Pellet Gun Tricks

Trick shooting with a pellet gun requires skill and some showmanship. A pellet gun uses compressed air instead of gunpowder to shoot a pellet from its barrel. Although a pellet is less dangerous and less powerful than a bullet, it can still cause serious injury or death; always be careful when using a pellet gun. Pellet guns can be side arms or rifles. However, accuracy is greatly improved when a rifle is used rather than a side arm.

  1. Candle

    • Light a candle 20 to 30 feet away from the shooter. Make sure that no one is behind the candle--put a screen or board behind the candle to be safe. Have the shooter attempt to blow out the candle using the pellet gun. Aim for the bottom of the flame, right where the wick meets the candle. A direct hit will tear the wick from the candle, causing it to go out. It will look like the pellet whizzed through the flame so fast that it blew out the candle.

    Guess the Card

    • This trick requires some practice to get right. Mount a pack of cards 30 feet from the shooter. Fire a pellet at the pack. The pellet will pierce through several cards. Remove the pierced cards and count how many the pellet penetrated. Repeat this trick and see if the number of cards remains consistent (it should). Say the number of cards the pellet went through is seven. Have a volunteer select a card from the deck. Put the card (without looking at it) on top of the deck. Pretend to shuffle the deck and put seven cards on top. Mount the cards and fire a pellet at them. The pellet should pierce through the first seven cards with the eighth remaining unharmed. Ask the volunteer to check which card was not harmed; it will be her card.

    Split the Pellet

    • This trick requires expert aim. Place a sharp fillet knife securely in a vice 20 feet from the shooter, with the blade facing the shooter. Take aim at the center of the knife and fire. If the aim is correct, the pellet will be split into two by the knife.

    The Davy Crockett

    • This trick, which was first used in a Davy Crockett film, relies more on showmanship than skill and is best employed with children. Hang a frying pan as far away from yourself as possible, but within range to make an easy shot. Place a pellet in your mouth. Ask the audience to stand back and say that you will fire a pellet into the frying pan and it will bounce back and you will catch it in your mouth. Fire a pellet at the frying pan and instantly pretend that you have caught the pellet in your teeth. Acting plays a big part of selling the trick.