Airguns and Airbows

The airgun segment of outdoors sales has changed dramatically over the past 30 years or so.

Little inexpensive guns for plinking still abound, but high-end airguns for target shooting and even hunting are a mainstay of the market. Further innovation has impacted the segment with the recent emergence of airbows.

PCP Reigns

Todd Piccinini, one of the owners of Mark Fore & Strike in Reno, Nev., said the big trend there is toward Pre-Charged Pneumatic (PCP) air rifles such as those produced by AirForce Airguns.

“People want ease of use,” he shared. “Most consumers don’t understand the recoil of a spring-piston gun, and the technique necessary to shoot them well. They can be hard to maintain and hard to keep going.”

According to Piccinini, a PCP airgun may be powered by a hand pump or a SCUBA tank, and may operate at different pressures.

“A PCP airgun may be good for varmint hunting or for shooting targets without the effort necessary to cock it,” he stated. “Precision and accuracy are what drive sales of those guns in our store.”

Airguns remain popular for a variety of reasons, according to Piccinini. One is the lack of a background check, and another is the ease of purchase.

“It’s also that they’re quiet,” he suggested. “We sold a lot of AirForce Airguns, but it wasn’t until they built their modulators and the guns got quieter our sales really went to the recreational market. Now they have an airgun that isn’t noisy and is repeatable without gunpowder or buying ammo.”

When asked why customers seek out airguns, Piccinini identified pest control is probably the biggest reason, with the pleasure of shooting right behind it.

“Today’s new airguns are so much fun to shoot,” he shared. “And they’re so accurate. They’re no longer just something a 10-year-old gets to have. A grown adult can have a lot of fun with these guns.”

Mark Fore & Strike carries a full line of firearms with more than 3,000 guns in stock. Airguns are a small part of the inventory, Piccinini said.

“ They’re no longer just something a 10-year-old gets to have. A grown adult can have a lot of fun with these guns.”

Todd Piccinini, owner Mark Fore & Strike Reno, Nev.

“They’re a very small percentage of our sales,” he asserted. “Overall, the most popular airguns we sell are PCP. We have AirForce, Umarex and Benjamin Sheridan, especially the Marauders.”

Besides PCP air rifles, Piccinini noted the store also sells a few spring-piston and CO2 airguns.

He also pointed out the firearms market is so strong right now airguns are taking a back seat to the purchase of “regular” guns.

“My sales are staying pretty consistent with where they normally are, but they’re just overshadowed by the huge demand for traditional firearms,” he said.al firearms,” he said.

Sprague is unsure why the airgun market in his area is behaving this way, but noted the “good ol’ days” were a little different.

“When I was a kid, it wasn’t a big deal to go out in the backyard and shoot a BB gun,” he recalled. “Nowadays if you shoot one the neighbors will call the cops on you. It’s just not as convenient or easy to shoot an airgun as it used to be; it’s part of what I’m thinking is the reason — at least in our area.”

The market for airguns started dropping off a couple of years ago, Sprague informed.

“Reloading hit one of its peaks during the Obama Administration, when ammo was hard to get,” he said. “That’s when people kind of turned to reloading. Then as Trump was elected and the firearms industry kind of settled, reloading dropped off a cliff for us. Airguns followed suit. Airguns never had the spike reloading did. They just slowly tapered off.”

However, Sprague is aware the experience observed at his store isn’t the same as everyone else is having.

“I know some guys are still kicking butt with airguns,” he acknowledged. “They just work well in those demographics. But for us, they aren’t. It’s a shame. I still love shooting airguns. They’re just not as popular here as they used to be.”

What About Airbows?

A relative newcomer to the air-powered category, airbows can be described as “air archery” and are used for a variety of game — including hogs, bear and whitetail deer. Instead of pellets, airbows shoot full-length arrows and broadheads, driven by air instead of the release of a string the way a crossbow or vertical bow operates. Several companies are producing airbows, including Crosman and Umarex. Launched Jan. 2016, the Crosman Pioneer kick-started development in the category.

Some of these airbows are quite lethal for big game. The new-for-2020 Umarex AirSaber, for instance, can deliver a broadhead at 450 fps with more than 165 foot-pounds of energy.

The category hasn’t quite caught on in either store interviewed for this story.

“We haven’t had any requests from customers,” Piccinini said. “We just haven’t had enough interest in them to really start pushing them.”
Sprague has spent some time researching airbows, but has not noted significant interest from customers.

“I’m into all things that shoot, so I checked them out,” he shared. “But for our area, I really don’t think we fit the niche. I haven’t had any customers come in and ask about them. From what I understand, a lot of guys are using them for varmints, and in our area most people don’t have that kind of a problem in their backyards.”

How well airbows will be accepted for hunting by state game and fish departments remains to be seen. Crosman has an interactive map on its website (crosman.com/airbow) identifying states that allow hunting with airguns, and for which species. The map is accompanied by this statement: “Based on the Pioneer’s powerplant, we believe it is legal for use in those states in which Air Powered Guns are eligible. Confirm local regulations.”

In other words, nobody knows for sure what the regulations regarding airbows will be in the long term. Is this the case for your store? Let the SI team know: comments@shootingindustry.com.

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