Air rifles and pistols are the first "real" weapons that a child most often gets to know. We are now not talking about children's pistols with plastic bullets and not even about paintball / airsoft guns, but about air guns that shoot lead bullets or steel balls. Many people remember shooting galleries with Izhevsk air rifles Izh-22 and Izh-38, which are quite widespread in the former USSR. For many, this was the first opportunity to shoot with an "iron" bullet, to feel the weight of the weapon and the smell of gun grease. Many of the same rifles, including the author, were used to fire during elementary military training in the upper grades of the school ("small cars", rifled rifles of.22 l.r. caliber, at that time had long been withdrawn from schools).
After the collapse of the USSR, the industry experienced rapid development. Foreign-made "pneumatics" poured into the country, new models of domestic pneumatic weapons appeared. As in the case of gas / traumatic weapons, foreign samples are very good in quality, but often made of light alloys, which limits their power and active life. Simply put, the silumin bursts. This is especially true for pneumatic pistols. Domestic pneumatic weapons are made of durable steel, but often require reworking with a file "in place".
Pneumatic weapons can be divided according to the method of obtaining energy for throwing a projectile. In Russia, three options are mainly common - gas-cylinder pneumatics (on cans with CO2 carbon dioxide), spring-piston pneumatics, when the gun is loaded by mechanical movement of the piston, due to a fracture of the barrel or retraction of a special lever, and pneumatics with pre-pumping (PCP). In Russia, there is a restriction on the caliber (up to 4.5 mm) and power (up to 7.5 J) of pneumatics. With a power of up to 3 J, the caliber can be any, since from the point of view of the legislation of the Russian Federation, such pneumatics is not a weapon, but an object "structurally similar" to it. Pneumatic weapons with a capacity of 7.5 J to 25 J are purchased under a hunting weapon license, following the same procedures as when obtaining a license for the purchase of smooth-bore weapons. Pneumatic weapons in Russia can be 4.5, 5.5 and 6.35 mm. Pneumatics up to 7.5 J can be freely purchased by Russian citizens starting from the age of 18.
Gas pneumatics is represented for the most part by pistols, of which there are a huge number on the market. There is no particular reason to purchase gas-cylinder pneumatics in a rifle version. For the most part, pneumatic gas pistols are used for recreational shooting at targets, cans, bottles, and more. It is worth noting that after several high-profile incidents with the shooting of pneumatic weapons at people, a law has been adopted, and is currently in force, prohibiting the carrying and shooting of pneumatic weapons in a charged state, within the city, outside specially designated areas.
It makes no sense to consider in detail all the abundance of the market, we will single out several models. From domestic samples - this is the pneumatic version of the Makarov pistol "PM" - MR-654K. The pneumatic PM began to be produced in the late 90s and during this time it was sold in a huge circulation.
Initially, it looked more like a modernized version of the Makarov pistol - PMM. Muzzle energy up to 3 J, a magazine for 13 steel balls and a CO2 cylinder. At the moment, the appearance is more close to the original PM. The pistol is initially completely steel, allows and requires "napilling", which allows you to significantly refine the appearance and improve the characteristics of shooting. The author personally saw in the early 2000s the MR-654K modified by a craftsman, in appearance almost indistinguishable from the combat PM.
From foreign samples, you can consider the SIG Sauer P320 ASP. This air pistol is an exact copy of the SIG Sauer M17 combat pistol, adopted by the US Army to replace the Beretta M9 pistol. The appearance, as well as weight, type of trigger mechanism (USM) and trigger force are identical to the combat model. There is an imitation of recoil and movement of the shutter (BlowBack). Holds 30 4.5 mm bullets in a conveyor-type magazine.
In addition to entertainment, this and other similar weapons are suitable for developing primary shooting skills, getting used to the weight and dimensions of the weapon. Some models of pneumatic weapons can be used for "blasting", i.e. performing practical exercises in training according to the rules of IPSC (practical shooting) without directly firing a shot - moving, grabbing, aiming at the target, etc.
Among the disadvantages of pneumatics for CO2, it can be noted that in cold weather or at a fast rate of fire (due to adiabatic expansion), the energy of the shot decreases rapidly.
We will not dwell on gas-cylinder rifles, since conceptually they are no different from pistols.
Another category of airguns is spring-piston rifles and pistols. However, pistols here are already acquiring significant dimensions, so we will only consider rifles. The already mentioned "shooting range" rifles Izh-22 and Izh-38 belong to such pneumatics.
At the moment, the successor of the Izh-22 and Izh-38, the air rifle Mr-512, can be considered the classic embodiment of the spring-piston pneumatics of domestic production. This model belongs to "breaks" - air rifles with cocking by breaking the barrel relative to the breech of the weapon.
Initially, the design of the MP-512 was based on the classic models, but later on there were many modifications, including a futuristic design. The muzzle energy according to the passport is up to 3 J. Like the pneumatic "PM", the MP-512 rifle is one of the most tunable models of pneumatic weapons. On the Internet, you can find a huge amount of materials on upgrading this rifle. The low cost of the MP-512 makes it often the first acquisition of a young shooter.
In addition to the unlicensed version, there is a version of the MP-512M "Magnum", caliber 5.5 mm and a muzzle energy of up to 25 J (on the manufacturer's website it now has the designation MP-513M).
In the upper price segment of spring-piston rifles, the Diana rifle is one of the leaders. Perhaps the most famous representative of this brand is the Diana 54 model. Officially, its power is within the permitted 7, 5 J. I don’t know how it is now, but in the early 2000s the author offered this model in a set with two springs at once. From the first, it met the requirements of the law, from the second, according to the seller, the power of the shot became much higher, which made it possible to fully unleash the potential of this rifle.
The capabilities of the best representatives of spring-piston rifles, as well as high-quality tuned inexpensive rifles, already allow hunting small game.
The advantage of spring-piston rifles is that no additional air source is required. Air rifle bullets are inexpensive, and after the initial investment in rifle and telescopic sight, further costs are low. Due to the low weight and cost of bullets for pneumatics, you can take a lot of them for hunting, so the hunting time will actually be limited only by the endurance of the shooter.
The disadvantages include the fact that the impact of a massive piston leads to strong shock loads on the optical sights, which in turn quickly disables them. As a result, it is necessary to carefully approach the choice of "optics", clarifying its suitability for use on spring-piston rifles.
The pinnacle of the evolution of pneumatics is the pre-inflated airgun (PCP). In pneumatic weapons with pre-pumping, the energy of the bullet is given by compressed air, which is previously pumped into a special tank. The pressure in the tank can reach 300 atmospheres. Air can be pumped in several ways - with a high-pressure compressor, a high-pressure manual pump, or refilled at special stations. The cost of a high-pressure compressor starts at about 20,000 rubles, for Chinese models, without a guarantee. High-quality equipment costs from 200,000 rubles. A high-pressure manual pump requires a fairly serious muscular effort from the shooter, the cost of the pumps is about 5,000 rubles. For storage of compressed air, special high-pressure cylinders are used. It must be borne in mind that compressed air cylinders filled up to 300 atmospheres pose a serious danger if improperly stored.
To understand the capabilities of PCP weapons, let's start at the top.
One of the most powerful air rifles in the world is the 0.458 (11.63 mm) Quackenbush. When fired with a bullet weighing 32 grams, a speed of up to 214 m / s is achieved and the muzzle energy power is up to 650 J. This exceeds the muzzle energy of a pistol cartridge of 9x19 caliber.
It is overshadowed by the German Umarex Hammer air rifle in.50 (12.7 mm) caliber. Muzzle energy is mind-blowing (for pneumatics) 955 J (maximum up to 1030). Unlike the vast majority of competitors of this caliber, the rifle is multi-shot and is capable of firing 3 shots at maximum power. With her it is quite possible to hunt a wild boar.
We looked, dreamed and forgot. In Russia, the sale of this and other similar in power rifles is officially prohibited by law.
The question arises, why is the power of domestic pneumatics limited to 25 J? This is most likely done in order to prevent the use of pneumatics for poaching, since, given the quiet sound of the shot, the activity of a poacher with a PCP rifle is difficult to detect and track. In theory, the silent and powerful PCP pneumatics models could be used in a criminal environment as well.
Nevertheless, the domestic market of PCP rifles can please with a wide range of less powerful, but much more versatile models. Many companies sell pneumatic weapons in Russia, including such as Ataman, Cricket, EDgun, Jager, Kral, Umarex and others. The average cost of high-quality PCP rifles ranges from 50,000 to 150,000 rubles.
One of the most prominent manufacturers of pneumatics of the PCP family can be called the domestic company EDgun. Rifles of the "Matador" series, one of the most widespread in the world, are made according to the "bullpup" scheme and are sold in calibers 4.5, 5.5, 6.5 mm with barrels of different lengths.
PCP rifles are sold either under license, with a maximum muzzle energy of up to 25 J, or as an item "structurally similar" to a weapon, with a muzzle energy limitation of up to 3 J. In fact, most of the owners, after purchasing a "structurally similar" rifle, produce as follows called "air-breathing", i. e. making design changes to increase the maximum power from the weapon. You need to know that these actions are illegal, the owner caught by the police with a "strangled" rifle may have trouble, at least this will lead to the loss of a not cheap rifle.
PCP pneumatics do not have factors that negatively affect optical sights, so the choice of sights for it is greatly simplified.
PCP rifles are often equipped with silencers. Since mufflers are banned in Russia, they are officially called sound moderators, but this does not change the essence. The shot of the PCP pneumatics is not too loud anyway, it is significantly reduced due to the use of a silencer-moderator. As a result, a large-caliber air rifle can quite compare in its characteristics with the SV-99 small-bore rifled rifle with a silencer, created for the anti-terrorist units of the Russian special services.
The maximum muzzle energy of a powerful PCP rifle after "inflation", with the correct bullets, in fact, can significantly exceed 25 J. In combination with a fairly massive 6.35 caliber bullet, this allows hunting small animals. Hunting with pneumatics is very different from hunting with a smoothbore gun, and even hunting with a rifled rifle. On the one hand, the low muzzle energy requires shooting precisely at the kill sites of the game, on the other hand, the lack of recoil and high accuracy of high-quality PCP rifles make it possible to put this into practice. The weak sound of the shot allows you not to scare away the game.
It should be noted that hunting with pneumatics has not been finally regulated by law, therefore, it is necessary to carefully familiarize yourself with the rules of the hunting farm where hunting is supposed to.
And finally, another interesting representative of pneumatic weapons. It can be called a special case of PCP pneumatics - it is a pneumatic weapon with a cartridge pumping - "Brocock Air Cartridge System" (BACS). In this type of weapon, the cartridge-cartridge (Air-Cartridge) includes both a compact reservoir, a valve and a bullet. When fired, the firing pin opens the valve, which leads to the production of a shot. Pneumatic cartridges can be exchanged for filled, as in conventional weapons. Empty cartridges can be refilled and refilled by yourself.
The most widespread are pneumatic revolvers with the BACS system, although there were samples of pistols and rifles of this type.
Not so long ago, pneumatic revolvers of the BACS system could be purchased freely, but at the moment they are not being sold on the territory of the Russian Federation. Obviously, the high power that can be obtained in this weapon, combined with its compactness, noiselessness and the ability to quickly reload, led to the fact that the competent authorities stopped issuing certificates for air weapons of the BACS system.
