Topic: The Most Powerful Air Rifles of 2022 (Read 35 times)
previous topic - next topic
It's your post, so post it!
Next on my list is a big bore that was released by the airgun manufacturing giant Hatsan a couple of years ago. Their rifle is called the PileDriver, an appropriate name for a gun that has passed the 800 ft-lb threshold. There is both a .457 and the .50 version in production, and along with the production Texan, has shared the “most powerful big bore” title for the last couple of years. The PileDriver is a bullpup configuration, but it is still a big gun, weighing 10 pounds with an overall length of 46 inches and a 33 inches barrel. The synthetic thumbhole stock has an adjustable buttstock and cheekpiece, and uses a 480cc carbon fiber tank to deliver three to five shots before the point of impact shifts. The single action gun is cycled with a side lever action, there is easy access to the loading port, and Hatsan’s two-stage Quatro trigger is crisp, with a medium pull out of the box but can be adjusted to suit. This is another of the most powerful air rifles that I’ve hunted with quite a bit since its release, and it has put a couple decent bucks in the truck for me.
Airguns of Arizona is a major U.S. retailer that is especially well known as an importer of high-end European guns. But a few years ago, they began manufacturing a big bore rifle called the Bushbuck. To my eye, this is the best looking big bore rifle on the market. It is a bolt action sporter style rifle in .452 that is dressed in a laminate stock with stippling on the forestock and grip, with an adjustable cheekpiece. This rifle is solidly built and weighs in at 10.2 pounds with an overall length of 49.5 inches and a 30-inch barrel. My Bushbuck is the co*pact version. It is 43.5 inches long with a 22.5-inch barrel. After a point, I am usually willing to trade off some power for a more co*pact gun. The 285 cc air reservoir fills to 4500 psi using an unobtrusive under-barrel tube that helps maintain the rifle’s sleek lines, while providing two to four shots per fill. The single-shot Bushbuck has two power settings and generates over 600 ft-lb in the high setting. I’ve carried and used this gun on both North American and South African hunts, and it is a capable rifle for any non-dangerous game.
The last of the most powerful air rifles — the Umarex Hammer .50 — came to market a couple years back, and I had the opportunity to use the first ones while filming a segment of the American Airgunner TV program. This rifle offers some interesting technology: it is the only one of these rifles that is magazine fed, utilizing a linear shuttle mechanism with a two-shot capacity. This shuttle is cycled with a bolt action that operates with little effort. The Hammers onboard air storage is a 394 cc carbon fiber bottle that fills to 4500 psi but is regulated to 3000 psi to ensure shot-to-shot consistency. The stock is a synthetic material, designed and built for Umarex by PolyOne, and uses an AR Magpul style grip. This rifle is a solid piece of gear at just under 44 inches long, a 29.5-inch barrel, and weighing 8.5 pounds. I’ve only had this rifle out once on a fallow deer hunt, and anchored a nice buck putting a 330-grain slug into him that transited end to end on a quartering shot.
My top pick for a crossover rifle that performs well for both small-game and predator hunting is the FX Impact air rifle. This bullpup design has a lot going for it, and the frame is rugged and lightweight, with an adjustable buttstock that accepts standard AR-15 pistol grips: a very co*fortable fit. The air storage is a 480cc removable carbon fiber tank that can be charged to 3600 psi, and the design allows extra bottles to be packed and changed in the field.
The sidelever action is one of the quickest, most tactile, and smoothest cycling that I have used, and reliably indexes the magazines every time. What really seals the deal for me though, is that the modular design lets the shooter swap out barrels, magazines, and probes to optimize the gun for different types of hunting. The hunter can use the .22 barrel for a rabbit hunt, then swap to a .25 barrel that has a liner optimized for slugs to do a long-range prairie dog shoot, then swap again for the .30 caliber barrel to hunt predators.
Answers to some of the most-asked air rifle questions.
A .177 pellet is not suitable for deer hunting. It is best used for small-game hunting and recreational shooting.
As we discussed earlier, not all rifles of the same caliber produce the same amount of energy. In general, a .22 caliber air rifle is suitable for varmints and small game.
The AEA Zeus in .72 caliber is the most powerful co*mercially available air rifle, and it has the largest caliber widely available. However, there are rare .82 caliber rifles also available through custom makers.
The most powerful air rifles are quite different, but there are similarities connecting them all. I would be happy using any one of them when out after deer or hogs, though my preference would change based on the specific situations and conditions. All of these rifles are accurate, generate more than sufficient power, and have an acceptable shot count for big game hunting. But air usage, number of shots, sound level, anticipated range, and size and weight of the gun are variables each hunter needs to assess based on their own needs and preferences.
Other factors to consider are, how will you keep the gun filled? Will you get a co*pressor or refill tanks at a local paintball or dive shop? Can, or will, the local shop in your area charge the tank up to over 4500 psi? It’s a lot easier to keep a gun charged at 3600 psi than 4500. Can you reduce the power if hunting in an area where limited range is advantageous, or so as to reduce air usage? Is noise an issue, and do you need to have the lowest possible sound signature? Will most hunting be from a blind or a stand, or will you spend hours covering large tracts of land on foot?
Each shooter needs to weigh the importance of these variables to find what suits them best. I can honestly say that — my own personal preferences and biases aside — any of these rifles could be a perfect big game rifle depending on what you like and what’s important for you and your intended uses.
The post The Most Powerful Air Rifles of 2022 appeared first on Outdoor Life.
[/html]