Whether you are looking to practice your target shooting or control pests on your property, an air rifle is a great product which can help in both cases. If you choose to buy airsoft and air rifles online, then you are going find that this is a great way to keep your costs down and to gain access to a wider marketplace. It is important that you get the right product for your shooting level and for the job at hand of course, so here are some aspects to bear in mind if you are a beginner looking to get your hands on a rifle online. 

Focus on Simplicity

When you enter the world of online air rifle sellers you are going to see an awful lot of exciting features, extreme vocabulary and plenty of stats, all of which are designed to get you to buy. The reality for beginners however is that the simpler the design, the better it will be for you. What you should be focused on here is a basic design, with attributes you need such as precision and distance. Above all however, focus on the build quality of the product and the reputation of the manufacturer. 

Propulsion Options 

There are 2 main methods of propulsion which these guns use and those are pneumatic and spring piston. The most basic here is the latter, the spring piston, which is where a spring is retracted before being released, shooting a blast of air forward and propelling the projectile. The spring piston is often the best for beginners. 

In terms of pneumatic this packs more of a punch as it employs a pump-action which then internally compresses the air for each shot. While they may offer more in terms of distance, they can often be more challenging with regards to precision. 

Buying Ammo 

Ammo for real guns has certainly risen in price over the last decade, but thankfully the cost of metal pellets which air rifles fire have not. These small metal projectiles are called BBs and they come in 3 commonly used calibers. 

  • .177 caliber – Accurate over long distances and the currently the most bought caliber 
  • .22 – This is a larger sized pellet which is often used in hunting small game
  • .25 – A hefty pellet which is powerful over very short distances

For most beginners a box of .177 caliber BBs will be the ideal choice. 

Safety Features of the Rifle

All beginners should be looking to buy a rifle which has safety features, for obvious reasons. You will find that higher grade rifles don’t feature things like trigger safety, given the expertise of the user. If you are just starting out however it is important that you have many features to keep you safe while you learn your way around the air rifle. 

These are some of the most important considerations which you need to make when it comes to purchasing an air rifle online.