ASTM F589-23

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it may not be technically possible to adequately depict all changes accurately, ASTM recommends that users consult prior editions as appropriate. In all cases only the current version
of the standard as published by ASTM is to be considered the official document.
Designation: F589 − 17 F589 − 23
Standard Consumer Safety Specification for
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Non-Powder Guns
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F589; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of original
adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A superscript
epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
INTRODUCTION
This consumer safety specification is intended to address the primary causes of injuries involving
non-powder guns and projectiles. Information concerning these injuries was obtained from data
collected by the Consumer Product Safety Commission, hereinafter referred to as the Commission,
consumer sounding boards, and the manufacturers’ knowledge of the product and experience with
consumer injuries.
The subcommittee regularly conducts comprehensive reviews from data provided by the Commis-
sion and has determined that carelessness, intentional misuse, or lack of adequate adult supervision,
or a combination thereof, were factors in the shooting injuries examined.
To perform as intended, a non-powder gun requires a level of power which, if misused, can cause
serious injury. This consumer safety specification is intended to reduce the hazards associated with
non-powder gun use. This specification cannot control careless use or eliminate all hazards of misuse,
but does provide for warnings of specific hazards and instructions for proper handling, use, and
storage. Terminology is standardized in this specification, so that conforming products will be
identified in the same manner, and critical dimensions are standardized to assure safe interchange-
ability of projectiles and propellants in all conforming non-powder guns. Product performance hazards
are identified and requirements are established to minimize these hazards.
This consumer safety specification is written within the current state-of-the-art of non-powder gun
technology. The intent is to revise this consumer safety specification whenever substantive information
becomes available which justifies revising existing requirements or adding new requirements.
1. Scope
1.1 This consumer safety specification covers non-powder guns, commonly referred to as BB guns, air guns, and pellet guns,
which propel a projectile by means of energy released by compressed air, compressed gas, mechanical spring action, or a
combination thereof, and is to be used in conjunction with Specification F590.
1.2 Special-purpose match precision and adult guns, as defined in 3.1 and classified in 8.1 and 8.2, are exempt from the
performance requirements for trigger mechanisms (see 4.3), safety mechanisms (see 4.4), and drop tests (see 4.5).
1.3 Special-purpose training guns, as defined in 3.1 and classified in 8.3, are exempt from the performance requirements for the
safety mechanism (see 4.4).
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This consumer safety specification is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F15 on Consumer Products and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F15.06
on Safety Standards for Non-Powder Gun Products.
Current edition approved Aug. 1, 2017Jan. 1, 2023. Published August 2017January 2023. Originally approved in 1978. Last previous edition approved in 20162017 as
F589 – 16.F589 – 17. DOI: 10.1520/F0589-17.10.1520/F0589-23.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959. United States
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F589 − 23
1.4 Limitations—This consumer safety specification does not cover the following categories of gun products: cl custom-made
non-powder guns (see 3.1.2.6); or replica guns (see 3.1.2.15); tranquilizer dart guns; toy products such as rubber-band guns, cork
guns, pop guns, rubber-tip dart guns, or pea and bean shooters; other recreational-type guns such as blow guns, spear guns, catapult
guns (also identified as sling shots), bows, crossbows, paintball markers, air soft or soft air guns, or carbide guns; nonrecreational
guns such as those used by law enforcement, scientific, or military agencies; nor industrial and consumer tools such as paintball
guns, staple guns, or conduit guns.
1.5 The values stated in inch-pound units are to be regarded as the standard; the SI units in parentheses are provided for
information only.
1.6 The following precautionary caveat pertains only to the test method portion, Section 9, of this specification:This standard
does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated wi
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