean shot would do the trick, without the critter suffering. I mean look at the video. Perfect silhouette. Perfect head shot!

 

[MLE]

i have a hatsan blitz in .22, its definitely 'on' when i hit the happy switch haha .. dont consider it extremly reliable but hey it is what it is .. id luv to have the .30 with the optional bigger mag oh yeah .. 'just because' .. check it out -->

Yuck. What a doofus.

 

[Hw9720]

Yuck. What a doofus.

Agree. Very unethical use if an Airgun
tim

 

[Northwoods22]

Don't own a Barra 400, but I have shot one. It's a well made gun, fun to shoot. About as accurate as you can expect from a smoothbore BB rifle. Good short range casual plinker.

I converted a select fire Marui Steyr AUG from 6mm Airsoft to .177 BB. It's an electric spring piston gun like the Barra. Machined a new .177 barrel liner, altered the gear ratio and mainspring to be better suited to the heavier steel BB's, and modified the magazine to feed .177. Works well. Accurate enough to plink soda cans on semi auto out to 20-30 yards. Getting around 500 fps with a full auto cyclic rate of 800 rpm. Magazine holds 300 rds, and I get around 4000 shots per battery charge. Uses an 8.4v NIMH battery pack. I'm very much a traditional springer guy, but a little full auto action from time to time is great fun.

My next project is to convert this electric 6mm Classic Army FN M249 to .177 BB.

 

[Bernie7]

Yikes. Do you consider that a “showcase video”? I’d hate to see your reject reels.

When I first saw your comment I thought (not due to it being you weevil, just generic forum user), ‘here we go, people being super critical of someone who’s not a perfect shot’. Then I watched it…

But back to @alpha33 ’s question at hand-
Another model I’d put on the fun switch list

• Drozd Blackbird

There’s also the select fire Evanix but for what you’re looking for it seems the Drozd model is more applicable.

 

[Sawney Bean]

That's not a video I would have ever posted to a public forum, but in all honesty, I've made some shots while hunting that I am not proud of. I personally would have gone for the headshot, but I've seen those go wrong too where they miss the brain but take out the jaw or the nose.

That may not have been pretty, but ultimately, I think that any shot through the vitals that kills an animal in under a minute is ethical enough and that possum had just about checked out by the end of that 1 minute video.