What Exactly is an Airgun?
An airgun (also called an air rifle, pellet gun or BB gun) is any type of projectile weapon that propels it’s ammunition by means of compressed air or other gas (Co2). This is in contrast to a firearm which uses an explosive charge to propel its ammo. Both the rifle and pistol forms (air rifle and air pistol) typically shoot metallic projectiles, either pellets, or BBs as opposed to an Airsoft gun which fires a plastic BB via compressed air. Specific types of airguns, usually rifles, can also fire arrows.
The Modern Day Airgun
What are Airguns Used For?
Airguns can be used for a variety of things ranging from hunting, and pest control, to recreational shooting (commonly known as plinking). They are also used for competitive sports, such as the Olympic 10meter Air Rifle event and 10meter Air Pistol event. Airguns are also used in Field Target shooting (FT) competitions which is form of target shooting where the targets are knock-down metal silhouettes of animals, with ‘kill zones’ cut out of the steel plate. Hunter Field Target(HFT) shooting events use identical equipment as FT competitions but have slightly different rules. FT and HFT competitions are shot at distances ranging between 7.3meters(24ft) and 41.1 meters(135ft) for HFT, and 7.3meters and 50.29meters (24.0 and 165.0 ft) for FT. Both types of competitions use varying sizes of ‘reducers’ to increase or decrease the size of the kill zone. In the United Kingdom, competition power limits are set at the legal maximum for an unlicensed air rifle of 12ftpe (16 J).
Airgun Calibers
The most common airgun calibers are:
- .177 (4.5mm): the most common caliber. All official shooting organizations mandate .177 caliber for both pistol and rifle competition. Used in ISSF shooting events at the Olympic Games. It has the flattest trajectory of all the calibers for a given energy level, making accuracy simpler. At suitable energy levels it can be used effectively for hunting.
- .22 (5.5mm & 5.6mm): for hunting and general use.
Other less common traditional calibers include:
- .20 (5mm): initially proprietary to the Sheridan multi-pump pneumatic air rifle, later more widely used.
- .25 (6.35mm): the largest commonly available caliber for most of the 20th century.
Larger caliber air rifles suitable for hunting large animals are offered by major manufacturers. These are usually PCP guns. The major calibers available are:
- .357
- .45 (11.43mm)
- .50 (12.7mm)
- .58 (14.5mm)
Custom airguns are available in even larger calibers such as 20 mm (0.79caliber) or .87caliber (22.1 mm.
Learn More About Airguns:
AIRGUN HISTORY
HOW AIRGUNS ARE POWERED
WHY BUY AN AIRGUN
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