Alas, friends, but sooner or later this had to happen. For three decades, there has been a “pneumatic hole” in the domestic weapons legislation. On the one hand, samples of civilian weapons with a muzzle energy of up to 7.5 joules were allowed for free circulation, on the other hand, no clearly defined sanctions were provided for the sale, manufacture, alteration and repair of devices beyond this scope. For everything else, including shooting “in undesignated places,” there is only administrative responsibility, although it increased noticeably in monetary terms five years ago (see Article 20.13 of the Administrative Code).
Have you finished shooting?
And we, Airgunners, to be honest, enthusiastically took advantage of the opportunities provided by the state - either through oversight or intentionally, out of the kindness of our hearts - although we always found a reason to grumble about the insufficient liberalization of laws. Oh, as always, we don’t keep what we have, and when we lose it, we cry!
But no matter how the rope twists, the end will come (yup, another folk wisdom) - with the introduction of amendments to Art. on July 1, 2021. 222 and 223 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation, pneumatics with muzzle energy over 7.5 J are actually equated to a firearm, with all the ensuing consequences (see “Appendix” with excerpts from the updated Criminal Code at the very end of the article).
And it was brought closer, unfortunately, not by evil deputies and employees of the National Guard, but by our “colleagues”, who all these blessed decades have enthusiastically fired from air cannons at everything that moves - from titmice to buses and children. Looks like they finished shooting. And even though these were isolated cases on a national scale, they were enthusiastically inflated, or even tritely invented by the media, and journalists and bloggers, as is their custom, also shamelessly confused pneumatics with traumatic weapons and vice versa (see “Bow, crossbow , pneumatics: fakes, injuries, crime..."). Well, why whine now, it’s better to figure out how it will turn out further.
For example, we should look at how zealously law enforcement officers will use the opportunities that open up to them. After all, if earlier the completely complacent attitude of the same SPEers towards air guns was explained by the impossibility of “cutting down the stick” on a banal administrative offense, now a citizen detained for shooting at banks, if he is found with a “reinforced” pneumatic gun, is already charged with criminal charges, and weapons charges, and This, you understand, is now in trend.
Nevertheless, there is no reason to immediately run for soap and rope, fortunately our country has always been famous for one circumstance, wonderfully formulated by M.E. Saltykov-Shchedrin: “The severity of Russian laws is softened by the optionality of their implementation.”
So let's see whether the theoretically probable repressions will be slowly implemented in practice in relation to all airgunners in general, or whether the matter will be limited to catching and punishing the above-mentioned scumbags, who are welcome there, to be honest (especially taking into account the fact that the people in uniform themselves are not averse to having fun with pneumatic). And based on more or less clear statistics, draw conclusions.
Calculation of pneumatic muzzle energy
Owners of air guns, as well as those wishing to purchase them, often wonder how powerful they are. It should immediately be noted that the penetration ability of a bullet depends on many factors, such as the strength of materials, target range and others. But the main thing is the muzzle energy, measured in Joules.
It is equal to half the mass multiplied by the square of the speed: E=1/2*m*v^2, where m is the weight, v is the initial speed.
For example, the kinetic energy of a Makarov pistol bullet with a weight of 6.3 grams and a speed of 330 m/s is 343 J, and a Kalashnikov assault rifle bullet with a speed of 900 m/s is 1377 J. And this is not the limit for military weapons. For blowguns these figures are much lower.
In order to find out the power of an air rifle or pistol, you need to know the caliber of the shot and its speed. Everything is clear with the first parameter, since manufacturers indicate the weight of the bullets on the packages. To calculate the speed you will need a chronograph. There are electronic models that give results in joules. Therefore, the owner does not even need to perform the calculation himself. If you do not have the necessary tool, you can use the speed declared by the manufacturer as a parameter. It is often indicated in the technical data sheet of the product. The owner just has to plug in the required numbers and get the final result.
What awaits pneumatic manufacturers
Some, however, can be done now. Here on the site, not so long ago, an article was published “Convenient pneumatics were invented by the Indians...”, which examined the experience of India, where five years ago there was a sharp tightening of weapons legislation, including with regard to pneumatics. So, for a population of almost one and a half billion, there are only two pneuma manufacturers left alive with an extremely limited range of products (in the field of firearms, everything is much worse there, and Russia, in comparison with India, is almost “super-liberal” Texas :)).
About the same thing awaits us. This is the case if the approach not of the great Russian writer Saltykov-Shchedrin, but of the odious Russian deputy, or rather of a whole group of similar comrades, prevails, and everything goes according to the worst scenario. We will be guided by it in our forecasts, in full accordance with another immortal saying: “Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.”
Thus, the well-known, internationally recognized “Caliber”, “EDgan” and a number of others) are reoriented to foreign markets, because which Russian airgunner in his right mind would buy a powerful, accurate and high-tech 6.35 mm PCP for a hundred thousand rubles - a rifle to use it in a 3-joule version for shooting at 5 meters at matches? But foreign users and sellers are very interested in these products (of course, with original energy) - for example, the largest online weapons mall “Pyramyd Air” recently announced the expansion of the “EDgun” product range presented here, which will include all lines of “Matadors” , “Lel” and “Leshikh”.
In the photo - a stand at the arms exhibition in Nuremberg
Approximately the same thing will happen with imports (by the way, in India, after the tightening of the weapons law, prices have risen significantly). The most popular spring-piston rifles of the “magnum” and “supermagnum” classes in the event of real persecution in the reinforced, or rather, “original” 20 and 30-joule version will become simply dangerous, and in the legal 7.5-joule version, as they say, on figs are not needed.
It’s easier to immediately buy devices designed to meet these specifications, which also cost much less - “Hatsan Alpha”, “Diana 21”, “Gamo Delta”, etc. True, this is where domestic “murkas” - MR-60/61, MR-512, as well as products from Izhevsk Guns - “Murena”, “Afalina” will become much more competitive.
It’s hard to say what will happen to the extremely popular “Krugergans” and their brothers from small “low-volume” manufacturers. All these wonderful products in the legal 7.5-joule version will be of interest to a small number of shooters - after all, even in our rather large country there are not so many fans of shooting at paper at a 10-meter distance.
7.5 joules: where did they come from and what could be an alternative
Have you noticed that everything comes down to the magic numbers “7.5”. They are the ambush. The same Indians determined the threshold for unlicensed pneumatics available to ordinary citizens at 20 joules of muzzle energy, and this is a completely different song, much more cheerful. Such samples can work perfectly at any sports and entertainment distances, from “indoor” to “small” 50 meters, that is, they are excellent for shooting in the open air, which, in fact, determines the interest of the vast majority of airgunners in magnum class rifles. .
7.5 joules is still “power” for indoors, it is the standard for professional devices designed for shooting at the Olympic 10-meter distance. In principle, in closed areas such aerial vehicles perform well at pistol distances of 25 meters. And you will find many certified shooting ranges in our cities and towns, where everyone is also allowed, and even with their own “tool”? But there are plenty of deserted places where you can shoot from a 20-Joluy magnum without violating “public order and public safety.”
This is where it would be logical to correct the legislation, and this time not in the direction of tightening it. For example, the current upper limit for hunting pneumatics of 25 joules looks strange from the point of view of hunting (for details, see the article “Large-caliber pneumatics: what can we expect in Russia?”). Well, let it become the bottom one, that is, everything that is less than 25 J is an unlicensed pneuma, anything more is a hunting one, requiring a license, etc. And a lot of questions would automatically disappear.
Well, we are no worse than this overseas girl, who shoots, by the way, not from an air gun, but from a real, albeit small-caliber rifle, created, by the way, especially (!) for children (calibers available from the classic .22LR to the quite serious .22WMR! ):
Foreign restrictions on the “power” of pneumatics
By the way, various kinds of restrictions in the field of pneumatics exist in almost all countries (in some places, for example, in Australia or China, all of them are equated to firearms).
Even in the USA there are isolated reserves of hoplophobia, including the notorious New York, although - you will laugh - in such an “oasis of tolerance” as San Francisco, the state law on preemption, with the full support of the district attorney (!), did abolish those introduced not so long ago Air bans! The limit threshold varies greatly, from Canadian 5.7 joules to the already familiar German 7.5 J, Czech 16, French 20, etc. In some places the maximum caliber is limited - usually 6.35 mm, in others the bullet speed is limited. Exceptions to the general rule are extremely rare, such as Belgium and Bulgaria, and even there with some reservations. So there is certainly no point in complaining about the “exclusivity” of domestic weapons and pneumatic standards.
The maximum level of 7.5 joules that we borrowed from German legislation is quite optimal for Germany. Here, in general, there is no place to shoot relatively powerful rifles - the lands are either densely populated, privately owned, or classified as nature reserves. Well, yes, in certain cases you violate the requirements of TB and in any case - some paragraph, which a law-abiding German will not agree to. I often correspond with airgunners from Old Europe. So, where there are restrictions on pneumatics, our colleagues shoot exclusively with legal versions; even the thought of “upgrading” their devices does not occur to them.
No, one can understand a desperate German (preferably an Ossie, who also served in the GDR army), who would quietly purchase a pistol from the Albanians to protect his daughters from the rude Arabs, but go to the extent of violating weapons legislation for the sake of a toy (and almost all pneumatics are in essence it is) - an unthinkable thing for the modern average native European.
But the also quite law-abiding Dutch in 1997 took and abolished the 7.5-joule limit, again borrowed from Germany, and now all their pneumatics are available to any 18-year-old citizen.
We are not Germans at all, and not only shooters, but also law enforcement officers. Hence the nuances of the development of the situation. There are two main options.
For lovers of powerful weapons - let's go beyond the 7.5 J limit
Here we will no longer talk about gas-cylinder models and not very high prices. As a rule, these are PCP type pistols costing at least $350. Next - about popular models.
FX Ranchero
FX Ranchero air pistol with power above 11.52 J
This powerful eight-shot device from Swedish manufacturer FX Airguns features a pre-inflation system and weighs 1400g. The 21.59cm steel barrel features FX Smoothtwist rifling. There are two options: the first with a 4.5 mm caliber, and the second with a 5.5 mm caliber. In the first case, the bullet will fly at a speed of 240, in the second - 225 meters per second. The “feature” of the model is the adjustable power - for the smaller caliber it varies from 11.52 to 20.34 joules, and for the larger one - from 12 to 21.69 joules. The cost of the pistol is approximately $900.
Evanix Renegade Hunting Pistol
Evanix Renegade Hunting air pistol with power from 30-40 J
The PCP type product from the famous Korean manufacturer Evanix has a twenty-five-centimeter barrel with a caliber of 5.5 mm. It has a rifle-type bolt mechanism, a rotating magazine, and a stock made of walnut wood. Muzzle energy - from 35 to 40 joules. With one pump (up to 210 bar), you can fire from 12 to 20 shots. A bullet with a caliber of 5.5 mm and a weight of 0.9 g flies with an acceleration of 255 meters per second. The weight of the device is 1360 g. The pistol costs from 450 to 600 dollars in America; it’s difficult to find it in a store here, but it’s quite possible to buy it in person.
Benjamin Marauder
Benjamin Marauder air pistol with power from 20 J
This 5.5 mm pistol looks solid and impressive, and it is produced by the American company Crosman. However, a model with a smaller caliber is also produced - 4.5 mm. The PCP system is used here, the magazine is eight-round, spring-loaded, and the bolt is manual. It is quite possible to shoot three magazines from one refill (using lead bullets of the appropriate caliber). The bullet speed is 215 meters per second, and the shot energy can reach 20 joules (it can be adjusted). The device weighs 1230 g. The cost of the pistol is about $750.
Options for the development of events: what awaits the owners of pneumatics
1). The first is according to the great Russian classic writer, when the situation, in principle, will not change much, especially since there are still some kind of “holes” left in the laws. For example, regarding the illegal acquisition and storage of pneumatic weapons over 7.5 J (oh well, let’s not tell the “servants of the people” where else to put their irrepressible energy, let them better spend it on solutions that are really necessary for the country).
Here's another thing. A typical policeman and National Guard member is definitely much more adequate than bloggers, people’s representatives and others like them who specialize in hoplophobia. It is not for nothing that many people themselves are interested in shooting disciplines, including “pneumatic”.
Nevertheless, anyone who has dealt with weapons, and especially has served, and certainly has fought or hunted, that is, imagines wound ballistics, etc., understands perfectly well that all these “terrible” 25 joules of muzzle energy are simply ridiculous background of any firearm (see “Bow, crossbow, pneumatics: fakes, injuries, crime...” and “Nature of destruction of biological and non-biological objects from pneumatic weapons”). This is essentially an analogue of the slingshots of our childhood, with the difference that due to the growing level of hands-on behavior among the population, nowadays they don’t make devices themselves, but prefer to buy them in stores. And put them in jail for them...
2) The second development option is according to, relatively speaking, a Russian journalist-deputy preoccupied with self-PR. That is, grab, hold, not let go and report on achievements in the field of “fighting international organized crime.”
Do you think I'm joking? There are examples, although they are still foreign (pah-pah three times).
How not to become a “weapons baron”
So, “according to Bloomberg, Italian police have arrested 19 far-right extremists in raids across the country. During their course, a cache of weapons and a number of Nazi paraphernalia was discovered.” The brave carabinieri presented this photo as an illustration of their triumph (I prudently retouched the swastikas on the covers):
Do you know what kind of “weapon” is featured here? Four air rifles, by the way, presented in our stores, and a semi-toy compound bow! It looks really ridiculous and in some ways even pathetic, especially considering that in Italy the police have something to do - and common crime is thriving, and there are real terrorist threats, and the 'Ndrangheta, the mafia and the Camorra, alas, are nowhere to be found. share. Well, at least they put a shotgun in the “exhibition” for the ambiance :)).
However, the photo was clearly taken immediately after the arrest, and if suddenly the subsequent mandatory forensic examination reveals the muzzle energy of the devices to be more than 7.5 joules, then law enforcement officers will formally be absolutely within their rights, because it is precisely this threshold, according to local legislation, like ours now, that separates harmless air from a complete analogue of a firearm.
Police officials in any country, regardless of skin color, religion and citizenship, think approximately the same way. Therefore, fellow airgunners, if anyone likes to express something “indecent” on social networks or blogs, in these times it is better for you to throw all your funny shooters, including the 3-joule acid ball-spitting pistol, to the bottom of the deepest gorge in advance - well, yes, later, of course, the experts will figure it out, but in hasty reports to the top, the authorities can well boast of capturing not just an “extremist”, but also a “weapon baron,” and no one likes to give up, losing their reputation. Joke. Although…
“Dangerous” pneumatics: sell, throw away, put away?
The same actions, in terms of getting rid of compromising devices, can be recommended for those who have something to lose, primarily holders of firearms permits. Well, in fact, soon licenses will be revoked for jaywalking, but here comes a real weapons charge! So is it worth losing the right to guns, and especially carbines, because of a toy? Especially when you consider that the vast majority of people who came to “pneumatics” in adulthood were previously firearms specialists - shooters and hunters. They came just because of the opportunity to shoot, often with children/grandchildren, somewhere in nature, and before the tightening of administrative responsibility, in the country. Have you played with pneumatic air? - well, that’s enough, it’s time to think about the soul :)).
If the toad does not allow you to simply throw away the air vents that cost a lot of money - which is generally correct - then you can sell your devices that have suddenly become unwanted, having first brought them to their original (up to 7.5 J) state by installing the appropriate spring (which, we hope they weren’t thrown away during the upgrade), or even sold as spare parts after incomplete disassembly; fortunately, the legislation does not have the concept of “main parts of a weapon” for pneumatics. Not yet.
I feel sorry for the youth. With the almost complete lack of opportunity to legally shoot from fairly powerful pneumatics (as well as from small guns), that is, rifled weapons, guys from now on will not have the opportunity to at least learn how to work with optics and learn many more interesting and useful things regarding ballistics, which even the presence of a smoothbore will not help - these are very different devices. Again, the cost of ammunition for air guns and for firearms is incomparable.
In general, the townspeople will have to moderate their ardor a little, putting their “ovens” in the closet until better times, which may well come, since enlightenment still occurs quite regularly in the minds of legislators. As was the case, for example, in 2002, when crossbows with a force of up to 43 kgf became “structurally similar to weapons” for recreation and entertainment, instead of the previous 20 kgf. We can only hope for a remission in relation to pneumatics - let's say, the proposal made above regarding the upper threshold of unlicensed pneumatics not at 7.5, but at 25 joules will somehow be implemented.
It's good to be in the countryside in summer! Especially with air
And here residents of rural areas and small towns will benefit. In these parts, the same district police officers, who sometimes even come to the village a couple of times a year, are usually seasoned men who understand perfectly well that ruining a boy’s life because of a prank is somehow unkosher. Here they look at firearms in the hands of teenagers quite calmly, which is understandable if the dad is nearby.
Public opinion outside the megacities is also quite adequate - it is not customary for the army to mow down there, so almost all of them served were men. And for the most part in combat units, even in peacetime, they shoot a lot and often. It is precisely this contingent that ends up there and is especially loved by the commanders (plus former orphanage residents), since these conscripts, as a rule, have already known life in all its glory, they will not faint at the sight of not screen, but real blood, and if something happens, they will not Lawyers, deputies, “soldiers’ mothers” and representatives of the liberal public, who for some reason, of all the armies, adore only the “United States Army,” will rush into the unit.
With women, it’s about the same story - even some notorious village gossip and brawler, Baba Dusya, understands perfectly well that she will be subjected to general ostracism if she “hands over to the authorities” Petka, who was shooting in the neighbor’s garden, and surviving alone in the village is very difficult. Even if a stray bullet damages the glass of a woman’s little greenhouse, then in this case there is such a time-tested and very effective means of education as Petya’s father with a belt, while within a radius of a couple of hundred kilometers there is no ugly “juvenile” :)).
As a summary, I will only remind you that the most severe scenario of events was considered above. Most likely, in reality there will be something in between it and Shchedrin’s “non-compulsory implementation of laws” and only reckless scumbags who actually encroach on public safety will fall under the punitive hand of the law. So, don’t panic, comrades, just be reasonable and don’t run into trouble yourself!
What types of pneumatics are there?
Depending on the design features, pneumatic pistols are usually divided into the following types:
- Spring-piston products are distinguished by the fact that compressed air is generated due to the movement of the piston under the influence of a spring.
- The gas-cylinder design of pneumatics implies the presence of a reservoir for carbon dioxide (CO2), and the cylinders can be either built-in or removable.
- In pyropneumatic pistols, the shot is fired using a mixture of propane and butane.
- Compression pneumatics are distinguished by the fact that air is pumped into a special chamber using a pump.
Air pistols are also usually distinguished depending on the barrel design:
- In rifled barrels, the inner walls have notches, which give the bullet a rotational movement when fired.
- Smoothbore pneumatics have a tube-shaped barrel with smooth inner walls. This type of weapon is characterized by low accuracy and firing range.
It is important to know: the main feature of air pistols with a rifled barrel is the accuracy of shooting at a target.
In order to enjoy shooting with a pneumatic gun in the future, when choosing it, you should first of all pay attention to the following aspects:
- power (we already mentioned it above);
- appearance (individual samples of pneumatics may resemble real samples of pistols, for example, such as the legendary Makarov, Walter or revolver);
- cost of the shot, which includes the price of bullets and replacement gas cylinders;
- rate of fire;
- ease of holding the pistol when shooting;
- availability of additional accessories included.
The modern airgun market today is quite well saturated with all sorts of powerful items from different manufacturers. The uniqueness and characteristics will largely depend on how much money you are willing to shell out for the best weapon.
Instead of an afterword: a few words about firearms
The tightening of weapons legislation also affected firearms, mainly smooth-bore semi-automatic weapons and “Lancaster” guns, which have long irritated some people’s representatives, which from 2022 will only be able to be purchased by those with five years of experience in owning weapons.
The reason, as usual not only here, was the bloody incident at Kazan school No. 175, where the shooter used the popular Turkish “Escort” p/a. By the way, has anyone ever wondered why among the “heroes” of the latest mass shooting there are predominant boys with iPhones of all sorts, practically living not in the company of their peers, but in some kind of virtual world? Where, one wonders, are the street “urgans, evil hooligans”, why are they not drawn to commit the execution of their classmates or fellow students? Think about it, the answer is on the surface...
And yet, everything could have been even worse; the author remembers very well the times when all rifles, including, by the way, the practically unknown Lancasters in the USSR, were banned for ordinary citizens. So in this case there was little loss of life, although, of course, it was a shame for novice shooters.
But here (IMHO) I can say this. I am with all my heart for the development of shooting disciplines, any, including the “Airsoft” that is despised by some comrades - let them shoot from anything, as long as they shoot and not stare at smartphones for days. So for a sport with its formalization, serious restrictions, and strict adherence to safety requirements, any weapon should be available, and age, as well as the experience of a novice shooter, is not a hindrance at all. However, I note that when hunting I will never stand next to a person whom I see for the first time, if he is armed with a carbine, and not a rifle, which is relatively safe at medium distances - never mind, nevermind, we swam, we know.
And if he declares that he “does “practice” with the boys and shoots without missing a beat at any sound,” then I’ll go to the other end of the forest out of sin :)) and invite my comrades to do the same. IPSC lovers, don’t be offended, this is not about your hobby or vocation, but about what I call “shooting games”, and with a twist on “practice”. For obvious reasons, there are no pistols and carbines; smooth-bore semi-automatic machines or “pumps” reign. And when such a full-fledged tactical shooter in a half-crouch turns around with his whole body at an inopportunely ringing mobile phone, pointing the barrel at the stunned spectators, the sensation is unforgettable.
In professional practical shooting, the requirements for safety and control over the actions of the shooter (photo above), in my opinion, are noticeably higher than those of most hunting groups. If only because in an established hunting brigade (nowadays they are usually called “team”) everyone knows each other very well, there are virtually no new people with unknown psychophysical characteristics, and there is hope that turns into confidence in the absence of the likelihood of any quirk or just a joint, caused by the shooter’s inexperience - in fact, we are dealing with a “unit” that has undergone combat coordination.
The good old system with candidate experience, passing an exam at the hunting minimum, and recommendations from experienced hunters was not such a bad thing. Nowadays, newly minted holders of OBEFO find themselves virtually abandoned, and a course in weapons handling is good if it is one tenth of the required amount of knowledge. Look, no one will send into battle one young guy who, during a month of quarantine, has somehow learned how to disassemble a machine gun and shoot in the direction of the target. One way or another, this will be preceded by tactics and fire training, and most importantly, there will definitely be senior comrades nearby, from whom you can learn in any case.
So it is with hunting, where a beginner left to his own devices, fortunately, has almost no chance of becoming a “two hundredth” (although not a fact!), but as a hunter he is no different from a “young, untrained fighter” :)) and is just as “effective” " Moreover, this is also true for people who have shooting training in sports and near-sports disciplines, although in any case they initially have a solid advantage. The ability to shoot well is an extremely necessary, but, alas, completely insufficient condition for successful hunting.
Alternatively, for novice urban hunters with some spare funds, we could recommend the services of private farms, where they can learn at least some of the basics under the guidance of professionals. In this case, I even consider shooting at feeding sites, which I don’t like, acceptable. For everyone else, the only right choice would be to find a hunting team, which, by the way, is not so easy to join.
PS And in general, a person should get involved in shooting, and especially hunting, as early as possible. Again, with the support of more experienced comrades.
Just as it was in the Russian Empire, where even children had the right to hunt with weapons if they had a guarantor. Or in modern Alaska: “A hunter under 10 years of age may hunt big game only under the direct supervision of a licensed hunter who is at least 18 years of age. In this case, the senior hunter is responsible for fulfilling all requirements. Alaska law encourages adults to take their children elk hunting before the start of the school year. But only a child can directly hunt an elk.” (See the article “Rifles “Keystone Sporting Arms”, or Kids don’t hit the target”).
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