Silver Bullet is a Bolliger & Mabillard inverted steel roller coaster at Knott’s Berry Farm in Buena Park, California. Themed to the park’s Ghost Town section, the $16 million ride opened to the public on December 7, 2004, giving riders a western-flavored spin on the classic B&M inverted layout with dangling legs and a rush of inversions.
At 146 feet tall with a 3,125-foot-long track, Silver Bullet was billed as the longest inverted coaster on the West Coast at its debut. Its signature moment is a 105-foot vertical loop that swoops directly over a water feature, adding a visual thrill to match the physical one as trains race through six inversions in just two and a half minutes.
Stats at a Glance
- Park: Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California
- Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard
- Opened: December 7, 2004
- Height: 146 feet
- Top speed: 55 mph
- Length: 3,125 feet
- Inversions: 6
The Ride Experience
Riders board Silver Bullet’s suspended trains in Knott’s Ghost Town before climbing the 146-foot lift hill. The layout unleashes a vertical loop, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews in quick succession, all delivered with the smooth, floorless-leg sensation typical of B&M inverted coasters.
Engineers filled sections of the track with sand to dampen the clatter often associated with steel coasters, giving Silver Bullet a quieter ride than many of its inverted contemporaries while still hitting speeds up to 55 mph across its 3,125-foot circuit.
Design and Legacy
Silver Bullet was Bolliger & Mabillard’s first inverted coaster built with magnetic braking, a technology that has since become standard across the manufacturer’s lineup. The ride’s 105-foot loop passing over water became one of its most photographed features.
Since its 2004 debut, Silver Bullet has remained a fixture among Knott’s marquee attractions, once ranking as high as 99th in Mitch Hawker’s Best Steel Roller Coaster Poll in 2010, a reflection of the enduring popularity of B&M’s inverted coaster formula.
Explore more: Explore more roller coasters.
Silver Bullet FAQs
Who manufactured Silver Bullet at Knott’s Berry Farm?
Bolliger & Mabillard (B&M), a Swiss manufacturer known for inverted, floorless, and hyper coasters, built Silver Bullet as a custom inverted coaster.
When did Silver Bullet open?
Silver Bullet opened to the public on December 7, 2004, following an announced budget of about $16 million.
How many inversions does Silver Bullet have?
Silver Bullet features six inversions: a vertical loop, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews.
Get More from Silver Bullet
Log the coasters, stadiums, and venues you’ve experienced, rate Silver Bullet, and see what your friends thought. Get the ThrillZing app.
Photo: Martin Lewison from The Hague, Zuid-Holland, The Netherlands / CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons.