The annual NRA convention kicks off today in Louisville, Kentucky. One of the most enjoyable things to do at the show is shooting airguns. For the 7th consecutive year, the NRA Competitive Shooting Division and Pyramyd Air will operate an Airgun Range during the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits. You’ll find the Pyramyd Air Airgun Range at Kentucky Exposition Center Booth #2684. The range opens at 2:00 pm on Thursday, May 19th and operates through Sunday, May 22nd.
Pyramyd Air Airgun Range Schedule, May 19-22, 2016:
Thursday, May 19:
2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, May 21:
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, May 20:
8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, May 22:
9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
“Pyramyd Air is thrilled to sponsor the Airgun Range again this year [as] we are also celebrating our 20th Anniversary,” said Pyramyd Founder/CEO Joshua Ungier. The Airgun Range in Booth #2684 is open to all ages (minors must be accompanied by an adult). The firing line is supervised by NRA Certified Instructors. The range is stocked with airguns appropriate for all ages along with ammo and interactive targets. Products from Air Arms, AirForce, Ataman, Air Venturi, Beeman, BSA, Crosman, Evanix, Gamo, Sam Yang, Sig Sauer, Stoeger and Umarex will be available at the Airgun Range.
Pyramyd Air Celebrates 20th Year in Business
May, 2016 marks the 20th anniversary of Pyramyd Air. In the past two decades, Pyramyd Air has grown from a 3-person basement operation into a multi-million-dollar company with 60+ employees. Pyramyd Air is now the largest online airgun retailer in the world.
Twenty years after purchasing his first shipment of air rifles from England, Pyramyd Air CEO Joshua Ungier recalls the struggles of entrepreneurship: “In order to expand I needed a lot more money, so naturally I went to the bank seeking a loan. When I told the bank manager what I needed the money for he simply stared at me. At that point I knew it was futile and I would need to find a different way.” Ungier approached his wife, and after borrowing from her, he outgrew his basement and moved to a small warehouse. “Within a few years I moved to a larger warehouse, then another. Twenty years and 60,000 square feet later, we’re a far cry from my basement,” Ungier said with pride.
“Building an environment that provides good lives for my people and their families has been an honor,” says Ungier. “We value the voice of our customers and strive to provide them with superior customer service, provocative products, and a staff of experts that provide a resource of knowledge that is second to none regarding every single product we carry.”
Share the post "Pyramyd Air Runs Airgun Range & Celebrates 20 Years in Business"
You are looking at the Texan, the world’s most powerful airgun. Able to launch a .45-caliber projectile at 1000 fps, this pre-charged pneumatic air rifle rivals the energy of a centerfire pistol. The $1000-dollar Texan is a game changer. The Texan’s manufacturer, AirForce Airguns, has created the “world’s most powerful” production air rifle. With projectile energy levels topping 500 foot-pounds (see below), the Texan possesses capabilities never before seen in an airgun.
Watch Video of Texan Air Rifle:
500+ Foot-Pounds
Shooting a 405gr hollow-base lead projectile the Texan registered energy (at muzzle) of 505.98 foot-pounds for the first shot. Velocities at or near 1000 fps were recorded with smaller projectiles in the 120-140gr range. At right is a chart with results from Texan airgun testing by Tom Gaylord of Pyramyd Air.
Recognizing the breakthrough engineering of the Texan, the NRA’s American Rifleman magazine recently named the Texan as its NRA Gun of the Week, a rare distinction for an air rifle. The NRA’s editors wrote: “They say everything is bigger in Texas, including the AirForce airgun that bears the state’s name. The powerful big-bore ‘Texan’ features a two-stage trigger that releases a sizable burst of air from its 490cc removable and refillable air tank, driving .457-cal projectiles in excess of 1000 fps. Purported to be the most powerful production air rifle, 500+ foot-pounds of energy is perfectly capable of hunting medium-sized game. As with any large-caliber PCP airgun, shots are limited due to the increased volume of air needed for operation. Accuracy is provided by a 34″ Lothar Walther barrel, a sizeable portion of the rifle’s overall 48-inch length.”
The Texan™ by AirForce Technical Specifications:
Max Fill Pressure: 3000 psi
Action: Single shot / Low Effort Side Lever Cocking
Weight: 8 pounds
Length: 48 inches
Barrel: 34 inches Lothar Walther .457 Barrel
Caliber: 0.45
Trigger: 2-stage, adjustable for position
Safety: Automatic on cocking
Air Tank Volume: 490cc
Max Velocity: 1000 feet per second (light projectile)
Max Energy: 500 foot pounds (heavy projectile)
Share the post "Behold the World’s Most Powerful Air Rifle — The Texan"
We like air rifles both for fun shooting and for competition. However, so many options are now available that is easy to get over-whelmed with the choices. Thankfully, there is a good book that helps air rifle shooters make informed decisions about air guns and gear. Steve Markwith’s new title, Air Rifles: A Buyer’s and Shooter’s Guide offers a wealth of useful information. This 154-page paperback book is now available for $12.95. The book is also offered as a FREE Kindle download for Amazon Prime and Kindle Unlimited members. Check it out — you may be able to get the book for free.
Read Free Sample Chapters Online
If you go to Amazon.com and click on the cover of this book, you can view a FREE preview with extensive samples from many chapters. The book covers all the most important types of air rifle systems, both pre-charged pneumatics and other self-charging guns. Markwith reviews the wide variety of pellets available, offering suggestions for particular applications. You’ll also find a useful discussion of Airgun Power, Range, and Accuracy. This will help you pick the right air rifle for your application.
Markwith explains the many attractions of airguns. They are not considered firearms (in most jurisdictions) so they can be purchased at local shops or mail-order outlets without FFL fees or background checks. You’ll find a huge online selection of airguns at PyramydAir.com that can ship direct to you — no FFL required. Air rifles are also quiet and very inexpensive to shoot. While .177 and .22 caliber air rifles are most common, there are also larger-caliber airguns offered for hunting or special applications.
“This is a very informative book explaining the ins and outs of air rifles, their capabilities and limitations. I highly recommend this book to anyone considering purchasing an air rifle for marksmanship practice or small game hunting.” – L. Stanek, Verified Amazon Reviewer
Share the post "New Comprehensive Guide to Air Rifles by Steve Markwith"
The NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits is underway in Nashville. 550 vendors and organizations have exhibits at the big NRA Show this year. All totaled there are nine acres of guns and gear on display. Here are images from the Exhibit Hall at the Music City Center.
Stuff to Do on Saturday at the NRA Meeting:
NRA Freedom Festival presented by Beretta
8:00am – 6:00pm, 5th Avenue
Jam out with rising country music stars all weekend at this free block party right outside the Music City Center. Today’s lineup includes Jacob Davis, Radio Romance, Tim Dugger, and seven other up-and-coming artists.
Wall of Guns
8:00am – 6:00pm, Main concourse
The NRA Foundation’s popular gun give-away is back for another year. Sponsored by Henry Repeating Arms, Kel-Tec, and Kimber, the Wall of Guns features more than 70 different makes and models. A winner is selected for every 100 $20 tickets that are sold.
Seminars, Workshops & Special Presentations
Various times and locations on the 2nd floor
Learn the basics of the popular 3-Gun shooting sport, the best way to cook wild game, different methods for concealed carry, take a Refuse To Be A Victim course, hear the history of sniping in the First World War, and so much more.
Share the post "Report from Nashville — NRA Members Flock to Music City Center"
What’s the best part about the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits? Well, if you’re a kid (or a kid at heart), the answer is the indoor shooting range. Every year, the first place we visit at the NRA Show is the Air Gun Range operated by Pyramyd Air. There you can try out, for a nominal fee, many different kinds of air pistols and air rifles. It’s fun, and its great to see so many young people learning about marksmanship is a safe, supervised setting. (Photos courtesy Pyramyd Air.)
Arsenal of Air Guns
A host of air guns will be available to shoot under the guidance of qualified instructors. You can get your hands on new models from Air Arms, Air Venturi, AirForce, Beeman, Beretta, Benjamin, Crosman, Remington, Swiss Arms, Stoeger, Umarex USA, and Walther.
One of the rifles at the Air Gun Range, the Stoeger Arms X20S, even has a suppressor.
Pyramid Air-Sponsored Air Gun Range Hours and Location
The “Pyramyd Air” Air Gun range will be located in room 103 in Music City Center. The air gun range will be open the following hours:
Thursday, April 9: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 10: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Share the post "Shoot Air Guns at NRA Meetings & Exhibits in Nashville"
This fall, Pyramyd Air will host its first-ever major air rifle competition. The Pyramyd Air Cup will be held October 24-26 at the Tusco Rifle Club in New Philadelphia, Ohio. Air gunners from all around the world, amateur and professionals alike, will compete for glory and valuable prizes. The weekend will feature field target and silhouette competitions, with four divisions: Pro PCP, Pro Springer, Sportsman PCP, and Sportsman Springer. Cash and prizes will awarded to the best shooters in each division.
Free Air-Gun “Test Drives” at Pyramyd Air Cup
During the Pyramyd Air Cup Weekend, visitors can try a variety of air guns for FREE. Airguns, ammo, and accessories from leading manufacturers such as AirForce, Hatsan, H&N, Crosman, Air Arms, Umarex, and Gamo will be available to test, at no charge. Airgun expert Tom Gaylord will be on hand to answer questions: “Come see what field target and silhouette are all about. Compete in the matches or just observe. Pyramyd Air will also provide the airguns and ammo for anyone to try out on the open ranges, and I’ll be happy to answer your airgun questions.”
Big Cash Prizes Up for Grabs
Prizes and cash will be awarded to the first, second, and third place finishers in each division, with the top prize valued at $750. The grand champion — the individual with the highest overall score — gets an additional $1,000 cash prize. For the PayDay Challenge, the winner gets $200 from a mere $5 entry fee!
The Pyramyd Air Cup will take place over two days. Each competition will have its own set of guidelines. Competitors will shoot in either the pro or sportsman division with classes based on airgun type: PCP or springer. The Field Target portion of the event is governed under the rules of the American Field Target Association. The silhouette portion will consist of two competitions: off-hand and gunslinger.
Story tip by EdLongrange. We welcome reader submissions.
Share the post "Pyramyd Air Hosts First-Ever Pyramyd Air Cup in October"
Looking for a gift for a young shooter in the family? Perhaps a niece or nephew, grandson or grand-daughter? Then head over to the Pyramyd Air website. Pyramyd, the nation’s largest retailer of air rifles and air pistols, has a huge selection of airguns that can provide the perfect introduction to the shooting sports for a youngster. And right now, Pyramyd is running a 12 Deals of Christmas Special, with new bargains every day through December 15th. Pyramyd also offers FREE Shipping on orders over $150.00. That all adds up to impressive savings on gift items for this holiday season.
Pyramyd offers a vast collection of air rifles, from $35.00 Red Ryder BB guns to $3700.00 Olympic-class air Rifles from Anschutz and Feinwerkbau.
Share the post "Holiday Savings on Air Guns from Pyramyd Air"
With the price of reloading components rising and .22 LR rimfire ammo being difficult to obtain, more shooters are looking at air rifles for training and competition. With air rifles, the propellant is free, and pellets are cheap and readily available from local stores or web vendors such as Pyramyd Air.
UPDATE: The 2013 Extreme Benchrest Event is being held November 8-10 at the Quail Creek Gun Club. Friday the 9th was an open shooting day. The actual competition starts Saturday November 10th. You can still show up and compete if you register before 10 a.m. on Saturday. A variety of matches (benchrest, field target, silhouette, and pistol) will be held over the weekend.
The video below shows a very popular air rifle match — the Extreme Benchrest Event held at the Quail Creek Gun Club, in Green Valley, Arizona (south of Tucson). Many types of shooting took place over a full weekend. A 25m benchrest match was followed by the popular steel silhouette speed match (shot from the bench). Both indoor and outdoor pistol matches were held. There was even a “Extreme” Benchrest match, with bullseye targets placed at 75 yards (that offered plenty of challenge). This is very nicely made video, well worth watching. Enjoy!
GREAT Video of Extreme Benchrest AirGun Event In Arizona
Though you won’t experience the recoil, blast, and noise of centerfire shooting, air rifle shooting still offers the challenge of hitting the target, just like any other shooting sport. With an air rifle you save money and there are fewer regulations (no FFL is required for an air rifle purchase). Modern air rifles can be very accurate. The top-of-the-line air rifles are not kids toys — these are sophisticated, finely-machined systems capable of surprising accuracy. And you won’t lack for competition opportunities. Around the country there are air rifle matches for both position shooters and benchrest competitors.
Video Find by Boyd Allen. We welcome reader submissions.
Share the post "Great Video Showcases Extreme Air Rifle Competition in Arizona"
Bigger is Better?
Yes, size matters — at least when it comes to gun safes. Is your current safe bursting at the seams with your ever-growing firearms collection? Perhaps you need a little more vertical clearance for your Lahti L-39 or favorite Punt Gun? Well Superior Safe Co. has a solution for you — a humongous safe that stands 10-feet tall and weighs more than a pick-up truck. For reference, the young man in the picture, Greg from Pyramyd Air, is an honest 6’3″ tall.
Sized Right — For a 7-Footer
Now if you’re not an NBA center, the lock placement on this jumbo safe is not very practical. We note that the keypad is a good foot above Greg’s head, making access somewhat difficult for the “vertically challenged” customer. We’re not sure what Superior Safe hand in mind there — unless this mega-safe was really created for Shaquille O’Neal or Yao Ming. Still, Americans love big stuff — big cars, big houses, and, of course, big guns. At least if you purchase one of these monsters, you’ll have the peace of mind that a smash-and-grab thief can’t roll it away on a hand dolly. Superior Safe, which displayed this yellow giant at last year’s NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits, explains that this is a “custom model” not on the normal price list — face it, if you need to ask about the price, you can’t afford it. Joking aside, if you really need this kind of capacity for a firearms collection (with a punt gun or Lahti), you’d be wise to consider a custom walk-in vault, built into a room in your house. (Safe photo courtesy Pyramyd Air.)
What is a Punt Gun? A punt gun is an extremely large shotgun used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations and private sport. Punt guns could have bore diameters exceeding 2 inches (51 mm) and fire over a pound of shot at a time. A single shot could kill over 50 waterfowl resting on the water’s surface. Punt guns were too big to hold so they were often mounted directly on the punts (boats) used for hunting, hence their name. Generally the gun was fixed to the punt, requiring the hunter to manuever the entire boat to aim the gun. Firing the gun often propelled the punt backwards from recoil. Sometimes fleets of punt gun-boats were used together. In the United States, this practice depleted stocks of wild waterfowl and by the 1860s most states had banned the practice. In the United Kingdom, a 1995 survey showed fewer than 50 active punt guns still in use. UK law limits punt guns to a bore diameter of 1.75 inches (1 1/8 pounder). Learn more at Wikipedia.com.
Lahti L-39 photo, courtesy Gordon Greene, originally appeared in The Gun Zone.
Share the post "Superior’s Super-Sized Safe — For Really BIG Gun Collections"
Pyramyd Air, the leading online airgun retailer, has developed two smart phone Apps for airgun shooters and airsoft shooters. Pyramyd’s FREE Air Wizard App is offered for both Apple iPhones (go to: iTunes Store) and Android OS phones (go to: Android App Market).
Pyramid Apps Calculate Projectile Energy, and Do Conversions
The Air Wizard Apps calculate muzzle energy (based on projectile weight and observed velocity). The Apps can do a host of conversions: foot-pounds to joules, joules to foot-pounds, grams to grains and grains to grams, pounds to pounds and ounces, feet to yards, yards to feet, meters to yards, yards to meters, Fahrenheit to Celsius, Celsius to Fahrenheit, FPS (feet per second) to MPS (meters per second) and MPS to FPS. Most of these calculations work for all gun types — airguns, firearms and airsoft.
Special Functions for Airsoft Guns
For airsoft guns, the Apps offer additional computations including determining joules, meters per second (MPS), feet per second (FPS), kilometers per hour and battery time for auto-electric guns (AEG).
Additional Air Rifle Information from Pyramyd Air
Pyramyd Air provides professional product videos from Airgun Reporter Paul Capello. Pyramyd’s Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier writes a highly respected daily Blog, the Pyramyd Air Report. Pyramyd also provides instructional videos through its online Airgun Academy.
Share the post "Free iPhone and Android Airgun Apps from Pyramyd Air"
The NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits in St. Louis opens tomorrow morning, April 13th. (Hopefully a Friday the 13th launch won’t bring bad luck). However, doors opened at 2:00 pm CST for advanced registration, and some of the outer exhibits will be available for viewing this afternoon. The NRA Foundation’s Banquet and Auction starts at five this evening.
When the “main event” kicks off tomorrow, there will be plenty to see and do. In addition to the many seminars for NRA members, you can view more than 500 exhibits, filling 340,000 square feet of floor space. Virtually all the major gunmakers in the country should have their latest products on display. You’ll even find an airgun range on site where you can shoot air rifles provided by Pyramyd Air.
Photo provided by the NRA Blog, Lars Dalseide editor.
Share the post "2012 NRA Annual Meeting & Exhibits Get Underway"
At the IWA trade show (European SHOT Show) in Germany, Anschütz introduced a slick new black version of its model 8002 S2 air rifle. The 8002 S2 “Black Air” IWA Special air rifle features an over-molded soft black polymer coating over a base wood stock. Those who were able to handle the stock at IWA came away very impressed. Jason Goldsmith, who runs the PimpMyAirGun.com website, reports: “[The] ‘SoftTouch’ black finish [is] velvet smooth to the touch and a stunner.” Anschütz claims that its “SOFT-Grip stock combines the outstanding vibration-damping and recoil-absorbing characteristics of a naturally-grown wooden stock with the characteristics of an easy-care and weather-proof plastic stock.”
If Anschütz decides to export the Black Air IWA special model 8002 S2 to the United States, it should be available from PyramidAir.com. We expect the price to be about $2,300, but that’s a guess. Current price for a standard wood-stock m8001 is $1599.00, while a m8002 in metal stock is $2,370.
Share the post "New m8002 S2 ‘Black Air’ IWA Special from Anschütz"
500+ Foot-Pounds
The video below shows a very popular air rifle match — the Extreme Benchrest Event held at the Quail Creek Gun Club, in Green Valley, Arizona (south of Tucson). Many types of shooting took place over a full weekend. A 25m benchrest match was followed by the popular steel silhouette speed match (shot from the bench). Both indoor and outdoor pistol matches were held. There was even a “Extreme” Benchrest match, with bullseye targets placed at 75 yards (that offered plenty of challenge). This is very nicely made video, well worth watching. Enjoy!
Bigger is Better?
A punt gun is an extremely large shotgun used in the 19th and early 20th centuries for shooting large numbers of waterfowl for commercial harvesting operations and private sport. Punt guns could have bore diameters exceeding 2 inches (51 mm) and fire over a pound of shot at a time. A single shot could kill over 50 waterfowl resting on the water’s surface. Punt guns were too big to hold so they were often mounted directly on the punts (boats) used for hunting, hence their name. Generally the gun was fixed to the punt, requiring the hunter to manuever the entire boat to aim the gun. Firing the gun often propelled the punt backwards from recoil. Sometimes fleets of punt gun-boats were used together. In the United States, this practice depleted stocks of wild waterfowl and by the 1860s most states had banned the practice. In the United Kingdom, a 1995 survey showed fewer than 50 active punt guns still in use. UK law limits punt guns to a bore diameter of 1.75 inches (1 1/8 pounder). Learn more at 
