An airgun to defend yourself? You may not have thought about it that much before but airguns are superb self-defense weapons. A good airgun could be your reliable ally in life and death situations.
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The Humble Yet Trusty Airgun
Why You Need an Airgun
We are living in dangerous times. The world is becoming more and more of hostile place each passing day. You are not being paranoid when you think of worst-case scenarios. Being prepared and well-armed at all times is paramount. As they say, it’s better safe than sorry.
In a Catch-22 situation, it will be every man for himself. Aside from this, you must be ready to protect yourself and your family. But you need a dependable weapon to do that. It may not have the reputation of other high-powered armaments, but a good-quality airgun can do the job.
Now, why go for an airgun when you can opt for other more advanced weapons? Unlike regular firearms, airguns are more practical. A typical rimfire could be very noisy. You would need suppressors to tone down the noise.
The thing is, suppressors are costly. This means that regular firearms are impractical. It is loud and not easy on the budget. Air rifles compared to regular guns are more affordable. It is also less regulated. Acquiring it will not be a hassle.
Another reason why you should go for the airgun as an option is the efficiency factor. Airguns use pellets for ammunition. This means you can fire many shots on any target with less racket. For instance, you can shoot at an animal without scaring it and its companions away.
This makes the air rifle an effective stealth weapon. Stealth is important in hunting and survival. This enables you to take more shots after missing your first one. And because you can do it without much noise, your targets wouldn’t know what hit them.
Airguns are also lightweight. Built from special materials, pellet guns are easy to carry and smaller than regular guns. Because of its weight, air gun owners could use it as often as they want. Practice shooting would be a breeze.
The opportunity to hone your shooting skills will be higher. This could help in improving your accuracy and precision. Yes, the humble air rifle packs more wallop than you think. This explains why a lot of gun users are gravitating towards the airgun as a self-defense weapon.
Air Pistol or Air Rifle?
There are two options you can take in an airgun as your primary self-defense weapon:
- Air Pistol
- Air Rifle
So which option would the best for you? Let us give you the lowdown for both options.
For starters, an air pistol is the less powerful of the two.
The difference in stopping power is significant. In this aspect, we are referring to regular air pistols and not pre-charged pneumatic air guns or PCPs. Regular or spring pistols are only capable of producing around 6 FPE. Typical air rifles can produce about 30s in PFE. That’s a staggering difference.
Muzzle energy is where the money is when it comes to air rifles. A common mistake in gauging an air rifle’s power is focusing on its muzzle velocity. This is wrong. A lot of gun manufacturers tend to manipulate muzzle velocity. You can achieve this by using extra lightweight alloy pellets. This type of pellets shoots with more speed than regular pellets.
The better means to identify an air rifle’s real stopping power is via its muzzle energy or PFE. This is optimal because it takes into consideration the muzzle velocity and weight of a pellet. These factors are what you should keep in mind in choosing the right airgun for you.
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Different Types of Air Rifles
Should you go for rifles as an airgun option, it is best to be familiar with its types. This will help you determine which is best for preppers and hunting game animals. The different types of air rifles are:
1. CO2 Air Rifle
This type of air rifle is very convenient to use. You can cock it with ease and it has no recoil. The best CO2 air rifles are also very consistent. It is very accurate within a distance of 10 meters.
The only con with this type of air gun is its limited power and velocity. Due to this, CO2 rifles are not suitable for hunting. This makes it the least option for preppers.
2. Single-Stroke Pneumatic Air Rifle
Hence its name, you only need to strike the cocking lever of this rifle once. With this, you can compress the air without much effort.
And that is what it needs for the best propulsion. Single-stroke pneumatic rifles are also suitable for newbie users. It has an easy action capability.
The only disadvantage of this rifle type is its limited stopping power. So, hunting is a no-no for this airgun home defense option.
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3. Spring Piston Air Rifle
This type of air rifle is one of the most powerful among the lot. It generates an average velocity of around a thousand feet per second. Sometimes it can generate more.
There are also super reliable models. Spring piston air rifles could last for many years. Convenience is also a quality that makes this rifle type a must-have.
A single cock is all you need to make it work wonders. The only downside is its price. It ranges from $50 to $900.
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4. Gas Piston Air Rifle
When it comes to features, this type of air rifle is the best. It is suitable for small to medium-sized game hunting. Doomsday preppers would find the gas piston air rifle, well, a gas to use. Gas piston types function by using compressed nitrogen gas.
It uses cylinders instead of springs and pistons to compress the gas. Because of this, a gas piston air rifle has smoother action.
It is not loud and is easy to cock. Gas piston types also remain cocked at all times. It does so without losing power. This makes it ideal for long-term hunting. No need to always cock it before taking each shot.
Gas piston air rifles also do not need air tanks or hand pumps to refill. In short, this airgun home defense option is paramount.
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5. Multi-Pump Pneumatic Air Rifle
Finally, we have the multi-pump pneumatic air rifle. It is one of the more affordable options on this list. This rifle’s low weight makes it ideal for small-game hunting.
Power-wise, multi-pumps are less than the ideal. But this disadvantage is also an advantage. Less power means less recoil. This makes this type of rifle capable of better accuracy.
In spite of its shortcomings, a lot of gun users prefer multi-pump pneumatic rifles. This is due to factors like capability, cost, and weight. The most popular multi-pump type rifle is the Benjamin 392. It has been one of the go-to hunting weapons for many decades now.
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Laws and Regulations to Consider in Owning and Using Airgun Home Defense
Legislations about air guns vary by state, city, and country. It is important to be aware of these laws. Better yet, make sure that you are well-versed in this legislative aspect. This will guide you in identifying the most suitable area to hunt games.
There are municipalities allowing users to use and own air guns without any license. But some are stricter in implementing license laws. Make some plans before embarking on a hunting trip.
Make sure to pinpoint the best places suitable for your goals. Restrictions may include where and when you can hunt.
There are also rules about the number of species you can shoot. Again, it is better to be safe than sorry. Learn your local legislations and rules before you hunt.
It is not uncommon for naïve hunters to break the law without any intention to do it. Sanctions may include fines or even more severe penalties. It is best to know all these.
Now that you know basic airgun home defense information, you can make the right decision. This will guide you in choosing the right path. In this time and age of social media, you cannot afford to make a mistake.
This will cost you your time and money. Aside from this, you would not want to end up with a low-quality weapon. As we implied earlier, the right airgun home defense system could be a matter of life and death. You don’t have to wait for Doomsday to ensure your family’s safety.
Airguns for Self-Defense | What is Best for You
Watch this video of awesome-airguns on picking the best Airgun for self-defense in gun-free zones:
The world is not as safe as it used to be. We all yearn for a peaceful life. But it is naïve to aspire for Utopia in a world crawling with crooks and criminals. As Metallica once sang: “To secure peace is to prepare for war.”
Loading ...What do you think about this? Don’t hesitate to share your thoughts in the comment section. Peace out!
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This article is nuts. There may be airguns that could be used for self defense in large calibers, but really? For the price, get a powder gun – even a .22LR would have more stopping power.
If it’s all you have available, it’s better than nothing. Usually no license or background checks involved either
It’s an ad !
Automatic pistols are just as deadly as semi automatic assault rifles. So why try to ban them.
A BB gun hit in the elbow may discourage someone trying to steal your stuff. How determined or how drugged-up the perp is will determine how much force must be applied to stop them. Best case, pointing a weapon at some will stop them. Give it some thought before you commit to spending your money. Do you need pepper spray, a pump action 12 guage or something in between?
I ordered two guns and two orders of amount weeks ago and they still haven’t arrived where are they?
I believe there should be a dedicated persons to carrier
i have everything from firearms to bb guns and a small hand size cross bow. i also have a machetti. my defensive weapons cover the whole spectrum of usable weapons and i know how to use every one of them effectively. there is no such thing as being over protected i just have not felt the need for a shot gun. my Ar-15 , and pellot rifle and compound bow are my long range options, the 9mm, crossbow, blowguns, co2 postols and pump pistol are the mid range options. the machett,. bowie knife, korean mace and cattle prod are my short range are my close in options. i also have a couple of molitov coctails on hand to turn a would be assailant into a crispy critter. needless to say i don’t fear anyone.
It’s easy to say you fear no one until that certain someone makes a move on you. There are thousands of stories where people have made that same statement and are now dead. I’m really not trying to be a jerk. I’m just hoping that you will not have a horrible encounter with anyone in a life or death situation. No one can honestly say what they would do in horrible situations until your in one. As far as the “no interest in a shotgun” goes. I’m a bit suspect of your knowledge of firearms. A shotgun is probably the first firearm I would pick up in a life or death situation. It allows you to calm your nerves and more than likely you are going to hit your target. I have a Remington 1900 with 5 different sizes of chokes. I usually have the smallest choke on most of the time as this is what I use for quail hunting. The longest choke allows for a smaller pattern but you could do more than enough damage at 50 yards. People need to realize that they don’t know what they would do in different situations. Just be careful, use that shotgun as it could be your best weapon way above the others… This was written by a 70 year old Male that has a vast knowledge of weapons and getting the psychological edge.
a full auto bb or pellet gun throws enough pain down range to stop even the most jacked up assailant the whole idea of bigger is better is a moot point if you cant hit your target and alot of small projectiles fired in rapid procession does just as much damage as 1 large projectile plenty of people die at the end of air weapons including bb guns they have warnings on them for a reason if you cant handle the kick of a powder burner or cant own one an air weapon is a fine choice