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 about two and a half minutes.
Quick Answer
Silver Bullet is 3,125 feet long, reaches a top speed of 55 mph, and stands 146 feet tall with a 109-foot first drop. The ride packs in six inversions — a 105-foot vertical loop, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews — over a run that lasts roughly two minutes and thirty seconds.
How Long Is Silver Bullet?
Silver Bullet’s track measures 3,125 feet from station to brake run, which made it the longest inverted coaster on the West Coast when it opened in 2004. That length is spread across a lift hill, six inversions, a handful of banked turns, and a final helix before returning to the station.
In terms of time rather than distance, a full circuit takes about two minutes and thirty seconds from the moment the train leaves the station to the moment it returns — a solid run for an inverted coaster of this size, and noticeably longer than most single-loop inverted rides at other parks.
How Fast Is Silver Bullet?
Silver Bullet’s top speed is 55 mph. Riders hit that speed shortly after the 109-foot first drop, which is where the train picks up the momentum it carries through the vertical loop and the rest of the inversions before the brake run slows things down for the final turn back into the station.
That 55 mph top speed is fairly typical for a mid-sized B&M inverted coaster — fast enough to make the inversions feel forceful, but tame compared to hypercoasters, since the layout is built around sustained airtime-free inversions rather than one big speed run.
How Many Loops Does Silver Bullet Have?
Silver Bullet has six inversions total, though only one of them is a true vertical loop: the 105-foot loop that passes directly over the ride’s signature water feature near the start of the course. The other five inversions are a cobra roll (which flips riders upside down twice in one S-shaped element), a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews.
So if you’re asking how many times you’ll go upside down, the answer is six. If you’re asking specifically about loop-shaped elements, there’s just the one — but it’s the ride’s most photographed moment, thanks to the water below it.
Stats at a Glance
Park: Knott’s Berry Farm, Buena Park, California. Manufacturer: Bolliger & Mabillard. Opened: December 7, 2004. Height: 146 feet. First drop: 109 feet. Top speed: 55 mph. Length: 3,125 feet. Inversions: 6 (one vertical loop, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews). Ride duration: about 2 minutes 30 seconds. Minimum height: 54 inches. Hourly capacity: roughly 1,300 riders.
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, with orange over-the-shoulder restraints locking riders in for the duration.
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. Two of the ride’s three trains typically run at once, each seating 32 riders across eight cars, four across per row.
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, and the coaster’s queue and station theming tie it into Knott’s Ghost Town area.
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.
Planning Your Visit
Silver Bullet requires riders to be at least 54 inches tall and is typically included with standard Knott’s Berry Farm admission — no separate ticket is needed to ride. Fast Lane, the park’s line-skipping upgrade, is sold separately and can be applied to Silver Bullet during operating days.
Because Knott’s Berry Farm’s operating hours and seasonal schedule shift throughout the year, and Silver Bullet occasionally closes for refurbishment or weather, check the official Silver Bullet ride page at Knott’s Berry Farm before you visit for current hours, closures, and Fast Lane pricing.
Silver Bullet roller coaster stats FAQs
How long is Silver Bullet at Knott’s Berry Farm?
Silver Bullet’s track is 3,125 feet long, and a full ride takes about two minutes and thirty seconds from launch to brake run.
How fast is Silver Bullet?
Silver Bullet reaches a top speed of 55 mph, hit shortly after the ride’s 109-foot first drop.
How many loops or inversions does Silver Bullet have?
Silver Bullet has six inversions in total: one 105-foot vertical loop, a cobra roll, a zero-g roll, and two corkscrews. Only the vertical loop is a true loop shape — the rest are other inversion types.
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.
What is the height requirement for Silver Bullet?
Riders must be at least 54 inches tall to ride Silver Bullet.
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