Aside from guns and knives, preppers and survivalists also consider air rifles and pellet guns as efficient additions to their survival gear. (h/t to DoomsdayMoose.com)
Although the thought of going hunting with an air rifle or pellet gun may seem strange, these weapons have their merits. Don't dismiss these worthy additions to your bug-out bag (BOB).
Sure, an air rifle is nowhere near as powerful as a full-sized rifle, but are you always going to need something like an AR-15? If you own an air rifle that's powerful enough, you can use it to take down small game, like rabbits and small birds. When you're stuck in the wild with just your BOB, you'll be grateful that you have an air rifle because you can still bag small game so you don't starve.
Ammunition for an air rifle is also affordable, more portable, and it's several times lighter than traditional rifle rounds. You can fill a coffee tin with pellets for an air rifle, and this will only cost less than $50. If you're careful, you can even make your ammo last for a couple of years. (Related: 5 Everyday items you can use to protect yourself in a dangerous situation.)
Types of air rifles
There are various kinds of air rifles, but only a handful of them will be suitable for a survival situation. Consider larger caliber air rifles when going hunting or when packing a weapon in your BOB. You can hunt with .177, but a .22 will be more effective.
Avoid using CO2-powered rifles. While these rifles are powerful, they require canisters which can be hard to find when SHTF. The canisters CO2-powered rifles need are also very bulky, which might negate its biggest advantages: its lightweight and compact design.
For a survival situation, your best choice is either a spring or pneumatic/pump action air rifle. Both types of air rifle have a simple design that is reliable, but they also offer "a good amount of power." With a good pneumatic air rifle, it will be easier to vary the power generated by the rifle. This ensures that your pellets don’t over-penetrate smaller game.
When choosing a rifle, remember that you will need a reliable weapon for a survival situation. Ask around because a rifle "that has built up a great reputation in the field" won't let you down when you need it most.
For example, the Diana RWS 34 is an affordable air rifle that is both accurate and reliable. If the price isn't an issue, you can also purchase a "gas-ram rifle," which "generates even more power than the traditional spring mechanism." The Gamo Whisper Silent Cat is a gas-ram rifle that offers more stopping power in a sleek design.
Other benefits of using an air rifle
Here are the other advantages of using an air rifle for hunting and survival:
- They're very quiet – There are no loud bangs that might scare off other game in the area.
- They're easy to shoot – Air rifles point nicely, and even an inexperienced user can shoot them because they're lighter and smaller than a regular rifle.
- They're accurate – Air rifles have iron sights, which helps improve your accuracy. Use an air rifle with a scope, and you can get "very tight groups" with multiple hits. If you hunt with a scoped air rifle, you can bag small game safely from up to 50 yards away.
- They are legal to own and shoot in most states – Anything that requires powder and a primer is classified as a weapon. However, since an air rifle only uses compressed air to fire the pellet, they're not classified as firearms in most states.
You can learn more about other hunting and survival weapons at Gear.news.
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