Page 3 of 11 - Air Pistols

Benefits of Air Pistols

An air pistol is a handgun that uses compressed air or gas to propel projectiles, such as pellets or bbs, rather than gunpowder or other explosive propellants. These pistols typically shoot metal projectiles in .177 or .22 caliber.

Air pistols are used for various purposes, including target shooting, plinking, handgun training, and some limited hunting applications or pest control. They offer advantages over traditional firearms, such as:

• Lower cost of ammunition
• Quieter operation
• Fewer legal restrictions
• Suitability for indoor use with proper backstops

The quality and features of air pistols can vary widely, with higher-end models offering more realistic controls, blowback action, and improved accuracy.

Air Pistol Powerplants

Here's an overview of how various popular types of powerplants work:

Pistols that use CO2 deliver an exciting shooting experience without the high costs of traditional ammunition and are one of the most popular air sources for pistols. Most use a single 12-gram cartridge, and they can feature realistic blowback action. It is often used to power a semi-auto air pistol, and many come in the form of a multi-shot air pistol or air gun revolver and use magazines and BB or pellet cartridges.

Pneumatic air pistols have a cocking lever that lets you choose the power of your shots based on the number of pumps. More pumps mean more pressure and velocity, but be sure not to go over the recommended number.

A single pump air pistol requires one stroke of the lever to charge and cock it before shooting. One pump can achieve extremely high velocities at the cost of being slightly harder to pump than a multi-pump pneumatic. Pistols in this category include entry-level plinkers all the way up to 10-meter competition pistols.

King of the compressed air pistols, precharged guns or pcp air pistols feature an air tank that must be filled with a high-pressure compressor, hand pump or carbon fiber tank. The advantages are enormous! With large onboard reservoirs, you can fire shot after shot before needing to top off. These versions make impressive hunting air pistol and target practice guns, as well as some of the best competition guns in the market.