You may be thinking to yourself: “Nick – why are you talking about Oprah here at the air rifle club?” Well – in celebration of Oprah I give you – Jefklak’s Favorite Things!  We will be listing some of our favorite things here at the Air Rifle Club.  Unfortunately we won’t be giving them away but enjoy them anyway!

1. The Hatsan 95 Air Rifle – as many of you know this is my all time favorite air rifle.  You must get it!
2. Crosman Destroyer Pellets – .177 Caliber – the best pellets on the market!
3. LOOGU Net Camouflage – perfect for hunting small game!
4. Personal Hydration Camouflage Water Bottle – Stay hydrated.
5. IRONMAN Gravity – this is the inversion table reviews website around – great for stretching out after a long air rifle session.
6. Gamo Whisper Silent Cat Air Rifle – this is quickly becoming my favorite tactical style air rifle – and it comes with a great silencer!
7. New York Times – this is my favorite newspaper to read still – especially the restaurant reviews.
8. JetBlue – my favorite airline – especially good for booking vacation packages.
9. Chattanooga Rifle Club – the best rifle club in all of Chattanooga.

As you can see – not all of the items here are directly air rifle related – but most are close enough.  We can enjoy things outside of just air rifles though – right?  Travel is nice and so are restaurants! Also – if you’re ever in Chattanooga -check out that rifle club.  Nice guys and gals over there.

Check back as I’ll be adding more stuff to this list as I come across things.  Have something you think we should add?  Use the contact us form to get in touch – we would love to hear what you have to say.

UPDATE – 08/03/2016

After a couple emails – we’ve decided to follow up with a second post later this year outlining favorite reader submitted things.  Thanks you for the feedback!

What is a pellet gun?

A pellet projectile is non-spherical, unlike a BB, and is designed to fire from an air gun. Pellet guns differ from other firearms in that they “operate at pressures as low as 50 atmospheres, while firearms operate at thousands of atmospheres.”1 Pellet guns are good for hunting small game like rabbit, dove, quail or duck. They are easy to use with practice and proper safety training.

Why get a pellet gun for your family?

Low Cost

Ammunition for pellet guns is extremely cheap. A few dollars will get you hundreds of pellets. Traditional ammunition is typically much more expensive, which makes it precious and more painful if you spend them up practicing with your family. If you adopt pellet guns as a hobby, you’ll want ample pellets at your disposal.  Find our selections for the best air rifle.

Quiet

Pellet guns are great to use while teaching children about gun safety for many reasons, one of which being that they’re silent. You don’t have to worry about their small ears or intimidating shy kids with a huge booming gun. Not only that, but silence allows for privacy while practicing and shooting.

Open Carry

Laws concerning firearms are serious and should not be bent. “Open carrying or storing of firearms in a vehicle or in public is prohibited in most areas, but there is no such restriction regarding pellet guns in most areas.”2 This means if you want to take a camping trip or travel with the family and bring your pellet guns along, you should be good to go. (Although you should always check with your local law enforcement agency to be sure.)

Benefit for Children

Over the last decade or so, a staggering number of people – adult and child – have lost their lives due to children improperly handling guns. Many people want to teach their children about guns and gun safety, but choose the wrong weapon. However, properly learning to shoot can help children on many levels.

“Lining up the sights on a distant target takes deep concentration. Children must slow their breathing and tune into the beat of their hearts to be able to squeeze the trigger at precisely the right moment. […] touching the trigger correctly takes small motor skills; doing both at once engages the whole brain. Marksmanship is an exercise in a high order of body-hand-eye-mind coordination.”3

Given the size of pellet guns and smaller degree of possible damage than a rifle or handgun, for example, they make great tools with which to teach your children about gun safety.

Confidence and Bonding

Learning a new skill as a family and creating a unique tradition in your home can have lasting effects on the relationship between you and your children. Learning new skills imbues children with confidence and gun safety has the added benefit of teaching them respect for the weapon and the lives of others. Carrying this skill with them as they grow older can provide them with a unique degree of confidence. Spending time together as a family, no matter how you do it, is beneficial. Why not choose something fun and interesting that can help your child learn to be safe?

Since there are so many types of air rifle scopes from which to choose and each has its own special features, the first thing to do is consider the basics. Simply put, a scope will magnify the image that is being targeted and will put you and the object on the same visual plane. It works by using lenses set inside the scope that bend the light that enters in order to make the image bigger.

Air rifle scopes are special because they are designed to be able to withstand the recoil and vibrations of an air rifle. A firearm scope should not be used on an air rifle.

Types of Air Rifle Scopes

There are two main types of air rifle scopes, a fixed scope and a variable scope. The fixed scope is set to one magnification and no adjustments can be made to it. A fixed scope will be denoted similar to this: 4×15 or 4×32. This means that the object is magnified four times. One of the advantages of a fixed scope is that once it is sighted in there is little adjustment needed. The obvious disadvantage of this type of scope is that the image cannot be magnified any more than the set magnification.

Variable scopes allow images to be magnified at different settings, typically between 3 to 15 times. The number will be denoted similar to 3-9×32. This means that the images can be magnified between 3 to 9 times and the 32 refers to the objective lens.

Objective Sizes

When looking at scopes the last number specified refers to the objective size. For example, if the scope states that it is 4-16×50, the 50 refers to the 50 mm objective lens or the opening of the lens. Objective size is important for a couple of reasons. First, the bigger the lens size the stronger the magnification is going to be. Secondly, larger objectives allow more light into the scope, which provides a picture that is brighter and clearer.

Choosing the Right Scope for your Needs

Now that the basics are out of the way there are a few things that should be considered when picking out a scope. First, decide the type of hunting that you do most. For hunting small rodents at close ranges a fixed scope of 4×32 is ideal. For hunting larger varmints, a variable scope will be best.

Next, decide on the quality of scope that you want and then buy one that is a bit better. It is always better to get something that is a bit nicer so that you do not regret your purchase.

Overall, choosing the right air rifle scope may seem daunting at first, but if you take the time to choose the right one to meet your needs you will find that your aim will improve greatly over time.

It is often said that once you learn how to shoot with an air rifle or a pellet gun, you will not forget it. If you pick up either of these after several years of gap, it will all come back to you like it happens when riding a bicycle. However, that level of skill and familiarity can only be achieved when you actually have had ample practice in aiming, shooting and using an air rifle or a pellet gun. Regular practice also helps you to master the skill in less favorable circumstances like shooting during horse-riding, running or having to make an aim in a short time. Basically, it is just how the saying goes; practice makes perfect.

So what are the benefits of spending hours at target practice? The first one is, as we mentioned above; you will not forget the art and technique of using an air rifle if you have had enough practice. Regularly doing target practice helps to curb down your reflexes and bad habits such as flinching, dropping the gun and eye blinking. Also, some people feel their heart beat to be racing, their sympathetic system to be in an overdrive every time they handle their pellet guns. These all get reduced to regular practice and even if they persist, no longer will they interfere with your aim and target.

As far as the maintenance is concerned, air rifles and pellet guns do not require high maintenance, but cleaning and oiling helps increase their life. Regular maintenance and cleaning of the gun helps increase its life, it will last for several years if you take good care of it. It also reduces the chances of malfunctioning that may occur due to the buildup of dust, rust because of the constant air exposure and the metal residue of the jacketed bullets. Furthermore, it is actually a great way to learn how your gun works. Often the huge size and numerous functions of the air rifle intimidate us and we are unable to become better shooters because of the uncertainty. As you maintain your gun, you get a clearer picture of how it works and that will help you become a better shooter.

Learning and mastering the use of an air rifle or a pellet gun is an art, a skill that only improves if you put in enough efforts. So pick up your rifle today and begin practicing and clean it afterwards, which is what will help you the most!

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Choosing a good air rifle is not only about choosing the gun itself but also choosing the best air rifle pellets available. Remember, choosing good grade pellets mean you also protect your airgun. Low quality calibers only decrease your airguns performance and torn them apart, and even lead to users injuries. There are several types of pellets which have their own advantages and disadvantages. Some pellets are best for pest, others are good for rabbits while some are best for birds. You should know your job and choose the suitable one for each task to maximize the pellet gun performance.

Four Basic Pellet Gun’s Calibers

There are four basic types of pellets for your air rifle include: wadcutter, domed nosed, hollowpoint and pointed pellet.

Wadcutter Air Rifle Pellet

This type of pellet is excellent for target shooting. The the wadcutter pellet has a flat nose and it is widely known that it is exceptionally accurate at short distance shooting.

Crossman wadcutter air rifle pellet is used extensively in competition shooting.

Domed or Round Nosed Air Rifle Pellet

The domed or round nosed pellets, which have the best aerodynamics, are used extensively in field target and small game hunting. They are considered to be the best utility pellet which can handle any task that are thrown in. If you want a type of pellet that is good for both shooting practice and hunting, choose this one.

RWS domed air rifle pellet is an all-rounder.

This type of pellet can be used in both hunting and competition shooting.

Hollowpoint Air Rifle Pellet

The hollowpoint air rifle pellet is mostly used for hunting since they have good features for this job. The pellet’s design offer maximum energy transfer to the animal that make the strongest impact and biggest wound when it penetrates the prey. Such features are good for taking down a game almost instantly. They perform best at distance under 25 yards.

Haendler & Natermann hollowpoint air rifle pellet gives great impact power.

Pointed Air Rifle Pellet

The pointed tip of the pellet makes excellent penetration upon impact and these pointed pellets are accurate in long range shooting. This is one of the most popular type of airgun pellets on the market today.

Pointed pellet offers excellent penetration for long distance shooting.

The pointed tip will get the job done, even at long distance.

Conclusion

The description above offer a quick review on pellet gun’s projectiles. However the results vary from person to person. Some feel great with this type of pellet while others are not. You can buy a pellet sampler kit which contains a number of different types of pellets to try out. You can find out what is the best type (and size) of pellets for you and your air rifle.

Benjamin Pellet Sample Pack is a good choice to find out which type of caliber is the best for you.

Beside pellets, you should consider some more accessories for your pellet rifle such as air gun scopes, reticle point sights and tripods for better shooting. More important, you should also learn how to maintain your air rifle and accessories. Treat the tools well and they will serve you best.

–> Learn to capture video while hunting.