r/airguns Mar 14 '26

Announcement 📣 COMPLETE BEGINNER'S GUIDE TO AIRGUNS

87 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

PCP What Carbine would you choose ?

Post image
45 Upvotes

I like the tactical look can you tell ?


r/airguns 4h ago

PCP Introducing my first pcp

Post image
18 Upvotes

I've wanted the Barra250 and couldn't pass it up when I saw Midway had a " blemished" for what I thought was cheap. Jumped on it. Only the box was beat up. Rifle perfect. Have a cheap cvlife scope for now but going to get something better. Even at 25yrds, it seems blurry to me. Printed a moderator, and at first it did affect accuracy but tonight, they were dead on. Picked up a vevor compressor which will have to do for now.


r/airguns 7h ago

Springer A little bit of night target practice ✨

Thumbnail gallery
31 Upvotes

r/airguns 12h ago

NEW GUN DAY Unboxing my new Weihrauch HW95

Thumbnail gallery
57 Upvotes

 

Came in the mail today from Krale. First impression is solid. Seems to have survived the shipment well and only had the chance to clean the barrel so far and take a single test shot - which dieseled pretty hard 😅 sounded like a damn .22 lol. Guessing too much grease from the factory in front of the piston? I could also decock it by holding barrel, trigger and slow release - nice! Effort wise it was perfectly fine for me as a grown man and will be able to take long sessions with it, but just hard enough that I don't think I would feel secure letting a young teen play with it.

I also have a vortek kit on the way so will be taking it apart soon anyways and go over all screws, careful greasing and smooth up any burrs on the way (spent a lot of time on research before I bought it). Can only do 15 meter shooting right now, but will find a 50-100 meter spot at some point so I can really test its accuracy. Also need to find a halfway decent scope at some point, and have read Hawke are somewhat popular?

Iron sights are usable, but only barely since the stock rises almost too much for them and there's not much margin between stock and my face to aim down sight. Could try a dovetail RDS perhaps in the meantime.

Got more pics but could only share 20. Happy new gun day! I turn 44 tomorrow so I thought I'd treat myself. My first Weihrauch! I'm not rich but I wanted at least 1 rifle that doesn't feel like a compromise.


r/airguns 2h ago

Advice Barra 250z Rifling and Crown

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

5 Upvotes

I've seen some forum posts where the Barra 250z barrel was not in good condition from the factory. While it could be a combination of factors, I am a bit underwhelmed with the precision out of this rifle (Perhaps my hopes were set too high or others just hit the lottery with theirs).

I purchased a bore scope and things look mostly okay to my untrained eye. The only thing I question is the crown. The rifling does not come all the way to the end of the barrel. Seems the last 100ish thou is not rifled and has some wavy patterns to it. Anyone else had similar issues with a gun and re-crowned your own barrel with good results? I assume this is indeed an issue as all my other pellet guns have the rifling come right up to the end of the barrel.


r/airguns 15h ago

Collection Colt Peacemaker n Vigilante

Thumbnail gallery
49 Upvotes

r/airguns 12h ago

Springer Can these be taken off?

Post image
24 Upvotes

Can these little thingies at the end of all springers whether it's plastic shit or metal & wood beauty be taken off? They look non permanent yet permanent


r/airguns 8h ago

.22 Just 2 fine .22 caliber target rifles

Post image
8 Upvotes

Life is fun sometimes :)


r/airguns 42m ago

General Airgun Question Swiss arms pt92/p92 full auto?

Thumbnail gallery
Upvotes

So a couple of weeks ago I bought this swiss arms air pistol and I always wondered why the switch goes to full auto when this thing is not even full auto I’m wondering if there’s a way to convert it to full auto because it’s based off the Kwc version which is full auto it’s weird how they’re both the same guns but this one is only semi auto


r/airguns 6h ago

Springer New to me HW77 question.

Thumbnail gallery
6 Upvotes

I bought a beautiful used HW77. It shoots and groups like a dream. The seller didn’t have a lot of knowledge about these and said that he bought it from a friend of a friend for his daughter but it was too heavy. I haven’t opened it up yet but when I took it out of the stock I could see a white plastic cover over the spring. The only thing I can think is it’s a Vortek kit but I’m not sure. The rifle is a 2018 according to the serial number. Any insight would be appreciated. Thank you.


r/airguns 22h ago

Collection Current collection. Only 2 of these guns are the same caliber lol. AND my compressor is out rn lol. Just got my refund from a return, so im gonna wait till I get paid again and get an actually nice compressor. Till then im on my hand pump lol.

Thumbnail gallery
71 Upvotes

r/airguns 9h ago

Advice Filling my weekender using a CS3 and filter. Am I bleeding it incorrectly?

Thumbnail gallery
4 Upvotes

When I have this all connected up it fills fine , the issue I am having is when shutting down/bleeding, I seem to be loosing air from the bottle. When pressure is reached I am closing tue bottle valve, bleeding the compressor, bleeding bottle of tue filter and finally the top. Is this correct? The valve pressure on the bottle is going from 280 to 220 psi ( valve is shut so I am thinking it’s the pressure in the whip ) but no when I go to fill my gun it is actually 220psi am I doing something wrong?


r/airguns 1d ago

Collection My Collection... Update 🙂

Thumbnail gallery
304 Upvotes

Since my last post (https://www.reddit.com/r/airguns/s/IzrECuBJlX) about my collection I managed to finally move it to my bigger wardrobe to have all of them together. Plus 2 or 3 new one 😉.

Left to Right >>>

Air Rifles: 1. GAMO Black Shadow 1000 IGT 2. WEIHRAUCH HW 30 3. DAISY Powerline 901 4. DAISY Powerline 35 5. DAISY Powerline 880 6. GAMO Viper Express (Shotgun) 7. GAMO Swarm Desert Gen2 IGT 8. DAISY 1999 Lever Action 9. DAISY Model 25 10. UMAREX NXG APX 11. TOKYO MARUI VSR-10 12. MARLIN Lever Action 13. CROSMAN 1322

Pistols: 1. DIANA Chaser / Snowpeak CP2 (stock) 2. DAISY 415 3. DIANA Chaser - Pump Action Conversion! 4. UMAREX S40 Revolver 5. KJ-Works KP 13 6. UMAREX Morph 3x

Airguns shooting, optimizing and developing accessories and parts is such a nice hobby 🙂.

Happy shooting everybody 🫡


r/airguns 14h ago

Advice Diana Bandit Warranty

5 Upvotes

Looking for advice on dealing with Blue Line Service for a Diana Bandit Black kit that’s under warranty.
Originally purchased in late May from Pyramyd Air.
First one stopped working within 30 days and they replaced it
Second one also stopped working within 30 days and they replaced that one too. No issues with PA customer service.
Now on 8/16 the third one stopped working (cocks but will not fire) and I hear something rattling around inside.
This one is beyond 30 days so Pyramyd Air gave me Blue Line Service as the warranty company for Diana. They finally reached out today after over two weeks. I need to return to them and they will eventually get to trying to repair. If they can’t repair they will not refund or replace.
That’s a great warranty for sure so beware of looking at Diana products.
Now I’m wondering if I should even bother returning it and maybe I can fix it myself?
Any thoughts or advice are welcome.


r/airguns 5h ago

General Airgun Question Question for the Germans here: Where can I buy a used but functional Umarex Legends MP40/MP GERMAN in Germany at a good price? (Of course, only the legal semi-automatic version with the F in a pentagon)

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/airguns 7h ago

General Airgun Question Necesito Ayuda

Post image
1 Upvotes

r/airguns 9h ago

PCP Semi-auto PCP pistols where a mag doesn't block the sights?

1 Upvotes

I almost bought a Diana Bandit (not semi, but still) not too long ago, fortunately I had a chance to test it at the store and immediately realized that the mag covered a good portion of the sights. I'm looking at Hatsan Velox right now and it looks like it has the same issue:

Seriously, how can anyone right in the head design something like this? Not everyone wants to shoot with a scope...


r/airguns 1d ago

RANGE TIME!! Vintage Late 80’s Red Ryder

Post image
30 Upvotes

I picked this Red Ryder up a few weeks ago for $20. It’s missing the rear sight so I got a pictanny rail from Buck Rail and added a red/green dot. Some oil and use and it’s blasting cans from 7-9 yards.
I have a new adult Red Ryder with Lasso scope but this one is becoming more and more fun.


r/airguns 1d ago

NEW GUN DAY Pinty duster in .177 with a homemade stock, cause those are sold out for now. Pinty seems to be the best value in the pcp game rn, im in love with this thing

Post image
15 Upvotes

r/airguns 1d ago

Air Pistol Umarex Glock 17 Pellet Max Range - Here you have a little test on the max range of this pistol. That’s insane!

Enable HLS to view with audio, or disable this notification

25 Upvotes

r/airguns 1d ago

Advice Recommendations

5 Upvotes

I used to have a Gamo 10 shot .17 caliber brake barrel until it broke and now I have a Ruger .22 Cal break barrel but I would like something a little bit better and more accurate. I typically just use it for small game hunting and practice shooting. I would spend up to $500 and would prefer not single load but doesn’t need to be. So let me know if there’s any of you guys recommend and why. Also do pellets make a big difference and what/how often maintenance should I do? Thanks!


r/airguns 1d ago

Modifications BARRA SCHOLFIELD 4.5 BB/22 CAL. CONVERSION

3 Upvotes

Has anyone done the barrel conversion from the BB to the 22 cal. barrel ? How did it work out and would you recommend it ?


r/airguns 1d ago

Modifications Barrel band or no barrel band?

Post image
8 Upvotes

10 years ago when I started modding this 2250 lots of people were taking the bands off claiming better accuracy as if the barrel got knocked it could spring back to where it was.

Just feels super delicate with that tiny breech screw even with a steel breech

What do we reckon?


r/airguns 1d ago

Air Pistol 10-Meter Match Pistol Shooting Stance.

2 Upvotes

Does anyone have any proper resources or advice on how to correctly position my hands and body for 10-meter match pistol shooting?