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Airgun Shooting For Beginners

If you’ve ever fancied getting started in the world of shooting, it’s probably easier than you first thought. Let us help you with this handy guide to starting out…

First off, you have to be over the age of 18 to purchase an air rifle or air pistol, and have valid photo ID (passport / driving licence) to prove this when you purchase from a shop. If you want to buy online, We’re one of the very few internet retailers that deliver to item to your door. Secondly, the rifle or pistol has to be below 12 ft/lbs, which is the legal limit for air weapons which don’t require a license. If you take a look in our Airguns category, then everything within there is below this limit, so they only governing factor now is your budget!

The Sport of Shooting

The sport of shooting has more benefits for it that you may think, and is by no means reserved for the upper class, as many believe it is today. Air rifles and air pistols are a low cost form of shooting, and there are many local clubs which have large memberships in the disciplines of Field Target and Hunter Field Target shooting. If you fancy joining one of these clubs, a couple of great websites to check out are www.shootingclubdirectory.com and basc.org.uk/airgunning, which have details of numerous air gun clubs across the UK that would be more than happy to accommodate new members.

Of course you don’t have to be a member of a club to shoot; you can quite as easily purchase several targets and shoot on your own land. A wide range of targets are available such as knockdowns, knock and resets, and standard paper targets. You can take a look at our full selection of shooting targets here and start building your own home range today!

A lot of air rifle users also use these weapons for pest and vermin control, such as rabbits and squirrels. They present the hardest of targets as they are prone to rapid movement, and shot placement must be spot on to ensure a humane kill.

All these targets and practicing target acquisition massively improves your hand eye coordination, steadiness and sense of distance which can benefit you greatly in day to day tasks.

The Law

The law is very clear on Airguns; they are classed as a firearm and hence carry heavy penalties for misuse. For this reason you must ensure that you comply at all times, which means you must first know the law.

The Law is split down into different age groups as follows…

If you’re over the age of 18 then there are no restrictions on you purchasing an air rifle and ammunition, but you must only use it on land which you own, or have permission to shoot on. If you do get some land to shoot on with permission, I would suggest getting it in writing, as well as a map of where you are allowed to shoot. You must also remember that whilst shooting, no projectiles must leave the boundary of the land, so know your boundaries!

If you’re between the ages of 14 and 17 years old, then you can borrow an air rifle and ammunition, and use it without supervision on private premises where you have permission to do so. At this age you can’t hire or buy an air rifle, buy ammunition, or receive one as a gift. Everything must be looked after by someone over the age of 18 such as a parent, guardian or other responsible adult. You also cannot have an air rifle in a public place unless you’re with someone over the age of 21 and have a reasonable grounds to do so, such as traveling to a shooting club.

The final age group is 14 years and younger. In this age group you can use an air rifle on private land with permission, but you must always be supervised by a person over the age of 21. You can’t buy or hire an air gun or ammunition, nor receive one as a gift, and those who do buy an airgun for use for someone below the age of 14 must be sure to exercise control over it at all times.

Air Gun Power Plants

When it comes to choosing either an air rifle or air pistol, there are a few different power sources to choose from, and each has advantages and disadvantages. This is just a quick rundown on them, but for a deeper insight, check out our blog post from our Gun Smith Jason here.

Spring power is the cheapest and easiest to use as it consists of a large spring moving a piston within a chamber to compress air in front of it to move the pellet along the barrel. These guns require very little maintenance and only need the movement of you cocking the barrel to make them ready for firing. They also don’t require any other accessories. Spring guns do have recoil though, but this can be seen as an advantage, as it teaches you how to correctly hold the gun to deal with this, henceforth improving your skills right away.

Co2 power utilises Co2 canisters which come in a couple of sizes. These are loaded into the gun, which is then released through a valve, into the barrel upon each shot. This method reduces the recoil to practically nothing, as well as cutting down on the noise from the action. This means in most cases that a silencer can be fitted to reduce the overall noise of shooting. However, Co2 does suffer from power fluctuations with the temperature, and requires you to carry spare capsules for reloading when they run out.

PCP stands for Pre Charged Pneumatic and these guns are based around an air reservoir, which is refilled with a dive bottle or stirrup pump up to pressures of 200 BAR. This high pressure air is then allowed through to the barrel through a valve. The use of high pressure air provides excellent accuracy and consistency and similar to the Co2 guns, and a silencer can be used to reduce the barrel noise. The drawback of PCP is that they are expensive to buy, particularly with the accessories, but once set up they are phenomenally accurate and simple to use which makes them the number one choice for top end competition and match purposes.

What do I need to get started?

To get started you need as little as an air gun, either a rifle or pistol, the necessary pellets, and other essential accessories such as co2 capsules, where required, of course.

Here at Pellpax we have a few kits that we have put together at a great price to get you started. One such kit is the Wildcat Kit which comes with the rifle, scope, a gun bag, a tin of pellets and a pack of our targets. Everything you need to start punching holes in paper as soon as it is delivered.

Once you have your selected item, then it’s time to start shooting! As both of these are break barrel items, you first have to tap the barrel to break it away from the breech, then grasp the barrel firmly and pull it towards you to cock it until it clicks. Then load the pellet into the barrel and return it to its starting position.

Basic Technique

Firstly, take aim at your target. with the air rifle the best technique is to not hold the stock too firmly, as you need to allow the rifle some room to recoil slightly. With a loose hold on the rifle, disengage the safety, and slowly squeeze the trigger until the shot fires.

With the pistol it is much the same, except you will need to hold it slightly tighter to support its weight, and feel free to use both hands, one round the grip and one supporting the front of the pistol to get the best accuracy. Enjoy!

From here it is really down to you developing your technique over time and fine tuning the scope / sights and practicing hitting the centre of the target and learning your gun. Of course you might consider upgrading over time to a high quality rifle, but these basic tips and kit are a great place to start.

You can grab a Pellpax Wildcat kit here.

Our Spring powered air rifles can be found here. Our Co2 air rifles are here, and our PCP air rifles can be found here.

Club Focus: Cromer Air Rifle Club

In a new feature, we take a look at airgun clubs up and down the country. This month it’s the turn of Cromer Air Rifle Club, which is in our part of the world, Eastern England.

Cromer Air Rifle Club was established in 1974. Like most airgun clubs at that time, it was an indoor range, which meant shooting paper targets at six yards, using 6 ft/lb air rifles – not too challenging, but great fun when you’re in competition. But as the sport waned in popularity, so did local competition. Airgun clubs’ membership was diminishing, and some clubs just folded. For the handful of members remaining in the Cromer Air Rifle Club, indoor shooting was not much fun.

So, in the 1980s, the club moved outside, to a range where members could shoot at 55-yard targets, using 12 ft/lb guns. The ft/lb unit is a measurement of kinetic energy, calculated by multiplying half the mass of the projectile by the velocity squared. It is a legal requirement that an airgun that shoots over 12 ft/lbs (approximately equal to 16 joules) must have a firearms certificate.

Outdoors, with mud, foliage, nice views and weather, competition wasn’t so important. Shooting with a few friends, or even alone, was a pleasure. Now airgun shooting was fun again, and, as you would expect, club membership grew.

Nick Larty with a hand-built Sports Match GC2 air rifle

The Cromer Air Rifle Club now has its home in Bodham, in a quiet, out-of-the-way location on farmland. The long track that leads from the road to the shooting ground is very thoughtfully signposted with the location’s postcode. Shooters meet every Sunday morning between nine o’clock and twelve o’clock, unless it’s raining.

There are only eight airgun clubs in this region – a region that covers no fewer than eight counties. The winter league, which takes place every year between October and April, is open to all members of these eight BFTA (British Field Target Association) clubs, and each club takes a turn to host a round.

It’s a thirty-shot course, undertaken in pairs. In each of the 15 lanes there are four targets – two for each shooter. Every metal target is punched with a hole, which is 35 mm, 25 mm, or 15 mm in diameter. Behind the hole is a piece of metal on a spring, which, when hit, gives a satisfying ‘clunk’.

Airgun shooting is normally done in a sitting or lying position, but some of the targets in the Winter League competition are ‘positional’ shots, which must be taken from a standing and a kneeling position. (If your knees aren’t up to kneeling, you can opt for standing only!)

If you are interested in taking up airgun shooting, or if you are an experienced shooter looking for a local club, contact Nick Larty, Cromer Air Rifle Club co-ordinator, on 01263 570 223 or 07796 904 482, or just turn up at the club on a Sunday morning from 9 a.m. The postcode is NR25 6PN.

Brand New: Air Arms Galahad

We preview a brand new air rifle from Air Arms, the Galahad….

Air Arms have a reputation for making sure that each of their products has been rigorously tested and designed so that it is absolutely perfect when it is released. Their premium models like the XTi-50 show how attention to detail can lead to air rifles that people love. Unfortunately, that can sometimes mean many months between new product launches. However, that makes it all the more exciting when a new item is announced, and today we heard of the latest announcement from them in the form of the Air Arms Galahad!

The Galahad Specs

The Galahad is multi-shot Bullpup rifle, which means that the action is seated right in the back of the stock, to minimise overall length and maximise manoeuvrability. The information that we received today hinted that it will be available in either Beech, Walnut and Black Soft Touch Rubber stocks, with a choice of lengths, either carbine or standard length, as most of the Air Arms rifles are. I’ve also read reports that it will be available with either a regulated or unregulated action, which I am surprised about as I have spoken with one of the engineers at Air Arms before, and he isn’t particularly keen on regulators, but I know many owners of Air Arms do aftermarket conversions on the current range of rifles.

Unique Handling

The cocking action is totally different to anything I have ever seen before, and it looks as though it’s a lever, which moves downwards, to cock the action back, and then returns to a horizontal position to load the pellet and arm the rifle. Air Arms claim that this ‘assists the shooter in staying on target as well as reducing overall movement’ which is essential when shooting targets, or attempting to be stealthy in the wilderness. This cocking lever can be moved to either side as well, to make the rifle fully ambidextrous.

Other features include a pressure gauge, options for either a 9-11mm dovetail rail, or a 22mm Weaver rail, and a fully adjustable rear butt pad.

An Air Arms Original

All in all I think this rifle does look totally different to anything on the market at the moment, which is a good thing as it can get to a stage where you struggle to tell rifles apart, and something like this really stands out from the rest. As with all Air Arms rifles you know the quality will be absolutely sublime and the accuracy spot on, so I’m quite looking forward to getting my hands on one!

If you have any questions about the Air Arms Galahad rifle, please do not hesitate to get in contact with us here. Additionally, if you would like to reserve an Air Arms Galahad, head to our airguns store. or give us a call on 01263 731585, and we can get that arranged.

Check out our whole Air Arms range here. And for more details, you can head to the official site.

And to learn more about the company, you can read our ‘Brand Focus’ about Air Arms and their range of airguns.

Rabbit Hunting With An Air Rifle

If you’re interested in getting into rabbit hunting, there are a few basic tips you’ll need to know before your grab that hunting rifle and go on a mission.

1) it is legal to hunt rabbits without any kind of weapons licence, as long as you’re using a .177 or .22 air rifle, with an impact power of less than 12lb per cubic foot. Check out the Gov.UK site for legalities on the animals and weapons that can be used here in the UK.

If you’re interested in getting into rabbit hunting, there are a few basic tips you’ll need to know before your grab that hunting rifle and go on a mission.

Pellpax Rabbit Sniper Kit – Top Seller! £199.99

2) You’re gonna need some rabbits to hunt. This may involve getting the permission of a landowner, and, if required, enticing him by offering some of what you successfully catch.

3) In order to get a sense of where your airgun finds its centre, you’ll need to practice with target. A printed paper target is fine for this, along with a target holder / pellet catcher. There’s no replacement for understanding how your specific gun, and the pellets you have, perform in your hands, than to fire out a few practice shots like this, to get a ‘feel’ for it.

4) In order to be legally compliant with your target practice, you need to be at least 50 feet (15.2 m) away from the centre of roads or public areas. Any close than that, and you’re breaking the law here in the UK. Place your target and holder 30 metres or yards away.

5) Lay down on the floor, and use a bipod (check out our cool range!) to help you aim your weapon.

6) If you’d rather stand upright, that’s fine, but in either case, don’t hold the rifle too tightly, let it sit on your shoulder, and support the weight of it with your forward hand. This is because holding your rifle tightly can affect your aim.

7) Aim at the target for five seconds, breathe in, relax all muscles besides those which you’re using to holding the gun. While exhaling, stop for a couple of seconds, and hold your breath, and go ahead and squeeze the trigger. Count to five before moving the gun away from the target.

8) Adjust your sights, and repeat the process. Keep repeating the process until you feel you have the optimal setup, and are comfortable with your airgun. You must practice again and again. This is so that you don’t injure or wound an animal, and instead are able to kill it with one, accurate shot to the head.

9) Position yourself 20-30 metres from a rabbit hole, with warm clothing., etc, and wait.

10) Load your gun, and aim at the rabbit as it comes out of the hole. Wait for a minute to get a good angle on your shot. Stay perfectly still at this point. Aim for the back of the head, between the ears, as opposed to the body, as this may cause the rabbit unnecessary pain. If you’re aiming from the front, then shooting behind the eyes, and beneath the ears is best, as this is the most effective way to get an instant kill.

11) Use the process described earlier of breathing in, and then out, etc. to gradually adjust to your target, before firing. Ensure the bunny is further than two yards from the nearest rabbit hole, otherwise the rabbit may disappear before you can hit it.

12) Once you have hit the target, get the rabbit, and hold it in your hands for five seconds. If there is any movement in the body of the animal, fire once to the brain. Be careful not to shoot yourself! Alternately, hold the animal by its legs and hit it with a fast strike with a blunt object to the back of the neck.

If you want to take the plunge and purchase yourself a 22 air rifle and try out some rabbit hunting, then you can try our hugely popular Rabbit Sniper Kit, one of the best hunting rifles in the uk.