In the CIS over the past few years, a new direction has appeared in terms of outdoor activities - hunting with pneumatic weapons. There are several reasons for this: cheap weapons, lack of licenses and permits. One can argue with such arguments, but thanks to the imperfect laws on weapons in the post-Soviet space of all states, there are no legal problems with resolution. The focus of the article is pneumatics for hunting without a license and the choice of weapons available in the markets.
Legal norms and their circumvention by manufacturers
Without an appropriate permit in Russia it is possible to purchase pneumatic weapons with a caliber of not more than 4.5 mm and with muzzle energy up to 7 Joules. All other weapons require legal documents. So that any buyer can purchase the necessary rifle or pistol, which fall under the law "On Weapons", manufacturers have to go to the trick: installing a weakened spring, bore the piston, reducing the bypass hole. And when buying, it all depends on the price: for cheap weapons you need to buy something or do something yourself, and the expensive segment supplies its weapons with a spare repair kit, with which it will not be difficult to upgrade the weapon at home.
But what will happen if you fall into the hands of law enforcement agencies with an enhanced rifle? Legally, pneumatics for hunting without a license with modernization in violation of the law entails criminal liability. But in fact, the police officer should have reasons to at least detain the suspect and conduct an examination. And while the law on weapons is imperfect in Russia, it’s possible to acquire any pneumatics without fear.
The legendary rifle of Russian gunsmiths
It is impossible to ignore the Russian legend MP-512, popularly called "Murka". At one time, it was the best pneumatics for hunting for people with a limited budget to purchase decent weapons. Even now, this rifle is very popular among the "Kulibin", which only give the opportunity to upgrade weapons.
As a result of the improvements, Murka is quite suitable for hunting game birds.
The trigger mechanism was improved. Ideally, it is replaced by a gas spring, but most masters prefer to search for more complex solutions and find them. So, the cylinder is exposed to alteration which needs to be ground. A piston lends itself to pruning, on which it is not clear why the plant made a fungus. After boring the breech, you can generally put a powerful spring at 41 turns.
Classics of the genre
For many beginners, hunting for a duck with pneumatics begins with the acquisition of a Turkish-made Hatsan 125 rifle. This weapon was one of the first to enter the Russian market bypassing the Law on Weapons, because it was the Turks who came up with a weakened trigger mechanism on the rifle, attaching a standard spring-piston mechanism as spare parts.
As for the rifle - it does not need any modification. In the factory version, it has practically no competitors in terms of performance characteristics. The only thing that weapon experts recommend to the owners is to install a gas spring. The fact is that the standard double-recoil spring-piston system is capable of breaking down optical sights, which are quite expensive on the market.
World standard
Judging by numerous reviews in the media, the Matador pre-pumped rifle is the best pneumatic for hunting in the world. And it's not at all about high power and a large caliber. Not every rifle after shooting can show accuracy of a hundred meters no more than the size of a five-penny coin, but the brainchild of the famous Russian gunsmith Eduard Gafarov can. It's funny that in Russia this weapon is sold as a toy with a shot power of up to 3 Joules, bypassing the law on weapons. Accordingly, a license to a rifle is simply not needed.
The Matador rifle is manufactured in the Baltic states, and its sales are carried out on foreign markets, primarily in America. To get a very popular weapon in Russia is problematic, but possible. This will require a desire and a little time to find worthy sellers of airguns in the media.
Decent offer
And since we were talking about pre-pumped rifles, then all potential buyers should know that such pneumatics for hunting without a license is the best option, because in addition to lethal force, there are many more advantages.
- High rate of fire. There is no need to break the barrel, crushing the spring before firing, the bullet flies out due to air pressure in the cylinder. The owner only needs to scroll the drum with bullets between shots.
- Silent shooting. In most cases, the cotton when fired is not produced by a rifle, but by a bullet that overcomes the sound barrier upon departure from the barrel (331 m / s).
- Easy recoil. The problem with all air rifles is breaking optical instruments with double-sided recoil. There will be no such problems with pre-pumping.
- Lightweight and compact. Due to the transfer of the barrel to the beginning of the stock, the length of the rifle and its weight were noticeably reduced.
- Pressure regulation in the bypass valve. If you plan to hunt hazel grouse with pneumatics, it makes no sense to spend air on a high power shot. You can also reduce the power of weapons to the permitted seven Joules when meeting with the Interior Ministry.
Real offers in the market
If for a beginner shooter the priority is hunting for ravens with pneumatics, then the choice of weapons on the market is quite large. In fact, you can even get a cheap Murka, which will easily stop a large bird. However, if we are talking about a small bird that constantly moves, it is worth looking in the direction of rifles with decent accuracy when shooting.
- Hatsan introduced very interesting pre-pumped rifles to the Russian market that future owners will love. BT65 RB Series Pneumatic Duck Hunting is fun for all shooters.
- The famous Crosman flooded the market with his weapons, but his power leaves much to be desired, except for one very famous AT44 rifle with a caliber of 6.35 mm. With such a "toy", you can safely go to the fur-bearing beast and shoot from a hundred meters.
- The Czechs made an interesting offer, releasing the CZ-200 rifle, which is not inferior to competitors. However, after purchase, to increase power, you need to drill a hole in the bypass valve.
Destroying Myths
Beginning arrows before buying a rifle and pick up bullets for pneumatics. For hunting game you can find ammunition on the market not only from different manufacturers and with all kinds of weight - bullets also differ in caliber. It is generally accepted that the larger the caliber, the greater the lethal force, but this is not entirely true. In fact, it all depends on the power of the rifle - whether it can accelerate a heavy bullet to a certain speed. But if you compare rifles with the same bullet speed, but with a different caliber, then the bigger diameter and weight of the bullet will definitely be the winner in slaughter.
There are several types of calibers on the Russian market: 4.5 mm, 5.5 mm, 6.35 mm, 7.62 mm and 9 mm. The first two are quite popular on the hunt and are used by almost all gunsmiths. But “heavy artillery” is quite rare, because weapons with a large caliber, regardless of power, require a license.
Finally
As can be seen from the review, pneumatics for hunting without a license is available on the market in a wide range. In addition to the price category, the buyer can choose weapons according to other criteria: the type of trigger mechanism, power, caliber, manufacturer, compactness and convenience. In any case, no matter what pneumatic a beginner prefers, it will be his best and favorite weapon.