When my buddy Dave first told me about how powerful airguns can be I’ll admit I knew nothing about modern airguns but after significant research, I now know tons about what types of airguns are out there, and which is best for each situation.
If you’re looking to buy an airgun it can be scary. You want to make sure you’re getting the best gun for you and your unique situation. If you are just looking for what the different types of airguns are out there the answer can be easy. I could just give you a simple list. There are Spring Piston, Gas Piston, Multi-Pump, CO2 and Precharged Pneumatic (PCP) airguns. Boom! Answered. You and I know there is more to it than that. Each airgun operates differently and has unique pros and cons. Instead of stopping here with that list I gave you let me give you a brief overview of each airgun type, then let me help you fit that type with the correct usage.
Get Me There Now Please
As we discussed above there are five basic types of Airguns. There are variations within these types if you really want to start getting picky. If you’re only interested in reading about a particular airgun type you can jump straight there.
If you look at the order we are covering these in you’ll notice we are going to discuss the more serious and popular airguns first. The first three airguns on the list have the best potential for the widest range of options. When we get down into the multi-pump and CO2 airguns you’ll start to recognize the guns we had as kids. The more modern variants can still be more powerful than we remember, but their uses, other than special cases, will be similar.
Considerations
To help you best understand and compare the different types of airguns I’m going to discuss four primary considerations with you. We’ll talk about the powerplant, caliber, power, and consistency of each type of airgun.
Powerplant
Powerplant? I thought we were talking about airguns here. We are. When we discuss the powerplant of an airgun, what we are talking about is what provides the force to send your pellet down range. If we were talking about most firearms the powerplant is in the bullet. It’s the powder. In an airgun, the power is provided entirely by the mechanisms in the gun.
When we state airgun types what we are really stating is what type of powerplant is used inside that airgun.
Caliber
Not all airguns are created equal and not all airguns can effectively use the same calibers of pellets. The range of pellet calibers can go anywhere from .177 all the way up to 50 calibers. As you can imagine the power needed to get a .177 pellet down range is much different than required for that 50 caliber pellet. I’m going to briefly cover this, but if you want to know more about calibers you can check out our article here that covers it more in depth.
Consistency
Notice I didn’t say accuracy. Lots of shooters love to talk about accuracy, but the best shooters talk about consistency more. The ability to create small groups of shots will lead to long-term success. I’m talking about semantics here, but it’s an important distinction. Some airguns can be very accurate under different specific circumstances but still be considered inconsistent.
Usage
Lastly, we want to talk about where each airgun excels. Combining the three categories we’ve already talked about we can really zero in on the best airgun for every situation. Every one of you readers has a different purpose in mind, but I assure you there is an airgun for you.
These bad boys are so fun, I’m excited to get into this with you. Let’s go.
Spring Piston
Let’s start this off by talking about one of the most popular airguns for beginners. Believe it or not, these airguns have been around since about 1840 in some form or another. For reasons, we’ll discuss below these airguns excel at small game hunting and target plinking. If you are looking for a long lasting airgun that will be great for learning the basics this is where you should start.
Power Plant
As you can imagine the powerplant for this type of airgun is a spring. Basically, you cock the airgun and compress the spring. When you pull the trigger the spring pushes a piston forward, compressing air behind a pellet, and firing it down range.
Springs are a great powerplant, but they have a power limitation. Using the science of levers we are able to compress a very strong spring, but even with a lever, we can only do so much. A spring piston airgun just can’t be as powerful as some of its counterparts on this list. Don’t count it out just yet though. Technology has accomplished some wonderful things, and some spring airguns are very powerful.
Caliber
Because of the limitation we discussed, spring piston airguns typically use pellets from .177 up to .25 caliber. This caliber range is perfect for plinking away at targets at home or taking down small game. While all three calibers can be used for these two purposes I like to think .177 is best for targets at home, .22 is great at both, and .25 is for people focusing on hunting. Keep in mind .177 and .22 are the most common. .25 has a lot of really positive attributes but just hasn’t caught on as much.
Usage
I’ve already mentioned it, but spring piston airguns are amazing for beginners. Their smaller size and caliber mean they can be used to target practice in more situations. They are still guns, and are therefore dangerous and should be treated with care, but depending on your location you are more likely to be able to practice with one in your backyard. Lots of firearm owners who want a gun for taking care of pests quickly and quietly will employ a .22 air rifle.
Probably the best use of a springer is for hunting small game, particularly with your children, although hunting small game is fun at any age.
Some people are turned off by the difficulty inherent in shooting a springer. These guns are notorious in the need for perfecting the artillery hold to really get the most out of it. I find this style of gun to be very rewarding. It takes work to master, but once mastered provides amazing long lasting results above some of their counterparts that perform a little easier out of the gate.
Next up we’re going to cover a gas piston airgun. You’ll find spring and gas piston airguns are incredibly similar. If you are struggling between the spring piston vs gas piston check out my article on exactly that topic here.
Pros:
- Simple
- Cheap
- Accurate (If used correctly)
- No external accessories besides pellets “required”
- Easy maintenance
- Parts readily available
- Provides ample room for the shooter to grow
- Light (but heavier than Gas Piston)
Cons:
- Difficult to master particularly early
- Heavy recoil for an airgun
- Springs can weaken (not such an issue with modern guns)
- Not as powerful as PCP
Gas Piston
Gas piston airguns, also known as gas ram, owe their origin to the automobile industry where coiled springs have been replaced in many vehicles by a gas spring. Some people think these are replacing springers, but I believe they co-exist nicely. There are reasons to use both.
Powerplant
That’s what’s going on inside a gas piston airgun. Briefly, what happens when you cock a gas piston airgun is you compress a gas. When you pull the trigger that gas wants to expand very quickly. This drives the piston forward compressing air behind the pellet. Notice how similar this is to the spring piston air rifle?
Caliber
While there are many really cool reasons to consider a gas piston different caliber pellets is not one of them. The gas piston provides comparable power to its spring filled counterpart. This means you are looking at .177, .22 and .25 calibers.
Consistency
For high consistency, right out of the gate you want to look at a gas piston. While springers require significant practice getting used to the artillery hold the gas piston air rifle performs better immediately. Once you’ve mastered some shooting basics you should expect similar solid results. At the same time don’t expect as dramatic an improvement as you’ll find with a springer.
Some people complain about a harsher firing cycle, and they are right. The speed of the gas releasing does bring some different challenges. It’s this harsher firing cycle that will limit top end consistency.
Here’s the thing though, when I talk about the difference in accuracy between a springer and gas ram after you’ve had some practice I’m talking some pretty small degrees of difference. It’s the type of thing you notice when you’ve been shooting for awhile and are aiming to continue to improve. It isn’t the type of thing that’s going to commonly mean a kill or a miss.
Usage
I really like gas pistons for pest control and small game hunting, though target plinking is equally viable. The reason I like this gun for hunting over target shooting is the immediate accuracy. I think of these as a gun for someone that wants to have immediate results. Who wants to take the time to learn how to perfect an artillery hold while a rabbit is munching away at your garden.
If you read between the lines I like the concept of the rewarding experience of a springer, but I really like the out of the box performance of gas pistons. Dave owns a gas piston he specifically picked up for getting rid of dangerous pests on his farm and he loves it.
Pros:
- Less practice time required to be accurate
- Can be left cocked
- Lighter than spring gun counterpart
- No spring vibration to account for
- Fast lock time
- Lasts a very long time
Cons:
- Harsh firing cycle
- When there is a problem requires an expensive specialist to fix
- Not as powerful as PCP
Precharged Pneumatic
The Pre-charged Pneumatic (PCP) is the powerplant that really gets my excitement going. You can get some really cool results with these guns. For anybody into firearms or airguns, you know you can really start spending some money. PCP airguns are where you can really start spending, but for many, they are worth it. I don’t really recommend these for beginners that don’t know they are going to love the hobby.
Powerplant
How does a PCP air rifle produce its power? As the name indicates it is pre-charged. You fill a tank with incredibly compressed air. When you pull the trigger a quick burst of that compressed air is released to propel the pellet toward the target. Because the air is already contained it is much quieter than its counterparts and can be dry fired, though I still don’t recommend that. In order to compress the air, you can use a larger air tank, a special compressor or a hand pump. While a hand pump works I don’t recommend it regularly unless you are looking for a workout too. Keep in mind you are pumping these up to somewhere around 3000 PSI.
Caliber
A PCP air rifle can of course fire a .177, .22 or .25 caliber pellet, but that’s not where they really shine for many hunters. What’s really cool is a PCP is considered big bore. This means it can fire .30, .303, .357, .40, .50 caliber and in even arrow bolts. If you want to take down big game with a quiet gun PCP is what you are going to want to use.
Consistency
When it comes to consistency PCP airguns can really run the gamut, just like every other kind of gun. If you go cheap expect cheaper results. That being said, the technology has an incredibly high potential for accuracy. Probably the most important factor is the speed with which the pellet leaves the barrel. In a PCP that energy is already stored at very high pressure and is released very quickly. This means the pellet is out of the barrel before any recoil is likely to cause any problems. In a spring piston air rifle, the pressure builds up behind the pellet while the piston drives forward. This ends up meaning the pellet hasn’t left the barrel before recoil begins. Thus the artillery hold.
PCP definitely has the edge for consistency.
Usage
If you’re ready to get serious about hunting large game with an airgun you’ll want a PCP air rifle. No other airgun powerplant offers the knockdown power needed. There is really no limit here. If you can go up to .50 caliber, and you can send it down range with sufficient power you can take down most animals a regular firearm can. Keep in mind the cost of an airgun that can take down a bear isn’t going to be cheap, but it is possible.
PCP airguns can be great fun at the range too. You’ll get some funny looks when you near silently send a .357 pellet downrange. Of course with increased power is an increased danger if you decided to shoot on your own property. Make sure you have the space required. This isn’t your backyard airgun.
Pros:
- Powerful
- Can fire rapidly
- Quiet
- Consistent
- Near unlimited potential
Cons:
- Expensive
- Needs lots of external gear
Variable or Multi-Pump
If you are going to recognize an airgun from your youth chances are a multi-pump is what you’ll remember. Multi-pump airguns work very well and are great for getting kids started. I remember destroying my GI Joes with one of these bad boys.
Powerplant
The powerplant for multi-pump is basically like the pneumatics we discussed, but a multi-pump isn’t pre-charged, and it can’t hold near the same pressure. As the name indicates you pump the handle to build up the pressure in the gun. The more pumps the more pressure. When you pull the trigger the compressed air expands and the pellet is sent toward the target. The number of pumps allowed depend on the gun, it’s seels and the owner’s strength.
Caliber
The pickings for calibers for a multi-pump are a bit smaller. You’ll typically find .177 and .22. This is primarily due to the usage we’ll discuss later, but as a preview, these aren’t as high on the list for hunters. You can see how this would affect making air rifles capable of using more hunting specific calibers.
Consistency
Just like the name the consistency of these airguns is variable. For the most part, the gun will perform consistently at a given pump level. Some people really like this as it allows them to cater the number of pumps to the job at hand. I distinctly remember as a kid pumping my airgun up as much as I could every time, and I think that’s what most people end up doing. Interestingly, there is a point at which more pumps will not increase velocity, and in some cases decreases it. I haven’t done the research to determine why that is, but it’s fascinating to me, so don’t be surprised if you see an article about that someday.
One thing to consider with consistency, more for young kids, is pumping the gun can get your blood going which will affect the shooter’s ability to remain accurate. This can usually be offset by smooth and steady pumping of the airgun. The speed and cadence of your pump DO NOT affect your power. The way the pump works if you go the full range of the pump you will put just as much air in regardless of speed.
Usage
I like multi-pumps as a starter airgun for kids. It’s great for target shooting, but not practical for serious hunting. There are people who will take offense to that statement, and that’s fine. I know we used ours to take out squirrels, birds and on one memorable occasion a rabbit and it did the job. The one I had in my youth was not strong enough for an ethical kill on a rabbit at the range I took the shot. My beagle quickly finished the job for me. I was a kid and didn’t really know any better, but that was one powerful learning lesson for me.
There are reasons I don’t like multi-pumps for hunting though. Primarily the pumping is problematic. Most airguns you are taking single shots, but the cycle of reloading and cocking the gun is a pretty quick cycle. Multi-Pumps take more time, and there is no way around that. Also, the motion of pumping can very easily get your targets attention. Again, recalling my youth, I could miss a shot, and the target wouldn’t notice. I would find myself quietly trying to pump my gun up so as not to scare my target away. Sometimes successfully sometimes not.
Even in pest control, a multi-pump can be problematic for the same reason discussed above. The number of times my target disappeared while I was pumping up for those 10 pumps is more than I can count. While you can leave a multi-pump charged I don’t believe you should for safety reasons. Getting that perfect shot isn’t worth some of the danger, but maybe that’s just me.
With all that said you might be surprised that I really think these are great to learn on. I loved learning on mine. Even on a squirrel hunt the reasons I don’t like them for adults become good for kids. Primarily, one of the biggest problems with children is the excitement of the hunt and going a bit too fast. Having to take the time to pump leads to much more careful shots and starts to teach patience.
Pros:
- The variable pump allows more control
- Less expensive than other airgun types
- Great to learn with
- Powerful enough for pest control
Cons:
- Pumping is time consuming, tedious and provides an extra obstacle.
- Consistency relies on shooter to understand FPS at varying pressures
- Smaller caliber selection
- Not as multi-purpose
CO2
I’ll be honest with you and let you know right now I’m not a big fan of CO2 airguns for serious uses, but I think they can be super fun. We’ll get into it more in usage, but CO2 guns are an interesting addition to the list.
Powerplant
A CO2 airgun works very similarly to the PCP except instead of high-pressure air we are using CO2. As a gas CO2 is actually pretty fascinating, but we won’t get into it too much here. What we really need to know is that CO2 is stored at a high pressure in a cartridge, and when the trigger is pulled it will expand and fire the pellet. An incredibly important note that will come up in the consistency section is that CO2 pressure is temperature sensitive. On top of that, the expanding of the gas that pushes the pellet also causes a cooling effect. You can see where this is going to go right?
The way a CO2 airgun operates has the primary benefit of allowing rapid shots. You’ll experience diminishing returns, but you can accomplish it. Add to the rapid-fire capability small canister sizes and you have a primary powerplant for pistols on your hands.
Caliber
Again, we are looking primarily at .177 and .22 for much the same reasons as the multi-pump. I personally think these are the completely wrong choice for a hunter, and you’ll see why as we move on. With that in mind, we can see why they would be focused on pellets that can be shot more frequently in a target or backyard setting.
Consistency
Here is the biggest problem with a CO2 airgun. They are far too temperature sensitive. The weather alone can cause your shots to be off, which in a competitive target shooting setting, or a hunting setting is not ideal. On top of that, the firing of the gun will actually change the FPS since the cooling temperatures will reduce the pressure. CO2 is more volatile in the gas expansion than air power air rifles which you may notice causes inconsistent results as well. Not all users report problems with this, but it’s worth noting. I’m not saying a shooter can’t learn their gun and achieve relatively consistent shots, but a CO2 airgun is definitely at the bottom of my list in this category.
As you’ve probably picked up on by now consistency is my most important criteria. I want the shooter’s skill to be the primary concern for the shooter, not if the temperature is right for his gun.
Usage
So, with the consistency being a bit weak why would you want a CO2 airgun. They are super fun. Sometimes you want to take some fast shots. There are times you don’t need to be dead on the bullseye every time. Sometimes you want to get an air pistol out and take some shots. There are people who will hunt with these and they will work for pest control around your house too for sure.
Pros:
- Repeat fire
- Best for pistols
- Simply fun
- Easiest to cock
Cons:
- Not as consistent as the other airgun types
- Too temperature dependent
- Requires buying or refilling CO2 canisters
- Not as powerful
Final Words
I hope what we’ve covered helps you gain a stronger understanding of the types of airguns that are out there. This is basically an overview meant to start guiding you down the path to the right airgun for you. I know I glossed over a lot of important stuff here. This article is already getting pretty long so I had to make some cuts. Lucky for you I’m not about to stop writing articles. I expect you’re now interested in at least one or two of the types we described above. If you are like me you’re thinking you want to know more about how it works. I suggest you find out exactly that by going to one of the below articles:
- How Spring and Gas Piston Airguns Work (COMING SOON)
- How Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP) Airguns Work (COMING SOON)
- How Multi-Pump Airguns Work (COMING SOON)
- How CO2 Airguns Work (COMING SOON)
If you came here expecting to find out about break barrels and lever actions you’ll find those in the first article listed above. Until next time I’m out.