More than 2,000 years ago, Ctesibius stayed busy inventing in Greece, often with compressed air. Roman engineer Vitruvius mentioned Ctesibius air-inventions, including a catapult capable of shooting arrows. Unfortunately, the technology didn’t stick, and we wouldn’t see an airgun invention come to fruition again until late in the 16th century. Airgun popularity for hunting as well as combat grew from mid-17th century through the 19th century — case in point, the Girandoni .46-caliber air rifle used by Lewis and Clark to hunt and show superior firepower to natives throughout their famed expedition spanning 1803 to 1806. Captain Lewis’ air rifle is mentioned 39 times throughout 13 volumes of the Lewis & Clark journal.
While airguns remained popular as hunting tools through the 19th century, big-bore hunting air rifles dropped off to the extent many Americans were disconnected from the history of big-bore airgun hunting for larger game, and ethics debates increased. Fortunately, with advocates like Chip Hunnicutt, Justin “JB” Biddle, Eydin Hansen, American Airgunner’s Rossi Morreale, High Road Hunting’s Keith and Matti Warren, Abby Casey and others leading charges in various channels, big-bore airgun hunting legality and popularity have experienced a resurgence. The popularity of big-bore airgun hunting has never been higher, and customers are looking to retailers for answers and offerings. As such, here are eight great airguns to inflate your sales.
Umarex Air Javelin Fishr
Founded by Wulf-Heinz Pflaumer and Franz Wonisch in 1972 and headquartered in Arnsberg, North Rhine-Wesphalia, Germany, Umarex grew roots as a manufacturer of blank-firing pistols and soon after grew to be a premier exporter of airguns. In 1993, Umarex acquired Carl Walther GmbH and, in 2006, it established Umarex USA. In its early years, Umarex USA manufactured its own airguns along with many other air-powered rifles and pistols under brands like Walther, Hammerli, Beretta, Colt, Smith & Wesson and others. Today, Umarex is considered an industry leader in performance pre-charged pneumatic (PCP) air rifles, including big-bore and arrow-firing iterations. For 2024, Umarex ventured into new territory, bowfishing, with the Air Javelin Fishr.
Like the AirSaber and Air Javelins but designed specifically for bowfishing adventures, the Umarex Air Javelin Fishr shoots a proprietary bowfishing arrow up to 100 fps. A major concern with previous attempts to design an arrow-launching firearm platform for bowfishing, i.e., a crossbow, is volume of shooting. Taking 50 or more shots while bowfishing is pretty common, making crossbow bowfishing quite tedious; in fact, it’s simply not a great fit. The Air Javelin Fishr solves this elephant-in-the-room problem with a high-volume shooting solution. A single 4500-psi air charge powers the Fishr through up to 65 shots! Of course, you do need to understand local bowfishing regulations. Some states may not allow bowfishing with a PCP air-bow system.
Umarex Hammer
With several years of big-game hunting success under its belt, the Umarex Hammer is still considered one of the most popular big-bore bolt-action air rifles on today’s market. The Umarex Hammer is chambered in .50-caliber and delivers a muzzle velocity of 760 fps with a 550-grain .510 slug. Where physics matters and numbers don’t lie, the Umarex Hammer absolutely does hammer enough hard-hitting energy (705 ft./lbs.) to take down big game. Even better, shots are comfortable given the Hammer’s push-type recoil impulse and a noise level conducive to shooting without hearing protection. The Hammer features a composite chassis, Picatinny scope base, two-round magazine for a quick follow-up shot, dual air chamber and a 2.5-pound trigger.
Airforce Airguns TalonBolt
Established in 1994 by John McCaslin, Airforce Airguns’ first industry-leading claim to fame was production of the popular Talon Air Rifle, followed by inventing the world’s most powerful .22-caliber air rifle, the Condor, in 2004. In 2015, the Fort Worth-based company landed another industry record with the Texan. The Airforce Airguns Texan was the most powerful big-bore air rifle in the world, delivering a 50-caliber muzzle velocity of over 1,000 fps, and more than 650 ft./lbs. of energy. Of course, Airforce Airguns continues to innovate and, in 2023, they unveiled the TalonBolt.
The TalonBolt is a PCP airgun designed to launch 18-inch, 400-grain, carbon-fiber bolts (commonly called arrows) at more than 400 fps. Lightweight at 5.3 pounds and perfectly sized for hunting at just 40 inches in length, the TalonBolt is comfortable to carry on long treks while also offering multiple bolt-shots on a single 2,000 psi charge. Of course, shooters can adjust velocity up for big-game hunting or down for bowfishing. The TalonBolt features a 2.5-pound, adjustable, two-stage trigger and includes a side-mounting quiver with three bolts.
Airforce Airguns TexanLSS CF Series
Still touted by Airforce Airguns as the world’s most powerful PCP big-bore air rifle, the Texan, introduced in 2015, remains one of the most popular air rifles in the industry. Of course, the Texan line continues to expand and now is included in the company’s CF (carbon-fiber) Series. The latest, and perhaps most popular in the CF Series, the TexanLSS is a perfect addition to the iconic lineup. The Airforce Airguns Texan LSS CF Series Air Rifle boasts a .510-caliber Lothar Walther barrel, adjustable power, low-effort side lever cocking, adjustable two-stage trigger and a 490cc air tank with a fill capacity of 3625 psi. For demanding airgunners, The TexanLSS CF Series Air Rifle is a great mid- to big-game hunting air rifle capable of pushing .50-caliber slugs up to 1,100 fps with up to 800 ft./lbs. of energy and weighing in at just 8 pounds.
FX Airguns DRS Classic
Based in Mariestad, Sweden, FX Airguns was founded in 1999 by Fredrik Axelsson with the vision of providing discriminating shooters with world-class production air rifles. According to FXAirguns.com, Axelsson, an airgun enthusiast himself, simply set out to find the best air rifle. When he couldn’t find it, he built it. Twenty-five years later, FX Airguns certainly is considered by many airgunners to be the one brand to chase. While FX Airguns caters to precision shooters, the 2024 DRS Classic Airgun, offered in .177-, .22- and .25-caliber models, is a perfect choice for small-game hunters.
The magazine-fed, bolt-action FX Airguns DRS Classic is available in a few stock styles — soft-touch synthetic, Minelli walnut standard and Minelli Grade 2 with rosewood tip — and features an over-the-barrel air reservoir with an air capacity of 3,335 psi, as well as an adjustable trigger. With respect to PCP air rifles, the DRS Classic offers the highest number of repeatably accurate shots on a single charge with 66 shots (.177), 60 shots (.22) and 45 shots (.25). Respective muzzle velocities are 920 fps, 915 fps and 880 fps. The charging style is a pin-probe style MkIII and the DRS Classic includes an externally adjustable AMP MkII Regulator.
Benjamin M600 Airbow
Representing the oldest brand in the roundup, Walter R. Benjamin jumped into airguns way back in 1882 with a patented .22-caliber pump-action pneumatic rifle capable of slinging pellets at a blistering 400 fps. Benjamin continued innovating and fine-tuning his air rifles and established Benjamin Air Rifles in 1902. In 1977, Benjamin acquired Sheridan Products. Fifteen years later, Crosman acquired Benjamin, and in 2018, Crosman Corporation rebranded as Velocity Outdoors. The company houses eight brands; however, Benjamin Air Rifles remains a premium performance air rifle brand. For 2024 and a perfect fit for the trend of air-powered arrow launchers, Benjamin Air Rifles unveiled the M600 Airbow.
Unveiled in the summer of 2023 and showcased publicly at the 2024 SHOT Show, the Benjamin M600 Airbow is a perfect mid-size to big-game PCP hunting solution. Capitalizing on the original Airbow platform, the M600 sits on the first-generation chassis yet boasts a blistering muzzle velocity of over 600 fps with a 375-grain bolt (arrow) and 300 ft./lbs. of energy, devastating for even the largest big-game animals — in the world of physics, numbers never lie. The Airbow M600 includes a quiver and three bolts.
Seneca Dragon Claw II Dual Tank Air Rifle
Air Venturi, a company recognized worldwide as “one-stop shop for all things airguns,” was established in 2010 and remains a top-tier distributor and airgun manufacturer today. Among Air Venturi’s airgun product lines, Seneca is touted as Air Venturi’s premier, heritage-styled hunting air rifle line. An upgrade to the Seneca Dragon Claw, a second-generation Dragon Claw II Dual Tank Air Rifle is an excellent choice for airgun hunting enthusiasts looking for serious knock-down power; in fact, iconic hunting personalities Keith and Matti Warren both took cape buffalo with the first-generation Seneca Dragon Claw.
Boasting dual air tanks with 500cc total air capacity, the Seneca Dragon Claw II is a single-shot big-bore PCP air rifle chambered in .50-caliber that is designed to shoot slugs as well as Air Bolts (specially designed arrows). Muzzle velocities for each are 860 fps with 336-grain slugs and over 600 fps with Air Bolts. The Dragon Claw II features a fill capacity of 3,000 psi in dual chambers, checkered forend and grip, adjustable rear sight and fixed front sight, and a rich, hardwood, Monte Carlo stock.
AEA Zeus
Part of the Wolfiek Group headquartered in Barcelona, Spain, AEA Airguns is a premium PCP air rifle producer with more than 15 years in the industry. Currently, AEA Airguns produces bolt-action, semi-automatic and select-fire air rifles. AEA’s most popular air rifle, purportedly the latest record holder for the world’s most powerful airgun, is the Zeus 72-caliber bolt-action PCP air rifle.
The Zeus is aptly named (after the king of the Greek gods). Available in .58- and .72-caliber models, the latter is the most popular and boasts up to 900 fps muzzle velocity with 1,500 ft./lbs. of energy from an 820-grain bullet. That said, Zues has a commanding presence at 50 inches long with a 32-inch barrel and weighing in at 11.6 pounds without an optic. Max fill capacity is 4,500 psi and pushes up to three shots with repeatable accuracy before noticeably diminished velocity. The latest generation of Zeus sports a rich walnut Montecarlo-style stock, blued barrel and receiver, side-cocking action and a Picatinny scope base.
Umarex ReadyAir Airgun Compressor
A major point of contention for PCP airgun enthusiasts is the lack of air filling opportunities, especially inland and throughout the central and northern U.S. where dive shops are scarce. For many years, as a hunting-airgun enthusiast living in rural Texas, I traveled as far as a hundred miles or more to fill air tanks. The term may be cliché, but it fits — for me, living in north-central Texas, the Umarex ReadyAir Airgun Compressor was a game changer. Today, I fill my air rifles whenever and wherever I please.
The Umarex ReadyAir Airgun Compressor is a portable, oil- and water-free air-filling station. Built to cater to high-powered PCP air rifles, the ReadyAir Airgun Compressor is capable of filling air reservoirs to a max of 4500 psi using standard 110-volt or mobile 12-volt power supplies. The ReadyAir Compressor features digital auto-shut-off controls for custom-set air pressures as well as temperature protection. Designed for use on the go, the ReadyAir includes a high-pressure hose, 12-volt cables, 110-volt power cable and a maintenance kit.
