Ammo never seems to get any cheaper. In fact, it might have a better return than the S&P 500. With that in mind, one of the ways we can trim our training budget is to look into BB guns.
Yes, BB guns, but before you roll your eyes, I’m not talking about a “You’ll shoot your eye out” Daisy classic. SIG Sauer has released a number of BB guns based on their line of actual firearms. These aren’t toys; they’re training tools.
The SIG P365 BB gun has become one of my go-to training options for a variety of reasons, with price among the biggest concerns. Ammo is expensive, and while I often turn to .22LR, there isn’t a .22LR version of the P365 (but there should be), so the BB gun acts as an even lower-cost stand-in.
Breaking Down the Specs
The P365 BB Gun is a CO2-operated semi-auto that fires your standard BB. The magazine holds up to 12 rounds and replicates the weight and feel of the P365 magazine.
Manual Safety: It features a manual safety, making it a perfect match for those models. If you carry a standard P365 without a safety, you can simply leave it “off” and ignore it.
Holster Compatibility: Because the gun and magazines are the same size as the P365. You can drop them in your P365 holster and mag pouch and train with the gear you carry with.
Realistic Action: While slightly lighter than the real firearm, the slide reciprocates with every shot. It even locks back when the magazine is empty—not quite as far back as the 9mm version, but enough to train realistic reload drills and drop the slide or sling-shot it.
How I Train With A BB Gun
Training with a BB gun offers a level of efficiency that’s hard to beat. CO2 cartridges and BBs cost fractions of a penny per round, and because you can shoot at home, you eliminate range fees and travel time. All you need is a simple BB trap, which can be bought or built easily.
I categorize my BB gun work into two main areas.
1. Basic Skill Building At Home
With the SIG P365 BB Gun, I can train most of the same drills I shoot live. I can run simple draw and fire drills, and if I maximize the shot timer’s sensitivity, it can pick up the shots. I’ve used the BB Gun to fire Failure-to-Stop drills, Bill Drills, to shoot and move, use cover, and more.
As long as I’m sticking to drills within 10 yards, I can execute with the SIG P365 BB Gun, working most of my critical skills, including reloads, off-hand shooting, and more.
I treat BB Gun training a lot like dry fire. It’s building the same skills, but it’s much more entertaining and interesting. It also provides some real-time feedback.
The CO2 generates minimal recoil, but it’s still present. The slide moves, forcing me to track the sights. It’s more dynamic than dry fire, and it’s also something that keeps me practicing. Dry fire can be painfully boring, but shooting a BB Gun is still incredibly entertaining.
2. Working with New Shooters
Guns are loud, intimidating, and make communication difficult. Starting a new shooter with a semi-auto BB Gun is a lot easier. Ear protection isn’t needed, just some safety glasses for potential ricochets.
With this model, I can walk them through all the basic steps of operation. We can practice stance, grip, and sight tracking without an issue. They can pull the trigger and hear a loud ding rather than a snappy mini-explosion. The gun doesn’t jump or recoil much, so it’s great for young shooters and folks who’ve never squeezed a trigger.
Limitations Of the BB Gun
BB Guns have lots of limitations. The first and most obvious being the slight recoil. It doesn’t challenge you, but if you’re truly training, you’re doing everything you’re supposed to do, so that won’t matter much.
Second, range. Beyond 10 to 15 yards, you’re basically arcing the rounds into the target. Don’t expect to shoot a Chuck Pressburg No Fail Drill with this thing. The range will decrease as the CO2 cartridge loses fill.
Accuracy isn’t always consistent either. You can shoot B8s and IPSC A-Zones all day, but Dot Torture at seven yards won’t be all that easy. I can make tighter groups with a real P365 than the BB Gun.
Additionally, my carry guns have red dots, but this slide isn’t red-dot-ready. I might JB Weld a Ruger Ready Dot to it, but I’m not sure how that will affect reliability.
The Bottom Line
A BB Gun isn’t a total replacement for live fire, but it can still provide fruitful training. It’s more entertaining and dynamic than just dry fire and costs pennies to execute. The compatibility with holsters is a major plus, and everyone gets to have some safe, but educational, fun.
