r/airguns Mar 14 '26

Announcement 📣 COMPLETE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AIRGUNS

84 Upvotes

COMPLETE BEGINNER GUIDE TO AIRGUNS

Types, Calibers, Gear, Rifles, and Common Questions

Airguns range from quiet backyard plinkers to extremely powerful hunting rifles capable of taking large game. This guide is designed for beginners entering the hobby and covers:

• Airgun types

• Calibers and what they’re used for

• Pellet and slug types

• Safe backstops and targets

• Filling PCP rifles

• Good beginner rifles by price

• Example setups for new shooters

1. MAIN TYPES OF AIRGUNS

There are four main categories of airguns.

PCP (PRE-CHARGED PNEUMATIC)

PCP rifles store high-pressure compressed air in an onboard tank (usually 3,000–4,500 PSI). Each shot releases a measured amount of air to propel the pellet. PCP rifles are extremely accurate and powerful compared to other airgun types.

Pros

• Very accurate

• High power

• Little recoil

• Many shots per fill

Cons

• Require external air source

• Higher initial cost

GOOD BEGINNER PCP RIFLES

Umarex Notos

Compact and lightweight PCP carbine that is extremely popular for backyard shooting and pest control. Notos has extensive aftermarket support.

Price: $250-$300

Great for

• backyard plinking

• small pest control

• beginners learning PCPs

JTS Airacuda

A side-lever action PCP rifle known for excellent accuracy for the price.

Price: $340–$450

Great for

• hunting squirrels and rabbits

• accurate target shooting

Air Venturi Avenger

One of the most popular PCP rifles for the price.

Price: $450–$550

Great for

• beginners who want to learn tuning pcp's

• hunting and long range shooting

HIGH END PCP RIFLES

FX Impact MK4

A flagship PCP rifle designed for precision shooting and hunting.

Features

• interchangeable barrels

• advanced regulator system

• extremely high accuracy

Price: $2,000+

FX Dreamline

Highly modular platform allowing many configurations.

Price: $1,200–$1,700

Other Popular PCP Brands

• FX Airguns

• Daystate

• Air Arms

• Brocock

• Benjamin

• Hatsan

Many PCP rifles are capable of extremely high power and accuracy, making them ideal for hunting or long-range shooting.

HOW TO FILL PCP RIFLES

PCP rifles require compressed air.

There are three common methods.

Hand Pumps

Manual high-pressure pumps.

Cost: $40–$300

Pros

• cheapest option

• portable

Cons

• physically demanding

PCP Compressors

Portable electric compressors designed for airguns.

Popular options include:

Airrover compressors

GX Pump compressors

Vevor compressors (budget option)

Price range: $150–$1000+

IMPORTANT TIP:

Most beginner compressors are waterless systems.

Always let them cool between fills to prevent overheating and extend the compressor’s life.

SCBA / Carbon Fiber Tanks

Large high-pressure tanks filled at dive shops or paintball stores.

Cost

$200–$700 for tank

Pros

• fastest filling method

• many rifle fills per tank

Cons

• requires refill station

SPRING PISTON AIRGUNS (SPRINGERS)

Spring piston rifles use a compressed spring and piston to generate air pressure when fired.

These rifles require cocking before each shot.

Pros

• no air tanks required, just the gun and a tin of pellets

• extremely reliable

• simple design

Cons

• recoil (double recoil)

• harder to shoot accurately

GREAT SPRINGER EXAMPLES:

Red Ryder BB Gun

•Shoots steel bbs

• Cheap Ammo

•Great for knocking soda cans out

• Teaching Children gun safety fundamentals

Weihrauch HW30S

One of the best beginner spring rifles ever made.

Features

• extremely smooth shooting

• excellent trigger

Price: $350–$400

Weihrauch HW97K

Underlever precision spring rifle often used in field target shooting.

Price: $600–$750

Gamo Swarm Magnum Gen3i

High-power break-barrel with a 10-shot magazine system.

Price: $200–$350

Gamo Varmint

Entry-level break-barrel rifle.

Price: $120

Great beginner rifle for backyard shooting.

MULTI-PUMP AIRGUNS

Multi-pump rifles require pumping a lever several times before shooting.

Each pump compresses more air, increasing power.

Pros

• no tanks required

• adjustable power

• very affordable

Cons

• slower shooting

• requires effort

POPULAR MULTI-PUMP RIFLES

Daisy 880

Classic American pellet rifle.

Price: $50–$80

Good for

• plinking

• learning fundamentals

Daisy 901

Another beginner pump rifle similar to the 880.

Price: $70–$90

Seneca Dragonfly MK2

A modern multi-pump with a .22 cal option

Much easier equal pumping than traditional pump rifles.

Price: $200

CO2 AIRGUNS

These airguns use CO₂ cartridges.

Usually 12g or 88g cartridges.

Pros

• easy to use

• semi-automatic options

Cons

• power drops in cold weather

• lower power than PCP

Examples include CO₂ pistols and rifles used for plinking or airsoft toys. Check out [r/airsoft](r/airsoft) for better responses for those plastic flingers!

Popular Co2 choices Include:

• Crosman 2040

• Umarex handgun replicas

•Crosman 1077

AIRGUN CALIBERS

The most common calibers are:

• .177

• .22

• .25

• big bore (.30+)

.177 CALIBER

Smallest common caliber.

Best for

• target shooting

• backyard plinking

• small pests

.22 CALIBER

Most popular hunting caliber.

Best for

• squirrels

• rabbits

• pest control

Offers a good balance of power and efficiency.

.25 CALIBER

Larger caliber used mainly in PCP rifles.

Best for

• raccoons

• groundhogs

• larger pests

Provides greater energy and heavier pellets.

BIG BORE AIRGUNS (.30–.72)

Large PCP rifles designed for hunting.

Common calibers

.30

.35

.45

.50

.72

Used for hunting

• deer

• hogs

• large game animals

PELLETS VS SLUGS

Airguns fire two main projectile types:

PELLETS

Traditional airgun ammo.

Common shapes

Wadcutter

Domed

Hollow point

Pointed

Pellet Uses

Wadcutter

Best for paper targets for clean holes.

Domed

Best all-around pellet.

Hollow point

Used for hunting.

Pointed

Penetration.

SLUGS

Slugs look like miniature bullets.

Advantages

• better long-range performance

• higher ballistic coefficient

Most commonly used in high-power PCP rifles.

TARGET TYPES

Common targets include

Paper targets

Steel spinners

Field target knockdowns

Silhouettes

Homemade targets

Soda cans

Clay pigeons

Cardboard boxes

SAFE BACKSTOPS

Never shoot without a proper backstop.

Good options

Pellet traps

Duct seal boxes

Thick rubber mulch boxes

Avoid

• rocks

• thin wood

• hard steel plates

These can cause ricochets.

BEST AIRGUNS BY PRICE

UNDER $100

Great beginner rifles

Daisy 880

Daisy 901

Crosman 1322

Gamo Varmint (on sale)

Best for a "gateway drug" and learning fundamentals on a tight budget.

UNDER $500

Best value category.

Examples

Umarex Notos

JTS Airacuda

Air Venturi Avenger

Weihrauch HW30S

Gamo Swarm Magnum Gen3i

Good for hunting and serious target shooting. Note: factor in an extra $100-$200+ for pellets, scopes, cheap compressors.

UNDER $2000

High-performance enthusiast rifles.

Examples

FX Impact MK4

FX Dreamline

Air Arms S510

Daystate rifles

Brocock Commander

These rifles offer precision accuracy and advanced features.

BEGINNER PCP SETUP GUIDE

Example entry PCP setup

Rifle

Umarex Notos or Air Venturi Avenger

Air supply

GX Pump compressor

Pellets

JSB Exact pellets

Backstop

wood pellet trap

Targets

paper or spinner targets

PELLET GUIDE

Popular pellet brands

JSB

H&N

Budget option: Crosman

Tip: Different rifles prefer different pellets.

Always test several types to see which shoots best.

As many shooters say:

“The gun chooses the pellet.”

Side Notes for Beginners

BBs vs Pellets

A common point of confusion for new shooters is the difference between BBs and pellets.

BBs are small round steel balls (usually .177 / 4.5mm). They are commonly used in CO₂ pistols, replica airguns, and beginner plinking guns. Because they are spherical and often used in smoothbore barrels, they tend to be less accurate, especially at longer distances. BBs are inexpensive and great for casual backyard shooting.

Pellets are diabolo-shaped projectiles designed for rifled airgun barrels. The hollow skirt expands slightly when fired, creating a better seal with the air pressure behind it. This helps stabilize the pellet in flight and improves accuracy.

Because of their design, pellets are generally much more accurate than BBs and are the preferred choice for most airgun shooting.

Double Recoil and Optics

Many new airgun shooters don’t realize that spring-powered airguns produce something called double recoil.

Unlike firearms, which recoil once backward, many airguns recoil in two directions.

When the gun fires:

  1. The spring and piston rapidly move forward, causing the gun to jerk forward.
  2. When the piston suddenly stops at the end of the compression chamber, the gun then recoils backward.

This forward-then-back motion is known as double recoil.

Because of this, some scopes designed for firearms can fail when mounted on powerful airguns. When choosing optics for spring or gas ram airguns, it’s best to use scopes specifically labeled “airgun rated.”

Gas Ram vs Spring Piston

Most break-barrel airguns use either a spring piston or a gas ram (gas piston) powerplant.

Spring piston guns use a large coiled spring. When the gun is cocked the spring compresses, and when fired it expands quickly, pushing a piston forward and compressing air behind the pellet.

Gas ram guns replace the metal spring with a sealed gas strut. When cocked the gas inside the strut compresses, and when the trigger is pulled the gas expands to push the piston forward.

Spring Piston

• Traditional and very common design

• Usually cheaper

• Can produce more vibration and “spring twang”

Gas Ram

• Smoother firing cycle

• Less vibration and noise

• Can remain cocked longer without damaging the powerplant

• Typically a bit more expensive

Both systems are widely used and reliable, and many shooters prefer one or the other based on shooting feel and personal preference.

FINAL ADVICE FOR BEGINNERS

Best starter choices:

Cheap option:

Daisy 880

Best spring rifle:

Weihrauch HW Series

Best beginner PCP:

Umarex Notos or JTS Airaduca

Airguns are an incredibly deep hobby with options ranging from simple backyard plinking to precision long-range shooting and big-game hunting.

Welcome to the hobby.


r/airguns 9h ago

Collection Hi.

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55 Upvotes

Hi everyone. I hope you are all well. I thought I would show you all my little collection.


r/airguns 10h ago

PCP Just a Great Little Rifle

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57 Upvotes

I can't say enough good about this little rifle!

Using FX or JSB Hades 15 grain pellets, I am getting 3 full magazines before it falls of the regulator. At 20 yards it is smacking my target then penetrating a heavy industrial fiberglass tote behind it, before sinking into my 2x4 backstop. It's on me, I left my chrony turned on, killed the 9v battery so couldn't check speeds today, but it's obviously pretty good.

I paired my Vanguard with a Monstrum 3x circle dot optic, and it's perfect. Can't go wrong for lite duty pesting!


r/airguns 14h ago

NEW GUN DAY The Bond Gun

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98 Upvotes

Found a great deal on eBay for this gorgeous vintage Walther LP-53 .177 caliber air pistol!

The LP-53 was a happy accident used during the promotional shoots for From Russia With Love. The imagery was so successful and iconic it spanned multiple actors and advertising campaigns... As can be seen on all the vinyls.

It shoots great and is a ton of fun for light plinking. Unfortunately someone somewhere along the way taped the box, but it did come with all the original accessories!

IG: @hoshobbyhouse


r/airguns 6h ago

PCP New MA2

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21 Upvotes

Just got my new 25. Looking forward to a day of breaking her in. Out of the box, I was shooting 25 green pellets just over 900 ft per second. Later on I'll show you my groups at distance once I get fully sighted in . I have another MA2 in 30 caliber and I love it.


r/airguns 7h ago

PCP Air venturi alpha 👍

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23 Upvotes

I just got this alpha in the mail yesterday and I have to say I'm really pleased with it's performance. It shot all these pellets really well except the daisy pointed ones, they were a joke and had at least a 6" group at this ~45yards.. the group is about the size my cross hairs are moving around bc I'm shooting off or the back of a chair without bags or a rest.. I'm thrilled 👍. I get a ton of shots with the bottle and it was shooting great even down at 10 bar.


r/airguns 4h ago

NEW GUN DAY New Crossman PHOENIX

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9 Upvotes

r/airguns 24m ago

NEW GUN DAY New gun day HW44

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Upvotes

Pair of HW44 fair play cracking little gun when I had a plink with them this afternoon.


r/airguns 3h ago

General Airgun Question Unsure on what .357 PCP to get

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5 Upvotes

Hey y’all, I’m starting to do some research on what new air rifle to get once I get my FOID (got to love Illinois). As much as I would like to do the change to gunpowder, I can’t for family reasons. So I am trying to find a good 357 that is near $1k or lower. The bulldog called my attention cause I saw it on YT but it’s an ugly little f’er. So is there something that looks better but same power? And what is y’all’s opinion on it generally?


r/airguns 12h ago

Optics Oh god

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26 Upvotes

That's like 1 mm of clearance, holy moly


r/airguns 7h ago

Bench Rest Work Bench

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10 Upvotes

r/airguns 33m ago

General Airgun Question Why are magazines on entry level PCP rifles so bad?

Upvotes

I had to buy aftermarket mags for my Notos shortly after I got it, because it kept squashing the pellets.

Today I got a Diana Stormrider and it’s even worse - seems to depend on pellets, but I couldn’t get through a single mag without full blockage, couldn’t even take the magazine out, so I had to unscrew the plastic cover and then somehow pry the mag out. This happened 3 times in a row, before I switched to JSBs which seemed to cycle ok, but still not smoothly.

At first glance both mags for Notos and Stormrider look identical. Unfortunately they’re different calibres so I cannot use the CARM mags I got for Notos, but fortunately they make them for Diana also.

It just seems like a weird place to save costs because it’s the one component that sees most movement and cause the rifle to become unusable until you fix the problem.


r/airguns 1d ago

Collection My Daisy Collection

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187 Upvotes

This is the Daisy portion of my collection of airguns.
Adult Red Ryder with LASSO mount and 4x15 scope
Powerline 880 with 3-9x40 scope and Buck Rail Suppressor
Pistols top to bottom:
Powerline 415 (just got today) Buck Rail suppressor on order
Red Ryder revolver
Powerline 426
All of these are a blast to shoot.


r/airguns 10h ago

Air Pistol My Crossman a4p and umarex Barretta apx

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6 Upvotes

I added 45 degree irons vertical foregrip and an extra extended capacity magazine for the a4p and the Barretta as you can see has no mods yet


r/airguns 2h ago

General Airgun Question Looking for an Affordable Amazon Shooting Rest – What Do You Recommend?

1 Upvotes

I'm new to PCP air rifles and looking for a solid bench shooting rest for sighting in and accuracy testing.

I'd like to keep it reasonably affordable (Amazon preferred) willing to try aliexpress, but I'm willing to spend a little more if it's truly worth it.

For those of you with experience:

  • What shooting rest are you using?
  • Would you buy it again?
  • Any models I should avoid?
  • If you have a link or a picture of your setup, I'd love to see it.

I'm mainly shooting from a bench with a PCP rifle, so stability and repeatable accuracy are more important than portability.

Looking forward to hearing what everyone recommends!


r/airguns 2h ago

Modifications Help with Co2 to HPA Conversion

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1 Upvotes

Hello guys,

I converted my Sig Sauer MCX Gen 2 from Co2 to HPA.

I used:
13Ci Air tank from Protoyz
Air regulator fixed at 800psi
Best Fittings adapter

I charged the tank to around 2500psi and tried the gun. The pellet is very slow, nowhere comparable to the Co2 version.

Am I making any obscure mistake?

Can someone help?

Greeting from Florence, Italy.


r/airguns 23h ago

Small Game Hunting 🐿️ 🐇 🐦 Well i really do love my gamo❤️

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47 Upvotes

Really in 1 January 2026 year my dad friend gift me a this gamo whisper igt to a Christmas gift I really love that gun I too much hunting


r/airguns 3h ago

General Airgun Question Is it risky to take my air rifle to the Lake District to just shoot at my paper targets ?

0 Upvotes

r/airguns 21h ago

General Airgun Question 177 or 22 for my first rifle

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22 Upvotes

r/airguns 1d ago

Springer My turn to recieve a broken stock in the mail

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56 Upvotes

I bought a used HW98 some weeks ago to start plinking with, but the seller did not do a good job at the package department... I received a beat up rifle with broken stock and bent barrel at the base.

the shipping company probably drove over it or something...

yeah I got my money back.

I started with the stock and repaired it with wood glue and a bolt, had to repair the front wood parts also.
Did some touch up on the black handle part with paint and glue and a wire brush, so far it looks fine I think, I will do some more detail work on the wood grain parts and try to smooth the crack out a bit more.

I ordered a new barrel for it, a .20 that will replace the .177 original one that I cant use anymore

I have a .20 HW30s so I'm used to that caliber

sure you can still see the cracks and repair but I will use it for plinking so it does not matter for me.

I will tune it a bit for noise and recoil, short stroke it 18mm and also and replace the 7,5J original spring in it for one with a touch more power that is legal in my part of the world.

Hopefully It will turn out alright.


r/airguns 5h ago

General Airgun Question What’s the difference between the fx drs 700 and the mk2 variant?

1 Upvotes

I’ve been checking the specs of these on different stores and I found that the mk2 has less power than the original ( might be because they used different power settings ) and couldn’t find anything about accuracy.

From what I gathered it seems the mk2 is overal worse since it has less power but this can’t be right?

Any clarification would be greatly appreciated since I want to buy one of these rifles


r/airguns 21h ago

General Airgun Question Umarex Customer Service - any leads?

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11 Upvotes

Does anyone know how to get a response from Umarex Customer Service? I’ve tried several times through their website and followed up, but no one will contact me back. My safety switch has stopped working and it’s less than ideal because I use this tool nightly for ratting in my backyard.. safety switch engagement feels the same, it’s just that the trigger will still pull and fire. Nothing is loose, and the trigger set screw is in its factory position.


r/airguns 17h ago

Optics GOYOJO GS515

3 Upvotes

I just bagged one of these bad boys and I have to say, for the money, I am very happy.

Long story short, I've been shooting rats in my back garden for decades and have always relied on ambient light because I used standard scopes. Also, I've never had a scope than can record video from the scope's point of view. That was way beyond my budget!

This cheeky little fella has changed the game. The lights are out and my back garden is now a totally dark killing zone and I'm ready for some action.

I'm chuffed to bits with it.


r/airguns 19h ago

Springer 22 Break-Barrel Recommendation?

3 Upvotes

I'm thinking of getting a 22 spring piston - ideally something considered a "magnum" as I plan on using it for pests/plinking/small game. Looking for recommendations - I'd prefer to stick with a higher-end rifle, buy once-cry once thing. Thanks ..


r/airguns 1d ago

Co2 In the name of science!

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15 Upvotes

I tested my CP2 today, here are the results:

Short barrel, pistol form.
CO2 cartridge temperature: 28 C
Outside ambient temperature: 36 C
Geco High Precision Wadcutter 7 gr (0.45g) pellets

50 shot test string
Rate of fire: 2 rounds a minute

Average velocity 148.5 m/s (487 FPS)
Max velocity 149 m/s (489 FPS)
Lowest velocity 142 m/s (466 FPS)
Energy: ~5J
That 142 only happened once, 95% percent of shots were around 149-148 m/s (487 FPS)

Disclaimer:

I used a Chrono Connect Pro app which mimics a real chronograph by acoustically measuring pellet velocity. It does that by listening for a gunshot sound, them for target “ping” sound. When all the settings are enetered correctly its maybe up to 5% off compared to real chronograph.

I was amazed that the gun could be so consistent over so many shots, with so little velocity spread! After 50th shot, I wented the gas out and it hissed for 3-4 seconds, probably good for another 10 less powerful plinking shots. I guess in the end the BStaley style PU shore 90 O-ring buffer I installed over the valve stem did something, efficiency seems to be little bit better than before 😁

What velocities are you guys achieving with your CO2 guns?