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Pistole

How to Choose an Air Pistol

Dominik Lehnert

Our offer contains a vast number of air pistols. It is certainly good to have lots of options but it can also be a bit overwhelming and complicate your choice. That is why we have prepared this short guide, which should help you choose the right model for you.

CONTENTS

  1. Spring piston air pistols
  2. CO2 air pistols
  3. PCP air pistols
  4. Multi-Pump/PCA air pistols
  5. Ammunition
  6. Fire modes

Powerplant

Let’s start with the basics. One of the most important aspects of any airgun is its powerplant. It won’t be of much use without and will only serve as a decoration. You should carefully consider this aspect because the type of powerplant often determines the future use of your airgun. There are three basic types:

CO2 air pistols

This is the most common and popular type of air pistol. CO2 air pistols are powered by a 12g CO2 cartridge, which must be inserted into the magazine or directly inside the grip. The most prominent feature of these airguns is their realistic look which often faithfully resembles real firearms. Some models even go as far as to simulate the real function of the handgun along with its disassembly. If you add Blowback into the mix, your shooting experience will improve significantly.

Did you know?

Blowback simulates the real movement of the slide after each shot and also provides a slight recoil. This makes shooting a lot more fun. The only downside lies in a larger consumption of CO2, which reduces the overall number of shots you can get out of a single cartridge.

PCP air pistols

Another group is made up of PCP air pistols (Pre-Charged Pneumatic), which utilize an integrated air tank with compressed air to propel the pellets. These models are, just like their larger counterparts, without a doubt the most accurate and powerful airguns in their category. They are almost exclusively used for target shooting and we mostly recommend them to intermediate and advanced shooters who want to get the best results out of their air pistols.

The air tank can be filled with a PCP hand pump or with a scuba tank. The overall number of shots is determined by the volume of the air tanks and fill pressure.

If you want to learn more about PCP air pistols and see them in action, we recommend watching our videos with Reximex RP and Reximex RPA or SPA PP800R.

Ammunition

The airguns themselves won’t be of much use without the right type of ammunition. Air pistols usually utilize two basic ammunition types:

Lead pellets

Standard lead pellets are known for their amazing accuracy and are an ideal choice for target shooting. The majority of air pistols are made in .177 caliber (4,5 mm) but some more powerful PCP models are available in .22 (5,5 mm) or .25 (6,35 mm) calibers.

When it comes to brands, you can never go wrong with the Czech company JSB. It offers a vast selection of different types and weights of pellets. This is the ammo of choice for many professional shooters.

We go into detail about different types of airgun ammunition in our video.

Steel BBs 

This ammo type is most commonly used with semi-automatic CO2 air pistols with smoothbore barrels. The BBs might not be as accurate as standard pellets but they make up for it with their affordable price and durability. This is the perfect ammunition for plinking.

Pellet airguns are usually considered to be more accurate and ideal for target shooting, while air pistols shooting steel BBs are perfect for plinking.

Fire modeS

We already know what we are going to shoot and out of what. Only one question remains: How? Fire mode is an important aspect and it largely determines the future use of the particular air pistol. Fun factor also plays a big role here.

Single-shot air pistols

This category contains the majority of spring piston air pistols. You have to manually cock the spring piston and then insert the pellet into the chamber, similar to the break barrel air rifles. This loading procedure can be also used by some PCP pistols, which usually come with a detachable magazine but you can replace it with a single-shot tray to get the best possible accuracy.

Repeating air pistols

Repeaters are mostly dominated by PCP models but you can also find some spring piston pistols here as well. You still have to manually cock the gun before each shot but you no longer have to manually insert the projectile into the chamber. These types of airguns come with either built-in or detachable magazines.

Thank you for your attention and we hope that we have shed some light onto the different types of air pistols and helped you decide which model to purchase. 

We also recommend buying these accessories:

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Author of article: Dominik Lehnert

Marketing, Product Specialist

I have been working at the company since 2019, where I am responsible for coordinating the company’s marketing activities and overseeing the professional quality of our e-shop’s content. I have been interested in weapons for as long as I can remember, so working at Balistas was an obvious choice for me. In my free time, I enjoy going to the shooting range or spending time in nature. I also occasionally strum the guitar and never turn down a good book.

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