Air rifle shooting and hunting continue to grow in popularity, driven by advances in technology, changing hunting regulations and a renewed interest in accessible shooting sports. Long viewed primarily as backyard plinkers or youth training tools, modern air rifles are now widely used for target shooting, pest control and small-game hunting. Two brands at the forefront of this shift are Crosman and Gamo.
Through the past 20 years, manufacturers have invested heavily in improving air gun accuracy, power and reliability, blurring the line between traditional firearms and air-powered alternatives. Today’s air rifles commonly feature precision-rifled barrels, adjustable triggers, integrated suppressors and optics-ready designs. These upgrades have helped expand their appeal to adult shooters and hunters looking for affordable and low-recoil options.
Crosman, based in the United States, has long been a household name in airguns. The company offers a wide range of rifles that span beginner to advanced skill levels. Known for balancing affordability with performance, Crosman rifles are often used for target practice, marksmanship training, and small-game hunting where legal. Many models are designed to fire .177 or .22 caliber pellets, making them suitable for squirrels and rabbits.
Industry observers note Crosman’s domestic manufacturing presence and broad product lineup have helped the brand maintain strong loyalty among American shooters. The company has also focused on youth and entry-level shooters, positioning air rifles as a safe and approachable gateway into shooting sports when used responsibly.
Gamo, headquartered in Spain with a significant U.S. presence, has carved out a reputation for high-performance air rifles aimed at more experienced shooters. Gamo models often emphasize velocity, lightweight synthetic stocks, and integrated noise-reduction systems. These features have made the brand particularly popular among hunters seeking quiet operation and consistent accuracy.
Gamo rifles are commonly marketed toward small-game hunters and landowners managing pests in rural and suburban settings. Air rifles offer a practical solution where traditional firearms may be restricted or impractical, though it’s still just as necessary to make ethical shot selections, and to be aware of what lies beyond the target.
Air rifles still require the same attention to safety as their powder-powered counterparts.
As ammunition prices and access to shooting ranges remain concerns for many shooters, air rifles from companies like Crosman and Gamo continue to fill an important niche. Whether used for competition, training, or small-game hunting, air rifles are increasingly recognized as legitimate tools rather than novelties, signaling a shift in how shooting sports are practiced across the country.
The two pellet rifle calibers just mentioned, roughly equal in popularity, are now offered in a number of high-quality rifles that are reasonably affordable, highly effective and lots of fun to shoot.
Air rifle technology has come a very long way since the lever-action Daisy BB gun became widely popular. A number of today’s top-end options even launch projectiles in calibers as large as .50 at speeds well able to tackle tough and dangerous game. For everyday small game hunting and target shooting, the depth of that very-specialized high-caliber technology is translated to breadth in options throughout the .177- and .22-caliber range. There are many models, covering a broad range of price points, that shoot one or the other of those calibers with accuracy and range more than capable of taking on pests, varmints and small game. Plinking paper and cans with these models is a safe and economical sideline for practice and fun as well.
Why two calibers?
The difference in mass between a lead or alloy pellet .177 inches in diameter and one .22 across is almost negligible, so why are these two sizes the options for shooters? Moreover, why are there two options when one or the other would work? It comes down to the fact private companies developed air rifle technology independently decades ago and, through their success, these two calibers prevailed.
There are other similar small calibers still in existence. Finding ammunition to feed them, however, is a much more specialized process than that needed for the .177 or .22. Any brick-and-mortar store in the United States that sells anything to do with air rifles will offer both .177 and .22 pellets, often in a number of brands and styles.
Before 1970, companies making air rifles in Europe were commonly using the .177 pellet, while the .22 pellet was the caliber of choice for air rifle makers in the United States. In the years that followed, high-quality European-made options led to many top-end European air rifles being imported. Now, most manufacturers offer models in both calibers.
What’s the difference?
While the .22 pellet is slightly larger than the .177 pellet as the numbers would indicate, the chief differentiator in performance is the quality to which any given air rifle of either caliber is made.
In use, the main difference between pellet rifles comes down to the mechanism used to cock, reload or reset its ability to shoot. The Daisy BB guns everyone once had were cocked with a single cycle of a trigger-guard-and-handle lever, as seen also in lever-action, centerfire rifles, or by use of a lever built into the rifle’s forearm. These forearm levers either cocked a spring-driven ram with a single stroke, or built air pressure into a vessel through a number of strokes.
Air rifles, then and now, are built in a balance between accuracy and affordability. Leaning too far one way or the other has its consequences. The ideal purchase lands on a model that’s inexpensive enough to buy and sufficiently well-made to enjoy shooting. Perhaps the best example of this on shelves today is the Gamo Wildcat Whisper.
Wildcat of another color
Gamo, based in Barcelona, Spain, has been making high quality air rifles and ammunition since 1961. The company is the largest producer of air guns in Europe and the largest manufacturer of air gun pellets in the world. They currently offer more than 60 models of air gun, most of which are priced between $100 and $350, though they do have outliers both significantly lower and higher.
Commonly in stock locally, their popular Wildcat Whisper Air Rifle is sold complete with a scope and mounting rings for a package price in the neighborhood of $125. The .177-caliber model offers ample power for squirrels and other small game. There are a wide variety of .177 pellets easily found, both in lead and in lead-free alloys.
Air guns use a variety of methods to create the burst of gas that propels the pellets they send. Some depend upon springs, some are recharged from a container of carbon dioxide gas, others compress air into a reservoir through a succession of pumps. The Wildcat Whisper uses a single break-action cocking maneuver to compress a ram that sits atop a sealed container of inert gas. This ram is released by the pull of the trigger, compressing air behind a pellet and sending it downrange. The inert gas remains in the cylinder. It is compressed by cocking the barrel lever, then decompressed with the pull of the trigger. Unlike a spring doing the same job, it never wears out and is basically unaffected by changes in temperature or altitude. This allows the Wildcat Whisper to be amazingly consistent.
Air gun performance is unusually susceptible to atmospheric differences. On especially hot or cold days, gasses and springs behave erratically. By using a sealed cylinder of inert gas for propulsion, this technology overcomes this variability very well.
Supersonic sendoff
The Wildcat Whisper launches .177 caliber alloy pellets, which are slightly lighter than those made of lead, at 1,300 feet per second, slightly faster than the average speed of sound, a phenomenal achievement for such an affordable rifle. This fact can be both good and bad. The supersonic capability is a boon to accuracy and terminal performance, but it can also annoy bystanders due to being loud.
A standard .22 long rifle round sends its projectile down range at roughly this same speed. Therefore, the supersonic pellet gun’s total report is almost as loud. This may or may not be a problem, but it’s something users should be aware of before settling in for a plinking session in a neighborhood back yard.
The sound heard from a .22 long rifle shot comes primarily from the supersonic crack of the bullet traveling through the air. A supersonic object makes a sonic crack or boom continuously, all the way from muzzle to impact, as long as it’s moving faster than the speed of sound. This is somewhat noticeable with a .22 long rifle because the exploding powder charge is fairly small. Projectiles from much larger rifles do the same thing, but that is usually obscured to the shooter and bystanders by the explosion of a larger powder charge. The supersonic effect is especially noticeable with air rifles because they make virtually no other sound at all.
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Quality, in-depth journalism is essential to a healthy community. The Dispatch brings you the most complete reporting and insightful commentary in the Golden Triangle, but we need your help to continue our efforts. In the past week, our reporters have posted 33 articles to cdispatch.com. Please consider subscribing to our website for only $2.30 per week to help support local journalism and our community.
