5 Best PCP air rifle Reviews and Buyer Guide 2022

Do you have a PCP rifle?

If not, then you definitely are missing out a great thrilling experience of using a best PCP air rifle.

If you are a rifleman no matter using rifle for hunting or shooting then you should be well aware of the fact that PCP air rifles are more popular than other CO2, gas piston and spring rifles. It is equipped with advanced air compression technology which give a great threshold to the pellet.

What does PCP mean ? A PCP rifle is a unique gun that operates by using a pre-charged pneumatic function to propel the pellets out of the barrel.

How PCP Air Rifles Work ? The pressure is created through compressing the air into the gun pressure tank using a hand pump or a scuba tank whatever option you have available to the desired level of pressure you need.

It usually ranges from 2700 to 3000 pressure per square inch.

The rifle can be bought in .177, .22 and .25 calibers due to the fact that these guns use a pre-charged pneumatic function by using the air pressure inside the tank, it is quite obvious that the pressure reduced every time you shoot a pellet. And that’s why each time the velocity and the trajectory of the shot is changed.

While using these rifles you should keep in mind that the first few shots are cost effective and the effectiveness becomes lower as you go on using the air pressure. And in order to achieve the desired pressure you will have to recharge when you see the pressure gauge show a lower level inside.

While selecting pre-charged pneumatic rifle, you will have to make sure about the total shots in one pressure chare and out of which the number of shots that will be effective.

You can choose a PCP rifle by analyzing and comparing the features and picking the one that has the maximum capability to fulfil your goals.

Here I am going to enlist the top 10 PCP air rifles for your best selection from the numerous market offerings. It will help you to compare these offering and get one which suits best to your need and well fits to your budget.

Features OF PCP

The power of pcp air rifle is matchless as compared to the CO2 rifle and spring rifles. Compressed air provides a plenty of pressure to the pellet which is much higher than other rifle types.

Climate and temperature changes effect the CO2 rifles but these factors do not put any effect over the performance of PCP rifle. The power, consistency and power of pcp rifles are symbols for selection.

Howbeit the PCP air rifles are more expensive than the other types of rifles but it also carries a lot of extra ordinary features and advantages with it.

Here I am going to enlist the top 10 PCP air rifles for your best selection from the numerous market offerings. It will help you to compare these offering and get one which suits best to your need and well fits to your budget.

 Benjamin Marauder Woodstock

A famous shooting sports manufacturing company from U.S.A was founded in 1923 with the name of Crossman Rifle Company (Now Crossman Corporation).

St. Louis Air Rifle Company was first to release Benjamin in 1882 but later on it was transformed into a powerful PCP air rifle when Crossman got its patent rights.

The Benjamin Marauder comes with adjustable velocity and with a capability to shot the pellet at the speed of 900 FPS.

It discharges .25 caliber pellets up to 100 yards of range with a consistent velocity.

10 shot rotary magazine enables you to shot multiple pellets one after another so once you aim at your target and start shooting then at least you don’t miss out just due to refill problem.

The core option is that there is no need to recoil while shooting.

Its power and accuracy make it distinguished from other air rifles. It is best fit for medium games but if you want to go for a big game with it still its supportive for it.

Benjamin Marauder is quiet and ecofriendly due to its internal shroud. With such impressive and powerful features its quiet shot is just like icing on the cake.

Its classic and attractive design adds much to its worth and value.

The weight of the Benjamin Marauder is 8.2 pounds and 4.2 inches in length.

Pros:

• No loud noise
• Light in weight
• Best for medium and big games
• Extraordinary muzzle energy
• Extended range

Cons:

• Not ideal for small games
• Sharp edges
• Only 10 pellets magazines

Hatsan Flash QE PCP – Best Entry level PCP air rifle for youth and beginners

Hatsan introduces this amazing rifle. It is the best option for entry level as the beginner do not need so much accessories the extreme level of qualities which can be found in heavy pcp rifles.

If you keep the hobby of hunting and you are new in this field, then Hatsan Flash QE is specifically designed for you.

You just feel that it is offering you to maintain your hobby of hunting and plinking and assisting you in it.

You must have to get it and practice until you get excelled in shooting and become a professional hunter or shooter.

Its handy and cool in using and handling. Its lightweight which grant you the convenience to shot with just 5.9 lbs of weight.

With lightweight quality Hatsan Flash offers an additional feature of mounting the rifle on a bipod with Picatinny rail option. Isn’t its cool?

Yes! Of course it is very supportive option especially for the new entrants. It will grant you a lot of ease in handling, setting and shooting on your target.

The stability of the gun is the core option while shooting and the novice hunters face a lot problem in this matter. Hatsan Flash comes with an excellent solution of this problem.

Another major issue which is faced by the beginners is the safety option. Hatsan Flash do not compromise regarding your safety so it is designed it keeping in view all the safety measures.

It is another very smart feature adding more in its worth. To avoid from misfiring the 2 stage Quattro trigger is fitted on it.

The dovetail mount enables you to fit your compatible scope on the rifle so you can aim at your target with more clear vision.

As much clearer the sight will be the more and more expertise and confidence you will gain within shorter period of time.

It keeps the option to fire all the .177, .22 and .25 caliber pellet and no doubt this is great extension in offered features in any air rifle.

You can choose any type of game and select the suitable caliber of pellets for that.

As said in the title that Hatsan Flash is specially designed for the beginners a question regarding its power may arise in your mind.

You will be surprised to know that it has a capacity to fire .177 caliber pellet at a speed of 1250 FPS which never less than any good rifle.

If you want to go with .22 caliber pellets, then you will get 1120 FPS and 900 FPS with .25 caliber pellets.

Now you would like to know about its muzzle energy and its crucial as well because the muzzle energy define the dominance of the level of game.

Hatsan Flash keep the muzzle energy of 29 for .177 caliber pellets, 38 for .22 caliber pellets and for the .25 caliber pellets it will 40 FPE. This range is well enough to bring down the game of even fox size.

Hatsan Flash in quiet enough that the other animals in surroundings will not scare with its sound of fire and it will not disturb your targets with its loud thwack sound.

The suppression technology used in it make it quiet and soundproof.

You just need to fill it 165 cc cylinder to 2900 psi before going for a striking game.

Pros:

• Best option for beginners
• Accuracy up to 50 yards is perfect
• Having feather light

Cons:

• Magazine do not fit perfectly sometimes

Air Venturi Avenger – The best PCP air rifle in very economical range

The Avenger set a new trend to offer extreme level of feature in a price range in which normally you get an air rifle of beginner’s level. Air Venturi is loaded with advanced features required by most of the shooters in a very economical range which is too much attractive for the buyers.

Its weight is just 6 lbs which is lighter for walking in the woods and keep you comfortable during your game.

There are couple of mounting points for enhanced stability. 11mm dovetail rail makes it easier to well fit the mount. On the fore-end the second mounting option is available in form of a picatinny rail to provide you the full confidence and stability while shooting. You can focus at your target without any hectic regarding unbalancing of the rifle.

 Chief feature of externally adjustable regulator is the heart of the Air Venturi Avenger and the adjustable hammer spring is adding more. You can adjust the regulator up to 3000 psi and the reg pressure gauge is available for tracking the adjustments. This helps in increasing the pressure anytime and easily accessible degassing screw can be used for degassing.

Smooth sidelever action for providing you the quicker and faster follow up shots.

For quiet shots the barrel is fully shrouded. Avenger is available in .177 caliber, .25 and .22 caliber pellets.

It is capable of shooting up to 1000 fps with .177 and 930 fps with .22 caliber pellets.

Max fill capacity of Avenger is 300 BAR/4,351 psi.

It’s a fine combination of thrilling capability, high level of adjustability and lightweight in this price range.

Pros:

• Economical in price
• Well balanced
• Light weight
• Great accuracy
• Repeater technology
• Side lever for reload
• Externally adjustable regulator

Cons:

• Thin plastic makes sounds when touches with something

Airforce Condor – Best .25 pcp air rifle

Airforce is making most good looking and high featured air guns in the market today. Its operational method, design, quality and matchless accuracy put a lot of air guns in the fog. Airforce Condor is one of the top products of Airforce.

Condor has a spin lock tank with easy disconnect foster which make it user friendly and handy in use.

The air tank has a capacity to fill up to 3000 psi with a built in pressure gauge. Its simple structure makes it more impressive and attractive for the air gun lovers.

You can get 40-50 shots with a refill and this is handsome amount of shots with a powerful PCP air gun.

The Combo feature of the Condor is power adjustment. You can adjust the power from 2 to 12 and power adjustor helps you out in selecting the shooting power from your air rifle. It provides more adjustability with different caliber pellets.

In the beginning the Airforce guns were making a loud noise on shooting but in the Condor internal shroud is designed in such a way to reduce the noise of the gun and now it’s a very quiet air gun.

The trigger of the Condor is pretty decent and light in pressing. There is an automatic safety to provide you a safe and secure shooting.

Its trigger provides a lot of ease in shooting both in the field and from the bench as well.

Airforce Condor is a PCP air rifle with a 30 6-24×56 scope. It is for more clear and exact shot right on the target.

It is very simple and easy to use this as its simple operating procedure is the key feature offered by the Airforce in Condor PCP air gun. You just need to fill the air tank up to 3000 psi, got some pellets and find some spare time to go with it.

Put the Condor on the bench or set the target, push the bow forward to cock the gun and then load the pellet into it now push the bow back and you are ready to go for a striking shot.

As said above it has an automatic safety so, you have to switch the safety and press the trigger, bingo.

Now it’s a great concern of the user that how easy and simple is the operation of the rifle. Condor come with this solution as it is very simple to operate the gun. You do need a lot expertise to operate this air gun.

You can use pellets of any manufacturer but the results with JSB Diabolo EXACT up to 50 yards are pretty much accurate. Therefore, it is recommended to use JSB with Condor for a great combination but its my opinion and you can use the pellets of your own choice.

Lets have a look at some results which are gain after conducting some shooting test with firing two famous kind of pellets from Condor. All the tests are conducted on adjusting the power of the air gun at 2.

First group of five shots made with Condor using H&N 21.14 grains Baracuda Match.

H&N  Baracuda Match 21.14 gr shots are made at 978 FPS with a power of 44.91 FPE, 104 with a decibel ranking of 104 DB (indoor) and .632 CTC (Center-to-Center).

The Condor give perfect shots almost at the same point on the target card in the above conditions and readings. These shots were made from the distance of 30 yards.

Lets have a look at another shooting test of group of 10 shots from the distance of 50 yards with other kind of pellet.

This test is divided into two parts by shooting 5 pellets in each in different wind pressure. This time the JSB 18.13 grains Heavies used with Condor at the muzzle velocity of 1023 FPS with a power of 42.14 FPE, 105 DB (indoor) and 1.624” CTC in first five shots and 1.31” CTC in second five shots.

Shooting from the 50 yards in the first part of test of five pellets the wind wad gusting right to left up to 15+ MPH and the pellets hit the target card on almost five different points and it happen due to the blow of wind, change in the weight of the pellets and from increasing the distance as well.

During the shooting test of five pellets the JSB Heavies 18.13 again used with Condor and this time the wind was shifted and start to blow from front to back which effects the POI. This time the shots were a little more astray than the first two group of shooting test of five pellets.

So, you just need to choose a better angle and keeping all the circumstances in view while shooting to get a better target shot. It could not be about the air gun but being a shooter you should be well aware of these things. In conclusion I would like to say that with Condor you will got extremely accurate shot from 30 yards and even from the 50 yards using a little bit heavier pellet.  

If you want to go for a big game, then using JSB 33.95 gr pellets would be a great idea as you will get a power of 70 FPE with this pellets and you can easily put down a fox with it.

The Airforce Condor has no recoil therefore you will get a smooth shooting with it.

Pros:

• Extraordinary killing capacity using a heavy pellet
• Exceptional functionality
• Decent and light trigger
• Automatic safety
• Power adjustment
• No recoil

Cons:

• No magazine (Single shot)

Diana Stormrider Multi-Shot PCP Air Rifle

The German manufacturer of air guns and accessories named Diana Mayer & Grammelspacher was founded in 1890 producing quality products for their users. Its headquarter is in Rastatt, Germany and Diana producing air pistols, scopes, pellets and silencers etc. but their air guns are much more famous all over the world.

The Stormrider is the first PCP from Diana and the company introduce it at a lower price in the market. There is a package of a lot of features in this gun and it comes in .177 and .22 calibers.

Diana Stormrider has a classical look with strudy stock made of fine quality beech. Its an amazing thing in such an economical price. Its great finish and classic look attracts the shooters and also keep the surprising features.

Its weight is 6.5 pounds and the overall length of the Stormrider is 40.5 inches with 19 inches’ barrel length. Removable front side and rear increase the customization and adjustability for your ease.

You can fill the Stormrider up to 200 bar or about 2900 psi. The cylinder is relatively small but its enough for shooting multiple pellets with one refill. There is a quick disconnect filling machine which can be quickly added and removed so, you have no need to buy it separately and it friendly for the hand pumpers also.

There is a simple under side gauge for pressure reading so, you can easily check out the pressure. Built in pressure gauge add more to its value.

Stormrider has a side bolt action on the right side of the gun which works nicely and easily in the hand. The cross bolt safety is manual and easy to on-off near the trigger.

The trigger of Stormrider is not adjustable, there are no screws and thing to manually adjust the trigger. This is why this air gun is standing at number five in our list.

Trigger is not adjustable but its not too much hard to press as during the trigger test three times it was pressed to get the exact power required to press the trigger which were 2 LBS/9.4 OZ, 2 LBS/12.9 OZ and 3 LBS and finally the average power was 2 LBS.  

The most amazing thing about Stormrider is its both single shot tray and multiple shot magazine. For single shot you have no need to put the pellet directly into the barrel as sometimes may lead to some misplacement but the tray will serve as single shot magazine. The magazine has capacity to fill 7 pellets for .22 and 9 pellets loading capacity for .177 air gun.

The tray and the magazine have a little magnet on the bottom and a magnet on the breech of the gun as well. These magnets are for perfect adjustment of the tray and magazine. When you slide in the tray or the magazine, the magnet helps to lock that in the right place.

If you want to mount the scope, then just take care that the length of the scope should be limited. Just make sure that the scope is not making contact with the rear side. Its easy to fit and displace the scope over the gun as you have to open or tight just a single screw for it.

For testing the accuracy of the Diana Stormrider the shooting tests conducted from 25 yards and 45 yards of distance. Following two pellets are used for accuracy testing and five.

• JSB EXACT Jumbo Domed 15.89 gr
• Crosman Premier Domed 14.3 gr

25 Yards:

25 Yards results show that while shooting with JSB EXACT Jumbo Domed 15.89 gr the pellet hit the target card 7/16” CTC, which is under half inch spread.

The Crosman Premier Domed 14.3 gr results in spread of 9/16” CTC little greater than JSB and just more than half of an inch.

45 yards:

In 45 yards the JSB EXACT Jumbo Domed 15.89 gr results in 3/8” CTC still less than half of an inch from 20 yards extended distance.

Crosman Premier Domed 14.3 gr hit the target card with a spread of 7/8” CTC still less than an inch.

In the second group with JSB EXACT another test is conducted and again it gives results of 5/8” CTC its about 0.6 and its awesome from 45 yards of distance. These results prove that the Diana Stormrider is hunting capable gun in this price range.

The Stormrider has an average speed of 829 FPS and the power of 24 FPE with extreme spread of 98 FPS and the Standard Deviation of 7.76 FPS. It has only 100cc cylinder but with this still producing handsome muzzle velocity. All these figures are of .22 caliber gun as Stormrider is available in both .22 and .177 bore.

Stormrider has no silencers so its not so much quite gun but the loudness is compromising as during sound test three shots made and the result figure were 104.1 DB, 105.1 DB and 105.1 DB so the maximum sound of 105.1 DB is produced.

Pros:

• Classical wood stock of beech
• Muzzle velocity and power is impressive in this price range
• Single shot tray and multiple shot magazine
• Magnet for perfect adjustment of tray and magazine
• Very good accuracy in economical gun price
• Classic bolt action

Cons:

• Trigger is not adjustable which is not famous nowadays
• No silencer
• Not much suitable for left-handers

FAQ’s

What is the range of a pcp air rifle

The range of a pcp air rifle is comparatively different, lacks spring back and the highest power of the rifles allow for 100+ yard precision from even the medium skilled shooters.

Are PCP air rifles worth it?

Pcp air rifles are used for hunting, self defense, pest control, target shooting events, competitions, military services and more. They offer a range of ballistics that allows for a higher level of precision that most rifles can’t provide.

What is the effective range of a .22 cal air rifle?

The 22 caliber pellet has the shortest range of the 3 calibers. The effective range of this caliber is around 50 yards however you can get within 50 yards of most varmint so range should not be an issue.

What is the strongest PCP air rifle?

Hatsan’s . 50 caliber rifle is the strongest production PCP air rifle on the market.

Can you hunt with a PCP rifle?

Yes, you can hunt with a PCP rifle if you are properly trained and follow all state and federal guidelines.

Can you diesel a pcp air rifle ?

A high quality PCP air rifle should never diesel or detonate. When a PCP is “fired”, the air released behind the pellet undergoes expansion cooling, just like in a pumper.

Can you use co2 in a PCP rifle?

PCP air rifles are quieter, but CO2 doesn’t have near the pressure. Don’t use CO2 unless your air rifle was designed for it.

What gas does a PCP rifle use?

So firstly PCPs use breathable air, but air under pressure. This air is compressed to between 2700 to 3000 pounds per square inch (PSI).