The Big UK Airgun Questionnaire Results Are In! (here’s what 2,784 airgunners really think)

We recently ran one of the biggest UK airgun surveys ever, with 2,784 airgunners from across the country taking part. The statistics we gathered were insightful and sometimes hilarious.

Here’s what we found out:

• 63% believe .22 is better for hunting
• 54% have a pre-shooting ritual
• 17.5% give their air rifles names
• 65.9% clean their rifle more than their car
• Target shooting is the most popular type of airgun shooting
• 20.5% admit to exaggerating the size of their groupings
• The most common embarrassing story is forgetting pellets
• Reliability is the top priority when buying an air rifle
• Most airgunners wish people would stop talking at the range
• Nearly 70% of airgunners reach for a PCP as their main rifle
• Where people shoot is surprisingly evenly split
• Standard sporter stocks are the most popular
• Walnut is the clear favourite for stock material

63% believe .22 is better for hunting

• .22 – 1,754 votes
• .177 – 1,030 votes

Our thoughts:

It was quite a pleasant surprise to see so many votes for .177, because there’s long been a misconception that .22 is the only “proper” calibre for hunting, mainly due to its heavier pellet weight.

But with modern advancements in pellet design, that’s not the case anymore. These days, it often comes down to personal preference.

For example, a heavier .177 pellet like the Bisley Magnum offers some serious advantages. It flies faster, flatter and stays accurate over longer distances. In fact, it can often travel around 20 metres further than a standard .22 pellet, while still delivering enough power for a humane kill.

So while .22 is still a solid choice, .177 is equally capable.

54% have a pre-shooting ritual (and some of them are wild!)

Turns out, the majority of air gun shooters do have a pre-shooting ritual.

The most common involved:

• Checking scope zero & kit
• Drinking coffee or tea
• Cleaning your rifle
• Slow deep breathing
• Lucky pants or socks
• Listening to music
• Praying
• Eating a full meal/English breakfast

Less common but still interesting:

• Visualising what you’re shooting
• Checking what’s behind the target
• Stretching
• Smoking a cigarette
• Have a fig

Some of the wilder responses:

• I strip naked and jump in the air screaming
• Crack on some Careless Whisper by GM, lock and load
• Loading my pellets whilst singing in an Elmer Fudd voice
• Talk to my rifle & ask her to be good
• I hammer frozen sausages into my neighbour’s lawn so the foxes come and ruin his grass
• Jules Winnfield – Ezekiel 25:17 (1994)

17.5% give their air rifles names

• Give names to rifles – 488 votes
• Do not give names to rifles – 2,296 votes

The most popular rifle name by far was Betsy, though it came in many forms, including: Bessy, Betsey and Betsi. We also saw a lot of Betty, Bessie and Bertha – proving that classic names are still very much in fashion when it comes to airguns.

Other popular names included: Lucy, Charlene, Daisy, Bella, Beatrice, Brenda, Beryl, Doris, Gert and Gertrude.

A fair few shooters went for tougher sounding names like: “The Beast”, “Beastie”, “Big Beast” and “The Machine”.

And then there were the ones that made us laugh… some standout responses included:

• Carl Plinkington
• Smackmaster3000
• One person said their wife calls the rifle “The Mistress”
• And of course, Plinky McPlink-Face

65.9% clean their rifle more than their car

• Clean rifle more than car – 1,836 votes
• Clean car more than rifle – 948 votes

Good to see most of you have got your priorities straight! We’re definitely picturing some gleaming rifles being loaded into mud splattered hatchbacks.

Target shooting is the most popular type of airgun shooting

• Target shooting – 1,181 votes (42.4%)
• Pest control – 803 votes (28.8%)
• Plinking in the garden – 344 votes (12.4%)
• Hunting – 330 votes (11.9%)
• HFT/FT – 126 votes (4.5%)

Target shooting is clearly the most popular use of air guns in the UK, but almost 30% of you use your airgun for pest control, which shows how practical airgunning can be too.

Garden plinking and hunting were closely matched, while HFT/FT took a smaller slice – that 4.5% shows there’s still a solid niche for competitive target shooting among UK airgunners.

20.5% admit to exaggerating the size of their groupings

• Exaggerating their groupings – 572 votes (20.5%)
• Didn’t exaggerate their groupings – 2212 votes (79.5%)

Turns out around 1 in 5 airgunners exaggerate the size of their groupings. Which means the rest of you must be perfectly secure in the size of yours…

And if not, you’re good at lying about it.

The most common embarrassing story is forgetting pellets

We asked, “What’s the most embarrassing thing that’s happened to you when shooting?”. And by far the most common answer was forgetting to bring pellets (or bringing the wrong calibre).

So if that’s ever happened to you, don’t worry – you’re definitely not alone!

A close second was driving miles to go shooting, only to realise you’d left your rifle at home.

Quite a few of you also admitted to splitting your trousers. Which, while tragic for you, must’ve been hilarious for everyone else.

Running out of air came up a lot too… so maybe that preshoot checklist isn’t such a bad idea after all.

A few hilarious responses:

• “Pellet came back off a can and hit me in the privates” – believe it or not, multiple people shared this same experience.
• “Stumbled across a couple having sex… True” – that must have been awkward!
• “Accidentally aiming and shooting at the target in the next lane”
• “A complete beginner scored more target points than me”
• “I farted and followed though”
• “Sat in avery large cowshit without realising”
• “A little robin landed on my gun barrel and preened itself”
• “About to shoot a rabbit when barn owl beat me to it”

Reliability is the top priority when buying an air rifle

• Reliability – 1,435 votes (51.5%)
• Brand reputation – 562 votes (20.2%)
• Price – 210 votes (7.5%)
• Weight – 174 votes (6.3%)
• Noise level – 138 votes (5.0%)
• Accuracy – 69 votes (2.5%)

When we asked “What feature matters most when buying an air rifle?” the answer was overwhelmingly clear – reliability came out miles ahead, taking 51.5% of all votes.

In second place was brand reputation (20.2%), showing that trust in a manufacturer still plays a big role when choosing a rifle. Price (7.5%), weight (6.3%), and noise level (5%) followed, while accuracy surprisingly ranked lowest at just 2.5%.

Roughly 7% of respondents gave custom answers like “fit and feel”, “it’s got to look good” etc. So even though most airgunners put reliability first, plenty of you still want something that feels right and looks the part.

Most airgunners wish people would stop talking at the range

When we asked what airgunners secretly wish others would stop doing at the range, one answer absolutely dominated… talking.

From loud chatter to full blown monologues, it seems nothing ruins concentration faster than someone who can’t keep quiet.

Other big irritations included: bragging, showing off expensive rifles and acting like self appointed experts.

A few of you even mentioned people shooting the wrong targets, leaving rubbish, or farting at the bench (that came up more than once).

Some stand-out responses include:

• “Taking 10 shots then changing their target thus shutting down the range. Why can’t they put up more than 1 target 🙄.”
• “Show up with a £3000 worth of equipment and only spend 5 mins shooting and the rest talking about their kit.”
• “Hitting more than me ha ha”
• “Stop shooting my targetss by mistake”

Nearly 70% of airgunners reach for a PCP as their main rifle

• PCP – 1,889 (67.9%)
• Springer – 712 (25.6%)
• CO2 – 116 (4.2%)
• Gas ram – 64 (2.4%)

With almost 70% of you choosing PCP as your main rifle, it’s clear they’ve become the go to choice for most airgunners. We sell a huge number of them so the result isn’t surprising, although we did expect springers to sit a little higher since plenty of shooters love the traditional feel you get from cracking the barrel.

CO2 and gas ram rifles took a smaller share, but it shows how personal this hobby really is. There’s no single right choice. Just whatever feels best to you.

Where people shoot is surprisingly evenly split

• At a club/range – 928 (33.3%)
• In my garden – 748 (26.9%)
• On private land – 685 (24.6%)
• Pest control – 379 (13.6%)

A third of you shoot at a club or range, which took the largest percentage of the votes, but garden shooting and private land weren’t far behind at all.

It shows just how varied this hobby is. Some of you like the structure and safety of a range, others prefer the peace of the garden or the space you get on private land. Even pest control made up a solid chunk (13.6%), which says a lot about how many airgunners still put their rifles to practical use, as well as use them for fun.

Standard sporter stocks are the most popular

• Standard sporter – 1,314 (47.2%)
• Thumb-hole – 950 (34.1%)
• Tactical – 520 (18.7%)

Almost half of you said you prefer a standard sporter stock, with 47.2% of the vote. Thumb-hole stocks came in close behind at 34.1%, and tactical stocks were the least chosen at 18.7%, though they still made up a solid chunk of responses (520 votes).

Walnut is the clear favourite for stock material

• Walnut – 1,445 (51.9%)
• Synthetic – 534 (19.2%)
• Laminate – 469 (16.8%)
• Beech – 336 (12.1%)

More than half of you picked walnut as your preferred stock material, taking 51.9% of the vote. Synthetic stocks came next at 19.2%, followed by laminate at 16.8%, and beech at 12.1%.

It’s a pretty even spread across the three smaller categories, but walnut stands out as the classic choice for most airgunners.