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Air pistols emerged alongside air rifles as a natural evolution in shooting technology. Initially, they were born from practical modifications like shortening damaged rifle barrels. These weapons quickly became valuable tools for practicing marksmanship in confined spaces where traditional firearms would be impractical or unsafe.
Modern air pistols employ various power mechanisms, including spring-powered break barrel designs, single pump and multi pump systems, (pcp air pistols) high-pressure air configurations, and CO2-powered variants that use disposable cartridges or refillable reservoirs. The diversity in design extends to their appearance and capabilities, ranging from historical replicas to high-precision target shooting instruments, with power levels suitable for paper target practice up to small game hunting.
Today's air pistol market caters to all enthusiasts, from beginners to competitive shooters. Options range from affordable plastic spring-powered models to premium Olympic-grade match pistols costing thousands of dollars. This versatility has made air pistols an enduring choice for various applications, whether for training, recreational shooting, or serious competition.
Air pistols are perfect for:
With hundreds of options to choose from it's difficult to narrow down our top picks, but here is where we would start.
The Umarex Colt Peacemaker is a faithful reproduction of the 1873 Colt Single Action Army (abbreviated as SAA) revolver, it even has the official Colt logos. The pistols are available in many different finishes, but this model we are highlighting has a beautiful satin nickel finish with faux ivory grips, just like what was an option that could have been ordered with the original firearm.
The pistol has a 5.5 inch smooth bore barrel and just like the Colt it copies, and loads the metallic cartridges into the cylinder one at a time via a swing-out loading gate on the right side of the pistol.
To load the revolver, you remove the left grip panel, and insert a fresh 12-gram co2 cartridge, using the allen wrench that is built into the left grip panel so you can not lose it, tighten the screw on the bottom of the frame to pierce the cartridge, then put the grip panel back on the gun.
Pull the hammer rearward to the half cock position to let the cylinder rotate freely, open the loading gate on the right side of the revolver, load a single bb into the base of each metallic cartridge, then load each cartridge into the cylinder and close the loading gate.
To fire the pistol, point the weapon towards your target, pull the hammer to the full cock position, and then squeeze the trigger. Just like the original firearm from 1873.
Its rated velocity is 410fps, with 100 shots per 12gram co2 cartridge, and is intended for recreational shooting and plinking.
The quality and attention to detail Umarex has put into the Colt Peacemaker makes it a perfect centerpiece to display and enjoy an iconic firearm from the American old west.
"A lot of fun to shoot, especially to someone old enough to have been raised on cowboy movies & TV shows."
On paper, the Crosman 2240 is a .22 caliber co2 powered bolt action single-shot pistol with open sights. Which it is, and in that configuration has given many thousands of owners much enjoyment. But like Clark Kent, it also has a secret identity many owners have never seen or experienced.
The Crosman 2240 has served as the basis for many custom-built guns by enthusiasts that just can't get enough of them. The 2240 can use parts like the steel breech and barrel from the ever-popular Benjamin Discovery and Maximus platform. It can utilize the match grade trigger and grip arrangement from the Crosman 1701p SIlhouette match pistol. All with off-the-shelf parts, and some minimal hand tools.
Enthusiasts have shortened the barrels to make "stubby" pistols, and have added longer co2 tubes and barrels from the Crosman 2260 and the Crosman shoulder stock from the 1377 multi-pump pistol to make rifle length air guns. You are only limited by your imagination and your budget. It is the equivalent of Legos for air guns.
As it comes from the factory, it shoots at about 460fps, and gives about 6.5 ft lbs of energy, making it great for backyard plinking and small pest control at short ranges. You will get about 60 shots per 12gram co2 cartridge that fits in the pressure tube below the barrel.
There are unlimited possibilities of where you can take this pistol with aftermarket accessories.
"Great gun for the price, fun to customize and plenty of options."
When it comes to realism, the Mil-spec Springfield Armory 1911 co2 BB pistol from Air Venturi is about as real as it gets. Its full metal, semi automatic, blowback, has a drop-free magazine, it has the last round hold open, and the double diamond checkered grips carry the iconic Springfield Armory logo, as does the slide.
The semi automatic pistol can fire 18 rounds of steel bbs down range at 320 fps as fast as you can pull the trigger. The blowback action is crisp and strong, getting about 65 shots from one 12-gram co2 cartridge that is contained in the metal drop-free mag.
The Springfield Armory Mil-spec 1911 pistol weighs 2 pounds, while the real 1911 weighs about 2.3 lbs. All of the controls work just like the firearm, and they are in the exact same places, allowing you to use the air pistol to practice your marksmanship, and training drills in places you could not use your firearm, or just roll tin cans in the backyard, and doing it at a greatly reduced cost compared to the firearm.
"Great gun. It has a good feel, is pretty easy to load, and is accurate."
The Crosman 1377C is an updated Crosman 1377 that has new more modern styling and ergonomics. The pistol is a .177 caliber bolt action, single shot, multi-pump pneumatic that can send 7.9 grain pellets down range at up to 600fps with 10 pumps.
Because of the multi-pump design, the velocity is adjustable by how many times you pump the mechanism. The 1377 sports a rifled steel barrel, steel pressure tube, and a metal grip frame. The receiver has an adjustable rear sight, that also switches between a notch, and a peep sight to suit your sighting preference.
The pistol sports an ambidextrous grip that can be easily switched with the 1399 shoulder stock from Cosman that converts the pistol to a compact, lightweight powerful carbine.
The 1377C is the multi-pump equivalent of the 2240 mentioned earlier in this list, it shares the same flexibility of being modified by users to create some truly amazing custom air guns.
The 1377C is built in the USA with Crosman's reliability, this air gun requires minimal maintenance, all you need is a tin of pellets and the pistol for an afternoon of fun. The 1377C is sure to provide you and your kids and your grandkids with years of enjoyment.
"Tried and true old-school Crossman. Dependable and priced right."
The Umarex Steel Storm is a BB repeater that is one of the few BB submachine guns on the market to offer a 6-round burst feature and semi auto in the same package.
When you shoot full auto, even with a BB gun, the recoil of the gun will move the gun off of your target. When shooting real machine guns, they teach you to fire in short bursts (with the m60 machine gun as you pull the trigger, you would say the phrase "a burst of six" in your head and that would be about how long it took to fire six rounds), your first few shots will be on target, but as you continue firing, the recoil will push the gun off target. The Steel Storm has this six-round burst feature built-in to help you increase your accuracy and hit probability.
The Umarex Steel Storm has a 300-round reservoir under the front sight to hold 300 BBs that are fed into the 30-round spring-loaded internal magazine. It is powered by two 12-gram co2 cartridges housed in a removable tray that is inside the pistol grip, giving you over 300 shots before you have to change the cartridges.
The sights are not adjustable, but it has a Picatinny rail for mounting optics or lasers. The Umarex Steel Storm is a reliable, fun, and accurate BB submachine gun that is sure to give you hours of family fun.
"The thing I like the most is the reservoir on it that allows the store 300 or so bbs, so when reloading the little magazine is much easier. "
We covered a historic single-action revolver earlier in this list, now we move into a different century with the Crosman Vigilante. The Vigilante can trace its lineage to the venerable Crosman 357 pellet revolver.
The Vigilante weighs in at 2 lbs and is flexible in its ammo, it comes with both a 6-round BB magazine and a 10-round pellet magazine. The rifled steel barrel ensures great accuracy with pellets. With both metal and polymer construction, the Vigilante is built to last.
The Vigilante is capable of being fired double action, or single action, giving you the choice of speed or better accuracy. The rear sight is adjustable for both windage and elevation, but the Vigilante also sports a Picatinny rail on top of the barrel for your choice of optics, and another rail on the bottom of the barrel for lights, lasers, or other accessories.
The comfortable hand-filling molded black combat grips have finger grooves and stippling on them for a sure grip. The Vigilante has a manual safety, and a break-open design that is easy and very fast to reload.
Getting over 70 shots per co2 cartridge, it is an all-day shooter that is sure to please anyone.
"It has a really good hand feel, is accurate out of the box, and has multiple-shot capability."
The Beretta PX4 Storm air pistol replicates the actual PX4 Storm firearm in almost every way, the looks, the ergonomics, the operation, just not the Beretta PRICE!
The PX4 Storm is a co2-powered blowback air pistol that is capable of shooting both BBs and pellets interchangeably, so you can shoot whatever ammo you have on hand.
The 16-round magazine has an eight-shot rotary clip on each end, you shoot the first eight, eject the magazine, flip it over and reinsert it, and shoot the other eight rounds. Extra magazines are available at a very reasonable cost so you can spend more time shooting and less time reloading.
With a weight of 26 ounces and a maximum velocity of 380fps, it is no flyweight in either the heft or the power department. With its rifled steel barrel, it is at home on the target range or rolling tin cans in the backyard.
"It looks very contemporary, the weight is correct, and I like the blowback feature."
Legendary German craftsmanship by the Weihrauch company, that pretty much sums up the Beeman P1 spring-powered air pistol.
The P1 is considered by many airgunners to be the Holy Grail of air pistols. This is an air gun that you will pass along to your grandchildren and their children.
The gun's construction, feel and balance shows quality and attention to detail. It feels and handles just like a model 1911 pistol, so you develop the same muscle memory when practicing at home. The grip fills your hand without feeling bulky or oversized.
The adjustable two-stage trigger, has a serrated surface for more control, to help you achieve maximum accuracy from the Beeman P1. The top of the Beeman P1 has a dovetail groove for mounting your choice of optics, many owners have opted for a scope to increase the precision of their shots.
Unlike many of the current production air pistols, the P1 is a solid metal gun with finely checkered walnut grips. And as a bonus, it's completely ambidextrous.
The Hammer is actually the release lever for the unusual over-lever cocking mechanism that compresses the powerful mainspring, offering both a low power and a high power setting that can be chosen just by how far you extend the cocking lever, letting you choose which power level is best suited for your intended target. The Beeman P1 is an excellent backyard or indoor training pistol for those that use a 1911 for protection or competition.
"Quality-made pistol in every way!"
When purchasing a Weihrauch air gun you can be certain you will be getting the best piece of air gun equipment that German craftsmanship can produce, and the Weihrauch HW44 continues that tradition.
The engineers at Weihrauch took the action of their venerable HW110 precharged pneumatic air rifle, and squeezed it into a pistol, giving you the HW44, a multishot precharged pneumatic powerhouse capable of producing up to 750 fps in .177 and 570 fps in .22, with 13 ft lbs of energy and 17 ft lbs of energy respectively.
Cocked and loaded by a simple pull of the smooth side lever action, the HW44 uses the same 10-shot rotary magazine as the HW110 rifle and fills to 200 BAR (2900 psi) so it is hand pump friendly.
The pistol has an accessory rail for lasers, lights, and other accessories, and also features a picatinny scope rail for optics. The 2-stage match trigger aids in exceptional accuracy, while the permanently mounted suppressor makes it quiet and backyard friendly.
"Excellent fit and finish. It is an accurate, hard-hitting, high-quality pistol built like a tank."
The Beeman P17 is a .177 caliber single-stroke pneumatic, single-shot pistol that is styled after a modern semi automatic pistol. The grip is very reminiscent of a Walther P99 9mm firearm.
The pistol sports fiber optic sights that are adjustable for windage and elevation, an 11mm dovetail rail running between the front and rear sight for mounting optics, it has a decent trigger and even a dry-fire option that is normally found on high-end 10-meter target pistols. The P17 also delivers excellent accuracy for the money.
With a single stroke the P17 can produce 410 fps, and every time you cock the pistol, the safety is automatically engaged, and only takes a flick of your thumb to get the pistol back into action.
The Beeman P17 does not require any co2, just a tin of pellets and the air pistol, which are all that is needed for an afternoon of fun.
"Very nice ergonomics. Hefty but not heavy, solid, no rattle."
The answer is yes, they can be lethal.
The relatively low velocity of a small caliber air gun, and the small diameter of the pellet, means it will not look like a serious injury because of the small size of the entry wound, but once a pellet enters the body, it can damage the soft tissue of the lungs, arteries or heart, while on the outside it looks like a minor injury, internally there can be life-threatening damage.
As the power of the air gun goes up, so does the ability of the projectile to penetrate deeper into the body, possibly breaking bones and sending those sharp fragments into the internal organs.
In the United States air guns are not currently considered firearms at the Federal level by the Bureau of Alcohol Firearms and Explosives (BATFE).
Air gun regulations are currently governed at the state or local level. At the time of this writing, only two states consider "Non-powder guns" of all types to be firearms, and those states are New Jersey and Rhode Island.
Many other states do regulate the transfer, possession, and use of air guns of all types. Within those states, many municipalities restrict their use even further.
It is best to check with your local municipality to find out if there are any restrictions in your area.
Air pistols have a broad range of applications from recreational shooting and rolling tin cans in the backyard, to special-purpose air pistols that are used by veterinarians or animal control officers to administer medicine or sedatives to animals that can be too dangerous to inject manually, all the way to precision air pistol competitions held at the Summer Olympics every 4 years.
The vast majority of air pistol usage is recreational, but with the proliferation of modern air guns mimicking the action and ergonomics of many popular firearms, many people have turned to air pistols to practice their shooting skills at home due to the reduced cost of ammunition, and the ability to practice their marksmanship in a safe manner with a low powered replica of their everyday carry firearm.
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