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Powerful air rifles that don’t need a firearms licence
Looking for the most powerful legal air rifle in the UK? Every rifle here sits under the 12ft/lbs limit, so there is no FAC to sort out. Here are the PCPs and springers we rate for garden pest control and hunting.
Looking for the most powerful legal air rifle in the UK? Every rifle on this list sits under the 12ft/lbs limit, so there is no FAC to sort out. Here are the PCPs and springers we rate for garden pest control and hunting.
Plinking in the garden is one thing but if you’re after some proper pest control with an air rifle, then you may be interested in finding out which is the most powerful air rifle you can use without the complications of getting an FAC air rifle licence. (For more on getting an FAC for your air rifle read here.)
Sporting Gun contributor Patrick Hook goes more into why you might consider getting an FAC air rifle here and it’s certainly something to be thinking about.
However here I’m writing about the most powerful air rifle you can buy that is under the 12ft/lbs power limit, so you can shoot it on your own permission without a licence.
Legal limit air rifles
Mike Morton, editor of Airgun Shooter explains: “The legal limit for an air rifle that doesn’t require you to have an FAC for your air rifle is a muzzle energy of 12 foot pounds for a rifle (six for a pistol). Manufacturers typically produce rifles with a muzzle energy a little over 11 ft-lb to take account of any variables which might otherwise push them over that limit.”
These legal limit airguns are the easiest and cheapest way to get into shooting. These types of rifles do not require a licence except in Scotland. (Read more on air rifle law in Scotland here). After the initial expense of buying a gun and charging equipment, sub-12ft/lbs air rifles make for relatively cheap shooting because pellets are much more affordable than cartridges. (Read our guide to the best air rifle pellets.)
Uses
A sub-12ft/lbs air rifle can be used for back garden plinking or for small vermin control. It is ideal for use in confined spaces, such as farmyards where a rim-fire or shotgun are ‘too much gun’. Fit a moderator to an air rifle and you have a stealthy rabbit-stalking tool that offers surgical precision. What is more the meat of the rabbit is almost undamaged.
Here is a selection of a few legal limit airguns that we rate. Read through to discover the most powerful air rifle to suit you. There is a mixture of spring-powered airguns and precharged pneumatics (PCPs), which require an air bottle to refill. (More on PCP air rifles here.)
How the most powerful legal air rifles compare
Because the law caps muzzle energy at 12ft/lbs, every quality rifle below is tuned to sit just under it, at around 11.5ft/lbs. So the ‘most powerful legal air rifle’ really comes down to consistency, accuracy and how many shots you get, rather than raw power. Here is how our picks stack up at a glance.
| Air rifle | Type | Shots | Muzzle energy | Guide price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Air Arms S510 | PCP, sidelever | 10-shot magazine | ~11.5 ft/lbs | from £969 |
| BSA R-10 MK2 | PCP, bolt action | 10-shot magazine | ~11.5 ft/lbs | approx £750 |
| Daystate Pulsar | PCP, electronic bullpup | 10-shot magazine | ~11.5 ft/lbs | from £1,650 |
| Webley & Scott Raider | PCP, sidelever | 14-shot magazine | ~11.5 ft/lbs | from £630 |
| Weihrauch HW110K | PCP, side-lever | 10-shot magazine | ~11.5 ft/lbs | from £800 |
| Air Arms Pro Sport | Spring, underlever | Single shot | ~11.5 ft/lbs | from £850 |
| Webley & Scott Stingray Quantum | Spring, break-barrel | Single shot | ~11.5 ft/lbs | approx £200 |
| Weihrauch HW97K | Spring, underlever | Single shot | ~11.5 ft/lbs | from £550 |
Guide prices are for the rifle only and vary by calibre, stock and retailer, so treat them as a starting point rather than a fixed figure.
Precharged Pneumatic (PCP)
Air Arms S510
Apart from the Lothar Walther barrel and the stock, this air rifle is entirely designed and engineered in the UK. A sidelever cocking mechanism gives the shooter a mechanical advantage over a bolt-action system, allowing the shooter to reload without lifting their head off the stock. It’s a superbly accurate hunting tool and the shrouded barrel is fitted with baffles to supress muzzle ‘crack’. The rifle can also be fitted with a moderator for more noise reduction.
Guide price: from £969 (rifle only)
BSA R-10 MK2
This air rifle has a regulator which ensures the precise amount of air is used each shot to maintain accuracy. The buddy bottle system gives up to 225 shots per fill (depending on calibre) and there is an ‘on-rifle’ quick fill system. It also has a more refined magazine and an improved trigger mechanism than previous models. (Read our list of the best compressors for air rifles.)
Guide price: approx £750 (now superseded by the R-10 SE)
Daystate Pulsar
Probably one of the most high-tech air rifles on the market it contains Daystate’s Map Compensated Technology which digitally controls the rifle’s power per shot and this gun also contains yet more electronic wizardry especially developed for the Pulsar. The bull pup configuration makes it compact and the sound moderated barrel make it stealthy in the field.
Guide price: from £1,650
Webley & Scott Raider
The name of Webley & Scott has passed into British shooting folklore, but the company is not content to rest on its laurels. The Raider comes with a choice of walnut or an adjustable polymer stock. The barrel is fitted with an integrated Quantum moderator and the gun has a fully adjustable trigger. It also comes with two 14-shot magazines, making it superb value for money. Definitely worthy of making the most powerful air rifle list.
Guide price: from £630
Weihrauch HW110K
The Germans know about build quality and engineering and this has filtered into their airguns. Weihrauch’s HW110 has a side-lever cocking action, which prevents double loading. Its 10-shot action allows for a shallower action, which in turn gives the gun superb handling. ‘K’ is short for ‘karbine’, which means a short rifle, and this combined with its modest weight make it great for use in the field. (Read this review of the Weihrauch HW110 STK.)
Guide price: from £800
Spring-powered air rifles
Air Arms Pro Sport
Probably one of the most beautiful and refined spring-powered airguns on the market, the Pro Sport hides its cocking lever in the forend of the stock and uses synthetic bearing to make an ultra smooth action. It has a two-stage CD trigger system, which makes it deadly accurate and is great for pest control.
Guide price: from £850
Webley & Scott Stingray Quantum
The Quantum break-barrel has an oversleeved barrel that incorporates a clever moderator system, which removes excess air from the barrel, which reduces the ‘crack’ without a loss of power. The remaining chambers in the moderator incorporate baffles that absorb any remaining pressure build up and sound. This is a full-on hunting air rifle with match accuracy and reliability.
Guide price: approx £200 (limited availability, often found used)
Weihrauch HW97K
This is a recent version of the ever-popular Weihrauch springer. It is superbly engineered and an underlever cocking system ensures accuracy. It has a two-stage match trigger and a high stock comb for use with a scope. There is also a choice of stocks from wood to laminate.
Guide price: from £550
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the most powerful legal air rifle in the UK?
The legal ceiling is 12ft/lbs of muzzle energy. Any air rifle at or below that figure can be owned and used without a firearms certificate (FAC) in England and Wales. Because that limit is fixed, the best manufacturers tune their rifles to sit just under it, at around 11.5ft/lbs, so every rifle on this list is effectively as powerful as the law allows. The real differences are in accuracy, shot-to-shot consistency and how many shots you get, rather than outright power.
Do you need a licence for a sub-12ft/lbs air rifle?
In England and Wales you do not need an FAC for an air rifle under 12ft/lbs (or an air pistol under 6ft/lbs), but you must be 18 or over to buy one. Scotland is different and requires an air weapon certificate, and Northern Ireland has its own firearms rules, so always check the law where you live and shoot.
Is a PCP or a spring air rifle more powerful?
Neither, in legal terms. Both PCPs and springers are capped at the same 12ft/lbs limit, so one is not more powerful than the other. A PCP gives you recoilless, multi-shot shooting and very consistent power once regulated, but needs an air bottle or pump to charge. A springer is completely self-contained with no charging kit, but is single shot and takes a little more technique to shoot well.
What can you shoot with a legal-limit air rifle?
A sub-12ft/lbs air rifle is well suited to garden and farmyard pest control, taking rats, rabbits, grey squirrels and corvids at sensible ranges. It comes into its own in confined spaces where a rimfire or shotgun would be too much gun. Always make sure you have permission to shoot, that your quarry is legal to control, and that you can place a humane shot.
How far will a 12ft/lbs air rifle shoot accurately?
For humane pest control most shooters keep to around 30 to 40 yards with a legal-limit rifle, though the pellet drops away quickly beyond that. Your effective range depends on the pellet, the rifle and, most of all, your own field craft and shot placement, so it pays to practise at known distances before heading out.
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