I remember shooting my dad’s inaccurate Gamo rifle as a child. You couldn’t hit anything, and the barrel was looser than Bill Clinton.
The world of air guns has come a long way since then. In 2023, we will be able to shoot harder, more accurately, and with more style than ever before.
The capabilities of PCPs, or pre-charged pneumatic rifles, make them perfect for hunting small game at a fraction of the price. They are unbelievably accurate, and you can silence them to a whisper.
Air guns are also making it possible to do basic firearms training at home without shooting yourself in the foot.
Some are even being used for self-defense, mustering enough power to knock someone off their feet.
Air guns don’t require the same regulations as genuine firearms, which makes them all the more attractive.
There are so many to choose from, so which are the best?
In this topic, we will discuss some of the best airguns around and some good ones that will come out in 2023.
Table of Contents
10: Winchester Air Rifles Model 12 Pump-Action BB Gun
The realism of airsoft and BB guns never stops amazing me. When you can find a replica that is the same weight and size as your genuine firearms, training becomes inexpensive and simple.
That’s sort of the idea with the Winchester Model 12 pump-action BB gun. It’s modeled after none other than the Model 12 Winchester shotgun, which has become the poster child for pump-action shotguns. The Model 12 BB is smaller to accommodate younger shooters. This is perfect for teaching your kids everything they need to know about a shotgun, as well as the importance of gun safety.
The .177 BB-firing shotgun holds 12 rounds in the spring-loaded magazine, and each time you pump, a new round is loaded, just like the real thing! It shoots around 350 feet per second, so make sure you get some good eyewear for the youngsters. A BB gun like this is essential for anyone with kids who want to learn the basics of shooting.
9: Stoeger S800-E TAC Suppressed Airgun
Breakneck rifles seem to be a thing of the past, but there are always improvements being made to keep them relevant. Sure, you can only fire one shot at a time, and the barrel needs to be “broken” to load your round into the barrel.
This doesn’t change the fact that they are loads of fun, easy-to-use, and cost pennies compared to other options. If you want a high-quality break-barrel airgun, the Stoeger S800 will be a great option. It’s powered by a gas-ram system instead of a standard spring, which tends to wear out quicker and send harmful vibrations through the gun. This also helps to keep it silenced. When I say silence, don’t expect a whisper. Breaknecks are notoriously loud beasts.
The Stoeger comes with interchangeable grips and cheek welds for maximum comfort. It shoots a .177 pellet at a whopping 1200 fps. Perfect for hunting birds or doing some long-distance plinking.
8: Benjamin Marauder Semi-Automatic PCP
If you’ve never shot a PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) air rifle, I would recommend you give it a try. Sure, it’s not as powerful as a real firearm, but it’s accurate and deadly to small game.
The Benjamin Marauder is a semi-automatic PCP capable of shooting 950 feet per second. This may not seem like much until you consider that a .22 traveling at this speed can kill deer and wild boar. Of course, this will be at a range of 60 yards or closer with the right pellet and scope set-up.
Since PCPs have no recoil to speak of, they shoot right on target. It features a rifled steel barrel, so expect dead-on accurate shots. One refill of the Marauder’s air tanks allows for 60 shots. A sturdy 10-round magazine is included in the package as well. The Benjamin Marauder takes the prize for the best all-rounder PCP, but it is not the most accurate. That title belongs to the next runner-up.
7: Rapid Air Weapons HM 1000x LRT Chassis Rifle
If you want to slice a playing card in half with a pellet, the Rapid Air Weapons HM 1000x is the way to go. You will consistently shoot through the same hole with the RAW chassis rifle, so make sure you get a good scope to go with it.
The rifle features a Lothar Walther polygonal rifled barrel, a match-grade trigger, carbon fiber parts, and a consistent regulator to create a PCP that shoots like a dream. These features make for a really tight, controlled shooting experience that can’t be matched. The one magazine included in the box holds 12 rounds of .22 or .25. For maximum precision, use the 22. If you want to pack a punch, the .25 will get the job done at 900 feet per second.
The 480cc carbon fiber air tank ensures 50–60 shots per refill, depending on the caliber. If you can afford the hefty price tag, just know you will be getting a product that is at the top of the PCP line.
6: Diana 54 Airking Pro Laminated Air Rifle
Diana has been making air rifles since 1890. The German company has so much experience behind its name that you can always expect the highest level of quality and craftsmanship. If you see a Diana 54 laminated air rifle in a shop, chances are it will be the first to catch your eye.
The Diana 54 looks beautiful with its red and black laminated stock, but it doesn’t stop impressing there. The contoured wooden stock is shaped perfectly to get a natural, comfortable hold. Diana rifles are known for their accuracy, but their power often suffers as a result. This is not the case with the Diana 54. It shoots at 1100 feet per second in a .177 and 900 feet per second in .22, while maintaining its pinpoint accuracy.
One of the smartest additions to the Diana is the side-cocking lever. This keeps the barrel fixed so it doesn’t loosen and skew over time. Another awesome feature is the action. It moves with every shot, mitigating recoil for a pleasant shooting experience. More pellet gun manufacturers should follow Diana’s design lead, as they have created a spring-piston powered masterpiece.
5: Umarex AirSaber
The introduction of airbows took the crossbow world by storm. It is essentially a PCP with a barrel modified to accommodate bolts. If you don’t think this is the coolest thing ever, you might be watching the wrong channel. The Umarex AirSaber is one of the best airbows on the market right now.
Many airbows suffer from a clunky, awkward design, but Umarex has taken the AirSaber to new heights. They’ve kept the typical rifle design, which is super comfortable to hold and shoot. I would hate to be on the wrong side of an Airbow. It shoots the bolts out with extreme precision at a speed of 450 feet per second. This is equivalent to high-powered hunting crossbows and has enough power to take down large game such as bears.
The air tank has an integrated pressure gauge and enough charge for 25 high-powered shots. A 4×32 scope is included in the package, as well as three 100-grain carbon fiber arrows. The Umarex AirSaber truly takes big game hunting to a whole new level, with no strings attached.
4: Hatsan PileDriver
We showed you the most accurate PCP as well as the best all-rounder. Now it’s time for the most powerful. If the name doesn’t give it away, shooting it will. The Hatsan PileDriver is a big-bore PCP, offered in .45 or .50-caliber models. It is ranked as the most powerful production PCP on the market.
The PileDriver launches a .50-caliber pellet at more than 800 feet per second and 700 feet with a .45 pellet. To put this into perspective, a genuine 1911 pistol fires a .45 round at 835 feet per second. Sure, that is a heavier round, but the power is extremely impressive for a rifle that uses no gunpowder. There is no magazine on the PileDriver. You load a single round at a time, so you don’t have to worry about jams and misfeeds.
The 480cc carbon fiber cylinder fills to 300 bars, which allows for 6 shots. It is a small shot count compared to other PCP’s but something tells me you won’t need as many rounds. The Hatsan PileDriver has a bullpup design that is comfortable to hold and carry, so you can be assured of comfort with every high-power shot.
3: Air Venturi Springfield Armory XD-E BB Pistol
Training pistols are a brilliant option for those who don’t want to spend crazy amounts of money at a genuine shooting range. Getting to the range can be tough, and then there’s the added cost of ammunition and range fees to worry about.
BB pistols like the Air Venturi Springfield Armory XD-E allow us gun nuts to hone our skills at home. The XD-E BB pistol is an exact replica of the real thing, so you can get a proper feel for your gun without accidentally shooting the neighbors. Since all the features are in the right place, you can train magazine reloads, holstering, and gun disarms as though it were a real firearm. It even has a blowback feature, meaning the slide launches back with every shot, simulating recoil and making sure you keep your hand in the right position.
The real steel construction weighs 30 ounces, which is about the average weight of many pistols on the market. It shoots at 380 feet per second and holds 18 rounds in the magazine, so make sure you bring your eye protection.
2: LCS Air Arms SK-19 Automatic Air Rifle
If full-auto makes you excited like a kid on Christmas, wait until you get your hands on the LCS SK-19 rifle. This beauty is both semi- and full automatic, so you can open her up for some serious destruction. A handy AR-style selector switch allows you to choose between the full, semi, and safe options.
LCS Air Arms promises you can run through the 19-shot magazine in less than three seconds. This will make for some serious fun if you set up the right targets. Many full automatic PCPs suffer from feeding issues, but the SK-19 seems to be ingenious in its design. The rotary magazine is full-metal, and from the looks of it, it feeds every round without a hitch.
You’d think a full-auto pellet rifle would be inaccurate. You couldn’t be more wrong. The SK-19 features a Lothar Walther rifled barrel for extreme precision, even in full auto. It also pushes out insane power, firing a .25 close to 1000 feet per second. A .22 version is also available for the faint of heart.
1: UMAREX USA Prepared 2 Protect HDP 50 Less-Than-Lethal Pepper Ball Air Pistol
Umarex is one of the biggest companies in the airgun industry at the moment, specializing in high-quality goods that get the job done. One of these is the Umarex HDP 50, or TP50. The Home Defense Pistol has gained a lot of popularity around the world for its home defense capabilities.
If you live in the United States, you know you can walk into a gun shop, get a background check, and purchase a genuine firearm. In other countries, gun laws are strict, so much so that it could take a year to get your license to carry. Many people have turned to the power of the HDP-50 as an easier, safer alternative to home intruders. It fires a.50-caliber solid, rubber, or pepper round at 375 feet per second. At this speed, solid rounds are known to drop assailants immediately or cause severe bruising at the least. With a combination of solids and pepper rounds in your magazine, you could confidently defend your home from an attacker.
The only issue I have with the HDP 50 is the integrated under-barrel magazine. This makes reloads a bit slow, but other than that, the HDP-50 could cause some serious harm to someone who goes where they shouldn’t.
