A new generation of ultra-accurate and powerful air rifles is changing the way we hunt. The modern airgun can rival the performance of a centerfire in terms of accuracy and terminal impact. This is a rapidly growing sector of the industry and one that we at Pyramyd are excited to be a part of. The popularity of these guns is also reflected in the fact that many firearm competitions have added air gun divisions to their lineup. Serious air rifle shooters will often equip their tank-powered models with precision, specialized airgun scopes.
There are four main categories of air rifle: small game PCPs, cross-over guns that can be used for both small game and predators, primary big-game guns, and big bore powerhouses capable of shooting through steel at 1,000 yards and beyond. Each of these categories has several purpose-designed airguns to choose from.
Piston-powered air rifles are the most common and generally the least expensive. They are a break barrel design that you charge by cocking a lever to retract a spring, which then pushes an internal piston to propel the pellet. They are chambered for.177 and.22 caliber pellets and are capable of launching a pellet from the muzzle at less than 1,000 feet per second (fps).
Big-bore air rifles – in the.30 to.72 caliber range – have grown in popularity. These powerhouses are capable of taking large game like deer, elk, pronghorn, and bear with the right caliber and ft-lb of energy. A search of YouTube for big-bore airgun videos will turn up examples of people ringing steel at 1,500 yards or more with these remarkable machines. Many states now allow big-game hunters to take hogs and exotics with big-bore airguns during regular big-game seasons. air rifles