New Survey Reveals Insights Into British Airgun Community
On Friday, December 19, 2025, The AirGun Centre released the findings of their nationwide survey, offering a rare glimpse into the thoughts and habits of airgunners across the UK.
The study, which gathered responses from 2,784 airgunners, revealed a mixture of market insights, strong opinions, and even humorous confessions from one of Britain’s most active shooting communities.
Among the key findings, it was discovered that 63% of respondents believe .22 calibre is the best for hunting, and 70% prefer PCP rifles as their main choice. This confirms the dominance of PCP rifles in modern airgunning, although springers remain popular, accounting for over a quarter of primary rifle use.
The survey also shed light on buying habits, with over half of respondents stating that reliability is their top priority when choosing an air rifle. Brand reputation came in second, followed by price, weight, and noise level. Surprisingly, accuracy was ranked the lowest, indicating that many shooters consider it to be a given.
The survey also revealed the personal nature of the sport, with over half of airgunners admitting to having a pre-shooting ritual. These rituals varied from practical checks and breathing exercises to wearing lucky clothing and listening to music. Some respondents even confessed to more unusual routines, such as talking to their rifle and singing in an Elmer Fudd voice, highlighting the individuality of shooting habits.
Personality also showed up in the naming of air rifles, with 17.5% of respondents admitting to giving their rifles names. Traditional names like Betsy, Betty, and Bertha were popular, as well as more creative names like “The Beast”, “Carl Plinkington”, and “Smackmaster3000”.
Practical habits were also highlighted in the survey, with nearly two thirds of respondents admitting to cleaning their rifle more often than their car. Target shooting emerged as the most popular type of shooting, followed by pest control, garden plinking, and hunting.
Not all confessions were flattering, as one in five shooters admitted to exaggerating the size of their groupings. The most common embarrassing moment reported was forgetting pellets or bringing the wrong calibre altogether.
The survey also revealed that shooting locations were more evenly spread than expected, with around a third of respondents mainly shooting at clubs or ranges, and a similar number shooting in their gardens or on private land. Pest control also accounted for a significant share, demonstrating the practical use of air rifles across the UK.
One noticeable complaint from respondents was the disruption caused by unnecessary talking at the range. This was followed by bragging and unsolicited advice as the top three annoyances.
The full survey results, including detailed breakdowns, charts, and verbatim responses, can be found at the following link: https://www.theairguncentre.com/blog/airgun-questionnaire-results/.
