Rifle and Pistol Training Alternatives to the .22 LR - BB and Pellet Airguns

Pellet Air Rifles are Ideal Trainers



The best pellet rifle deal is the Crosman .177 Phantom  running around $100.  It is a great starter model for training.


For a step up in price and extras  I like the Gamo Silent Cat for around $199.   It comes with a scope and a silencer  that also extends the barrel length which aids in cocking rifle by the barrel.



My new favorite is the Benjamin Trail NP, Nitrogen Piston, air rifle combo.  It comes with a scope that makes the $209 price a great deal.   The things I like about this gun are the ultra quiet shooting combined with the easy of cocking the gun.  It is accurate and though the trigger is not excellent you can train yourself to it eventually.  It reminds me of an HKP30 trigger.  The gun is heavy but as a bonus it comes with a sling mount that means you can use a sling to carry the weapon.  I spend most of the time at the bench with this one so weight really isn't an issue.  It is a fun gun to shoot.

Pellet Cost

Crosman pellets at Wally World at going for $3 for 250 for standard lead.  Daisy pellets at Wally World come in an assortment pack for $3 per 300.  At $1 per rifle round you can really see the benefit of training with a pellet rifle at .01 per shot.  It is 1/100th the cost.  Even if you amortize the cost of your pellet rifle per shot at .05 cents per shot plus .01 for the pellet you are at .06 which is 1/3 of the current .22 LR price if available.  After 3000 pellets fired you've amortized out your Gamo Silent cat and have a free ride from then forward for a .01 cent per shot training cost.  I'd put away at least 3000 pellets into storage as your training inventory.  That will set you back approximately $30 or right now the lowest price I've found for 50 rounds of 9mm FMJ.

C02 BB Pistols are the Cheap Alternative Trainer to Lasers



The best BB pistol in terms of function and cost is the Daisy Powerline 15XT air pistol selling for around $30.  BB packs of 6000 rounds zinc coated are going for approx $9.  CO2 cartridges are going for $20 per box of 40.  In the Daisy 15XT you can get about 60 good velocity rounds out of it and maybe extend it up to 75 rounds if you are close to your targets.  Calculating cost you'll find that using a CO2 powered pistol like this will cost you about .01 per shot.   That is a much better training price than the current .20 per shot with a .22 or .40 or higher with 9mm.


Spring and Pump Powered BB Rifles



If you want some plinking fun just get a Daisy Red Ryder for approx $25 online at amazon.


If you want flexibility just get a Crosman 760 Pumpmaster  for both pellets and BBs.

I know times are tough to recommend going back to BB and Pellet guns but save your ammo for what may be the last you'll ever see before times go dark.  Or by next year we could have an ample supply.  No one knows except DHS which continues to ramp up orders for ammo thus strangling an already strained and panicked market.