Air pistols are the perfect way to train your handgun handling and use safely, inexpensively, and easily – they are inexpensive, and so is the ammo for them.
Also, air pistols are fun to use for outdoor plinking, shooting cans, and pest control, and in some cases, they can come in handy for self-defense too.
There are different types of air pistols on the market. Some use CO2, and others use pump-air or break barrels. Some air pistols shoot BBs, and other shoot pellets, and there are some who can shoot both.
The power capacity of the air pistols available on the market range from 450 fps up to 700 fps and higher feet per second.
They can be single loading or magazine-fed, and some of them feature excellent blowback action, which will make shooting seem more authentic.
Some of the air pistols are very realistic looking and are perfect for self-defense situations too.
Here are the top air pistols of all types and for all budgets we could find for 2023.
Best Air Pistols
Gamo PT-85 Air Pistol Blowback & Self Defense
The Gamo-85 Blowback Pellet Pistol is among the top air guns you can buy in 2023. It combines everything which a good air pistol should be – excellent performance, a rugged build, and a realistic-looking shape and design.
Made by the reputable pistol-making brand Gamo, the PT-85 utilizes the new Blowback feature.
This makes it feel like and look like a real gun during use, making it one of the most suitable options if you are on the market for a CO2-powered gun for self-defense needs, as well as for its shooting performance for fun and plinking.
It works with standard .177 caliber pellets, which are delivered at a velocity of 450 feet per second.
The semi-automatic air pistol has a rifled barrel style and double action and single action trigger action.
The size of the pistol is 7.80 inches in length and with a 5-inch barrel, and it weighs 1.50 lbs.
Overall, the Gamo PT-85 has a very authentic look and feel and is an excellent option if you want a reliable and fun to use air pistol, which is perfect for self-defense and for plinking.
Umarex XBG BB Pistol
If you are shopping for an air pistol, which costs a fraction of what others do, then the Umarex XBG BB air pistol is one of the good deals you will find on the market.
The affordable air pistol is made of molded plastic, which is durable, and will endure a lot of use, wear, and tear.
It is a .177 caliber air pistol that shoots pellets at a maximum velocity of 410 fps and with an average of 50-100 fps in normal conditions.
The CO2-powered pistol is highly efficient, so you can expect to shoot three magazines per one CO2 canister.
It is also remarkably quiet, so you don’t worry about bothering or alarming your neighbors when you are plinking in your backyard. The sound resembles a clap.
The semi-automatic air pistol has a smooth bore barrel style, a double-action trigger, and a repeater fire mode.
It is 6.75 inches in length with a 4.25-inch long barrel, and it weighs a mere 0.70 lbs.
This BB pistol may not look and feel as realistic as some of the other more expensive products on this list, but if you are looking for a fun air pistol for plinking without breaking the bank, the Umarex XBG BB could be one of the best options for you.
Crosman Vigilante Combo
The Crosman Vigilante is the number 1 selling air pistol for years, and there are several great reasons for this.
First of all, Vigilante is among the most impressive and biggest of all products on the list. Even though most of it is made of molded plastic, it gives the user the feel of a real gun.
Also, it is sold at a very affordable price.
This air pistol shoots with any .177 caliber pellets and reaches a velocity of a maximum of 435 feet per second.
Thanks to its full-action hammer, you will feel like you are shooting a real firearm every time.
The CO2 pistol has fully adjustable front and rear sights, and you can add a red dot one for even more precise shooting.
The powerful air pistol by Crosman is 11.38 inches long, with a 6-inch rifled barrel, and weighs 2 lbs.
If you want to buy a strong, realistic-looking air pistol for about $55, this loud CO2 cartridge pistol is one of the best offers available.
Benjamin Trail NP Mark II Pellet Pistol
The Benjamin Trail NP Mark II is more potent than other CO2 air pistols in this price range and not only has a striking appearance. This makes it an ideal option for plinking and target practice.
Thanks to its Crosman Nitro Piston technology, the velocity of this strong air pistol is up to 625 fps, which is a lot higher than that of the average air pistols on the market.
The pistol has an overall length of 16 inches and a weight of 3.44 lbs.
It has a break-barrel single-loaded mechanism that will allow you to shoot a single pellet at a time, after which you need to cock it only once, which is done efficiently and quickly and doesn’t require pumping.
The Benjamin Trail NP Mark II pistol has a nitro gas piston and shoots .177 pellets with a maximum velocity of 625 feet per second, which is pretty impressive and may even allow you to use the pistol for pest control.
Both the rear and front fiber optic sights can be adjusted,
It has a front and fiber optic rear sight, which will allow you to shoot your target no matter the lighting conditions.
The Mark II air pistol is one of the most powerful and strongest of all air pistols, which are in the $100 price range.
Crosman SNR357 Dual Ammo Revolver
If you want a small-sized air pistol that you can easily carry in your pocket, then the Crosman SNR357 Dual Ammo Revolver is the air pistol for you.
The all-metal CO2 pistol is only 6.75 inches in length and has a barrel length of 2.50, and a weight of 1.92 lbs.
It looks like a real firearm, so you should be careful when carrying or using it in public.
The pistol has a 6 round swing-out cylinder and can fit and shoot six .177 caliber pellets or six BBs.
It has a shooting speed of up to 350 fps and will allow you to make about 70 shots per CO2 cartridge.
Even while this little revolver isn’t as strong as some of the other air guns on this list, it looks quite authentic and will always create a big boom.
It is the smallest of all the products on the list and not the most powerful, but it is a great air pistol to own for fun, plinking, and to impress others.
Related article: Get protected with a pepper spray gun
Crosman P1322 Pellet Pistol
If you need a powerful and accurate air pistol but are not ready to break the bank for a high-end one, then the “American Classic” Crosman P1322 could be one of the most suitable options for you.
It is very reasonably priced and is a multi-pump, pneumatic pistol that will allow you to shoot no matter how many pumps you feel like making. Overall, the more pumps – the more powerful it will be.
It is a single-shot pellet pistol, so you will need to reload after each shot.
It shoots .22 caliber pellets, which are slower and heavier than the .177 cal. pellets, but produce a bigger kick than them too. The maximum velocity of the bolt-action pistol by Crosman is 460 fps. It is quite a powerful air pistol, which makes it suitable for pest control too.
The P1322 is large and impressive in size – with a length of 13.63, but thanks to its plastic construction, it weighs only 2 lbs. making it easy to carry, hold, and use for plinking and practice on the target or tin cans and plastic bottles.
Plus, this pistol has a 180 degree flappable and fully adjustable rear sight, which you can use to switch in between notch and peep sights. It is more accurate than any of the CO2 pistols on this list. It is also quieter than the CO2 cartridge pistols we have picked too.
Still, the Crosman SBR357 is the most powerful and the most accurate of all of the 22 caliber pellet pistols in this price range.
It is perfect for target practice, shooting down cans, and getting rid of rodent pests and small games.
Crosman PSM45 BB Pistol
The Crosman PSM45 is the simplest and one of the least expensive of all the products on this list.
Then again, it requires no pumping or CO2 cartridges to work because it is spring powered, which makes it one of the most reliable of all BB air pistols.
Because of the spring action and cocking mechanism, you will need to cock it after every shot, but you will never run out of power and energy like you would with CO2 pistols and with ones that require pumping.
The Crosman PSM45 BB costs less than $30 and yet can be mistaken for a real gun.
It shoots .177 BBs at a maximum velocity of 190 fps. Its metal magazine is for 20 BBs and a metal slide, so you can enjoy a satisfying shooting session without ending up with sore arms from pumping.
It has a Picatinny rail, which you can use to mount a flashlight or laser.
Its sights are not adjustable, and you can expect it to be accurate at only up to 30-40 feet.
The length of this pistol is 8.25 inches, it weighs 1.31 lbs., and it is relatively quiet.
As a whole, the Crosman PSM45 BB pistol is the best option if you want an inexpensive, easy-to-use target pistol and do not want to deal with CO2 cartridges.
Related article: Most Recommended Air Rifles
Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm
The Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm is among the most versatile of all air guns on the market. It is a certified replica of the American classic Beretta PX4 Storm and closely resembles and feels like the real thing, and is made of metal with some plastic parts.
The Umarex Beretta PX4 Storm semiautomatic pistol shoots both pellets (.177) and BBs and is an excellent choice for air gun enthusiasts, target shooting, and plinking as well as for self-defense.
The pistol has 8-shot rotary clips, so you can keep shooting for 16 shots continuously by just flipping the magazine over.
The pistol has to be cocked with each slide action, so it will give you the feel of shooting with a real handgun. Thanks to the blowback action of this air pistol, the shooting and recoil are genuinely realistic.
You can add a laser sight or flashlight on the accessory rail under its barrel.
It has a 380 fps velocity, and is 7.60 inches in length with a 4.10-inch barrel, and weighs 1.60 lbs.
The Umarex air gun can be loaded with a 12g CO2 tank cartridge, which will give you quite a lot of shots before a refill is needed.
Its fixed front and rear sights can’t be adjusted, but still, this Umarex air pistol is one of the pistols which can shoot both BBs and pellets.
Daisy Powerline 340
The Daisy Powerline 340 is an excellent choice for a first starter gun. It looks quite realistic and doesn’t require CO2 cartridges to shoot .177 caliber BBs.
You will love spending hours shooting at a paper target with the Daisy Powerline 340 as it has a 200 round magazine and a 13 round BB speed load clip.
This is a simple, single-shooting, spring-loading air pistol with a velocity of up to 240 fps.
The greatest feature of this pistol is its price – it costs less than $20, which makes it the cheapest of all of the products on this list.
At this price range, you can’t expect the Daisy Powerline 340 to be very accurate and to perform seamlessly without some jamming and loading problems, but as a whole, this is a superb option if you are a newbie air pistol enthusiast and want to give this new hobby a try without having to break the bank.
Umarex Colt 1911 Commander
If you want a real-looking air pistol, then this exact replica of the Colt 1911 Commander by Umarex is possibly the best option you will find on the market.
The CO2 pistol shoots BBs and is the perfect air pistol to get to practice your shots, especially if you own the real Colt 1911 Commander.
It works with large-capacity 12-gram CO2 cartridges and comes with an 18 round drop-free BB magazine for endless shooting and fun.
The single-action pistol has a skeleton trigger and a hammer and is quite accurate at a range of up to 30 feet, shooting with a velocity of up to 325 fps.
It has a satisfying blowback kick and is designed for comfortable holding and use with either the right or the left hand.
The length of this real-looking air pistol is 8.50 inches, with a 4.50-inch barrel, and it weighs 2.10 lbs.
Umarex Colt Army 45
If you want a realistic-looking BB revolver, then the Colt Army 45 Peacemaker SAA BB Nickel Revolver is an incredible offer for you.
At a reasonable price, you can purchase this beautiful air revolver, which replicates the original to every last detail. This means that you should be careful when carrying this revolver in public, but it also means that you can use it for self-defense too.
It works with 12-gram CO2 cartridges and has a 6 round BB cylinder with a loading gate on the right side for loading. It comes with six shells loaded with a steel BB.
It has 410 fps and is 11 inches long, with a 5.50-inch barrel and a weight of 2.10 lbs.
It has a beautiful fit and a nickel-plated finish.
This revolver will provide you with the real feel of a six-shooter, and you will love shooting targets in your yard with this excellent air revolver, which is offered at a very reasonable price for the quality provided.
Related – Top 7 Ammo Cans in 2023
My brother and I used to shoot cans when we were teens. It is kind of our thing. The Umarex pistol turned out to be an excellent gift for him, and we’ll be enjoying our time together by doing that again.