Air rifles are a great way to improve shooting skills without the dangers of splinters and projectiles. They are also ideal for use in homes and apartments where it may be unsafe to shoot traditional firearms. They can also be used for practice when hunting and pest control as they are quiet and will not scare game.
There are many different types of air rifles, however all use pressurized air to fire a pellet or BB down the barrel and out the muzzle. The difference between the different types of air rifles is how they store and deliver the pressurized air.
The most common air rifle is the piston powered model. These are available in break barrel, side-cocking and underlever designs. The air is charged by cocking a lever that retracts a spring and activates an internal piston to push the pellet out of the barrel. This type of air rifle is the most popular with beginners because it is inexpensive and easy to operate. However, a good quality spring gun can be fine-tuned to meet the needs of the shooter with adjustments to the hammer spring, striker and valve metering screw.
Another popular type of air rifle is the precharged pneumatic (PCP). These use a pressurized air-storage tank that must be filled with an external high pressure source such as a compressor or refillable cylinder. The PCP guns are more expensive than other models but they can be much more accurate and have the advantage of not needing to be cocked before every shot. They also have a regulator to manage the amount of air fed to the firing valve, which gives you consistent shot-to-shot power. air rifles