Pneumatic Air Rifles & Bullpups

I enjoy firing my air pistol collectables, especially my Colt 'Peacemaker' but handling and firing a pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) rifle is a fantastic diversion. I own a PCP Logan Mk II .22 bolt action multi-shot air rifle which I purchased some 20 years ago and the accuracy of the weapon is simply phenomenal. Of course, the scope helps to maintain that accuracy and the gun is fitted with a silencer to deaden the noise. The only downside, albeit great exercise, is that I use a hand pump to fill up the compressed air in the gun's air reserve tank. The Logan complies with the 12ft/lbs legal limit in the UK but delivers some serious distance and penetration with next to no recoil. I do not shoot any wild life, but instead enjoy long distance target shooting. Fortunately, I live in the countryside and my fields far exceed the shot distance of the Logan.

Whilst the Logan is great fun, it is a nice hobby to research the air rifles, carbines and Bullpups that feature in the gun shops and reviews. The list is massive and in the UK, we are spoilt for choice. Even the cheaper PCP weapons are exceptional for any beginner but the ones at the high end like Weihrauch are bank balance busters.

A video on PCP air gun basics -

Videos in this Article
I have included videos of popular PCP air rifles & scopes that might be of interest to the reader. Thanks to YouTube, I can place videos of my popular choices with supplier links but I must emphasise, I do not in any way receive remunerations from any of them or any reviewer. Its a difficult task to create a list as the choice is vast. At the bottom of the article are videos on scope reticles, SF Vs. FF planes, weaver & picatinnay rails, securing rings, mounting on rifle, zeroing and how to avoid rifle rotation.

Videos of selected air weapons and scopes from the following manufacturers are included further down in this article.

Featured Air Weapons & Scopes - Links to Manufacturers Websites

Air Weapons	Scopes
Remington	BSA
Webley Scott	Bushnell
Zbroia	Bushnell Buyers Guide
SMK	Vector Optics
Kral	Walther
Gamo	MTC
Walther (Umarex)	Hawke
Weihrauch	Optisan
BSA	Element
FX	Leupold
Daystate	How to Adjust a Scope
Edgun
Air Arms
Steyr

My current favourite has to be the German manufactured Weihrauch HW100 BPK Bullpup which is the shorter version of the Weihrauch HW100 BP Bullpup variant and the Weihrauch HW110 K Karbine is another nice choice. There is of course an awesome British gun, the phenomenal Daystate Renegade which sports an electronic trigger with a battery life of 17,000 shots - it is an excellent alternative. The Air Arms Gallahad is awe inspiring and the ultimate mega cost goes to the incredible semi-automatic Steyr Pro X Scout Bullpup.

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The Midrange Investment - Air Weapon Combination
On reflection there has to be a balance in purchasing an PCP air rifle, carbine or Bullpup, especially when you have to add a scope, a silencer and probably a gun slip for transporting the weapon. Of course, one would still expect a great deal of accuracy with a flatter curve for pellet target shooting. My choice would be the .177 Weihrauch HW110 K Karbine which includes a terrific Weihrauch silencer and it is only 88cms (34.65 inches) in length. My choice of scope would be an Optisan EVX 6-24X50F1i (MIL-F1MH24) and for transporting the gun, a Weihrauch HW100 Carbine Gun Slip. The combination may seem expensive at around £1,313.99 but not a bad deal when compared to some expensive Bullpups near or over that price which don't include a scope, a silencer or a gun slip. There are videos of this Weihrauch gun and Optisan scopes in this article.

The Budget Investment - Air Weapon Combination
Most folks that have a limited budget or who are starting out with limited access to ground or a firing range, might seek a rifle, carbine or Bullpup combination which does not break the bank. On the assumption that most folks theses days in the UK would rather kill a paper target than any wildlife, my combination of choice is based on the .177 calibre which delivers a flatter curve for pellet target shooting rather than the greater curve of .22 pellets. I rather like the Walther Rotex RM8 Varmint UC which is an ultra compact gun, very much like a carbine and it includes a K3 Neo silencer. It is only 91.6cms (36 inches) in length and my scope choice would be the Hawke VANTAGE IR 3-9x50 AO with MIL DOT IR Reticle and adjustable objective parallax correction which costs £125 but there are cheaper and more expensive choices, which are outlined on the Hawke website. Walther supply a nice optional Walther Deluxe Gun Bag to transport the weapon. The total cost of the gun with included silencer, scope and gun slip is around £581.98. The Walther Rotex RM8 Varmint UC is featured in a video within this article and there is also a video on the standard Hawke 3x9x50 Vantage scope which does not have the objective parallax correction of my more expensive AO budget choice.

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.22 Pellets
I have always used Accupell .22 14.66gr 5.50mm head size pellets purchased from Ramsbottom with my Logan PCP rifle and a Simmons scope, zeroed for 100 yards, which have proved to be fairly accurate but the pellets have a fair sized arc to the target when shooting at 100 yards. The grouping is consistently on centre with no more than a half inch spread and that is on a bipod which is sprung and if I am not careful the twin springs (one on either side) can create a slight rifle rotation which is a big deal at 100 yards. I plan to use a rifle rest rather than the bipod and I have ordered one.

Having made some enquiries, the Accupell .22 pellets 5.50mm are the only pellets recommended to be used with my Logan as other .22 pellet types, especially those with 5.51mm, 5.52mm and 5.53mm sized heads, can become jammed in the magazine or leave behind lead fragmentations.

Pellets Preparation
Upon delivery I gently pop the Accupell pellets into a basin full of warm water mixed with washing up liquid and gently swirl them around for a time using my fingers. Afterwards, I empty most of the water and pop the pellets into a household sieve and then gently onto an old thick towel. I spread them out and dry them with a hairdryer. I move them to a dry towel and lightly spray them all with Napier Pellet Lube or Napier Power Air Gun Oil and then gently roll them inside the 'folded' towel to remove the excess oil which leaves an almost invisible oil coating. Thereafter, they are popped into a Crosman Pellet Pouch and ready for use. I note that my pellet supplier, Ramsbottom is now supplying Accupell FT .22 pellets in a 5.53 head size which are already pre-prepared with Napier gun oil but the larger head size makes them too risky to use in my Logan. NOTE: I never use a silicone based oil for my air rifle pellets.

Cleaning a CO2 Pistol & Air Rifles
Anyone who has purchased their first air rifle and researched 'how to clean and oil' an air rifle on the internet is likely to end up confused due to the mass of contradictions from the various advisors and reviewers. Do you clean it often, very rarely, or in the view of some reviewers, they never clean their air guns, especially the barrels. Do you use silicone oil, mineral oil or the age old Mobil One synthetic oil from the local garage. Do you use a pull through or a thin brass rod with a swivel handle, and with brass, nylon, mop and patch heads for cleaning the barrel. One thing is for sure, you do not use penetration oil, the kind you would use for freeing up that stubborn nut which is rusted and seized underneath your car - apparently penetration oil is a killer of the internal workings of air weapons.

I clean all my air guns after I fire off about 500 rounds of lead pellets, usually the number in an average tin and I like a nice clean and gleaming barrel without any residual oil left in it. I clean and oil the outer metalwork and easy to reach mechanicals like the trigger and moving metal parts with the appropriate gun oil to prevent wear and corrosion. Likewise the stock with a light waxing and polishing. For long term storage, I will pull a lightly oiled patch through the barrel before placing it in the gun cabinet. The only gun I am prepared to strip down (once a year) to the internals is my CO2 Beretta pistol so that I can clean and oil the cocking slide mechanism.

For my CO2 pistols, I only use Crosman Pellgun Oil for internal and external workings of my guns and fire VFG Fibre Cleaning Pellets through the barrels until they come out clean. I catch them in a metal bucket but be careful they come out of the barrels with a fair amount of velocity and will easily shoot through any plastic container held at the front of the barrel. All my CO2 pistols are stored (empty of CO2 or pellets) upside down with a drop of Crosman Pellgun Oil on the CO2 seal inside the butt.

For my break barrel air rifle, I use a bog standard Guntuff Cleaning Kit which includes a brass rod with swivel handle, bronze, nylon and mop heads along with Napier Power Air Gun Oil and finish off by firing VFG Fibre Cleaning Pellets through the barrel. NOTE: if you also have the Napier Pull Through Kit you can use that instead of the VFG fibre pellets. NOTE: I never use a silicone based oil for cleaning and oiling my break barrel gun as it can mess up the internal greasing.

With PCP air weapons which have a magazine or under lever cocking piston/spring air rifles, it is often the case that using a rod and various cleaning heads is impossible to use, because the risk of damaging the weapon internals is very likely. The solution is a 'pull through cleaning kit and the Napier Pull Through Kit is exceptional for all air guns and perfect for PCP rifles which have magazine systems. It is supplied (in the kit) with a pull string, patches and Napier Power Air Gun Oil which is approved by a large number of air weapon manufacturers. NOTE: I never use a silicone based oil for oiling my Logan PCP rifle as it can mess up the internal greasing. This came as a warning in my Logan PCP handbook.

Gun Safes & Trigger Locks
Gun Safes & Cabinets come in all shapes, sizes and costs. If you only have a single firearm, then the cost can be relatively low but no matter what the size and the cost, the locked safe or cabinet must be bolted to a solid wall and preferably in a place where it cannot be easily found by third parties, somewhere like inside a locked cupboard with a solid wall at the back.

It is prudent to purchase a gun safe or cabinet that can hold a few firearms because invariably your hankering for another gun, often arises. It is not just the gun that must be stored securely, often a scope is fitted, so the safe or cabinet must provide room for the gun to stand with the scope fitted and then there is the height to consider, because your 1st gun may be a short carbine but a 2nd gun, purchased at a later date, might be a full size rifle with a silencer fitted.

Then there is the ammunition and any accessories that you might want to store alongside your gun - many cabinets have side and/or top storage sections. Pellets, targets and airgun cleaning equipment are often stored in gun safes. If you have several guns, the safe should have enough room whereby you can insert or remove a gun without it clattering into another gun in the cabinet.

Anyone who is careful about securing their gun from third parties, especially kids, will secure their air rifle with a Trigger Lock which prevents the guns trigger being pulled and usually these type of locks come with 2 keys.

Target Shooting
I very much enjoy using my air weapons to shoot at paper & metal targets. Although I am surrounded by all types of wildlife, including crows, magpies, rabbits, grey squirrels, pigeons, deer, pheasants, foxes and sparrows, amongst many other small birds, I never shoot any wildlife.

Air gun targets come in all shapes and sizes but as I predominantly shoot lead pellets, I prefer to catch the spent lead, rather than let it build up in my fields. Therefore all my targets catch the lead after it has passed through the paper. I like 17mm and also 14mm metal coned target holders with a spent pellet trap at the back. I purchased mine from Ramsbottom in the UK where I also purchase the majority of my accessories and pellets.

PellPax in the UK, supplies many types of targets and I like the metal box targets with little figures (pigeons, crows, ducks, rats) which have a reset figure that when hit, pops back up all the shot down figures - great fun and a test of accuracy.

Rifle Rests for Target Shooting - Scope Mounting & Zeroing
There are many types of rifle rests and and they come in at various prices. I went for the budget MTM K-Zone rifle rest which can be used in full size adjustable mode to support your air gun and to zero your scope or by just using the front part, you can use it to support the front of the air gun for target shooting. It is also great for using with pistols.

You can fill it with lead shot to add weight before you assemble it but I just assembled it without adding any weight - it works just fine sitting on a sturdy table. I just used an old table that I had lying in the garage which is height adjustable (very important) but probably the best table is the MTM High Low Shooting Table which is also height adjustable.

I also used my MTM K-Zone Rest to support my Logan rifle whilst I refitted and adjusted my Simmons scope with new mounts. See the videos below regarding the MTM K-Zone and the MTM High Low Shooting Table -

Scope Mounting & Zeroing
There are literally dozens of internet reviews and articles on scope mounting and zeroing the sights. I have included a link How to Adjust a Scope and there are videos on this subject from Ryan Cleckner at the foot of this article.

My Simmons scope which is 20 years old has an adjustment ring at the front end of the scope which reads in feet and then yards and up to 300 yards and then infinity. I had to purchase a Hawke 2 inch rear extension mount which allowed me to bring the eyepiece of the scope nearer to my eye to avoid a dark circle appearing and closing the outer regions of the eyepiece view. I also learned very quickly that I had to set the scope rear distance even nearer to my eye on the mounts when it was set to the 300 yard magnification because although the dark circle was clear at 25 yards, it started to appear as the magnification was applied and had covered 65% of the eyepiece at 300 yards. NOTE: Usually the Hawke 2 inch extension mount is advertised by Hawke suppliers, as a front extension but it can also be reversed. It is also supplied with a second standard mount in the pack.

Videos of Popular Air Rifles & Scopes
The majority of the videos come from one of my favourite reviewers, Andy's AAR YouTube Channel and he covers the specifications, handling and firepower. Whilst the videos cover .177 and .22 air rifles, carbines and Bullpups, my preferred calibre for target shooting would be .177 which delivers a flatter trajectory.

The Remington Airacobra and a UK Supplier (.177 - £399.99)

The Webley Raider 12 Quantum and a UK Supplier (.177 - £469.99)

The Zbroia Hortitsia and a UK Supplier (.177 - £499.99)

The SMK Artemis P10 Shorty and a UK Supplier (.177 - £499.99)

The following image is the SMK Artemis P10 Shorty which shows the multi-shot magazine fitted at the rear on the top. I have been unable to source a decent video on the P10 but the following video of the P12 provides a good account of what the P10 is like.

The Kral Puncher Breaker Army Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 in Walnut Stock - £499.99)

The Gammo GX40 and a UK Supplier (.177 - £379.99)

The Gammo Venari Kit (still to be listed) and a UK Supplier (.177 - £459.99)

The Gammo Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £569.99)

The Walther Rotex RM8 Varmint Rifle and UK Supplier (.177 - £549.99)

The Walther Rotex RM8 Varmint UC and UK Supplier (.177 - £419.99)

The Walther Reign Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £749.99)

The Weihrauch HW110 and a UK Supplier (.177 - £785.99)

The Weihrauch HW110 K Carbine and a UK Supplier (.177 - £785.99) and an Optisan EVX 6-24X50F1i (MIL-F1MH24) scope - UK Supplier.

The Weihrauch HW100 KT and a UK Supplier (.177 - £929.99)

The Weihrauch HW100 BPK Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,154.99)

The Weihrauch HW100 BP Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,154.99)

The BSA Scorpion SE and a UK Supplier (.177 - £688.99)

The BSA Ultra CLX and a UK Supplier (.177 - £599.00)

The BSA R10 SE and a UK Supplier (.177 - £878.99)

The BSA R10 TH and a UK Supplier (.177 - £999.99)

The BSA Gold Star SE and a UK Supplier (.177 - £949.99)

The BSA Defiant and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,049.99)

The BSA R12 CLX Pro

The FX Dreamline Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,149.99)

The FX Wildcat MK III Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,223.99) Video: Music stops at 1 minute

The Daystate Renegade Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,299.99)

The Edgun Lelya and the UK Supplier is Graham Denny at leshiy.uk@gmail.com. Mobile: 07473 654 188 and Office/Workshop: 01476 979 007. Alternatively, you can contact Vector Air who also supply this weapon. (.177 in Walnut Stock - £1,500.00 approx after Euro conversion to Sterling)

The Edgun Matador R5M and the UK Supplier is Graham Denny at leshiy.uk@gmail.com. Mobile: 07473 654 188 and Office/Workshop: 01476 979 007. Alternatively, you can contact Vector Air who also supply this weapon. (.177 in Walnut Stock - £1,698.00 approx after Euro conversion to Sterling)

The Edgun Leshiy 2 and the UK Supplier is Graham Denny at leshiy.uk@gmail.com. Mobile: 07473 654 188 and Office/Workshop: 01476 979 007. Alternatively, you can contact Vector Air who also supply this weapon. (.177 in Walnut Stock - £1,850.00 approx after Euro conversion to Sterling)

The Air Arms S200 and a UK Supplier (.177 - £499.00)

The Air Arms S400 and a UK Supplier (.177 - £529.00)

The Air Arms S410 and a UK Supplier (.177 - £719.00)

The Air Arms S510 and a UK Supplier (.177 - £799.00)

The Air Arms S510 R Ultimate Sportster and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,099.00)

The Air Arms Galahad and a UK Supplier (.177 - £1,349.00)

The Steyr Pro X Scout Bullpup and a UK Supplier (.177 - £2,699.99)

BSA Scopes for your Rifle or Bullpup and a UK Supplier

Bushnell Scopes for your Rifle or Bullpup and a UK Supplier

Vector Optics Scopes for your Rifle or Bullpup and a UK Supplier

Walther Scopes for your Rifle or Bullpup and a UK Supplier

MTC Scopes for your Rifle or Bullpup and a UK Supplier

Hawke VANTAGE 3-9x50 Budget Scope and a UK Supplier. Please note the next model up, the Hawke VANTAGE IR 3-9x50 AO with MIL DOT IR Reticle and adjustable objective parallax correction is my budget choice and the UK Supplier.