Air Guns 101

Preparing for opening day of rifle season in my household is very serious business. I spend practically all of the off season putting together the best equipment for the hunting ahead. A lightweight and comfortable Summit climber, Mossy Oak from head to toe, a fresh bottle of Tink’s 69—and of course my Air Venturi carbon wrapped fill station and .30 caliber Fx Impact topped off with Athlon Optics Argos BTR.

What the heck is that, many would ask? You see, I’ve traded in my traditional centerfire rifle for a pellet gun… a high-powered, pre-charged pneumatic air rifle, or PCP for short.

I’m sure that some off you are questioning my sanity, as many of my hunting buddies have. My intention with this article is not to convince you to give up your powder burner (that would be un-American), but to let you in on a new weapon to Georgia’s legal lineup of big game killers.

I have practically submerged myself in the world of PCPs for the past 10 years, and I am going to share with you here today some of what I have learned.

I have seen the awakening of the U.S. market for air guns put manufacturers into beast mode trying to one-up each other in air gun power and accuracy. This is a good thing, because for now there are no restrictions on power or capacity. As long as you are 18 years of age, you only need to pay for the gun of your choice. There’s something that can’t be said with the purchase of centerfire rifles.

There are minimum caliber requirements for hunting. Here in Georgia you must use a .30 caliber or larger for big game. Other states have minimum energy requirements. Always check the air gun regulations for where you are hunting.

Air guns shoot projectiles pneumatically using compressed air instead of pressured gases from a chemical reaction, like a firearm. Here’s a collection of air gun rifles, ammo and optics.

Now, what exactly is an air gun?

This is a tool much like your centerfire with the exception of using a burst of air to propel a projectile out of the barrel and down range. While there are a variety of kinds of air guns, such as the single stroke pneumatic or multi pump, we are going to focus on the precharged pneumatic, or PCP for short. The PCP gun has an onboard air cylinder from which each shot draws the air needed to make the projectile take flight.                                                                                                                                     

There are basically two categories of PCPs, regulated and unregulated. The use of a regulator gives each shot a more precise and evenly measured amount of air. This gives a more consistent shot-to-shot performance. Unregulated air guns inherently produce the most power, but power is given in what’s called a power curve with a full air fill producing a bit less power. Then after a few shots it will reach the peak of its power, with each shot after slowly becoming less powerful.

Quiet Guns, Light Recoil

If you hunt anything, one of the most important things is stealth. Some of these air guns are quiet enough that you can actually take a shot, and whether it’s a hit or miss, the remaining game may do little more than flinch. Plus, almost all PCP manufactures are giving a threaded barrel or adapter that will allow you to easily add a “moderator” (which is the preferred word in air gun circles for a silencer). And unlike the world of centerfire, you can purchase an air-gun moderator with no paperwork of any kind for a fraction of the cost. My friend Thuan Du (aka DonnyFL.com) has everything to fit any gun for any budget, with costs ranging from $100 to $300 depending on your gun, caliber and level of moderation (or quietness) desired. With a little preparation, you can get in your stand with an accurate powerhouse of a gun that’s mouse-fart quiet.

Ever tried to get your wife or girlfriend into shooting? Sometimes that’s a serious challenge. Nobody likes bruised shoulders and ringing ears, but that’s part of shooting, right? Not here in PCP land. I have yet to find a single person no matter the age who isn’t smiling after shooting a PCP. These things are fun! No hearing protection is needed in most cases. Even guns that shoot upwards of 800 fpe (foot pounds of energy) don’t bruise your shoulder, and accuracy is so good that even a first-time shooter will poke their chest out with a feeling of pride when they  start knocking out bulls-eyes. With 10-shot groups that fit under a dime at 50 yards and even 100 yards with a little practice, these guns can spoil even the most  finicky of shooters.

Features like adjustable power settings and external moderators make most of these guns “backyard friendly,” so most any time can be range time if you like.

The author with an 8-point buck, killed with one shot from his .30 caliber FX Impact air rifle.

Some rifles have the ability to change one gun between three to six different calibers in less than a few minutes. Now that’s a really useful feature if you are packing light for a hunt but will be going for different types of game. It’s even more useful if you are on a budget and want to add a different caliber barrel and probe kit later on.

This being the beginning of what I feel will be a long-term presence in hunting, the use of air guns could even lead us to special hunts, seasons dedicated to air guns only, or their allowed use in areas where loud centerfire rifles would not be tolerated. As for now, air guns are included with primitive weapons in the Georgia regulations.

Power? Let’s talk a bit more about that. How do these guns use air to make a little piece of lead into a projectile capable of taking big game down? The answer is tuning—that’s taking all of the parts of the gun and finding that perfect balance to get that gun to perform exactly how you want it to. I’m not going to divulge all my secrets—I wouldn’t be able to tune a gun for a living if I did. But I will break it down so you have the basics understood. I’ve been asked if these air guns are CO2 filled. The answer is no. The air used is the same as what is all around us. It is so abundantly available, but it is not quite at the concentrated levels we’re going to need for our guns. We have to get our air compressed. Great! You say you already have an air compressor. Sorry, that’s not even going to get one shot off. Your shop compressor pumps its tank to an average of 150 psi. Most of the guns in PCP-land fill to around 3,000 psi and higher. That’s way more than any normal air compressor can make, so where do you get your air?

The most affordable is through something that looks like a bicycle tire pump. It works the same way as well, only difference is this pump can achieve 4,500 psi powered completely by YOU and YOUR DESIRE to shoot. These pumps range from $30 to $300. They are perfect for the young, the in shape and anyone who is just getting started and on a budget. (Folks who get winded on a trip to the fridge from the recliner, not so much). That’s not to say that if your New Year’s resolution was to shed a few unwanted pounds that this wouldn’t work for you. I believe wholeheartedly that if you love to shoot then one of these hand pumps would be more rewarding than any treadmill or stair climber you could purchase on the market today.

Here’s a fill station tank, a hand pump and a 4,500 psi compressor. The author said these are tools that can be used to give an air gun shooter the compressed air needed to fill a PCP gun.

There are other options. If you already have a scuba tank, you can put it to use more than that once a year trip to the Keys, but a scuba tank is not the best way to put air into your gun. Remember, I said that most guns fill to 3,000 psi. So does that scuba tank, and that translates into not enough air.

Luckily there are carbon fiber wrapped fill stations in several sizes available for purchase. I carry Air Venturi branded tanks, but there are also generics, as well as other brand names like Benjamin, Hatsan, Ninja, Great White and others. These fill stations are very similar to the scuba tank but with the ability to contain 4,500 psi, which will give you multiple fills for your gun. Basically your gravy is anything above 3,000 psi.

You never shoot the air in your gun completely out. Typically you will stop after using about a third of your tank’s capacity, so we call it “topping off” instead of filling. The size cylinder on the gun will determine how many times you can “top off.”

So how do you get air into your fill station? The most common place to find a compressor that can fill 4,500 psi is your local dive shop. Not on every corner, I know.

Are you starting to see what I mean by saying you were lucky to have a friend like me? This was all exhausting and really frustrating for me, so I took the only available step I could. I bought my own compressor. Tried to go cheap. Cost me big time. I went through two $400 YongHeng Chinese budget compressors that were water cooled, cheaply built and both left me without that precious air my trigger finger needed.

Then I finally scrimped and saved enough to finally justify… begging everyone I knew to pitch in and help—buying the top shelf machine that I have now. I have an Air Venturi 4500 psi electric compressor that cost me $1,400. What I’m saying is, “It wasn’t cheap,” but I’ve been totally filled with air for several years now, and as God as my witness, I shall never go without air again!

Here are a couple more points for some of what we have covered.

Opportunities: As it states in the Georgia hunting regulations, “air gun and air rifles are legal during primitive-weapons and firearms hunting seasons. Scopes are legal on air guns. You can go hunt deer, bear, hogs and turkey, and more than likely nobody will even know you’ve shot if you do. Silence is a wonderful thing!

Some hunters don’t enjoy bowhunting or can’t because of the physical demands. You will probably hear someone along the line say that your range with an air gun is close to that of a bow or crossbow. You will never hear that from me. The truth is you have a much larger reach with the power of air.

Now here is one of the biggest points to be made on the air gun’s behalf. I personally know of people who have had to give up hunting because they have made a mistake, and for whatever the reason, have been stripped of their right to bear arms. I’m talking about those who have a felony conviction on their record. If you are thinking that all is lost and you can never reclaim your heritage and return to the woods, air guns are here to put you back in the stand. Back to a place where you can continue to share your love of hunting with your kids and grandchildren. As long as you have fulfilled the terms of your probation and are no longer under supervision, you can own, keep and hunt with an air gun, just like with archery gear, but free at last to go back to hunting with the power of air at your disposal. As a quick food for thought for the un-convicted, please don’t look down your nose at those with felony records. You aren’t necessarily a bad person just because you have been convicted of a felony. It’s much more common than one would think and not always for good reason.

For now let’s just all be thankful that we can still take to the woods and enjoy a heritage and tradition that was handed down from our parents and grandparents and uncles and friends and neighbors who thought enough of this country to give their lives to try and keep us free, and thought enough of us to take us to the woods and teach us what we needed to know so that we too could enjoy the thrill of the hunt.

By The Regs: Air Guns & Air Bows

Air Guns: Any air rifle of at least .30 caliber or air bow utilizing unignited compressed gas or air is legal during primitive weapons and firearms seasons.

Archery: Air bows are not considered legal archery equipment in Georgia and may not be used during archery season or in archery-only counties or speciality hunts. According to Georgia regulations, archery equipment is defined as: “Crossbows, longbows, recurve bows and compound bows are allowed for hunting any game or feral hog. Arrows for hunting deer, bear or feral hog must be broadhead type. Draw weight, let-off, arrow-length, and sights are not restricted.”

Convicted Felons: Convicted felons may not possess any firearm or muzzleloading firearm while hunting unless that individual’s right to carry has been restored (OCGA § 16-11-131). This does not apply to archery equipment, air bows or air rifles.

Editor’s Note: The author, Kret Dupree, is based in Cartersville. He owns IN-KRETT-IBLE Air Guns of Georgia and can be reached at [email protected] or 770.548.6826. Contact him if you have any questions, are ready to start looking for the right air gun for your needs, or if you already have an airgun that needs a tune or maintenance.

In order from left to right, you can see the size differences in calibers from .177, . 22, .25, .30, .35 and the last is a Hornady lead .38 caliber semi-wadcutter weighing 158 grains that the author uses in his 300 foot-pound .357 Benjamin Bulldog, one of his original custom build air guns.