SUPERIORITY - Arkansas Game and Fish Commission

Air
SUPERIORITY
Small-Game Firearms Without the ‘Fire’
By Randy Zellers
The first time most young hunters pull a
trigger, a BB comes out of the barrel. Air guns
like the Daisy Red Ryder are a rite of passage in
a young hunter’s life, but are almost forgotten
as soon as kids graduate to powder-burning
firearms.
There’s a breed of air guns made for more than
pop cans and paper targets, and with the recent
cost of rimfire ammunition, these air-powered
options are getting new attention from
recreational shooters and small game hunters.
Arkansas Air
Seth Rowland owns Black Hog Down, an
air gun ammunition manufacturer. He also
coordinates the Arkansas Airgun Extravaganza,
a gun show that connects air gun manufacturers
and collectors with people who are getting
started.
“I started hunting with air guns about 10 years
ago,” Rowland said. “I hesitate to call myself an expert in
the industry, but I have really noticed more options coming
from air gun manufacturers in the last few years.”
According to Rowland, three of the largest air gun
companies in the U.S. are in Arkansas.
“Daisy is probably the most well-known name in air guns
because of the Red Ryder,” Rowland said. “They don’t really
offer an air gun made for adult hunting interests, but their
factory and museum are in Rogers.
“Hatsan USA in Bentonville and Umarex in Fort Smith
import air guns from Germany, Turkey and other countries,
many of which are good hunting options. Umarex even
hosts a television show strictly about air-gunning on the
Pursuit Channel, hosted by former Razorback (football
player) Rossi Morreale.”
Cheap Shot
Rowland says adult air rifles offer a great way to keep
shooting form sharp and get in the woods during small
game seasons, especially with the recent shortage and price
increase of rimfire ammunition.
“I can shoot an air gun all day for only a few bucks,”
Rowland said. “It costs a lot more to shoot powder-burners,
and that’s if you can even find .22s.”
Aside from the low cost of ammunition and cheaper
practice sessions, air guns have little to no recoil, making
them excellent options to introduce youngsters to hunting.
“The kick of a rifle can intimidate some beginning
shooters,” Rowland said. “Air rifles let you concentrate more
on the shot than waiting on a kick or loud bang.”
LEFT:Searching tree tops for squirrels is time well-spent.
TOP RIGHT: Squirrels are the perfect game for introducing new shooters,
and they’re the perfect size for air guns. Photos by Mike Wintroath.
Close Quarters
A pellet rifle’s limited range can be a blessing or a curse.
It prevents long-distance shots at game, but also reduces the
threat of errant shots close to houses or people.
“Small-caliber pellets are designed with a flared skirt at
the back to add drag and stabilize the pellet,” Rowland said.
“Small-caliber pellets also are much lighter than rimfire
bullets in the same calibers, so they don’t retain as much
long-distance energy.”
Within 40 yards, most hunters won’t be able to tell much
difference between the effectiveness of a .22- or .25-caliber
pellet and .22-caliber rimfire if the shot is placed properly.
And beyond 40 yards, the walnut-size vital area of a squirrel
or rabbit becomes pretty hard to shoot.
Air guns make a fraction of the noise powder-burning
firearms produce. The sound of the pellet striking the target
often is much louder than the sound of the shot.
“Most pellet rifles are going to be quieter than a .22
for those who have sensitive neighbors,” Rowland said.
“It’s not too uncommon to drop one squirrel without his
buddy on the next branch even knowing what happened.”
Power Plants
Air guns designed for hunting need a little more oomph
than the BB guns most people grew up with. Two types of
guns generate enough pressure to cleanly take small game –
spring-powered rifles and precharged pneumatics.
Spring-powered rifles are charged with a heavy spring or
gas piston that is compressed with a single cocking effort.
When the piston or spring is released by the trigger, it slams
a plunger forward violently, compressing air and sending it
through a small hole to the chamber at high pressure.
“Springers” tend to be the most popular choice. They are
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LEFT: Seth Rowland prefers chasing small game such as rabbits and
squirrels with air power. Photo courtesy of Seth Rowland.
ABOVE: Lack of recoil makes air guns ideal for beginning shooters.
Photo by Mike Wintroath.
Sizing Up Things
inexpensive, require little maintenance and are very simple to
operate. But they have drawbacks.
“Springers are harder to shoot accurately than PCPs,”
Rowland said. “The action of the spring creates a lot of
recoil while the pellet is still in the barrel. You have to really
know how to hold them to get headshot accuracy at squirrel
hunting ranges.”
Rowland, and many air-power converts, devote their
dollars to more expensive precharged pneumatic rifles.
“Essentially, it’s the same kind of system as those air rifles
that you pump using the gun’s forestock,” Rowland said.
“But they’re built to handle extremely high pressures and
require a separate charging pump or tank to fill.”
Not only do PCPs offer more power with no recoil,
they also offer multiple shots per charge. Most PCPs have
air chambers good for about 20 shots per fill and have a
magazine that feeds pellets just like a bolt-action rimfire.
“When you run low on pressure, you can charge them in
seconds using a portable tank that’s recharged at dive shops
and other places that handle high pressure air systems,” said
Chip Hunnicut, manager of corporate communications
for Crosman Corporation, a leading name in air gun
manufacturers. “We also sell a manual pump that’s similar to
a bicycle pump to charge the gun. It takes a lot of pumps to
get the pressure you need, but it can be good for people who
don’t have easy access to a charging station.”
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Traditionally, .177- and .22-caliber air guns have ruled
the market, with .177 the most popular. The smaller, lighter
pellet flies much faster than the .22, given the same amount
of air pressure behind it. This means less drop downrange
and less yardage estimation is needed to keep shots in the
bull’s-eye.
“We offer our Benjamin Marauder, our top-of-theline small-caliber air rifle in .177-, .22- and .25-caliber,”
Hunnicut said. “In .25 caliber, it is perfectly capable of
taking small game, as well as raccoons and even coyotes
inside of 30 yards. The .22 caliber is more than enough for
squirrels and rabbits at the same distances.”
Rowland also prefers the larger caliber.
“A .177 can kill a squirrel or rabbit, but a .22 or .25 does it
better,” Rowland said.
Keep It Legal
An air gun’s low noise and relatively short range may
cause people to believe they are perfectly acceptable as a
pest solution or for practicing shooting in the backyard.
Before setting out on safari, be sure you stay on the right
side of the law.
Songbirds, sometimes the targets of overzealous children,
are federally protected through the Migratory Bird Treaty
Act. Keep shooting to nuisance species – English sparrows,
blackbirds, starlings and crows committing damage to
property.
Even if the animal is legal to take, city ordinances may
prevent air gun use. Always take a look at local firearms
codes or call the local police department to make sure
before you shoot. Teaching a child to shoot an air gun is
an excellent way to recruit new hunters; it’s also the time to
start teaching hunting ethics. AW
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Early American Air
Air guns may seem relatively modern contraptions built
for children, but their roots run deeper than modern
cartridge firearms. Air rifles predate cap-and-ball firearms
– the oldest was crafted in 1580.
Ancient air guns were impressive affairs. They boasted
similar power to most black-powder firearms of the day,
but offered fast follow-up shots, relatively no recoil and no
cloud of gray smoke to give away a shooter’s position. Some
European countries even commissioned air guns into their
armies during the Napoleonic wars.
Meriwether Lewis carried an air gun during the famous
Corps of Discovery with William Clark in 1803. The rifle,
designed by Austrian gunsmith Bartholomaus Girandoni
for the Austrian army, is mentioned in the first entry of
Lewis’s journals during the expedition.
August 30, 1803: . . . went on shore and being invited
on by some of the gentlemen present to try my airgun which
I had purchased brought it on shore charged it and fired
myself seven times fifty five yards with pretty good success;
after which a Mr. Blaze Cenas being unacquainted with
the management of the gun suffered her to discharge herself
accedentaly. The ball passed through the hat of a woman
about 40 yards distanc cuting her temple about the fourth of
the diameter of the ball . . . supposed she was dead by [but]
in a minute she revived to our enespressable satisfaction.
Aside from the obvious need for firearms safety in the
1800s, the excerpt highlights the gun’s ability to make
quickly repeated shots, something lacking in powderburning arms of the day.
Phil Schreier, curator of the National Rifle Association’s
National Firearms Museum, said, “It’s probably one of the
most historically significant guns in our collection.”
According to Schreier, the rifle had a magazine that
could hold 22 round balls, and preparing each shot took
only the pressing of a spring. He says the gun was used in
demonstrations to Native Americans, possibly as a show of
power to keep them from taking advantage of the 38-man
expedition party.
“The Indians never knew if there was one Girandoni air
rifle, or if there were 38 Girandoni air rifles. If there were 38
of them, and they each fired 22 shots in 30 seconds, there
would be a lot of Indians that would be hurting if they tried
to overwhelm this small band of intrepid explorers.”
The downside to air guns, and their surrender to firearms,
was the time required to recharge the tank. Bicycle-style
pumps were used to force air into the reservoir, sometimes
taking more than 1,500 pumps to refill the gun for action.
The intricate workings of the valves and airtight cylinders
also demanded a high price from gunsmiths and required
much more care than powder-burning models.
– Randy Zellers.
The Girandoni air rifle. Photo courtesy of U.S. Army Heritage Museum.
BBs for Beginners
Thanks to Daisy Outdoor Products in Rogers, youngsters
interested in air guns may try their hand at each of the
Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s four nature centers.
“Daisy donated these great inflatable ranges to us
about two years ago,” said Eric Maynard, director of the
Governor Mike Huckabee Delta Rivers Nature Center.
“They’re great for teaching someone the basics of firearms
safety and the mechanics of shooting.”
Maynard says guests shoot small, Red Ryder-style BB guns
within one of two enclosed lanes on the range.
“These guns are just like the one I started on years ago,”
Maynard said. “They’re very low velocity, but are great for
shooting paper targets suspended in the range. It’s a very
safe way to get someone started shooting.”
Maynard says the ranges are just the first step.
“Once a child has shot in the range, we hope they’ll be
tempted to get a BB gun of their own and continue shooting
at paper targets, tin cans or clay pigeons,” Maynard said.
“Once they’ve proven they can handle that smaller BB gun,
it’s time to move them up to something that might be
capable of taking a squirrel.”
For more information about inflatable ranges or
other programs offered at AGFC nature centers, visit
www.agfc.com.
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