Do you know there are plenty of activities you can do with an air rifle? Most people have come to know air rifles as perfect tools for training the younger ones on how to use real firearms. That’s true but there is much more to these rifles than meets the eye. So, what are air rifles used for?
Air rifles are used for a whole bunch of things. These activities range from backyard target shooting and plinking, practice, training how to use firearms for first-timers, sports shooting, pest control, and even more amazingly hunting of small, medium, and large-sized game.
In this article, we will examine closely and in detail the uses of air rifles so that any beginner can get started off without any issues.
What Are the Uses of Air Rifles: A Detailed Look?
Air rifles can have as many uses just like a traditional gun. However, they have quite a number of limitations which make them inferior to guns.
For example, air rifles don’t produce as much power. They are not sturdy and can wear out fast when subjected to high recoil and other factors, which is why it would be extremely hard to find a 50-year-old air rifle in good condition.
Without further ado, here are the most common uses of air rifles:
1. Target Practice
Practice makes perfect and that’s exactly what you get in air rifles. Many people today have come to like using air rifles for practice rather than the actual firearms.
This is probably because they are easier to use and are cheaper. You can hone your marksmanship skills to the highest levels yet just with the use of an air rifle.
The good part of it is that you can do it right in your backyard because air rifles are safer than firearms.
2. Plinking
Set up your metal targets and start shooting. Many enthusiasts enjoy plinking around the world and that has made it a common hobby especially with great airguns like the Benjamin Trail NP XL 1500
. This air rifle is beautifully designed, high-powered, produces less recoil, and offers smooth cocking and easy handling.
3. Initial Level Gun Training
Air guns can also be used to train first timers who want to get into safe gun use. They are safe and cheaper.
First time gun users will also have an easier time using air rifles because they are not difficult to operate and they produce less recoil.
Similarly, you can have your younger ones trained on gun safety using air rifles as well.
4. Pest Control
Another super-important aspect of air rifles is pest elimination and control. They are tested and proven to be superb eradicators of small pests that cause damage in your garden.
Pests like rats, hedge hogs, small birds, squirrels, and more can easily be stopped by a high-quality air rifle. The caliber of the air rifle required for this job is not any heavy.
Gamo Varmint air rifle is designed to help you thwart notorious rodents like rats, mice, and birds. It has great velocity of up to 1250 fps and very efficient.
5. Hunting
Modern air rifles do not only take down small-sized game but also reliably stop larger ones. There are heavier calibers of air rifles such as .30, .357, .45, .50 which offer a lot of power and precision to hunt down different types of game.
you would down the big game including wild hogs, whitetail wall hangers, and many of the African plains game.
6. Competition Shooting
Air rifles are also nowadays used for competition in sports shooting. There are very accurate airguns which would hit the paper targets spot on especially at 10 meter indoor ranges.
In fact, there are Olympic events where air rifles and air pistols are exclusively used. However, many competitions involving airguns are mostly youth games.
Can an Air Rifle Be Effectively Used for Home Defense?
An air rifle cannot be effectively used for home defense. So, if you are thinking about it as a viable option, it’s high time to abolish it and get a real rig that can stop a ravaging intruder.
Logically on paper, high-powered air rifles might seem as good as a real firearm. But you don’t want to depend on that because practically, no air rifle is suitable for home protection.
Yes, there are air rifles that can put out over 200ft/lbs. of muzzle energy downrange but no one has come out to claim they can be safe even with such force from an airgun. Remember the weight and shape of a pellet and of course, its impact would never match what you get from a bullet.
If an intruder apprehended you in your home, an airgun may not stop them. This means getting a proper gun for self and home defense purposes is a must.
However, an airgun will be of great importance when it comes to practicing shooting. After you acquire a real firearm for self-defense, you will have to train on how to use it.
Initial level training using airguns is not only easy and straightforward but it’s also cheaper. As you practice regularly, you get better in your marksmanship skill.
Is an Air Rifle Considered a Firearm?
An air rifle cannot be considered to be a firearm in reality even though some jurisdictions or countries classify some of them in the firearm category. This is because, unlike firearms, there is no combustion or fire involved with airguns.
They shoot pellets or BBs rather than the deadly bullets of the real firearms. Even the most powerful air rifle with the largest amount of energy in the excess of 700ft/lbs. wouldn’t be considered a firearm.
The Federal Law of the U.S. does not consider airguns as firearms because they use compressed air and not an explosive to expel a projectile out from the barrel.
But that is not always the case for other countries. Canada, for instance, considers air rifles to be firearms if they shoot over 495 fps and generate 4.2 ft./lbs. or more of muzzle energy.
In Australia, all airguns are considered firearms for legal purposes. So, you definitely need to get a license to own any.
How Powerful Are Air Rifles?
Some air rifles can be quite powerful producing up to 700 foot-pounds of energy. This is especially for the heavier .50 caliber airguns.
But even with this amount of energy, the velocity remains some number below 1000 fps, which limits its potency. All pellets, unlike the bullets, are not efficient aerodynamically.
In the end, the airguns do not shoot flat thanks to the trajectory with a lot of curvatures. This means you can only shoot air rifles at short range if you want to get results. The maximum effective range is 75 yards for most air rifles if accuracy is to be sustained.
The power of an airgun is also determined by pellet weight and design besides velocity and muzzle energy. There are different pellet shapes including rounded, pointed, hollow noses, and polymer inserts.
Make sure you choose the right design for better impact when using the airgun.
Final Thoughts
Air rifles are used for plenty of things. They are great tools for shooting undertakings like plinking, target practice, training, pest control, and hunting.
Nevertheless, you don’t want to consider air rifles suitable for home defense. Unless you just want to practice and sharpen your gun use skills, they cannot be used for any defense purposes.
