The most powerful air rifles from 350 m/s
This block of our official website Popadiv10 presents the most powerful air rifles from 350 meters per second.
Such rifles are suitable for hunting animals or birds. Foreign and Russian companies are engaged in the production of such weapons. Most brands coming to Russia are present in our online store:
- Air rifle Hatsan 125 TH MW;
- Air rifle Hatsan 125 TH Vortex;
- Air rifle Jager SP 5.5 mm (Carbine, 450 mm, folding stock);
- Air rifle Gamo Hunter 1250;
- Umarex Ruger Black Hawk Magnum air rifle.
60 percent of pneumatics belong to the spring-piston type, where the energy for the shot is a coiled spring. The remaining 40 percent are pre-inflated pneumatics.
In both the first and second cases, the power of the weapon increases through tuning. For spring-piston rifles, it consists of replacing the coiled spring with a gas one, and in PSP pneumatics, it will be necessary to carry out deflation.
Every air rifle is equipped with a safety and depending on the model it is considered automatic or semi-automatic. Thanks to the safety, the shooter is protected from accidentally pressing the trigger.
Serious power makes this type of air gun ideal for hunting animals. The rifles are also suitable for competitions.
Wing Shot: .50 caliber air gun
If you thought that everything in the world of air guns had already been invented a long time ago, and you should no longer expect any amazing things, then you were very mistaken. Just over two years ago, The Air Venturi released the Wing Shot , a .50 caliber air rifle.
Wing Shot: .50 caliber air gun
Wing Shot works on the principle of pre-inflating an under-barrel cylinder (PCP-pneumatic), designed for a working pressure of 200 bar. This allows you to fire up to 5 powerful shots without additional refilling.
For greater convenience, there is a pressure gauge on the underside of the forend, which allows you to control the inflation of the cylinder and the level of residual pressure, which allows you to be 100% confident in the power of the shot fired.
When creating its pneumatic gun, the manufacturing company made sure that it occupied a worthy niche among large-caliber pneumatics and ensured the successful defeat of even the largest animals. Thus, the use of this gun for hunting allows you to successfully catch deer and even elk at distances of up to 40 meters, thanks to which at short distances it can easily compete with a classic smoothbore. At the same time, the maximum spread when shooting bullets at a distance of 30 meters is slightly more than 4 inches, which is a very good result for smooth-bore pneumatics.
But, speaking about the capabilities of this gun for hunting, one cannot fail to note its main feature, which completely distinguishes it from all other air rifles - this air gun can shoot shot , and it can do this fully.
The shotgun ammunition used in this gun is a plastic container that opens after exiting the barrel and is loaded with different shot numbers. Currently, with shot number 8 and shot number 6 in 11 gram weights, which allows you to hunt both birds (including flying ones, for example, pigeons) and small mammals. In addition, hunters also have access to empty containers into which they can independently load any shot or buckshot at their discretion.
Continuing the conversation about the features of this weapon, we should note its loading system. “Cartridges” are inserted from the breech side of the barrel into the chamber one at a time (that is, the weapon is single-shot).
“Cocking” the Wing Shot is carried out by moving the handle, which in appearance resembles the bolt handle of a smooth-bore semi-automatic machine (by the way, the manufacturers tried their best to bring the appearance of this pneumatic gun closer to the appearance of a firearm).
Among the sighting devices on the Wing Shot there is only a front sight and a small area that imitates a sighting bar (in fact, this gun is not designed for long-range shooting, as a result of which there is no rear sight, much less space for installing a bracket for optics).
For greater safety, the gun has a safety device mounted behind the trigger that blocks it.
Advantages of the Wing Shot air gun
The main advantage of this model in comparison with other models of hunting pneumatics is, of course, the possibility of shot shooting . Moreover, this shooting can be carried out not only at a sitting bird, but also at a flying bird. And thanks to a virtually unlimited selection of ammunition (containers with 6 and 8 shot are available for sale, as well as empty containers for self-loading), you can hunt virtually any bird and small animals with this gun.
The second significant advantage of the Wing Shot is the ability to hunt large ungulates , including even elk (though only at close ranges). This is achieved thanks to the high muzzle energy of the weapon in combination with the large mass of the bullet used for shooting.
The third advantage of the gun is the low noise level when shooting , which is many times less than the noise level when shooting from a firearm.
The fourth positive point is the high capacity of the cylinder , which allows you to fire up to five shots in a row while maintaining high projectile energy.
Disadvantages of air guns
Having listed the positive aspects, it is worth mentioning the obvious disadvantages of the Wing Shot .
The first thing I would like to note in this case is the low firing range . According to the manufacturers themselves, effective shooting at large animals can be done at distances not exceeding 40 meters, and at birds - no further than 20 meters. All this undoubtedly significantly reduces the scope of application of this pneumatic weapon in comparison with a standard smoothbore.
The second serious drawback is the very large drop of the bullet during the last two shots . If the first three shots from a freshly filled gun can be fired without any adjustments, then in the future you will have to make noticeable vertical adjustments, which is not always convenient (and the hunter may simply forget about them during a hunt).
The third disadvantage, which the manufacturer honestly talks about, is the low speed of shot flight , due to which you should take a much greater lead than when shooting from a conventional gun (which means you will have to “retrain” for this particular weapon, otherwise a lot of misses while hunting are simply inevitable) .
Wing Shot gun itself is a very bold, and frankly speaking, a successful solution that has made it possible to significantly expand the boundaries of hunting with air guns. The most important thing is not to forget about its shortcomings and not to try to use it at distances not intended for it.
Key features of the most powerful air rifles from 350 m/s:
- The initial speed when fired is 390 meters per second;
- Rifled barrel type;
- Muzzle energy when fired does not exceed 7.5 J;
- Use of standard lead bullets;
- Availability of spring-piston and PCP pneumatics;
- Safety fuse - automatic or non-automatic;
- Availability of spacious air receivers;
- Open sights;
- Installation of optics and tactical devices.
Multi-compression weapon
Unlike the previous category, air injection, due to the design, can be carried out in several strokes. So the power itself can be adjusted by the number of strokes, and the maximum limit increases significantly.
Crosman 1377C
And this is, perhaps, the world bestseller in the class of multi-compression pneumatics. The lever is located under the barrel and produces a 180 m/s bullet. A true legend from the world of American pneumatics.
Crosman 2100 rifle
Once again the Crosman representative. Inexpensive, popular multi-compression rifle. The lever, as in a number of other rifles, imitates the forend. The rifle is designed for a maximum of 10 swings, providing a muzzle velocity of 221 m/s. An interesting feature is that the manufacturer has equipped this rifle with a hopper for 200 BB-type balls, while ordinary bullets are fed one at a time through the charging window.
Zoraki HP-01 Light/Ultra
An air pistol from Turkey, also of a multi-compression type. It is produced in two versions – Light and Ultra, differing in barrel length (181.5 and 260 mm, respectively).
The reservoir and barrel are located inside the receiver. The lever is the cover of the receiver with the barrel. In the Light version, 3 shots are made, in the Ultra - 4. The pistol does not use magazines, the bullet fits directly into the barrel. Speed indicators for Light / Ultra models at:
- 1-fold injection of the reservoir - 118 m/s / 126 m/s
- 2-fold pumping of the reservoir - 160 m/s / 172 m/s
- 3-fold pumping of the reservoir - 185 m/s / 200 m/s
- 4-fold pumping of the reservoir — — / 221 m/s
We don’t look at low speeds, we should understand that the shot is fired with a half-gram bullet, and this in muzzle energy will be slightly higher than that of the gas cartridges we are used to.
The model itself is very interesting and worthy of detailed study. But this time the format is a little different.
Functional features of the most powerful air rifles from 350 m/s
The main distinguishing feature of an air rifle is the possibility of additional installation of optical or tactical equipment. Each rifle, depending on the modification, is equipped with an 11 mm Weaver or Dovetail rail.
The Dovetail rail is designed for spring-piston type rifles and is suitable for mounting an optical sight with variable magnification. Thanks to the optics, the shooter will undoubtedly make an aimed shot from a long distance.
PCP rifles are equipped with a Weaver rail and are also designed for optics or red dots. However, in the store catalog there are models with a bar on the bottom side of the case.
This bar is designed for installing a bipod, handle, flashlight or laser designator. With their help, the user will make an accurate fire in the dark in comfort.
The high initial velocity of a lead bullet when firing increases its flight range, which reaches 100 meters. This indicator does not leave a single shooter unnoticed.
With positive features, the price of the most powerful air rifles from 350 meters per second will pleasantly surprise even a sophisticated buyer.
Video: Airgun shooting basics
With the proper level of training, shooting, adjusted for slight deflection and wind, becomes quite simple. You can see this in the video:
As practice shows, you can adapt to anything. To decide which air gun is best to choose, if the main criterion is shooting accuracy, then we recommend that you familiarize yourself with the rating of the most powerful sniper rifles. This also applies to the Barrett rifle, about it here. In the photo with the IED rifle you can find some similarities with Barrett.
Priced up to 10,000
Which air gun to choose under 10,000? As a very popular example of a first rifle, many choose the Hatsan and Hatsan 125 air rifles.
Rifle Hatsan 125
Quite affordable in price, the rifle pleases with its external data and characteristics - just until you want to become a professional shooter and need something more powerful. But you will definitely enjoy hunting with the Hatsan 125.
In this case, you can pay attention to Diana and Weirauch pneumatics - their accuracy is much higher, the price is not much different, but you need to adapt to them. It is quite suitable as a “second step”.
The Crosman company, famous among shooters, has good models within 10,000 rubles - there is no need to talk about the great professionalism of such weapons, but they are quite good in terms of price-quality ratio. It is worth noting that Chinese pneumatics, about it here, includes the production of Crosman.
Design features of the most powerful air rifles from 350 meters per second
Serious rigidity of the air rifle design is achieved through the use of proven materials in the manufacture of the weapon body. For these purposes, manufacturing companies resort to alloy gun steel.
The barrel, internal elements and sights with the bolt are made of this material. A special solution provides reliable protection for steel against premature corrosion.
Additional materials include ABS plastic and natural wood. To prevent the wooden elements from drying out, it was decided to treat the surface with a durable varnish.
Polymer is suitable for those people who place practicality at the forefront. Thanks to plastic, the weight of the structure is lower than that of a body made of natural wood.
Do you need an optical sight?
Disputes about whether optics are needed on air have begun since time immemorial and have not subsided to this day. Beginners who buy their first rifle are often in a hurry to attach the “four-shot” right away.
Ideally, optics are needed if:
- You are going to shoot at long distances (more than 25 meters),
- You have a good rifle with high accuracy and firing range,
- You are engaged in sports shooting or hunting.
In all other cases, rifle lenses are a waste of money. In addition, if you attach even high-quality optics to an SPP rifle, the sight will last a maximum of 2000 shots - due to the design features of this type of weapon. Chinese “pencils” will fly off even faster.
A red dot sight is a good choice, but it is expensive and can break. A mechanical open rifle sight is much more reliable and practical. And it is already there by default.
