When set up properly, legal-limit air rifles are extremely accurate tools, and that precision can more than compensate for their modest power when coupled with a sound knowledge of fieldcraft. Get in close and shoot with precision, and delivering a lethal strike to the small kill zones presented by typical…
Air rifles
What’s the best camo pattern for airgun hunting?
Q: I’m new to airgun hunting and plan to invest in a camouflage suit so I can get closer to my quarry. What’s the best pattern to go for? A: It’s difficult to recommend one camouflage pattern over another, but it makes sense to choose one that gives a close…
Three impressive PCP air rifles for under £500
PCP air rifles are relatively cheap, easy to shoot and given a decent backstop you can even practise in the back garden. Perfect for pest control and ideal around a farm yard if you need to get rid of vermin with little risk of damage to property or stock. Why…
Shooting rats in broad daylight
The vast majority of my winter rat shooting is done during the hours of darkness. My usual routine is to arrive an hour or so before dusk so I can set up in time to catch the early action and shoot on into the night until activity tails off. Going…
Why airgunning is the most noble of shooting sports
Setting up airgunning as the noblest of shooting sports probably sounds like a tall order to many — it certainly does to me. Airgun shooters wear funny clothes, we get excited about shooting rats and grey squirrels and we don’t like to pay for our sport. More to airgun shooters…
Licensing airguns is not the answer, says BASC firearms officer
Early reports on licensing airguns in Scotland appear to show a lack of compliance — generally from an absence of knowledge rather than criminal intent. A law came into force on 1 January in Scotland making it an offence to possess an airgun without a specific certificate or a temporary exemption…
Maintain your airgun with this easy step-by-step guide
Learn how to maintain your airgun at home with this photographic step-by-step guide
This is the start of the ratting season for airgunners
Most farming units harbour a few resident rats throughout the year — especially if pigs or poultry are present — but numbers usually increase as autumn arrives. Many of these incoming rodents will have spent the warmer months in open countryside, foraging a relatively natural diet. But things start to…
FAC air rifles – why you should still focus on fieldcraft
Of all the many questions I get asked about airguns and airgun shooting, a huge number relate to high-powered airguns. Most people who wish to know more about the subject are relative newcomers to airgun shooting. It is natural to want an advantage to give your results a boost when…
The history of airguns
Once the playthings of the aristocracy, later silent military killers, airguns have been around in one guise or another for some time. Bill Harriman looks into their history
BSA Mercury airsporter reviewed
In the 1970s, when I was a teenager and mad keen on air rifles, there were two camps you fell into. You were either a British BSA or Webley shooter or a German Weihrauch or Feinwerkbau user. I was defi nitely in the Teutonic camp as my Weihrauch HW35 went everywhere I did. However, as pocket…
Ministers debate airgun safety
The comments were made by CA head of shooting Liam Stokes following a debate about the use of airguns by under-18s that took place in Parliament earlier this month. The Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Bill was passed in July 2015, making it illegal to possess an airgun without a licence in Scotland after 31 December this year. Its introduction was…
Scottish owners have 50 days left to apply for air gun certificate
Scottish air gun owners are being reminded that from today they have 50 days left to apply for a certificate to ensure that they can keep their weapons when the new laws come into force on 31 December 2016, if they have not yet received a decision on their application.…
Back to basics with your airgun
“The more I practice, the luckier I get,” is a saying most commonly attributed to golfer Gary Player; but whoever said it first, the principle is just as important for those of us who shoot rifles. Particularly powerful rifles. We all pay lip service to the need for practice, practice and more practice but very few of us…
Own an airgun? Planning on visiting Scotland?
A: The Air Weapons and Licensing (Scotland) Act 2015 comes into force on 1 January 2017. After that date, a visitor to Scotland who wants to bring his or her air weapon with them must apply to the Chief Constable of Police Scotland for a visitor permit and will have…
Shooters decry airgun licence fee
The Scottish Government has finally confirmed that the new airgun licence fee will be £72 for new applications. Visitor permits will be £20, while there will be a £5 charge for existing shotgun and firearm certificate holders. Shooting organisations, which opposed the introduction of the new legislation, have once again voiced concerns. “While…
Scottish airgun licences required by New Year
It will be illegal to hold an airgun without a licence from 31 December, but BASC says that the “lead in” period is shorter than anticipated and could place an extra burden on the police. Apply for a certificate from 1 July The Cabinet Secretary for Justice, Michael Matheson, last…
The Jackal Woodsman air rifle
Bruce Potts reflects on the Jackal Woodsman, an accurate and powerful air rifle from one of the most innovative gunmakers in Britain
Second-hand Webley Patriot
All you need to know about a secondhand Webley Patriot, including how this high-powered air rifle with impressive pellet strike shaped shooting