Air Pistols: tips for buying the right air guns

Air pistols come in two basic designs: the pistol and the revolver. Which is the right one for you? The answer depends on what shooting activities or hobbies you like to take part in. The air pistol is often the choice of shooters who like plinking and target shooting and prefer a semi-automatic gun that can fire pellets in rapid succession. Increasingly, semi-automatic air soft pistols are being used on the weekend warrior combat field as well. The air revolver is a favorite of replica collectors and law enforcement for practice purposes. They are extremely realistic pistols (and obviously much safer).

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Pistol Style Air Guns

The most popular air pistol models are modeled after bullet-firing semi-automatic pistols. Because of their smaller size, the majority of these guns are powered by CO2 cartridges, which are compact. The advantage is decent muzzle velocity from such a small pistol (350-500 fps, typically). The downside is that you have to buy replacement cartridges fairly often if you're an avid shooter. These pistols are a lot of fun, and great for target shooting and plinking. We highly recommend the following models:

Walther PPK (James Bond) Air Pistol Kit	Daisy Powerline 693 Air Pistol Kit
Crosman 1088 Air Pistol Kit	Gamo P-23 Air Pistol

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Revolver Style Air Guns

When it comes to pistols in the revolver style, there are really only three names to remember: Crosman, Smith & Wesson, and Gamo. Gamo is a Spanish manufacturer with a long history of producing some of the highest quality air pistols on either side of the Atlantic. Check out the CO2-powered, pellet-firing air revolvers below if a classic handgun design is your preference:

Smith & Wesson 586-4 Air Revolver (4" Barrel)	Smith & Wesson 686-6 Air Revolver (6" Barrel)
Gamo R-77L Air Pistol Kit (4" Barrel)	Smith & Wesson 586-8 Air Revolver (8" Barrel)

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