CO2 cartridges

CO2 cartridges

Some air guns, airsoft guns, or even paintball guns or so-called Defense-Training Markers (e. g. T4E guns firing colored, rubber and pepper projectiles) use cartridge containing carbon dioxide to supply the power for firing the weapon.  The shot capacity of a single cartridge is mainly influenced by the power of that particular weapon, the temperature of the environment in which the shooting takes place (the lower the temperature, the lower the capacity) and the cadence of the shots, i. e. how fast you pull the trigger (pulling the trigger very quickly in succession can cause excessive CO2 leakage and thus reduce the shot capacity). Also, an important rule of thumb is to install and use out the cartridge; not to hold the gun under pressure for long periods of time. Keeping a CO2 gun under pressure for long periods of time can lead to faster wear or damage to the seals in the gun and thus CO2 leakage.

Disposable cartridges

Regular cartridges are disposable. By installing them in the weapon and puncturing them, they are consumed and cannot be refilled and used again. The most common types are small 12g CO2 or large 88g CO2. The small ones are most commonly used in pistols and revolvers, or in weaker long guns. The large cartridges are more likely to be used in long and more powerful guns, and some can even work e. g. with two small cartridges. There are really many brands that make cartridges. ASG (Denmark), Diablo (China), Diana (Germany), Umarex and Walther (Germany) can be considered the most famous. They are often available for sale per piece, or in different packs.

Service disposable cartridges

Also referred to as oil or maintenance primers are used to lubricate and treat seals and internal moving mechanisms inside the gun, as they contain an admixture of silicone oil in addition to CO2. Therefore, there is no harm in replacing about every tenth cartridge with an oil cartridge. Manufacturers of such service cartridges are e. g. ASG and Walther.

Refillable cartridges and adapters for cartridges

There is also a refillable replacement for the disposable 12 g CO2. The cartridge is filled with air, as with PCP air guns, and can be filled using a scuba tank or manual pump. The refillable cartridge is dimensionally identical to the classic disposable 12 g CO2 cartridge. A filling adapter is required to fill the cartridge. The results of the refillable cartridge (projectile energy and shot capacity) also depend on the design of the weapon, so it can be comparable to the disposable cartridge, slightly worse or, on the contrary, better.

Adapters for small 12 g CO2 cartridges generally serve as a replacement for a large 88 g CO2 cartridges. While shooting through such an adapter is significantly cheaper, it can lower the gun's performance and shot capacity.