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A .22 pellet rifle is the gun most people actually carry for squirrels, rabbits, and the pests that move in around a barn. The split that matters is not a brand logo. It is whether you want a springer you cock for every shot, or a PCP you fill with air and then shoot from a magazine. The velocity number on the box is usually the light pellet, not the one you should hunt with. Fishing sits in the topic because people ask. It is a rules question before it is a gear question.
What a .22 is actually for
Use a .22 on small game and pests you can place a pellet on, not on deer and not as a stand-in for a fishing rod. The big fps line is almost always a light pellet. Hatsan prints both sides of that on one rifle: 1,000 fps with lead-free pellets, 800 fps with lead, and 21 FPE, and they say the number moves with pellet weight, shape, and the weather. Gamo’s 1,100 fps line is alloy pellets, with power they describe as the sort used for small game and pest control. Sight in with the pellet you will hunt with. The alloy or lead-free sprint is how the ad gets its headline, and a heavier hunting pellet will be slower.
Springer or PCP
The Hatsan Edge is the spring piston here: break barrel, one shot, a 3-9x32 scope already in the box, no tank in the truck. Everything else on this list that is a rifle is a precharged pneumatic, so you bring a hand pump or a scuba tank that can make the rifle’s fill pressure. A springer jumps a little in your hands because the piston is the powerplant. A PCP sits quieter in the recoil sense and lets you take a follow-up from a magazine, which is what you want when the first pellet misses a rabbit and the second one has to count. If you do not want another piece of fill gear, buy the springer. A spring piston wants a pellet in the bore. Snapping it empty is how seals get ruined.
Fishing is a rules question
None of these rifles is fishing tackle. A .22 pellet gun is for small game, pests, and paper or steel. Taking fish with a gun is banned in a lot of states and only allowed, or tightly limited, in others. Read the wildlife rules where you stand before you even look at the water. If dinner is the plan, take a rod. Use the rifle on the squirrels and the starlings, and put a spinner target in the yard so you know the zero before the season starts.
Quick Comparison
| Product | Price | Availability | Brand | Size | Weight |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gamo Urban PCP Bolt Action Air Rifle, .22 | $297.49 | Available | Gamo | 22 Caliber | 6.6 pounds |
| Hatsan Edge Spring Combo Air Rifle, .22 | $138.89 | Available | Hatsan | .22cal | 6.6 pounds |
| Raider .22 PCP 3500 PSI Air Rifle | $198.99 | Limited quantities | Beeman | — | 4.9 pounds |
| KNINE Outdoors Hunting Shooting Spinner Target | $19.97 | Available | KNINE OUTDOORS | 1.65”, 2.25”, 3.65” | — |
| Sig Sauer MCX Virtus PCP Pellet Air Rifle | $339.99 | Available | Sig Sauer | — | 7.5 pounds |
| Umarex Notos Carbine .22 | $263.23 | Available | Umarex | — | 5 pounds |
| JTS Airacuda PRS Max PCP Air Rifle, .30 | $599.99 | Limited quantities | JTS Airguns | .30 Caliber | 8.5 pounds |
.22 Air Rifle Hunting and Fishing
1. Gamo Urban PCP Bolt Action Air Rifle, .22
Start here if you want a full-size .22 PCP for small game and pests and you already own a scope. Gamo quotes up to 1,100 fps with alloy pellets and calls that the power level people use on small game and pest control, and Whisper Fusion is the sound moderation meant to keep the report down. Optics mount on 11mm dovetail grooves, so the scope is not in the box. The rifle is listed at 45 inches and 6.6 pounds, which is a real carry, not a carbine you forget on a sling. The same feature list also describes a semi-auto that fires .22 steel BBs at up to 480 feet per second, which is not a bolt-action pellet rifle, so match the title to the bullets before you pay.
Best for: Backyard pests when you already own a scope
Listed at $297.49 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
2. Hatsan Edge Spring Combo Air Rifle, .22
This is the break-barrel for a hunter who wants one box and no air tank. It is a single-shot .22 spring piston with a rifled German steel barrel, a metal trigger blade, and fiber-optic sights if you leave the glass off. Hatsan includes a 3-9x32 Optima scope and rings, plus a metal scope stop. On lead-free pellets the listed max is 1,000 fps. On lead pellets it is 800 fps, with muzzle energy listed at 21 FPE, and Hatsan says those results move with pellet weight, shape, material, temperature, and elevation. At 47 inches and 6.6 pounds it carries like the Gamo, but you cock it for every shot, so a moving rabbit does not get a fast second pellet.
Best for: A first hunting springer with the scope in the box
Listed at $138.89 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
3. Raider .22 PCP 3500 PSI Air Rifle
Pick this if you want a light .22 PCP and you will check the rest of the rifle before you rely on it. The listing is a .22 PCP with a 3,500 psi fill and a weight of 4.9 pounds, the lightest rifle weight on this page. The height, length, and width fields are each 1 inch, so those numbers are not the gun, and you should check shot count, barrel, and stock on a thin, scarce listing before you order.
Best for: A light .22 PCP when you will check the rest of the spec
Listed at $198.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy. Amazon is showing limited quantities on this one.
4. KNINE Outdoors Hunting Shooting Spinner Target
Set this in the yard before you trust a zero on anything alive. KNINE’s iron spinner has three targets, 1.65, 2.25, and 3.65 inches across, at 5mm thick, with stickers in two colors. There is no assembly. Push the leg into the ground and shoot. They rate it for .177 and .22 air rifles, and they say it will hold up to a .22 rimfire rifle or a .22 handgun. Use the small plate to see what your pellet gun is really doing, keep a backstop behind it, and shrink the target as the groups shrink.
Best for: Backyard practice before small-game season
Listed at $19.97 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
5. Sig Sauer MCX Virtus PCP Pellet Air Rifle
This is the semi-auto for target work and for varmints that will not sit through a reload. SIG builds it as a PCP with a 17.5 inch barrel, flip-up front and rear sights, an M1913 accessory rail, and a synthetic stock. The rifle is listed at 37.5 inches and 7.5 pounds. The 30rd RPM is the reason to buy it: follow-up shots without working a bolt. SIG says it doubles the muzzle energy of classic CO2 air rifles, points you at premium pellets for better groups, and lists it for target practice and varmint hunting. No velocity figure is printed, so judge it on the magazine and the handling, not on an fps number the page never gives you.
Best for: Varmints when you want fast follow-up shots
Listed at $339.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
6. Umarex Notos Carbine .22
Start here if the cover is tight and you want a short .22 you can keep on a regulated tank. Umarex quotes a 12 grain .22 pellet at 700 fps from an 11.75 inch barrel, a 7-shot auto-indexing rotary magazine, and a side lever that lets you get to the next shot without breaking your position. The fixed high-pressure tank is regulated for shot-to-shot consistency, and they list the carbine for small game, plinking, and targets. A spare magazine is the part they number 2254848. Listed weight is 5 pounds. The dimension fields put length at 3.62 inches and height at 24.76 inches, which is the package talking, so use the barrel length and the weight.
Best for: Small game in tight cover with a short carbine
Listed at $263.23 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
7. JTS Airacuda PRS Max PCP Air Rifle, .30
This is the rifle for pests that have outgrown a .22, because the silver gun on this listing is the .30. JTS rates that caliber at 860 fps, 7 rounds in the magazine, and 20 (.30) as the max per fill from a 220 cc regulated cylinder at 3,200 psi (220 bar). You get a rifled barrel, a Picatinny rail, a manual safety, an aluminum alloy chassis with an adjustable stock, a two-stage adjustable trigger, pressure gauges, and two magazines. The spec line puts the barrel at 21.1 inches, overall length from 38.8 to 41.2 inches, and weight at 8.5 pounds. The same sheet lists a .22 version at 950 fps, 10 rounds, and 40 (.22) as the max per fill, so if you came for .22, this size line is the wrong caliber. The size field’s 9.1 inch length is not that overall length, so leave it.
Best for: Larger pests when you want this .30 chassis rifle
Listed at $599.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy. Amazon is showing limited quantities on this one.
Related Guides
- .25 PCP Hunting Rifles: Shots, Weight, and Caliber
- Most Accurate Pellet Gun for a Tight Group
- Best Night Vision Scopes for Air Rifles
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need a license to hunt with a .22 air rifle?
Often yes, once you are hunting rather than plinking on your own land. Some states do not class air rifles as firearms, but season, species, and method rules still apply to the animal. Read your state wildlife page for the game you want, the season, and any fps or caliber floor before you go. Landowner permission is a separate question from the license.
Why do two fps numbers show up for the same rifle?
Lighter pellets post a higher speed. Hatsan prints 1,000 fps for lead-free pellets and 800 fps for lead, plus 21 FPE. Gamo’s 1,100 fps line is alloy pellets. Buy the pellet you will hunt with and sight in with that, not with the light pellet that made the headline.
What do I need to fill a PCP?
A hand pump or a tank that can reach the rifle’s fill pressure. The Raider name prints 3,500 psi. The JTS spec prints 3,200 psi. The Gamo, SIG, and Notos listings here do not print a fill number, so get that figure from the maker or the manual before you buy a pump that cannot make pressure.
Is the JTS Airacuda on this page a .22?
No. This silver listing is the .30, at 860 fps, 7 rounds, and 20 (.30) as the max per fill. JTS also offers the Airacuda PRS Max in .22 and .25. On this same spec sheet the .22 is 950 fps, 10 rounds, and 40 (.22) as the max per fill. Match the caliber on the size line to the one you actually want.
If you want one box and no air gear, take the Hatsan Edge and hunt with the lead-pellet number, not the 1,000 fps lead-free line. If you want a short .22 with a pellet weight and a speed you can read, take the Umarex Notos. If you already own a scope and want a full-size PCP, the Gamo Urban is the one, after you reconcile that BB line with the bolt-action title. If the second shot matters more than a printed velocity, take the SIG MCX Virtus and its 30rd RPM. If you want the lightest carry and you will check everything the ad leaves out, look at the Raider. If the pests are past a .22, the silver JTS Airacuda on this page is the .30, not the .22 version of the same rifle. Stake the KNINE spinner, confirm the zero with the pellet you will carry, and check the wildlife rules before you point any of this at game or at water.