Rifles vs. Air Guns:
The Contest is Getting Closer
A lot of people who own traditional
rifles are quick to make the claim that air guns are not professional
weapons. While it may be true that powder rifles are used more by
experienced shooters and hunters, there are good reasons that great
numbers of people are buying air guns these days for the same uses.
Cost
Standard rifles are still more expensive than air guns, but are no longer
so much more powerful and accurate. In fact, nowadays you can easily find
an airgun that comes close to a rifle in terms of muzzle velocity for a
third of the cost!
This has made a big impact on the market.
Many shooting enthusiasts have made the switch from rifles to air guns just
to save money. They rightly figure that it's worth the marginal loss of
power and accuracy.
Power & Accuracy
While the accuracy of many rifles
may still exceed that of most air guns, some of the latter are just as
powerful. It’s amazing, but many of these compressed gas weapons are
capable of expelling ammunition as fast as traditional explosive
powder-fired arms. Moreover, newer barrel rifling techniques being
employed in airguns have made them much more accurate at longer distances
to the target.
Safety
Add to the picture the fact that
traditional rifles are still generally less safe than air guns, because
of the ammunition differences that affect impact patterns and depths. Gun
safety and children are a big issue in these times, so air guns are becoming
a more popular choice for hunters and recreational shooters with families.
In the end, standard rifles still
hold the advantage over air guns in terms of accuracy, firepower, and feel.
But the latter is definitely becoming a serious rival for the loyalties
and bank accounts of many shooters.
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