The availability of airguns has reached new heights in recent years as the market continues to expand. This growth has been driven by shooters who realize the potential to use air rifles for plinking, competition and hunting. PCP air rifles come in an array of calibers and power levels and often feature adjustable power settings that allow their owners to go from a casual plinking session in the backyard to small-game, varmint and predator hunting in the field.
Other benefits include impressive accuracy, quiet operation, access and availability and the low cost of shooting. However, the startup cost can span the range from a budget entry point to a serious investment depending on the rifle selected, as well as costs related to ancillary gear such as an air source and optics.
In this article, I’ll offer my views on the various market segments, what features should be expected at each price point and some of the guns I recommend within these groups. There are no hard, fast rules, but for our purposes let’s say that the budget category is under $500, mid-level in the $500-$1,200 range and the premium price point is over $1,200. It is also worth noting that many of these rifles are manufactured abroad, and there might be outside factors that could potentially impact pricing in the future.
Another cost to consider with PCPs relates to filling equipment such as air tanks, pumps and compressors. This can range from a relatively low cost for a hand pump, which will add $100-$300, to high pressure air tanks, which are typically $500-$800, to a compressor that will range from about $300 to $3,000, depending on what you are looking for.
As with most things in life, each of these comes with pros and cons; hand pumps are inexpensive and offer unlimited air, but require significant effort and are slow. Air tanks are the fastest way of charging your rifle, but you need to refill the tanks, so you have an ongoing (though low) cost of paying a paintball or dive shop to refill the tank from their compressors, and the startup costs are moderate. And finally, you can buy your own compressor.
A few years ago, this option was limited, compressors were large, expensive and more geared to high-volume use. But now you can buy small portable AC/DC compressors designed to refill a rifle’s onboard air storage or perhaps a small buddy bottle, for less than the cost of a carbon fiber tank. This option offers unlimited air but is much slower than a tank, though faster (and easier) than a hand pump. It’s not my intention to drill down on this topic here but mention it as a cost factor to consider.
A good place to start is understanding your planned uses, requirements and all-in budget. You can find many low power, very quiet and accurate rifles for fun plinking and casual target practice. Conversely, purpose-built, elite-level competition air rifles can easily go into the thousands. For the purpose of this article, we’ll focus on hunting guns, though most can be used for casual plinking and competition as well.
Valued Priced — Budget Segment
In the sub-$500 range of budget-oriented guns, there is a wide variety available. This is great news for those just dipping a toe in, or those wanting to stay within a tighter budget. The things I look for include a solid build, a tactile trigger and cocking mechanism, adequate power and good accuracy. With respect to feature sets, many of these budget-priced guns offer multi-shot magazines, adjustable power output, integrated shrouds and suppressors and regulated air management systems that were once found only on the more expensive guns.
The Hatsan FlashPup is a compact bullpup design with a nice trigger, multi-shot (12 or 10) magazine, side-lever action, that is available in .22- and .25-caliber, generating up to 40 foot-pounds of energy. I’ve used this rifle to take everything from large iguanas in Puerto Rico to small hogs in Texas and find it a solid hunting rig with excellent shooting characteristics and performance. The Flashpup is available in synthetic or wood stocked options, and starting at $300, I find this a great budget-priced bullpup for hunting.
The Air Venturi Avenger is also a well-respected shooting platform in this category because of its advanced feature set at a budget price point. Available as a sporter or bullpup, and available in .177-, .22- or .25-caliber, this regulated platform offers adjustable power, a good trigger with side-lever action and a proven magazine design. This is a gun I’ve taken on many challenging hunts and implicitly trust its performance and reliability. With a street price around $420, the Avenger offers value in a rifle that will serve for years.
The JTS Airacuda is a newer rifle that captured my interest the first time I saw it. The gun is all metal and wood, and the level of fit and finish and the figuring of the wood stock all led me to think this would be a much higher-priced offering. It is a traditional-looking rig, available with a thumbhole or sporter-style stock, and is available in .177-, .22- or .25-caliber. It hit all the marks for accuracy, power and ergonomics, and I really like its traditional lines. Unique amongst other rifles in this range is a .30-caliber option. The rifle starts at $360, but my favorite configuration is the Airacuda Max thumbhole stock .30 -caliber, which will set you back $480, and you’ll walk away feeling like you got a deal.
Middle Ground — Mid-tier Segment
With the mid-tier rifles you are making an investment, and my expectation is a higher-quality build and better materials than are typically found at the lower price point. I also want to see the ability to optimize performance and a very well thought out and executed air management system. A modular design is a bonus, as well as other features that might be geared toward a specific application such as long-range hunting.
The Air Venturi Avenge-X is a groundbreaking shooting platform in this category because of its modular design and high degree of adjustability. The gun is available in several configurations, but you can choose between stock designs (sporter, bullpup, tactical), air storage (tube or bottle), caliber packages (barrels, probes and magazines) to essentially build the gun you want. I have hunted with this gun a lot: going after small game, predators and small hogs. My personal favorite version is the Avenge-X Tactical, and I have two of the .25-caliber versions: one set up as a long-range prairie dog sniper and the second as a compact brush gun. The latter is one of my all-around favorite small-game guns. Depending on how you choose to configure your rifle, the costs will be in the $525-$800 range.
The Umarex Zelos is a minimalist bullpup design that is available in .22- and .25-caliber, and the .25-caliber version in my collection generates a bit over 35 foot-pounds of energy. The rifle offers a compact, lightweight and ergonomic design, a tactile trigger and an easy to cycle side-lever action that auto indexes the 18-round magazine (20 rounds in the .22-caliber version).
I have found the Zelos to be a very shootable field gun, and have enjoyed hunting rabbits, squirrels and quail with it. This is another great gun for hunters that will serve them for years, and with a price tag of just under $600 provides a lot of gun for the money.
The Hatsan Factor BP is a rifle I’ve been using for predator hunting and long-range varminting the past couple seasons, and it has impressed me with its accuracy and power. This bullpup design is available in .30- and .35-caliber versions and generates over 140 foot-pounds of energy. Power is good, but it is the tack-driving accuracy that I appreciate the most. The highly adjustable trigger, side-lever action and ergonomic adjustable tactical stock make it a comfortable and balanced gun to shoot. With an adjustable hammer preload and regulator, the rifle can be adjusted for specific ammo and digest many slugs well, generating power and accuracy with heavier projectiles. The Factor BP sits right at the upper end of mid-tier rifles, priced around $1,200.
Rarified Air — Premium Segment
In my view, the premium price point is populated by guns that go a step above and beyond in terms of refined design, materials and build quality, as well as performance, ergonomics, reliability and aesthetics. They are the grail guns that become a goal as you move through your airgunning journey and figure out what perfection means to you. For me it is a compact gun that fits me perfectly, has an extremely tactile and responsive trigger, a fast and buttery smooth action, offers absolute reliability, provides exacting control over the shooting characteristics and is laser accurate.
The BRK Ghost exemplifies my perfect all-around hunting rifle, checking all the boxes for me. It is based on a modular design, offered in .177-, .22- and .25 caliber and more recently .30-caliber, it has one of the best triggers available, the side-lever cocking action is smooth as silk and fast, and the rifle is very, very accurate.
The Ghost incorporates the adjustable HUMA regulator, an adjustable hammer spring and a multi-step power wheel that lets the shooter dial in settings for a specific pellet or slug. Every aspect of the rifle, down to the magnetic gate on the eight-shot rotary magazine (which facilitates fast loading) is exceedingly well thought out and executed. I have used the .30-caliber to take hogs, predators and a lot of small game.
For long-range shooting, I’ve used the Ghost to anchor prairie dogs at 120 yards, which in the context of air rifles is excellent reach. But this level of perfection comes at a price, around $2,400 in the wild. I know this is a chunk of change, but I will say that having owned an air rifle or two in my life, and having shot literally a thousand more, this is what I consider one of the aspirational rifles in my collection.
There are others, from Daystate, Rapid Air Worx and FX, that are all great rifles in this class, but for me it’s the BRK Ghost. By the time you’re ready to buy your grail gun, you’ll have a clearer picture of what that gun is for you.
Right now, there is a range of airguns worth considering at every price point. Of course, an article like this can’t touch on them all, but I’ve spent considerable time with each one mentioned here and feel that I can give a solid recommendation for each. My final message is that there is generally a reason why a more expensive rifle costs more. However, shopping around on a limited budget does not mean you can’t find a gun with excellent performance and the feature set to meet your needs. Choose a rifle that aligns with your budget, get it out and shoot it, then start thinking about your grail rifle and start saving for it!
