Just bought a Crosman p10 pistol. Loaded the .177
I'm not trying to be a ****-head or anything but I am thinking that the problem lies with the owner and not the gun. The very nature of your questions lead me to believe that you are a neophyte in the art of guns and gun handling. That is not a bad thing my friend, and you ARE asking questions which indicates not only intelligence but a desire to learn. No matter the subject, the person or the level of expertise referred to we all started out knowing nothing. The CO2 pistol you mention does not shoot pellets at all. It shoots steel BB's and steel BB's only. Your confusion here is understandable since the spec's on the packaging your gun came in probably designate its caliber and that would be .177. Caliber refers to the diameter of the bore of the barrel, and hence the diameter of the projectile it fires in thousands of an inch. When the average airgunner runs out of BB's in our quest to perforate all things tin, aluminum or decorated by graduated circles we don't think in terms of .177, .22, .30 or .44, we just need BB's for our BB gun and BB's only come in one size period. So, especially to a relative newcomer taking in the designation of .177 caliber on the box of your new CO2 pistol you may very well think pellet instead of BB since there is no "standard" pellet. Pellets are all referred to by their specific caliber (.177, .20, .22, .25, 5mm etc.) with .177 being by far the most prevalent.The CO2 cartridge is punctured as the screw you refer to at the bottom of the handle (grip) is turned clockwise forcing the cap (small end of the cartridge) into the perforation nozzle and surrounding seal and thereby pressurizing the chamber which provides propulsion to the projectile suited to that gun by the shooter moving the safety switch from "SAFE" to "FIRE" and cycling the trigger. I strongly suggest you locate & enroll in a basic firearms handling course and/or hunters safety course. I promise that you will never regret it. In the meantime, follow these basic rules religiously and absolutely without exception: All guns in existence ARE loaded. It doesn't matter if your Dad, sister, wife, therapist or the Pope hands you a gun and tells you it's not loaded, or if you yourself remember it to be unloaded. Keep it pointed in a safe direction, open the chamber & check, and remove or cycle (whichever is applicable to that specific firearm) the clip or magazine and check, which rolls into basic rule #2. Even when satisfied gun is indeed unloaded, ALWAYS keep it pointed in the most safe direction possible. This direction will be determined by the situation, your surroundings and common sense and can change often and rapidly. Following this rule to the letter will keep you out of trouble even if you fail miserably at rule #1 because a fully loaded, hair triggered, "Saturday Night Special" with a defective safety will not kill your son, your mom, your minister or your daughters best friend if it's not pointed at them. Never point a gun (BB, pellet, paintball, airsoft or firearm) at anything you do not want to shoot, and never put your finger on the trigger until you are completely ready to shoot. Last but not least of the basics: Be damn sure not only of your target, but also of what lies beyond it. Example: You shoot your .22 rifle at a starling sitting on a branch halfway up the pine tree in your back yard. You miss the bird, but just because you can "see" no objects of concern, does that mean there are none? A modern 40 grain .22 long rifle projectile fired from a rifle can easily travel with lethal energy in excess of a mile and a half. The result of your ignorance or laziness regarding basic rule #3 just planted that projectile in the temple of an adorable little 3rd grade girl 2 roads to the west of yours as she exited her school bus anxious to tell her mommy what a wonderful day she had. Know your guns and their associated ballistics INTIMATELY. Know your targets and what lies beyond THOROUGHLY. Never guess or make assumptions in regards to any of these rules. If there is ever even a hint of doubt in your mind, there is an absolutely foolproof, incredibly simple solution. Don't shoot.
