I review high powered pellet guns for a living, so I can guarantee that each of the following is great for small game hunting. But I also use them for target shooting, varmint hunting and pest control.
FYI, prices and ratings are accurate as of time of writing.
1. Benjamin Bulldog Hunting Pellet Gun .457 Calibar
Highlight: Picatinny Rails are at the top and bottom for accessories.
Helpful review: This thing looks like a space gun. The Bulldog is wholly encased in a polymer stock, including the barrel. In true bull fashion, the grip and trigger are in front of the action. This air gun uses the PCP pump to charge the compression chamber. To put it bluntly, this thing has a lot of power and it delivers it to the target.
I have never been introduced to the world of air guns that use bullets, not pellets. The .357 ammo for this air gun looks like a bullet, not put in a brass cartridge. The Bulldog also comes in .457 caliber, and now that I know that, I need one. The speed of the .357 bullet leaves the barrel at 960 fps, which is less than the .22 caliber pellets. Think about this: the Bulldog is launching a bullet that is twice the size and weight at only 40 fps less than the .22 pellet. Imagine the power this will hit a target across the backyard. I hope I get better at shooting this soon, as I know this will destroy my vinyl fence after it punches a wide hole through a pigeon. Nosler makes the bullets that came with the air gun and have a polymer tip, from what I have seen, this is the best of all air gun worlds.
I am not a fan of BullPup-style guns, but this one is working to change my mind. The weight and balance are remarkable, as is the pistol grip in the middle of the weapon. I put a scope on this gun that I had to review from CV Life. The scope was designed for an AR and worked like a dream on the Bulldog. I then put a Red Dot style on the rifle to mount it midway down the picatinny rail. I am getting very fond of this setup. I honestly had a bias against this setup and wanted to prove how dumb this idea is, and now I am changing my mind in a hurry.
I could put a flashlight on the bottom of the gun on the lower picatinny rail. Or I could put it on top and just point-shoot, but I am not good at that, and this much power should have a better aim. If I get my signs on a quality laser sight, I may put it on the Bulldog and see how that works. — Michael Taylor
Get it from Amazon now: $999.99 & FREE Returns
2. Gamo Swarm Magnum 10X GEN3i Pellet Gun .22 Caliber
Highlight: 1300+ fps.
Helpful review: This rifle is the magnum version of the SWARM air rifle from GAMO. It is a must-have for a scope. With this much power behind the pellet, not using a scope wastes its potential.
The stock on this rifle is thumbhole-style or close to it, making for a great shooting platform. The pistol grip is nearly vertical, making it easy to reach the trigger. The comb or cheekpiece is raised and padded, making it very comfortable to shoot.
The air chamber is somewhat of a challenge to cock; it is putting more pressure in the chamber, and it shoots over 300 fps faster. Just be ready to get some muscle behind it, and if that is not in a person's ability wheelhouse, get a less potent or different charging air rifle.
I suggest that a different scope be purchased for this air rifle. It has the power to shoot par enough that it warrants spending a little for a better scope. GAMO makes the scope that it comes with and will work fine; the gun is more capable than this scope can produce. This air gun will destroy critters at 50 yards without a doubt. I am unsure about the need for super accuracy for a target competition gun. The spring compression style guns will constantly send a lot of shock to the scope and mount. I found the mount coming loose after a few minutes of shooting, so I kept the screwdriver handy to keep it tight.
I will try my rubber paint trick, paint the top of the action and bottom of the scope mount, and try to mount it again with a better surface for gripping and shock absorption. With the whole gun being made from polymer, I have to be careful not to tighten the scope screws over and strip out the holes.
I have read that this rifle shoots copper-plated pellets better than most. I did not buy a different type of pellets; I just went to Walmart and bought a tin of lead-head pellets. The copper-plated pellets will take advantage of the barrel and move much smoother down the rifling. If accuracy is wanted, it will not do anyone any harm to get a tin of copper-plated rounds and let the gun work better, if that is possible. — Peter Docherty
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3. Benjamin Marauder Hunting Air Rifle .22 Caliber
Highlight: Adjustable cheekpiece.
Helpful review: This air rifle feels like I am shooting a very quiet firearm. The stock is polymer, but not like a cheap nylon stock; this one is built like the polymer stock I have on my 7mm Magnum. The power comes from a PCP compressed air chamber.
The stock on this air rifle is my favorite, and I have shot for air guns. The pistol grip is very well-defined and fits my bear-paw hands like it was custom-made. The adjustable cheekpiece is excellent. I raised it about half an inch, and that worked on the day I tried this air gun on for size. If I go back to this rifle, I am sure that I will raise it a bit more as I settle into this offering. The barrel is floated above the stock like a high-powered precision rifle. Just like a precision rifle, this barrel must not be bumped or banged around, or the accuracy will be off.
The trigger is great, or at least mine is excellent. It breaks clean and has nearly zero creep. However, the safety release is inside the trigger guard, and I just do not like that. I understand what the plan is; almost all the air gun makers do this, but I would always rather have a safety outside the trigger guard. This gun has a two-stage adjustable trigger. The Marauder was made from the beginning as a precision air gun at an affordable price.
The gun is designed to work as a single shot or with a rotary magazine. As anyone who has read one of my articles knows, I have almost no value for this style of magazine. I used it for a couple of rounds and felt the same about this magazine as all the rest: great looking in a drawer and nothing more than that.
The air chamber gauge is on the bottom of the stock. It is easy to read and does not interfere with shooting the rifle. The fill nozzle is under the barrel and on the front of the air chamber. The nozzle is covered with a screw-on and off cover that protects the brass from damage and water damage, a very nice feature. — Brandon C. Thomas
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4. Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X GEN3i Air Rifle .22 Caliber
Highlight: The scope mount is designed to lessen recoil damage to an optic.
Helpful review: Another offering from the folks at GAMO, this rifle also uses the silencer mechanism to keep it quiet enough to use in the backyard and decimate the trespassing pigeons. This air gun comes with a speed-loading magazine that I do not use. I have never found an air gun magazine that I like or have faith in, so I just don’t bother to use them, which may be a bad thing on my part.
GAMO sent a scope with this kit, and I decided to go without it on this air rifle. The open iron sights are very well done, and I wanted to do some shooting without the scope. I do have to mention that the rear sights are set at the back of the barrel, not on the action like most firearms. So, focusing that far down the barrel differs from seeing the rear sights. This does take a little getting used to, but in about 15 minutes, I felt at home with this setup.
The speed at which the .22 caliber pellets fly out of the barrel is 1000 fps. Speed is excellent, but the hard-hitting .22 caliber pellets slam into targets and penetrate deeply. The pellets I have are hollow points, or that is what the tin says anyway. All I know is that they make a hell of a mess of a pigeon when they are done with them. The action is cocked by the break action barrel, and it says the spring is rated at 30 lbs. This barrel is shorter than other GAMO rifles, so it takes some work, but it's not too bad.
The barrel and stock are made from heavy-duty polymer. I am sure this air rifle can go squirrel hunting in the heavy rain, and when I come home, I only need a couple of squirts of Prolix, and I am good to go. Around here, the main issue is the need to work in cold and snow, and this setup will never leave me needing a backup.
This gun has a scope mount designed to reduce the shock that a springer-style air gun can deliver to the optic. If anyone decides to use a scope on this style of air rifle that the scope base is set correctly, then use a little dot of some blue loctite to keep the bolts from backing out. I eventually mounted the scope just to see, and I found that the scope rings were just a little loose; this was a blessing. I used some plastic coating paint from Home Depot and put it inside the rings. When it dries, I can get an excellent grip on the scope tube, and it will help absorb shock. — Jay Hood
Get it from Amazon now: $293.99 & FREE Returns
5. Hatsan 95 Air Rifle .22 Caliber Combo
Highlight: Two-stage adjustable trigger.
Helpful review: It's automatically one of my favorites due to the steel barrel and walnut stock. The heavy materials used to build the barrel and stock make this air rifle a challenge to pack around very long. The kit does not come with a sling, so if anyone plans to buy one, get a sling in the mail.
The kit includes a 3-9x32 scope from Optima. The adjustable scope is excellent for getting close to the target by zooming in to see the eyeballs of targets within 40 yards. At 32mm, the objective lens is kind of small but will work like a champ if you're target shooting or shooting non-moving stuff.
One thing to point out about this air rifle is that the break-action charging is difficult. Most everyone, Including myself, uses the break-over-the-knee method to charge the gun. This is not an issue and shows the amount of power being put into the compression chamber, but a small child will not make this happen. An air rifle like this is not made for children to use, but if someone has one of these and a kid is going to shoot it, they will need help charging the gun.
The Hatsan 95 is one of the few air guns that puts the safety in the same place or style as firearms. Most air guns put the safety between the trigger and the guard, but this rifle has it placed behind the barrel. The safety engages automatically, and how great is that!
The 95 comes in .177, .22, and .25 caliber. I have one chambered in .22 caliber and want to try one that is chambered in .25 caliber to see what the difference is. I am sure the most significant difference is the weight of the pellets will hit the target harder and penetrate deeper. From what I have found in research, the speeds of the .22 and the .25 caliber pellets are nearly the same. The .25 will have more drops using the same pressure from the gun. However, I only shoot air rifles about 15 yards away, and the drop from heavier pellets will be negligible. — Owen Foster
Get it from Amazon now: $179.99 & FREE Returns
6. Gamo Whisper Fusion Mach 1 Air Rifle .22 Caliber
Highlight: 3-9x40 scope included.
Helpful review: GAMO may be the ultimate air rifle builder today. They make hard-hitting, very fast air rifles for any shooter and any task. The Whisper line is impressive. They include or build a silencer-type attachment on the end of the barrel.
This air rifle shoots a .22-caliber pellet at 1000 fps and hits a pigeon like a Mack truck. The best part about this rifle shooting this fast is the accuracy with which it does that. One thing that makes shooting this air rifle more accurate and more enjoyable is the adjustable trigger. The trigger that comes out of the box is crisp and breaks like glass and stays that crips after adjustment. I keep my triggers breaking about four pounds, and I am sure this rifle will adjust below 2 pounds.
The Whisper Fusion weighs six pounds. That is only one pound less than my deer rifle, and it makes this gun much easier to hold on target. The barrel is long for an air rifle, which gets all the power available from the compressed air and improves accuracy. The stock is polymer, not the thin and weak type; this is thick and durable.
The GAMO optic included is pretty good for an included scope. Better scopes can be installed if I feel the need to try my hand at a target shooting competition with an air gun. I don’t feel the need to replace this scope, and I am not sure if I am going to leave it in place or use the open sights. The open sights are awesome; they are fiber optic enhanced, and the front sight is hooded for protection.
The last thing I will talk about is the pellets used. The pellet choices must be consistent to keep the accuracy of the money. I don’t think I will ever get this level of pickiness when choosing air gun ammo. I used the ones I found at Walmart, and when I run out of them, I will get some from the nearest place with some. Of course, if I take this rifle to try my hand at target competition, I will begin paying attention. — Greg Alexander
Get it from Amazon now: $259.99 & FREE Returns
7. Black Ops Sniper S Pellet Gun .22 Caliber
Highlight: Adjustable bipod included.
Helpful review: This gun is heavy! I will not be packing it in the weeds to try my hand at squirrel hunting, but I will take it to the range to see just how accurate it can be. The end of the barrel has a mock suppressor on it, and that needs to be removed and a real baffled or chambered sound killer put on there.
The scope has to be replaced for this to be an accuracy machine. The supplied scope should be sent to the mock-up bin or just discarded. For a gun made with a bipod, the scope should stand up to that level of shooting.
This air gun will shoot a .22 caliber pellet at 1250 fps, one of the fastest I have tried!
The stock is made from high-quality polymer, and the barrel is true rifled steel. The stock does not have a molded-in grip; it has a proper pistol grip and feels good when I shoot it. The picatinny rail is great for mounting a better scope on this air gun. I used a Picatinny-style mount that I had lying around with a CV Life LPVO scope, and it brought up the accuracy of this gun.
The butt stock has a raised cheek piece, and it does adjust a little bit. The bolt is turned down to feel like an accurate bolt action rifle. The biggest hang-up with this air gun is the break-action barrel to charge the chamber. The gun has a fake magazine; this is only to look cool, with zero functionality. — Terry Baillie
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8. Hatsan Invader Semi-Auto Air Rifle .22 Caliber
Highlight: Comes with 250 pellets and 100 targets.
Helpful review: This is a true semi-automatic air rifle. To have a semi-automatic rifle of any type, the ammo must feed from a magazine. The Invader uses a small shell or circular pellet magazine; we will talk about these in a minute. Once everything is tight and good to go, this machine is a testament to fantastic engineering.
The magazines I spoke about are the same ones I have never bothered to use with airguns. The magazine is “wound,” and then the pellets are placed in the holes like a revolver cylinder. The winding action is how the magazine feeds the pellet in place for the bolt to push the pellet into the chamber.
According to the reviews, the magazines I received, and many others, I need some work to be good to go. After reading other reviews, I tried the mags to see if they received junk mags, and I found all of them are the same. I took the magazine apart, one at a time, so I had a working magazine to use as a template to reassemble. I got out my Exacto knives and very fine-grain sandpaper and took off all the burrs, and polished all the surfaces, even if they did not look like they needed it. I applied a good coating of Prolix and reassembled the magazines.
If anyone goes this route, show all of your patience while working on these magazines. And make sure to wear safety glasses. The springs will hold much tension, and stuff will get loose and fly everywhere. Note: I did not say it may become loose; I said it will become loose.
The PCP compressed air chamber powers the air rifle and will hold and deliver plenty of power down range. The trigger has minimal creep and a clean break, about six pounds. It is like shooting a Double-Action Only pistol. The stock is made to mimic the AR15 platform rifle, and this could be used to train indoors and use very cheap ammo. This will not be the same, and no one is trying to play it off as the same; it has all the same actions and functions as an AR15 and will work for training. — Carl Lugnar
Get it from Amazon now: $549.99 & FREE Returns
9. Umarex Ruger Targis Hunter Max Pellet Rifle .22 Caliber with Scope
Highlight: Integral Rail Platform to reduce recoil to scope.
Helpful review: This is the only air rifle that I tested that comes with a sling in the kit. Well done, Umarex! The Umarex Ruger mash-up sent a 3-9x32mm scope. The scope is pretty good and will work on this .22 Caliber air rifle; some claim 100-yard accurate shots, but I am more willing to believe a precise shot at 30 yards and maybe on the paper at 100 yards.
This rifle’s front sight is a cool-looking and handy fiber optic setup. The rear open iron sight is raised from the barrel, as it cocks by break action, so it can’t sit low to hit the action when closing. The rear sight is fully adjustable, and I like to shoot this one with the irons. I did put the scope on it just to see how it worked. I got it shooting on the paper and called it good, then put the scope back in the box.
The barrel and frame are steel , so this rifle will be a bit heavy. It's a good thing the kit comes with a sling. The but stock has a raised cheek piece, not adjustable, just raised, making the rifle fit me very well. The safety is located in the trigger guard but not right back by the trigger. The safety back by the trigger ensures I don’t forget to take the safety off; this one near the front of the guard left me not to take the safety off a couple of times. Not flipping the safety is ultimately my fault, and having safety on and staying on is good; that means it is working.
This air rifle has a built-in sound suppressor and works pretty well. It is not as good as the GAMO whisper, but it is also not half the barrel's length. This suppressor has five chambers and works to disperse the concussion from the air.
The scope is a good working unit, but it is kind of weird. The magnification ring is marked off in feet, and it sits just behind the objective lens. This is very different from almost everything on the market. I have read of shooters hitting pests hard enough to stop them dead in their tracks at 20 yards all day long. The rings are pretty good, secure the scope body with four screws on each, and fit very solidly. The Air rifle has a built-in Rail that is made to reduce the recoil that spring air rifles tend to deliver. I have not shot this for a long time to know if this rifle will break its scope or shake the zero off, but I can tell you that in 100 pellets, the crosshairs did not move. — Justin Davis
Get it from Amazon now: $229.99 & FREE Returns
10. Gamo Swarm Maxxim G2 Multi-Shot Pellet Rifle .22 Cal
Highlight: Made to shoot from a magazine.
Helpful review: This air rifle is made to shoot from a magazine. The problem with that is the gun recharges by cocking the barrel, and it turns out to be a single shot anyways. Like most GAMO rifles, this thing takes some power to cock the chamber.
As I have always said, this is not a world-ender, but it will take some practice and effort. If anyone is questioning their ability to cock one of these, go to a store and ask to cock the air gun and see if they can do it.
I grew up shooting a standard Daisy BB gun that held the ammo in a hollow barrel and charged with a single cock of the lever. I got a little excited when I saw that this air gun was magazine-loaded and made to do it. I found that this magazine and action work most of the time. Nothing tells me the chamber is loaded, like an indicator nub or something, so it will sometimes dry fire. This air rifle sounds like a good follow-up shotgun, and that is not the case when I have to cock the whole barrel to reload the entire thing.
The barrel and stock are made from the standard high-quality polymer that GAMO uses for all its stuff. The barrel is shrouded in sound support throughout its length, killing the report to a sub-sonic 22LR level. This is a backyard shootable sound all day long. I have come to respect the power generated by anything made by GAMO, and this one will pass the 2x6 penetration test and bury a .22 caliber pellet halfway through from across the shop. — Peter Kelly
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11. Gamo Swarm Whisper Air Rifle .22 Caliber
Highlight: Shoot ten pellets without reloading.
Helpful review: This air rifle came to me in .177 caliber. For about 150 bucks, this little gun is incredible. The Whisper is about the same as the Maxxim, and I thought I would give the .117 caliber a try and see if the magazine works any better. I can report that the .117 caliber magazine loads the pellets like a champ, so I hope this is the standard with this gun.
The Swarm loads and charges the chamber by the GAMO break action, and this one is like the rest, with the effort required being a little on the stiff side. Every time I cocked the barrel, the magazine placed the round, and I never had a dry fire in the barrel. I shot this for my standard 100 rounds to ensure it works as it says in the ads.
The stock is excellent, and it is very sleek. It looks good and feels good. The open iron sights flat-out suck on this air rifle. The scope is the only way to use this gun. The supplied scope is OK, like the rest of GAMO, but we plan on a replacement for a gun that has to have a scope. A replacement scope for this air gun does not have to be expensive; it just needs a good optic. I used a Bushnell that I use to put on guns at the gun show, just to have it wearing an optic.
I put this gun to the 2x6 penetration test, and it does make a severe dent and sometimes will bury the pellet in the stud. I am sure the penetration is less than the .22 caliber pellets is not due to less power; it is due to less mass and weight from the smaller ammo. All the other GAMO pellet guns will pound the .22 pellets halfway through the board. — Jared Wilbanks
Get it from Amazon now: $178.90 & FREE Returns
12. Crosman C362 Classic Single-Shot Air Rifle .22-Caliber
Highlight: Fully adjustable rear sight and safety outside the trigger guard.
Helpful review: A flashback to my childhood, a pump-up pellet gun, and I am in heaven. My old wooden stock Daisy BB gun did not return from my grandpa's garage when it was passed along to younger generations. I miss that old rattly air gun and wish I could have my own grandkids shoot that old standby.
It has an accurate steel barrel and is made like the PCP rifles, and it feels great. The C362 uses a peep sight for the rear sight, which is placed at the back of the action. It is easy to use and works like the old-school sights are supposed to. The rear part of the action is plastic, and it can be replaced with a metal upgrade that allows a scope to be mounted. The plastic rear section will probably take a scope mount, but it will fail before anyone runs out of pellets.
The butt stock is secured by only one screw. This will work itself loose, which is like a wobbly, poorly built machine. The maker should use two screws to stop this from happening; I am going to try my hand with some RVT to see if that will work.
The pumping lever is great to use and seems to have more leverage than others on the market. For anyone who has not used one of these, there is a safety message to share: WATCH OUT FOR YOUR FINGERS. This type of lever will slam on to fingers, and when I was a kid, a buddy broke a finger doing exactly this.
For Crosman to build a gun like this and not use thicker plastic is disappointing. I think I may pour some epoxy into the sock if the RVT works to secure the stock better than the single screw. If the epoxy fix works, this will stay here forever, or until it loses power, it will become part of a junk run. — Chuck MacGregor
Get it from Amazon now: $109.99 & FREE Returns