THE MOST COMMON MISTAKES YOU MAKE WHEN CHOOSING AIR RIFLES OVER THE INTERNET

Choosing the right air rifle for you may seem simple. However, it doesn't have to be. The modern market offers dozens of brands of air rifles and hundreds of models. It is no longer the case that within the Czech Republic and Slovakia you can only buy Czech Slavia air rifles or Russian IZ rifles. With a wide selection, one gets lost, some information slips away and, especially in the case of buying an air rifle over the Internet, one may be disappointed and unnecessarily return of the purchased goods. Let's take a look at what mistakes customers most often make and what do we recommend.

PURCHASE IN A STONE SHOP OR ONLINE?

If you have at least a basic overview of air rifles, or you have chosen a particular weapon because your friend has it, or you like to study the descriptions of individual models, it is highly likely that you will make the right choice and you will be satisfied with your choice, even if you buy over the Internet. However, if you don't have even a basic understanding of air rifles, or you are simply not the type who is able to sit behind a computer for hours and study the goods in detail, then a visit to a stone shop will be better for you. However, if you are going in person to a dealer that you know or have heard has a wide selection of air rifles, be sure to research at least basic air rifle information online. It is possible that the dealer will suddenly pull so much information on you that you will be caught off guard, and after 30 minutes of a professional dealer explaining basic airgun information to you, you will be even more confused and leave the store empty-handed under the pressure of the information.

INTERNET PURCHASE

• "I'm looking for the cheapest, after all, that's good enough for me, after all, it has a two-year warranty anyway" - relying on the fact that you'll choose one of the cheapest air rifles and be happy for two years is not entirely accurate. Consumers often mistakenly equate durability with warranty time, and yet they are two different things. The lifespan of a cheap air rifle (up to about 100 Euros) with frequent shooting can be shorter than the warranty period of two years, as some mechanisms will naturally wear out due to their inferior quality. Therefore, we recommend to save at least 150 to 200 Euros to buy an air rifle. If you are looking for a good quality break barrel air rifle, we recommend e. g. GAMO HUNTER 440 or GAMO SHADOW PACK.

• "This air rifle looks perfect in the picture, I'm sure it will be great" - it may happen that you are so attracted by the design of the air rifle in the picture that you fall in love with it at first sight and the accompanying text with technical parameters will no longer interest you or you simply won't concentrate on it anymore. Reading the accompanying text properly is very important. It will tell you about the air rifle, what type it is, what principle it works on, what caliber it is, what ammunition it works on and what power it has. Design tweaks include replica submachine guns that shoot steel shot using compressed CO2 in a cartridge, such as the Legends M1A1 and Legends MP40.

• "The larger the caliber, the greater the power, penetration and range" - this seemingly logical idea, which has already become popular, certainly does not apply to air rifles with limited projectile energy up to 15 Joules (the limit of free sale from the age of 18). If we choose an air rifle with a projectile energy of 15 J in cal. 4.5 mm and use a pellet weighing approx. 0.50 g, the muzzle velocity will be up to approx. 250 m/s. For comparison, we again state that an air rifle with a projectile energy of 15 J in cal. 5.5 mm and a pellet weighing approx. 0.90 g will have a muzzle velocity of up to approx. 185 m/s. Thus, the larger the caliber, the larger the pellet, but the greater the weight of the pellet and therefore the lower the muzzle velocity of the pellet. At the same time, we can state that the higher the velocity, the greater the penetration and range. A popular weaker model of the air rifle with a power up to 7.5 J is the GAMO YOUNG AUTUMN. A popular more powerful model is e. g. the GAMO G-MAGNUM 1250.

• "The stock has to be a classic wooden stock, because that's the only quality" - this is the thinking of especially older, conservative shooters who were used to the fact that in earlier times there were only wooden stocks. Certainly, don't count on a wooden stock on a cheap air rifle under 100 Euros to be made of extremely high-quality wood. Wooden stocks also require your attention and care as well, and occasionally stock oil needs to be applied to them. So, you should not be afraid to choose plastic stocks as well, which are durable and low-maintenance. An interesting air rifle with an adjustable sporting plastic stock is the B.O. Quantico. An air rifle with a good quality traditional wooden stock is certainly the DIANA 280 Classic, for example.

FINAL ADVICE

If you are indecisive, or there is too much information online, or you don't understand some of it and therefore can't make up your mind, don't hesitate to contact the dealer. You can get advice by phone or email. The email form is perhaps even better, as you simply write your idea about the features of the air rifle and the price, and the dealer will recommend several models according to your preferences, from which you will surely will already be able to choose. And he will surely not forget to recommend you the right accessories such as ammunition, holsters, cleaning kits, targets and much more.