Pre Charged Pneumatic Air Guns:
Usually abbreviated as PCP air guns, pre charged pneumatics are among the oldest designs; the Girandoni was a pre charged pneumatic because it carried an onboard air reservoir that could be recharged by the user. PCP air guns aren’t very popular outside serious air gun enthusiasts because they are relatively expensive, although this market segment has the most powerful air guns and some models are full capable of hunting animals like hogs – which also means that they are capable of being used in a defensive capability.
There are two subtypes of PCP guns – pump type, which represent the low end of the market, and reservoir fed. The pump type require multiple strokes of an onboard pump in order to charge the cylinder. The fewer strokes you pump, the less power you get, and the more strokes you pump, the more power you get but the harder it is to stroke. On the upper end, some PCP air guns are fed from a reservoir such as a scuba tank, which provides lots of available air. Reservoir fed air guns are extremely powerful.
PCP Pro:
- Can be extremely powerful
- Can be had in semi automatic and bolt action
- Can fire large pellets such as .357 caliber and up
- Little to no recoil
PCP Con:
- Expensive
- Requires an outside source of refillable air (air pump, air compressor, etc.)
- More complicated than a spring piston rifle
Again, we think that if you don’t have a quality air gun in your repertoire, you are sorely lacking. Besides the ability to put food on the table, some of the air guns we’ll show you are also a viable choice for defensive weapons in locales that severely limit conventional firearms. While air guns in general may not be the best choice for defensive weapons, especially when conventional firearms are available, realize that there are places where ownership of firearms is simply not possible. Who knows – perhaps this scenario might play out in America one day. Without further ado, here are some choices to get you started, in all budget ranges.
