8 Best Air Pistols On The Market Today For Every Budget and Purpose

Whether you’re in the market to add to your air gun arsenal or looking to get your very first air pistol, I’d suggest you do thorough research before diving in to pick what you think may be the fanciest of the lot. While it is important to understand the fundamentals of an air pistol you also need to study the best models in the market to understand which one would suit you best.

Our Guide to The 8 Best Air Pistols Available Today

I have put my list of top choices here and listed the basis design, function and features to help you make an informed decision.

Air Pistol Buyer’s Guide

What is an Air Pistol?

The air rifle (long gun) and the air pistol (handguns) create thrust metallic projectiles that can be diabolo shaped or spherical pellets referred to as BBs. In recent years, slugs or Minie ball-shaped cylinder-conoidal projectiles are also gaining popularity.

A common misconception about air guns or air pistols is that they are low-level weapons, used in competitions or just for fun. These versatile weapons however pack quite a punch and have since the early 1500s been used in warfare and sporting events as well.

Air guns are also being used in pest control, recreational shooting, small game shooting, and even in competitive sports like the Olympic 10m Air Rifle and 10m Air Pistol games.

Types of Air Pistols

There are 5 main types of air pistols to choose from, each with its own set of pros and cons. Knowing the different types will help you decide better which one is best for you and meet and exceed your expectations.

1. CO2 Powered

   These airguns function using carbon dioxide gas that is sourced through throwaway capsules or by bulk. This means via sizable bottles. Most of the CO2 air gun types are all multi-shot pieces. It also uses a rotary magazine, allowing you to achieve quick and successive shooting.

   Since a CO2-powered air gun is a multi-shot weapon, it is ideal for recreational shooting, otherwise known as plinking. A drawback, though, would be the price of the bulb. It is rather expensive, especially if you intend to use your gun regularly. Additionally, the temperature, which is completely an uncontrollable factor, can impact the CO2 pressure of your air pistol. This means that you have to use another weapon and not an air gun during the colder and snowy seasons.

2. Pre-charged Pneumatic (PCP)

   Referred to as PCPs, these air guns operate through extremely high-pressure compressed air. These types of guns are capable of working at about 2320 to 2900 PSI. The air that these guns utilize is stored in a tube found under your gun’s barrel. The tubing reserves a sufficient amount of air adequate for 30 to 170 shots, although this can vary depending on your gun’s overall design.

   Once you pull the trigger, a small hammer makes contact with the air releasing valve, and then it pushes air out of the main cylinder. This action will then propel the pellet through the barrel.

   These types of air guns are best because of their zero recoil. You can hard-reset your gun without compromising accuracy. It is also designed to be lighter compared to other types that make use of magazines. Although considered the best choice of all, you may not be too happy about the price as this is also the most expensive among the bunch, even the beginner ones and also requires an additional gear for air charging.

3. Single-Stroke or Multi-Stroke Pneumatic

   This type of air pistol operates through an internally compressed air pump. As the shooter, you have to squeeze the air through the pump by engaging your pump handle and breaking your barrel. After you pull the trigger, the air is released, and this air will then be used to push the pellet out through the gun barrel.

   Hands down, this is more affordable than the PCP and is also considered a self-reliant model. There is also no recoil with the same precision as the PCP. A slight snag in this kind of air pistol is it is not for everybody. Folks with smaller builds may find it rather difficult to handle the gun’s pump.

4. Spring Powered

   As the name suggests, this one is powered by a generously sized coil spring. You simply have to squeeze on the gun’s spring by either breaking the barrel or raising your handle. Once you pull the trigger, the coil is released and crushes into your piston. The air will be used to push the pellet down through the barrel.

   This one is usually self-sufficient and a more budget friendly air gun. However, this gun is recommended for those who have upped their accuracy when shooting since these models can be a little hefty and hard to manage by smaller shooters.

How to Choose the Best Air Pistol

Making sure that you get the best air pistol is crucial. You are investing your hard-earned money, so you need to be sure you are getting your money’s worth. A buying guide will come in handy when shopping, so you know that you are getting the maximum perks of your future air pistol.

Intended Purpose

You can use an air pistol for varying purposes. Most use it for hunting small game. Air pistols are the top choice for game hunting. You can also use them for pest control and plinking. There is also a steady rise of gun enthusiasts wanting an air pistol to shoot in clubs. You have to identify where you are going to use your air pistol to be sure that it can serve its purpose efficiently.

Caliber

Identifying your intended purpose for buying an air pistol is crucial because it will also impact the type of caliber you need. Most air guns use these calibers:

• .117 – or 4.5mm, the most common of them all. ISSF mandates that this caliber be used for 10m shooting competitions in pistol and rifle events in the Olympics. This caliber offers the flattest trajectory among all the calibers, increasing your accuracy level. This is effectively recommended for hunting.
• .22 – this can either be the 5.5 or the 5.6 mm for all-around general use and hunting purposes.
  Less traditional calibers include:
• 20 – or 5mm, this is now widely used and was initially exclusive to the Sheridan multi-pump pneumatic air rifle.
• .25 – or 6.35mm, this is considered the largest commonly available caliber in the 20th century.
• .30 – or 7.62mm, this is the largest caliber available for air guns that fall under the non-PCP type.

There are also larger calibers often marketed by big brand players intended for large game hunting. These calibers are .45 (or 11.43 mm), .50 (or 12.7 mm), and .58 (or 14.5 mm) usually designed specifically for PCP guns.

You will also find custom-made calibers for some air guns, which are even bigger at .79 (or 20 mm) and .87 (or 22.1 mm).

Air Pistol Shooting Range

Guns are limited with their shooting range, and your choice of an air gun may prove to be completely useless if it is not capable of shooting within your expected range. Since most air guns are engineered for hunting, buy one that fulfills your shooting range requirement. If you want to target something within a distance of 15 yards, it would be best to use a variable pump model while shooting an object in a 20-yard distance would require you a CO2 model. If you’re hunting for more than what a CO2 model can handle, then your best option is a PCP gun model because they have a maximum shooting range of 35 yards.

Overall Trigger Quality

Air guns are priced differently, and usually, the cost dictates the trigger’s responsiveness. Most varying air gun triggers are designed to up to about 3-lbs of pull, and it can be usually fine-tuned in 1 to 1.5-lbs of pull. If you require one with a lighter pull, match pieces with matching triggers are ideal for you because it is designed to involve lesser pull.

Air Pistol Ammo

Air pistols shoot either BBs, Pellets, Or both.

The quality of pellets can impact your overall performance, so always choose from reliable brands. For starters, you can try various brands to find out which works for you. There are several kinds of pellets that you can choose from, and again, the best way to find out which will be the best pair for your air gun is to give it a try and decide based on experience.

• Flat-head pellets – these are highly recommended for paper target shooting because it can zoom in on your target effectively.
• Hollow-point pellets are used for close to medium range hunting because they pass on plenty of power and force upon impact.
• Pointed pellets – these penetrate upon impact but are not ideal for the surface to air shooting.

These are some of the aspects you need to consider before investing in an air pistol. Doing your homework where research is concerned will prove beneficial for you when it comes to buying. Reading through unbiased reviews and customer feedback, as well as talking with fellow gun enthusiasts, will also give you a clearer perspective.

What are the Advantages / Benefits of Using an Air Pistol?

An air gun would always be part of a gun enthusiast’s collection. Every hunter and gun user will agree that stealth plays an important factor in hunting and shooting, and an air pistol can give you this advantage.

Listed below are just some of the benefits of investing in the best pellet pistol.

1. Stealth and Silence

   How would you shoot a squirrel if you end up making so much racket with your gun, especially while cocking your lever? At the very first shot, you will have every small game within the perimeter scurrying away and going into hiding.

   This is one of the major benefits of an air gun. You can enjoy its silence, and you can surprise your target effectively. Air pistols, especially the lower-powered ones, are impressively quieter than your typical firearms. This is because its velocities are usually subsonic, meaning your pellets are not breaking and breaching the sound barrier. The decibels of an air pistol are also low so as to not cause any hearing impairment. This negates the need for using premium quality ear protection.

   With its minimal noise level, you can rest assured that your air rifle won’t spook away your target, thus allowing you to put in multiple shots. When you use the traditional firearm rifle, every shot seems to echo through the woods, putting all wildlife in the area on guard. This makes it imperative that your first shot be the perfect shot- the one that makes the kill. With an air pistol, the activity goes on as usual, without creating full alarm and putting them in flight mode.

2. Versatility

   The air pistol industry has exploded, and gun users love it. Back in the days air guns were used for smaller game like squirrels, feral pigeons, vermin, and rabbits that were perfect targets for a weapon with limited range and power.

   However with all the advancements that have gone into some of the latest models you can now use air pistols to ethically take down medium-sized animals like coyotes, deer, foxes, and hogs.

   Air guns like the 45 Colt and the . 44-40 Winchester cartridges can take down a deer and a wide variety of large game under the right conditions with 175-ft pounds of energy. Some brands can put down a coyote with 60-ft pounds of energy. At first glance, these energy levels appear low, but your skill as a hunter and the shot placement can make all the difference that you need. Remember that a tactically placed air pistol pellet can kill your target as efficiently as a firearm and with less damage to the animals’ tissues.

3. Overall Cost

   Investing in a gun, whatever type it is, would involve ongoing costs for bullets and perhaps even for training to level up your skill. When it comes to an air gun the cost of pellets alone gives you a major benefit when compared to the money you need for buying bullets.

   In the long run, it is friendlier and more economical. Consider this as a point of comparison when it comes to bullets and pellets. For about $40, you can get more or less 390 shots with regular ammunition, while that same amount, when used to purchase pellets, can give you 2,000 shots.

   The trigger time will definitely be longer, and since you use it frequently, you can improve your shooting skills faster. You don’t need to drive to the shooting range or enroll in a program to level up your skills. With ammo-pellets being cheaper and in abundance, you can have more time to hunt instead of being in a staged surrounding.

4. Unlimited Reload

   When shooting with your usual firearm, you can easily give up your spot when you cock or reload your gun. Most of the guns today are cumbersome when reloading because instead of focusing on narrowing down your final shot, you end up preoccupied with reloading your weapon.

   You will never have this problem with an air gun because most are designed to break barrels, which allow you to seamlessly cock your gun. You simply have to break the barrel down on its hinge, load your match grade ammo and yield the barrel to its upright position. This simple process also prevents any possible jamming because it is almost impossible to load your pellets incorrectly.

Air Pistol Accessories Guide

• Ammo

  Air pistols use BBs, pellets, or both. Steel BBs are the cheapest and most common, while pellets are best for accuracy and power.
  Crosman Copperhead 4.5mm Copper Coated BB

  

• CO2

  When buying cartridges, go for portable and lightweight designs made of stainless steel that can easily fit in your backpack or pocket. It is also practical to opt for refillable bottles since they are a more eco-friendly option.
  Crosman 12-Gram CO2 Powerlet Cartridges

  

• Targets

  This can make your plinking activities and target practice more enjoyable. Purchase resettable targets that are 100% portable and one that is made of industrial-grade steel so you can enjoy it for more years to come.
  Splatterburst Targets
  

• Holsters

  The holster should make carrying your air rifle comfortable while ensuring your gun is secure to avoid any possible accidents. There are many different ways to carry holsters, and your purpose for carrying your air pistol can impact if you want to wear it concealed or outside your waistband, over your shoulder, or on your ankles.

Best Air Pistol on the Market for – Beginners, Training, and Hunting

• Air Pistols for Beginners

  For the complete newbie, getting a complicated air rifle with all the features packed in a single weapon can be overwhelming and scary. It is best to start with an air pistol with the bare essentials and some premiums until you get comfortable handling more complicated ones. For beginners, the Sig Sauer MPX CO2 Air Rifle and the Gamo Whisper Fusion Air Rifle are great choices.

• Air Pistols for Training

  Constantly improving your skill when aiming and shooting is a must for any gun enthusiast. If you want to level up using your air rifle, you are better off investing in either a SIG Sauer P365 BB or a Umarex Glock 19 Gen 3.

• Air Pistols for Hunting

  If you are a pro at hunting and looking for accuracy and power then based on reviews and multiple feedbacks, the best air pistol for hunting is the Benjamin Trail NP XL Magnum.
  

So What is the Best Air Pistol?

Purchasing the best air pistol is indeed a little overwhelming but an entirely doable task. Depending on whether you’re buying an air pistol for protection, for hunting or even for fun, you need to research first, scout around for different options, understand their pros and cons more and be very meticulous with your brand choices. Easier said than done, I agree.

We hope this guide helped you choose the right air pistol for you.

• It also pays-off to do a little self-assessment so you can really identify what you need and want in an air gun.
• Your preferences and expectations play a big factor in deciding which one you will purchase finally.
• Don’t rush into buying an air pistol unless and until you are 100% confident and satisfied with your decision because, after all, it will be you and only you who would be enjoying the premiums or adjusting with the compromises.