A good air rifle is not a toy! It’s a valuable multi-purpose gun, and you never know the purpose it might be put to… READ MORE
Jason Hanson
How many times have you been getting ready for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner and you realize you need milk, eggs, butter or some other staple? Since grocery stores frequently change their hours during the holidays, a lot of folks end up running to a local convenience store to buy last minute items.
This is exactly what happened to an Indiana family and unfortunately their trip to the gas station was more excitement than they anticipated. While parked at the gas station, a nine-year old boy named Larry was waiting for his father, Kevin, in a Dodge Ram.
It was parked outside with the engine running when a man approached the driver’s side door.
Ollie Dunn, 32, opened the driver’s side door of the pickup with the intention of stealing the truck, but he was met by 9-year old Larry who grabbed his pellet gun and put it to Ollie’s face.
Obviously, this gave the criminal second thoughts so he backed away and slammed the door of the truck, moving on to another vehicle.
Eventually, Ollie found a vehicle that was running, with no one inside and sped off from the store. However, a short distance away he crashed the stolen vehicle and was arrested by police.
Ollie was charged with attempted auto theft, unlawful entry of a vehicle, vehicle theft, theft, and driving without a license.
The thing is, this brave 9-year old did exactly the right thing because who knows what Ollie would have done if he had taken the truck with the child inside. Clearly, the gun intimidated the criminal, whether he knew it was a pellet gun or not didn’t really matter since it was effective at keeping Larry safe.
The reality is, an air rifle can serve many different purposes and is something I would consider buying if you don’t already have one.
First, an air rifle is quiet and can easily be used to hunt small game such as squirrels or birds. Plus, they are relatively inexpensive, and ammo is also easy to come by. In addition, many air rifles come with iron sights and are simple to shoot, meaning they are a great way to teach new shooters before giving them a real firearm.
Finally, another advantage to air rifles and pistols is that they are legal to own in most states.
Oftentimes, people use the term BB gun and pellet gun as the same but they are very different weapons.
A BB gun typically shoots only round balls commonly referred to as BB’s. On the other hand, depending on the specific pellet gun, these guns can shoot both BB’s and pellets, which are more like the shape of a bullet, instead of just the ball shape.
Another thing is, pellet guns are typically more accurate and can fire at a longer distance compared to BB guns.
With that being said, I would definitely consider a pellet gun since they can serve more purposes and are usually more accurate. Considering this, here are the top pellet guns I would check out to add to your firearm collection.
Gamo Silent Cat (shown at article start).This is a .177 caliber pellet gun that shoots at 1000 feet per second, making it one of the more powerful pellet guns on the market.
It comes equipped with a 4×32 air rifle scope with rings and mounts. As the name implies, this gun is one of the quieter pellet guns you will find because the noise dampener mounted to the barrel makes the firearm noticeably more silent.
Plus, this is a spring-piston air rifle meaning you don’t have to pump the rifle to fire. The Gamo Silent Cat sells for around $150.
Remington AirMaster 77 Air Rifle. This is a multi-pump rifle that shoots either BB’s or pellets. The Airmaster 77 is coated in a black matte synthetic stock and forearm with a black metal receiver and brushed nickel barrel.
This shoots .177 pellets or BB’s up to 1000 feet per second so it gives you more options compared to other pellet guns on the market. In addition, the Remington comes with a fiber optic front sight and a 4X15 scope.
Since this is a multi-pump air rifle you can vary the power with which you’ll shoot depending on the number of times you pump the rifle. The Remington AirMaster 77 sells for around $85.
Ruger Blackhawk Air Rifle. If you are going to buy an air rifle, you may want to buy one from a company that is known for making quality and accurate firearms.
This is exactly what Ruger delivers with the Blackhawk, which is a .177 caliber air rifle that shoots at 1000 feet per second. This rifle features rear optic sights and a 4×32 scope and mount so it can easily adapt to changes in elevation or wind.
This air rifle uses a spring-piston mechanism so there is no pumping the rifle before shooting. The Ruger Blackhawk sells for around $100.
The truth is, this is a perfect gift idea for those in your family who you may want to introduce to firearms or as an addition to your firearm collection that can serve many purposes during an emergency.
Lastly, remember these guns can do a lot of damage and are not the cheap guns we played with back in the day so always follow all firearms safety rules.
Jason Hanson is a former CIA Officer and New York Times bestselling author of Spy Secrets That Can Save Your Life. To get a free copy of his book, visit www.SpyEscape.com.
