The Complete Airgun Starter Guide

“They are not real guns!” That is what some firearms owners say about airguns. Little do they realize that many of us owe our passion for firearms to airguns. Who has not pretended to be a cowboy with the Daisy Red Rider BB Gun or sniped pests with a pellet rifle? Today’s airguns offer greater utility. In addition to plinking, they are used for pest control, hunting, precision shooting, and law enforcement training.

What is an Airgun?

An airgun launches a projectile utilizing compressed air or gas. The compressed air is produced via a piston, the changing of liquid into a gas (CO2), a propane-filled canister (green gas), or released from a high-pressure reservoir (PCP). Airguns also come in as many varieties as standard firearms, including handguns, rifles, and shotguns. They are offered in calibers .17-, .20-, .22-, .25-, .30-, .35-, .45-, .50-cal., with projectiles including BBs, pellets, slugs, arrows, paintballs, and pepper balls.

Some airguns include sound moderators which dampen the sound of the shot. They are not considered suppressors, even in California.

The products included in this article were chosen based on their appeal to those who already enjoy shooting traditional firearms, but may want to give airguns a try.

Piston

Piston airguns use a piston to compress air that propels the projectile. There are two types of single-pump pistons, spring and gas. These use a cocking lever to retract the piston. The piston is released when the trigger is pulled, and compresses the air behind the projectile.

The difference between spring and gas is the mechanism propelling the piston forward. A spring piston uses a metal spring and rod to push the piston forward. A gas piston uses a gas cylinder with a strut. Think of this as a gas shock on a hatchback door or window. Cocking the lever pushes the strut into the gas cylinder thereby highly compressing the air. When the trigger is pressed the air expands and pushes the piston forward.

Spring piston airguns are noisy due to the rattling of the spring and slamming of the piston against the chamber. Gas piston airguns are smoother operating and have a softer recoil. They also offer more consistent air pressure for consistent shots. Due to the harsh recoil of pistons, if you are mounting an optic, ensure that it is rated for a piston-driven rifle. If it is not, the recoil can damage or render the optic useless.

Piston-driven airguns include break barrel, underlever, and sidelever actions. With a break barrel airgun like the Benjamin Prowler, the barrel is hinged and serves as the cocking lever. An under lever like the Air Venturi Springfield Armory M1A, Wood Stock  utilizes a lever below the barrel. Side lever airguns like the Diana 54 Airking Pro Air Rifle  have the cocking lever on the side.

There is a third type of piston, a variable pump. It is designed for multiple pumps. Each pump increases the pressure within a reservoir allowing the shooter to vary the pressure and hence pellet velocity. These airguns have minimum and maximum number of pumps to operate. The difference between this and a spring or gas piston system is that pressing the trigger opens a valve which releases the compressed air. The piston is used only to build up pressure in the reservoir. The Crosman 362 - 100 Year Edition Pump Rifle with its Turkish walnut stock is a beautiful example of a variable pump. The Crosman American Classic .177 is a classic variable pump pellet pistol.

Since piston airguns expel all of their stored air when the trigger is pulled, they must be pumped after each shot. Some airguns are single loading and require manually loading a pellet each shot. Others like the Gamo Swarm Magnum Pro 10X Gen 3i include a rotary magazine that feeds the pellets automatically each time you cock the barrel. These multi-shot airguns offer the fastest repeatable shots.

Spring and gas piston air rifles pack a lot of punch for the buck. .22 caliber 14-grain lead pellets fly 800 to 1,000 fps making them great for pest control duties and small game.

Pros

• Piston-driven air guns have unlimited on-demand air, as they do not rely on an outside air source.
• The more powerful airguns of this type make for effective pest control and rabbit hunting rifles.
• Some airguns offer a self-loading rotary magazine.

Cons

• The guns must be cocked for each shot.
• The cocking force varies between airguns, and some may be too heavy for young shooters.
• Recoil of piston airguns is harsh on optics, so make sure to choose an optic that is rated for piston rifles.
• Noise is also a factor consider, as these are on the louder side.

CO2

CO2 powered airguns are by replaceable CO2 cartridges. The CO2 is in a liquid state but when it is released into the airgun it turns into a gas. The gas is what propels the projectile down the barrel. Projectiles are either metal BBs, plastic BBs, and pellets. BBs are the least accurate of the projectiles, so I avoid them unless they are Airsoft guns.

One of the unique properties of CO2 is that it doesn’t gradually lose pressure per shot, but instead maintains a relatively steady pressure until the liquid CO2 is spent. Since they consistently supply air until the liquid CO2 is depleted, these are ideal for semi-automative airguns. Cartridges are available in 12-gram and 88-gram sizes. Velocities range from 400-600 fps depending on the pellet grain weight, velocity, and barrel length. A CO2-powered Umarex 10/22 air rifle will launch a .177 8.2 grain pellet 530 fps. It should be noted that successive shots fired rapidly will cause the canister to cool, which does reduce pressure and therefore projectile velocity.

One of the cool things about CO2 airguns is that you can find them in replicas of iconic pistols and rifles like SIG Sauer’s M17 .177 pellet gun and Umarex’s Berretta’s M 92 FS pellet pistol.

Pros

• A relatively inexpensive air source, about less than $1 per cartridge when purchased in bulk.
• Excellent learning platform for youth.
• Capable of firing semi-automatic and automatic. If you are looking for an airgun replica of a popular firearm, you will find it powered by CO2.

Cons

• Out of all the airgun types, these tend to have the least power.
• The more consecutive shots you shoot, the cooler the cylinder becomes, thereby reducing internal pressure and bullet velocity.

Green Gas

Green gas is used in some Airsoft airguns. Airsoft airguns shoot plastic 6mm BBs and are popular with law enforcement for force-on-force training. Airsoft guns that use green gas have a magazine that contains a built-in reservoir to hold the green gas. These magazines are filled via a port usually found at their base.

Green gas is sold in a compressed air can and contains propane with some silicone oil added. 8-ounce canisters run $12 and provide 30-40 shots with one fill up of the magazine reservoir. A canister will fill a magazine 25-35 times, depending on the model.

Umarex’s Glock 19X pistol and SIG Sauer’s Proforce M17 are great examples of training guns, as they are authentic replicas. These airguns have blowback actions that cycle like a semi-automatic gun, the magazines have the heft of a loaded 9mm magazine, and field stripping it is the same. Reloads also mimic the operation of the real deal.

Pros

• Airsoft airguns make for excellent at-home training tools. They are better than dry firing practice because they function like the firearm counterpart, and they punch holes in paper targets.
• The quality replicas replicate most of the functionality of the firearm version. Buying a replica of your home defense pistol will allow you to use the same holster and pistol mounted light.

Cons

• Limited use outside of training.

PCP

Pre-Charged Cneumatics (PCP) airguns utilize a high-pressure reservoir to power the pellet. The reservoirs are built into the rifle and look like a small scuba tank or a long cylinder. Some reservoirs are detachable, some are not.

They are offered in calibers you would find in centerfire hunting cartridges including, .17-, .22-, .25-, .30-, .35-, .45-, .50-cal. They are the most versatile airgun platform too. Besides plinking and pest eradication, they can be used for hunting and precision shooting.

Prices range from $159 for a rudimentary Beeman Raider to over $2,000 for a Rapid Air Worx HM1000 precision air rifle. One of my favorite mid-priced air rifles is the Benjamin Marauder Wood Stock. It is a modern version of the Sheridan Blue Streak Pellet gun that I shot as a kid. It is very precise, beautiful, and smooth to operate. Big bore air rifles like the Air Force Airguns Texan and Umarex Hammer Carbine in .50 caliber are used for hogs and coyotes. You will find the most specialized and expensive airguns in the Olympics, these run over $4,000.

The reservoirs hold 3,000 to 4,000 psi of air pressure and must be filled by a special high-pressure compressor, hand pump, or air tank. Home improvement compressors max out around 200 psi and are too weak to fill them.

At around $100, a hand pump is the least costly option to fill a reservoir. It works well for entry-level PCP airguns with small reservoirs. With larger reservoirs it will take a lot of grunting to top off the last 1,000 psi. If it is your primary fill source, I recommend the Air Venturi MK5 Pump. It includes a built-in Dry-Pac system that removes moisture from the pump. Moisture can rust the internals of a reservoir.

High-pressure scuba-like tanks offer several to many filles depending on the size. An  Air Venturi Wingman 74 is 74 cubic foot carbon fiber air tank that gives a full day of shooting depending on the caliber. If you do not have a high-pressure compressor, the tanks can be filled at a paintball or a scuba shop. I opted for this option when I started. When I realized I was hooked on PCPs, I ordered a compressor.

There are two types of compressors: Portable and full-size. Portable compressors weigh around 20 to 30 pounds and can be plugged into an outlet or powered by a car battery. The Air Venturi RovAir 4500 Portable Compressor is a no-frills portable compressor that includes battery cables, and is cooled by two large fans. They are limited to filling the on-board reservoirs, rather than tanks. Full-size compressors are best suited for a garage due to their weight, size, and liquid cooling systems. The Air Venturi Krypton 4500 PSI Compressor is designed to fill reservoirs and large 98 cubic foot tanks. It weighs 91 pounds but fills reservoirs and tanks quickly. My ideal setup is a tank and full-size compressor.

Regulated/Non-regulated

PCP airguns either have a built-in regulator or no regulator. When the trigger is pressed the hammer strikes a valve on the reservoir, the air that is released travels into a small chamber or directly to the projectile. If the air is channeled into a chamber, it is a regulated air gun. If the air goes directly to the pellet, it is non-regulated.

The advantage of a regulated airgun is that the chamber releases the same psi of air for each shot, making for consistent air pressure and consistent shot to shot velocity. Tracking the shot-to-shot velocity on a graph will look like a flat line. With a non-regulated system, velocity will vary as you shoot. A graph of its velocity would rise steeply then slowly go downhill. If you are shooting a precision air rifle, a regulated system is preferred.

Pros

• PCP airguns produce about double the velocity of a CO2 airgun.
• Extensive caliber selection, including .50 caliber.
• Produce enough energy to take down small and medium game at close distance.
• Many PCP airguns use a rotary magazine allowing multi-shot capabilities.
• A full reservoir may last 30-60 shots depending on projectile caliber and weight.
• Precision airguns are great tools for read the reading the wind when shooting on a 100-yard or shorter range.
• Precision airgun competitions are becoming more popular.

Cons

• In addition to the airgun, you will have to fork out money for a hand pump, compressor, or tank to fill the reservoir.

NitroAir

In 2024, Umarex launched a unique Nitrogen-filled cartridge called NitroAir. Although it looks like a large CO2 cartridge, it is filled with Nitrogen to 3,000 psi. NitroAir is a disposable cartridge that gives the shooter PCP velocities without the cost of a PCP filling station. Nitrogen molecules are larger than compressed air molecules minimizing leakage and keeping the internals clean.

Once the cartridge design was proven, Umarex built the Komplete NCR rifle around it. To make the whole package appealing, they conservatively priced the Komplete NCR with an Axeon scope and NitroAir cartridge at $200. For the first time, shooters have a ready-to-shoot PCP airgun right out of the box. A two pack of NitroAir runs $25 with each canister dispensing about 50 shots. I expect additional NitroAir-powered airgun models are in the works.

Pros

• No additional costs for high-pressure filling stations.
• Ready to hit the field right out of the box.
• Similar utility to PCP airguns.

Cons

• Long-term costs can be pricey for frequent shooters.
• Only one rifle is currently available, but more are expected to be released.

Summary

Like firearms, airguns send projectiles down a barrel. The difference is that they produce less power, which limits their effective range. When used within their capabilities they are great for pest control, predator management, hunting, competitive shooting, and a firearms training substitute.

Sound Off

Have an airgun you would like to recommend? Want to see some more airgun-related content? Email your thoughts to gaeditor@outdoorsg.com with the subject line "Sound Off".

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