Choosing an airgun

When you say air rifle, many of us imagine a long "rifle" for pellets with a wooden carved stock in the style of Czech Slavia. Such a weapon was once at home to many of our grandfathers. However, in modern times, air rifles have a much broader definition. So broad, in fact, that it can be difficult to navigate the selection of these weapons.

In this article, we will guide you through choosing the right air rifle for your needs. We will define what an air rifle actually is, what are the conditions for owning one, and why (for what purpose) you might want to have one at home. We will also discuss the different types of air rifles and present the various accessories and equipment you can purchase from us.

What is an air rifle

Definition and categories

Air gun is defined according to ČSN 39 5002 as a gas weapon in which the projectile is set in motion by the pressure of air mechanically compressed at the moment of firing. Air guns with a caliber up to and including 6.35 mm fall into category D and do not require registration. The only requirement for their purchase is a minimum age of 18 years. Additionally, they are no longer restricted by the muzzle energy limit.

Air guns with a caliber above 6.35 mm belong to the C-I category. This means that you still do not need a firearms license for them, but they are subject to the necessary registration at the relevant police department within 10 working days.

Air rifles are suitable for practicing shooting skills.

Construction and mechanism

In many cases, the air rifle does not differ much from classic "sharp" weapons, at least in appearance. Air replicas of standard weapons of higher calibers are no exception. However, the internal construction is completely different compared to classic firearms, unlike the design.

Mechanism of the airgun includes a piston that compresses air in the cylinder when the trigger is pulled. This compressed air causes the projectile to move through the barrel towards its muzzle and then out of the muzzle. The barrel can have a flat or rifled bore, with the rifled bore causing the compressed air to induce a rotating kinetic motion to the projectile.

Usual calibers

The standard caliber of air rifles (for example, the mentioned Slavia) is usually 4.5 mm. However, you will also commonly encounter higher calibers, up to 9 mm. The borderline caliber for the categorization of air rifles (whether it still falls into category D or already into C-I) is 6.35 mm, as we have already mentioned above. Furthermore, you will commonly come across calibers of 5.5 mm or 7.62 mm.

In any case, airgun ammunition is very inexpensive compared to other types of ammunition, so regular shooting and training don't have to cost a lot of money.

Advantages of air rifles

The main advantages of air guns include their relative safety. The ammunition used in these weapons (whether pellets or steel BBs) is lightweight and does not contain any explosive material (gunpowder). As a result, shooting with an air gun very rarely results in fatal injuries. However, caution is always necessary because even a pellet can, for example, shoot out an eye. Therefore, under no circumstances should you aim an air gun at other people!

Another advantage of air rifles compared to other types of firearms is that they are not excessively loud. You can thus use them without any problems and without fear of causing panic, even at home in your backyard. The maximum range for most air rifles is around 400 meters (with maximum effectiveness, for instance, spring air rifles up to 30 meters), which reduces the probability that a stray shot would injure a random passerby.

The ammunition for the air rifle is pellets or steel BBs. Again, several different types are available.

What are air rifles used for

Training and recreational shooting

According to what you will use the air rifle for, you will also choose it. For example, classic target shooting requires minimal shooting energy, so for this purpose, even a standard cheap PCA air rifle with an integrated pumping system will suffice. The same applies to so-called fun shooting – this includes, for example, the well-known mobile shooting ranges at fairs.

Sports shooting

Furthermore, we have professional sports in the form of the HFT discipline, namely Hunter Field Target. Here, cheaper air rifles will not suffice. We should choose sporting rifles with higher shot energy and extended adjustment options, including stock and barrel settings, sights, and the like. An air pressure regulator and more professional optics (riflescope) will also come in handy. Forget the classics like the Slavie here as well, considering that for the HFT discipline you will need a high-capacity ammunition magazine.

Hunting (prohibited in the Czech Republic)

Air guns are truly versatile, with perhaps the only exception being that hunting with an air gun is at least in the territory of the Czech Republic prohibited. On the other hand, hunting small pests (such as rodents) is often quietly tolerated.

Self-defense

In case of necessity, air rifles can emergency serve for self-defense, although it's not entirely standard. In any case, for this purpose, you will most appreciate gas replicas of real pistols, which command respect, even though they are not so dangerous. Usually, it's enough just to draw them, which generally deters the attacker from further attempts. However, always keep in mind that open carrying of weapons by civilians is prohibited in our country. Therefore, only draw a weapon replica in situations where you genuinely feel threatened – otherwise, you might potentially have more legal trouble than the attacker.

If the airgun is equipped with standard rails and mounts (e.g., Picatinny 1913), you can mount scopes and other optics on it, possibly even a tactical flashlight.

Basic types of air rifles

There are several different types of air rifles that can serve various purposes. We will now classify them based on their mechanisms.

Spring airguns

They are among the cheapest and most commonly used types of air rifles. They are powered by a compressed spring, which needs to be compressed before each shot. The operation is very simple - cock, insert the pellet, release the safety, and shoot. Spring air rifles are made in both long variants and short ones - such as spring pistols.

Their advantage lies in the simple mechanism, which makes it easy to operate and repair, but the disadvantage is the low shooting accuracy. Therefore, it is mostly used for recreational shooting. There are also more accurate types of spring guns that can be used for competitive shooting, but you'll need to dig deeper into your pocket for those.

Air rifles with gas piston

This type of air rifle is powered by a pressurized piston, which is usually filled with air, nitrogen, or another inert gas. The advantage of air rifles with a GAS piston compared to spring air rifles is the practically complete reduction of recoil and the elimination of noise. As a result, shooting with them is more stable and smoother.

The accuracy of shooting, however, still does not reach the level of air rifles with CO₂ cartridges and PCP air rifles. They are therefore ideal for recreational target shooting and practicing shooting skills.

Air rifles with gas piston can be divided into 2 basic types:

• Break-barrel: charging is done by breaking the barrel.

• With a fixed barrel: loading using the bottom or side cocking lever.

Air rifles with CO₂ cartridges

The propulsion of this type of airguns is provided by disposable gas cartridges. The advantage of these airguns is the fact that due to the smaller dimensions of the propulsion, they can also take the form of pistols. As a result, manufacturers have the opportunity to offer replicas of various legendary firearms, which can be considerably cheaper compared to the originals, and of course, do not require a firearms license.

A certain complication is that for proper functioning, the ambient temperature must be at least 10 °C. Nevertheless, an advantage is the high accuracy, which is why CO₂ air guns are successfully used for so-called plinking, or shooting at cans.

Pneumatic air rifles

Another type of airguns are the so-called "windbreakers" which are further divided into two subgroups. They share a common feature in the form of compressed air propulsion. Unlike the above-mentioned category, the cartridges (cylinders) in větrovky are refillable from a compressor or a pressurized tank. These subgroups are the so-called PCP airguns (Pre-Charged Pump) and Multi-Pump, also known as PCA (Pre-Charged Air) airguns.

• PCP air rifles belong to the most accurate types of weapons, and are therefore also suitable for target shooting. On the other hand, these are weapons that are not completely cheap, because the individual components are technologically demanding to process and therefore expensive. The compressed air PCP air rifle reservoirs need to be continuously replenished, for example from a compressor.

• PCA (Multi-Pump airguns) have an advantage over PCP airguns in that there is no need to add air from the outside during shooting. The pump is part of the weapon together with the magazine. The disadvantage is low energy, the advantage, on the other hand, is high accuracy when shooting at a target. PCA air rifles are therefore suitable, for example, for practicing target shooting.

Accessories and attachments

Besides ammunition, which we dedicated a separate article to, you can purchase a whole range of other accessories and attachments on Rigad.cz. Primarily, these are disposable cartridges for gas guns, which we discussed earlier.

If rifles and pistols are equipped with standard rails and mounts (such as Picatinny 1913), you can mount scopes and other optics, or even a tactical flashlight. In short, any accessories that we commonly offer as add-ons for live firearm variants.

In conclusion

There are truly a wide variety of air rifles, and their final selection is conditioned by different factors. You can also find a rich selection of air rifles on Rigad.cz. On the other hand, a rich selection can sometimes cause decision paralysis. If you cannot choose a specific model even after reading our article, contact us with your requirements and we will advise you.

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