These guns are not toys and while they are often used for fun, they can kill an animal and seriously injure a person if handled incorrectly.

Whether you decide to invest in a rifle style pellet gun or a handheld pistol pellet gun, you’ll want to get the most power possible for the money you are spending. The more velocity a pellet gun offers, the more likely hunters and small game hunters are to take out their targets.

When it comes to choosing the right pellet gun, you’ll want to consider what you are going to use the pellet gun for, what caliber of pellet gun you are going to buy, and how to get the most value for your money.

People use pellet guns for a variety of reasons; however, most people use them for sport shooting and hunting small game.

It’s important to remember that not all pellet guns are created equal, and there is a big difference between a regular BB or pellet gun and an air rifle.

(This first appeared in June 2019.)

When shopping around for a pellet gun, you should be aware of the responsibility that comes with owning a firearm of any kind.

Always check your local laws about owning a pellet gun (some places don’t allow them), and if you plan on buying one online, retailers will deny shipping if you aren’t allowed to purchase them in your area.

You’ll also want to know how to properly care and clean your pellet gun. Most guns come with a carrying case, and it’s important to always store your pellet gun the same way you would a real rifle or handgun.

These guns are not toys and while they are often used for fun, they can kill an animal and seriously injure a person if handled incorrectly.

Okay, now that we got the warning out of the way, on to the fun stuff…

Pellet guns are great for dealing with pest control issues, especially if you live on a large piece of land, or if you are trying to keep critters out of your garden.

You don’t need a powerful rifle to keep rabbits away from your lettuce patches, but you might need one if you want to keep the fox away from the cat.

If you’re hunting bigger game, you’ll want a more professional (and costly) pellet gun that can pack a punch in terms of velocity and loading time.

Remember to always read the user manual before using any of the pellet guns suggested here (or any gun for that matter). The best way to prevent injury or accident is to know how to handle your pellet gun properly.

In this roundup, we’re looking at the best pellet guns and accessories for your money, small game hunting, hunting in general, and accessories. These range in price and power, but they are all useful for target practice overall.

OUR FAVORITE PELLET RIFLES 

Our pick for the best pellet gun overall is powerful, yet moderately priced, Tactical Crusader Break Barrel .177 Caliber Pellet Rifle with its fixed barrel and heavy weight metal design. Its ease of use and general handling makes it ideal for shooters of any skill.

It’s front and rear adjustable sight makes it easy to see what you are shooting at and it has one of the fastest velocities of all the pellet guns we reviewed.

As a .177 caliber pellet gun, it is good for a variety of shooting uses. If you want to take this pellet gun to the next level, you could pair it with one of the recommended scopes, which would almost double your sight range and offer you even more flexibility with this useful and reliable pellet gun.

If it’s a handgun style pellet gun you are after, we like the Beeman P17 pellet pistol for its affordable price – at less than $40USD – because it’s lightweight and has a solid grip polymer frame. Reaching speeds of up to 410 feet per second, this handheld pellet gun can pack a punch.

WHAT ARE THE BEST PELLET GUNS FOR THE MONEY? 

When it comes to spending your hard-earned cash, you want to get the best your money can buy. While a pellet gun is a pretty simple device on its own, the more power and velocity you can get from it, the better.

Here are 3 pellet rifles that are a good buy for what they offer.

1. TACTICAL CRUSADER BREAK BARREL .177 CALIBER PELLET RIFLE

This pellet rifle offers heavy weight metal and wood construction, making it easy to grip and use. It has a front sight and an adjustable rear sight that offers optimal visuals for aiming.

Shooting 750 feet per second, the .177 caliber pellet is good for a variety of shooting uses. It has a fixed barrel with cocking lever and is a great buy.

2. CROSMAN 1077 REPEATAIR SCOPED PELLET RIFLE

This semi-automatic CO2 powered rifle offers .117 caliber shooting power with 625 feet per second velocity.

It has a center point scope with 4×32 range and offers a steel barreled body with all weather synthetic stock for use in any weather. This is a great buy for a general use pellet rifle.

3. BEST QUALITY AND POWER PELLET GUN – BENJAMIN NITRO PISTON

This sleek and modern pellet rifle-style gun offers ambidextrous thumb hole so that it can be used by either right or left-handed shooters.

It’s great for all-weather hunting and target practice and has a carbon fiber look with adjustable cheek piece for comfort and control. The rifle has an adjustable scope and rifled steel barrel with an integrated shroud.

With adjustable, two-stage trigger action, this rifle offers up to 1200 feet per second of velocity!

That’s an incredible amount of power and one of the fastest guns in this round-up. This rifle is easy to cock and offers accommodation for wind and elevation while shooting. At less than 10 pounds, this is a real powerhouse rifle.

BEST PELLET GUN FOR SQUIRRELS AND SMALL GAME

Small game can be tricky to hit unless you have the right kind of pellet gun. What’s more, you need to make sure you have enough power in your pellet gun to actually deter small animals from coming back into your home, garden, or wherever you are having a problem with them.

If you are hunting squirrels or other small game or poultry, you’ll want to make sure you choose one of these pellet guns with power.

Here are two styles of pellet guns that are good for hunting squirrels and small game.

1. BLACK OPS BY BEAR RIVER HOLDINGS JUNIOR SNIPER RIFLE B1155

Don’t let the “junior” in the name of this pellet rifle fool you. Offering a tactical rail system and fiber optic sights, this .177 caliber pellet gun has a 20-inch steel rifled barrel and offers 800 feet per second of shooting velocity.

Offering multi-pump action, this is a powerful pellet gun for shooting squirrels and small game. For less than $50USD, this is a good deal for having some fun in the woods or shooting at targets.

2. GAMO 611138254 PT-85 BLOWBACK PELLET PISTOL CLAMPACK 611138254

This handheld pistol pellet gun model is good for shooting small game because of its portability and small size. It offers a blowback slide mechanism to reduce shock, has a 16 pellet double magazine for continued shooting, textured plastic grips and it looks like a real handgun.

Extremely light

It has a rifled steel barrel and fixed sights with reflective dots. Priced at under  $85USD, this is a good pellet pistol for hunting and target practice.

3. UMAREX 2254804 XBG

This is another handheld pistol style pellet fun that offers 410 feet per second of velocity in a lightweight and compact handheld design. With a drop-free metal magazine that can house 19 pellets, the easy to load and the gun has fixed front and rear sights for optimal targeting.

This double action handheld model is powered by a CO2 capsule that is housed in the grip of the gun. This is a great option for hunting squirrels and small game in the woods and on your property.

BEST PELLET GUN FOR HUNTING

Hunters need a powerful pellet rifle when they are trucking through the woods looking for game and other wildlife.

This took me a second to realize it wasn’t a GIANT squirrel haha

Consider the weight of the gun when you’ll be carrying it around for long periods of time; consider the portability of the gun and whether you want a rifle style of a handheld style for big game hunting, and ensure you choose one that has enough power to actually take out your target, whatever that may be. Here are three powerful rifles for everyday hunting.

1. DAISY OUTDOOR PRODUCTS 880 RIFLE WITH SCOPE

This multi-pump Monto Carlo stock rifle offers 800 feet per second shooting velocity and is a 1.77 caliber pellet rifle. Housing up to 50 pellets, this rifle also shoots BBs. The attractive wood grain style rifle has a blade and ramp front adjustment rear sights.