GTW
AROUNDTHEWORLD USA
Europe
TheUSAis home to several leading brands andwith recent trends to increased interest in airgunshooting these companies lookset to do even
beter.Both Crosman andDaisy scored well in our survey,alongwith Benjamin and Beeman. Increasingly powerful and accuratemodels are becoming available,bringing strong growth for the adult-type air rifle and the average age ofpeople buying airguns strongly supports this in our results. Even the definition of ‘adult airgun’
is developing for,whereas this used tomean a rifle thatwould take small game at close range, it can nowmean an air rifle able tomatch thatpower, andsome exceed itby asignificant margin! That trendseems set to continue
andwill ensure that the airgun takes its rightful place in the armoury ofmanymore shooters and is not just something the family uses for recreational
shooting.Airguns are now seriously good and airgun business an importantpartof any gunshop’s inventory. Plinking a fewcanswith a CO2
Germanywas not allowed to produce firearms for aperiod followingWorld War II and concentrated on airguns. That, combinedwith its design, ingenuity andmanufacturing skills, explainswhy there are somany leading German airgun brands today. Thesemakerswere developing improvedmechanismswhile others were slower to respond.When Weihrauch brought itsHWmodels with its ‘Rekord’ triggermechanisms thatproved a revelation at the time, it forced rapid developmentby their global competitors because,once experienced by shooters, the basic triggers found at that time onmost gunswere unable tomatch the refined HW’s triggermechanism. German-made guns still feature
pistol
will keepyour trigger control and sight-alignment skills up to scratch for sure,butmore hunters are taking to thewoods and fields in theUS armed onlywith apowerful air rifle for a day’s hunting.Handguns are used for competitions, recreating shooting and personal defence inmany countries, yet are subject to strict laws and even full-scale bans in others. Nevertheless, the numberofpeople
worldwidewho own handguns seems to continue growing,making this a key sectornot to be ignored.
very prominently in international events and increasingly in the field too. The sportof target air rifle shooting is very popular in Germany,possibly more so than inmany parts of Europe. Huntingwith airguns is notpermited, whereas it is inmostotherparts of Europe. This has notprevented German
makers producing some of themost desirable hunting and FieldTarget
rifles.Russia remains avastmarket andsome air riflemakers have setup offices there. Major rifle brands continue seeking
to establish themselves there and those gaining a firmfootholdwill have some potentially rich rewards.
UK
Airguns have a terrifichistory in the UKwithsome greatnames like BSA andWebley,AirArms andDaystate,as well as smaller specialistbuilders like
Ripley.Awhole industry has developed in tuning for greater accuracy and all-round performance,with the Field Target (FT) disciplines a real driver. Thathas led to abigmarket in high- precision airguns,althoughmostwill notbe used inserious competition. The sales ofmodels based upon
successful FT rifles but fitedwith magazines for fast follow-upshots shows that it is the hunterswho are taking to this newwave of super- smooth,super-accurate
guns.UK law requires that any rifles producing over 12ſt/lb be held on a firearm certificate (FAC), just like a cartridge- firing arm,and an increasing number ofhunters and pest controllers have begun to take that route too,opening up anothermarket for the higher- powered precision airguns. The retail sale of airgunswas altered
recently to prohibitmail-order sales but this seems to have had amore serious effect thanwas at first feared. Indeed,shops selling air rifleswere required to register just as a full gun shop,so nowthere aremore registered firearms dealers in theUKthan there were before. Scotland is currently contemplating
introducing a licensing system,which is a costly absurdity given adecline in misuse of airguns over several years andmillions already owned there.
Australia&NZ
Airguns are typically classified alongside double-barrel shotguns and bolt-action rimfire rifles,hence are licensed under CategoryAofAustralian Firearms Law– precise details vary by
territory.Those over 12 years old are usually able to obtain a licence following suitable checks and a test, although restrictive air rifle ownership continues. Despite tougher laws,Australians
nowownmore guns than before the banning and destruction ofmillions some years
ago.Airgun pellets usually require a licence to buy and airguns mustbe storedsafely.Target shooting provides a ‘good reason’ forownership, as ismembership of a target-shooting
club.Hunting is themostpopular and widely available type of shooting,with rabbits themostprolific target species. NewZealand has precise rules
covering ownership and use.Under theArmsAct 1983,“airgun” includes air rifles,airpistols,BB guns,soſtair pellet guns (Airsoſt) and paintball guns. Essentially,anyweapon thathas a gas or compressed-air firingmechanismis classed as an airgun. Anyone under 16whowants to use
an airgunmustbe under immediate supervision of a firearm-licence holder. Those between 16 and 17 years old seeking to own and use an airgun musthave a firearms licence.
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