What Are Air Guns?

Air guns are a type of gun that uses mechanical energy from compressed gas to propel and accelerate projectiles, similar to the primitive blowgun. Unlike firearms, which use chemical energy produced by the exothermic deflagration of black powder or smokeless powder, air guns are powered by mechanical expansion of compressed gases like nitrogen and carbon dioxide from an external reservoir. Most commonly, these weapons are used for marksmanship training and target shooting with BBs (named after the projectile they shoot), but darts containing tranquilizing drugs can also be fired to immobilize animals for handling or capture.

While air rifles come in a variety of sizes and power levels, the best ones are accurate enough for small game hunting. Some enthusiasts even customize their air rifles with accessories such as bipods and aftermarket stocks to improve accuracy or enhance the overall look and feel of their equipment.

There are 6 different types of air rifles to choose from. Each has advantages and disadvantages that make it a good fit for some users but not others.

Break barrel air rifles are powered by pumping a large reservoir of compressed air that is released each time the trigger is pulled. This allows the user to control their power, applying just 2 pumps for plinking to up to 12 pumps when they want knock down power. These guns typically have no recoil and can be left cocked for long periods of time because they don’t require re-cocking every shot. airsoft gear