After decades of field testing small-game air rifles across U.S. terrain, I’ve personally tested and ranked the best air rifles for rabbit hunting in 2026 for accuracy, power, and reliability.
This expert-backed guide breaks down the top-performing air rifles trusted by American hunters for ethical, clean rabbit harvests.
If you’re looking for a proven, field-tested air rifle that delivers real results in U.S. hunting conditions, you’re in the right place.
1. Benjamin Akela BPA22W PCP Hunting Air Rifle
Highlight: Powerful and precise, the Benjamin Akela BPA22W delivers quiet, dependable PCP performance for serious small-game hunters.
Constructive Review: First pcp of this type and I am very pleased with its overall function and build. The accuracy is dependent on ammo used but with 18 gr H&N pellets I was shooting quarter size groups at 25 yards. The action is smooth and the magazines worked flawlessly. Trigger is smooth and you can feel the preload easily upto the trigger wall. Scope mounting was easy just have to choose a mount that doesn’t interfere with the groves of the built in mount.
Eye relief is the only issue with the built in plastic adjustable cheek rest I couldn’t get proper eye position and ended up removing it and it functions fine and still comfortable to shoot.
Highly recommend this air rifle for sport, hunting or just recreational shooting but it is definitely heavy and can be a bear if carried for awhile. Very happy with my purchase. -Jesma
Supportive Review: Always wanted a bullpup air rifle so decided on this one as it was offered for a great price. Quality build, very comfortable to hold and shoot, outstanding accuracy, very good shot count, more than enough power for small game hunting, outstanding warranty and customer support (parts, etc), quiet enough to be “back yard friendly” overall just a really nice PCP. I am very happy with this rifle and it has served me very well since I bought it. -J.M
2. UmarexAir Rifle
Highlight: High-precision Umarex air rifle delivering reliable power, accuracy, and smooth performance for target practice and small-game shooting.
Constructive Review: A tack driver with the right pellets. Nice look, fit and finish, lightweight and very accurate. Probably the best out there for the price range. I look for prices to skyrocket on the Notos. Its better than the price you pay for it. Many accessories are available for it as well on e-bay and other PCP supplier sights. I highly recommend it. Make sure you load the magazine correctly, watch you tube, or you will quickly destroy the barrel and injection system. Use high quality, high quality rated pellets in the correct weight and you will be overly impressed at the 1″ groups. -Alan
Supportive Review: This has proven to be a great PCP air rifle. Pros: Cost, accuracy, and ease/availability of upgrades. Cons: Only 1 magazine included with initial purchase, limited shots per magazine (7), small stock air tank (about 20 regulated shots per fill)… Luckily, these few cons are cost effectively overcome with aftermarket upgrades, which make this air rifle an absolute dream to plink/varmint hunt with. Highly recommend!! -john schmerling
3. Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X GEN3i Inertia Break Barrel air Rifle
Highlight: 10-shot GEN3i inertia-fed magazine delivers lightning-fast follow-up shots in a sleek, quiet break-barrel design.
Constructive Review: All the good reviews here are true. I love this gun. I shoot it even when I don’t have anything to shoot. Killer accuracy. Don’t listen to everybody here, if you had a gun that was dated before this you will not have any problem with this scope. The scope that’s on that thing is amazing compared to what I used to have. I’m sure there’s better ones out there, but dont let that be a deterrent. This gun is amazing and you feel like a bad*** shooting it. -Dustin Beebe
Supportive Review: I have had rats in my yard as well as my house. We took care of the rats in the house but had witnessed multiple rats in our yard. I have a mad amount traditional guns, but I live in an area where you cannot legally fire a typical gun.
Being that air rifles are not considered “guns” in most US states and the fact this gun is also quiet enough to not raise alarm with my neighbors, it is perfect for killing rats and other vermin in my yard. Currently rats are my only enemy for this rifle. I one shot kill them from about 25ft. I have some groundhogs I just discovered and from my target testing, it will be hard to hit them precisely at 100ft.
It may take them out, but I am still working on dialing in my scope to ensure I hit them where it matters, at least until I dial in this scope at the distance I plan to dispatch them. Back to the rats though. It kills these mofos instantly one shot aiming at the base of their head at 20-25ft (iron sights, i dont really use my scope right now).
The pellets I am using did not puncture its body so I think the kinetic energy alone was enough to shut the lights off. For the price, its a pretty cool gun. The optics cover for the front of the scope do not come off while attached because the hardware on the gun are in the way. That is really my only complaint. -Jones
4. Umarex Ruger Targis Hunter Max Pellet Gun Air Rifle
Highlight: High-powered .177 air rifle with precision rifled barrel and included scope, delivering accuracy and performance for serious target practice and small-game training.
Constructive Review: I own several air guns and centerfire rifles. I’m a big Ruger fan. This was my latest purchase. In my opinion this is an excellent break barrel rifle. If you know anything about pellet guns, you have to follow the directions, before you shoot the rifle you must tighten down each outside screw and clean and oil the barrel to get the best accuracy. I breakdown every firearm and clean , oil and tighten every screw prior to any range time. If you want 100% of what this Ruger is capable of. I replaced the scope with a 3×9 bug buster scope.
Most scopes included with air rifles are a gimme and don’t measure up to any true rifle scope. The iron sights are excellent but if you want to scope this rifle invest in a quality scope. Cheap gimme scopes included with air rifles are an attractive add on but not really a worth the hassle , they are at best something for a kid to play with.
With a good scope this tag is max is capable of 1/2 inch groups at 20 yards, and 1 inch at 25-40 yards. That’s the effective range of any break barrel unless you move into the competition quality break barrel but beyond 60 yards any break barrel is worthless. For under $ 300 you will not find a more accurate and satisfying break barrel air gun.
You can find those with more gimmicks but none will match the accuracy of the Ruger targis max. The IGT power plant is powerful and consistent, the trigger is above average , and the silencer is as quiet as they come. It does take a lot to cock the mechanism without touching the silencer but it’s an adult air rifle , man up or go pneumonic. I consider this a Best Buy for the $200-$300 range. -Russell K. Lockhart
Supportive Review: Great for the money. It didn’t take long to sight in the iron sights, so far I’ve shot only crosman domed pellets and it is extremely accurate. I feel like a lot of people aren’t used to the quirks of air rifles as far as how to handle them unlike firearms, which brings me to the sling. The sling is very soft and doesn’t have rugged edges do your neck won’t be rubbed raw.
However I never bothered to put it on because unlike firearms air rifles need to be able to jump a bit and aren’t made to be tight to your body. I found just holding it loose in my left hand on the groove in front of the trigger guard and using my shooting hand to pull it in my shoulder was giving me my most accurate shots. The iron sights, I fully bottomed out and am not used to “lollipop sights” but airguns again are different from what I usually shoot.
It’s quiet. Really quiet, and easy to cock like the ads everywhere say. The scope impressed me, though it’s not like my first focal plane swfa it works great for a pellet gun. I was able to shoot tent caterpillars who’s nest was about 100m away. My groupings were very close. I can’t think of anything id change about it, I realized depending on the pellets I put through it the fps will vary between roughly 650-1000 fps, I didn’t expect much but was blown away by the quality of this air rifle. -Justin Davis
5. Gamo Swarm Maxxim G2 Multi-Shot Pellet Rifle
Highlight: 10-shot break-barrel pellet rifle with Gamo’s Swarm Quick-Shot technology for fast follow-up shots and reduced noise.
Constructive Review: This does the job on my invasive iguana problem. Need something powerful enough to go through their tough skin, but can’t make too much noise in the neighborhood. I was thinking of a more powerful rifle but this one keeps the pellet under the sound barrier, otherwise it would be too loud.
This one is a quiet pop, but it does set off the next door neighbor’s dog into a barking fit when he hears it (but practically every little noise set that dog a barking). The power and accuracy for this price is great. You can get better of course, but will pay more also. For my back yard pest patrol, having this power and accuracy with a 10 round quick load magazine is amazing for this price. -Jackson
Supportive Review: I really like my swarm. I’ve dispatched 5 squirrels so far all on the first shot. The scope was off by a lot when I installed it, but I put up a target on a large wooden board and I could see where the initial shots were going. After about 20 shots and scope adjustments the gun is super accurate. I’ve only used the gammo red fire pellets because that’s what someone said in another review and they work for me.
I have the .22 caliber because I thought it would be quieter and pack more punch. It’s not super quiet, but my wife says she can just barely hear it from inside when I shoot it in the backyard. As far as packing a punch, like I said earlier the squirrels don’t really stand a chance. I would highly reccomend this gun if you’re on the fence. It performs exceptionally well for only 200 bucks. -Timothy Clark
6. Black Ops Sniper S Pellet Sniper Rifle
Highlight: Precision-engineered pellet sniper delivering exceptional long-range accuracy in a sleek, tactical design.
Constructive Review: This is a great air gun The only thing I would change is the scope. Not that it’s a bad scope it’s just not a great scope. One thing I would suggest is when you get it clean the barrel. But this gun shoots just fine and I found that it’s very accurate. You may need to fine-tune the accuracy but I would do that once you get a good scope put on it. So far I shot about a hundred rounds in it. The only problem I’ve had is with certain slugs if you do get slugs make sure you get the ones that are .217 not .218. -Damon Massy
Supportive Review: Had the gun only a month went shooting it today started to malfunction, once cock in loader trigger won’t engage to send round downrange, other then that great weapon returned windows close, will not buy again stay away from this one. User error screw had back out a little from trigger adjustments re tighten screws trigger works fine now, that’s why changed review in giving it 5 stars now. -Alvin S
7. Hatsan Edge Spring Combo Air Rifle
Highlight: Lightweight, hard-hitting spring-piston air rifle combo featuring a durable synthetic stock and included scope for ready-to-shoot accuracy.
Constructive Review: I bought two of the Striker Edges, one for each of my sons. They were less expensive (nearly half) than my Gamo Fusion Pro.
I was very surprised with the better quality, balance, quietness as compared to my Gamo. If I could do it again I would have bought 3 of the Hatsans, instead of my Gamo.
Since I have gotten these I have tried to get one of my boys to trade with me and they won’t do it. lol They seem to shoot better, doesn’t have that irritating loud spring noise my Gamo has! They are shorter and lighter weight too. Style is more like a true rifle then a big plastic toy feeling barrel like the Gamo Fusion Pro I have. -Craig
Supportive Review: The fist ten shots were loud, but it has since quieted down to am acceptable level. The provided scope and rings fit well and provide consistent groups. I got the .22 version and the power is mind blowing. This rifle is top notch quality, and very well made. After over 200 shots , I have nothing but positive things to say about it. Of my five air rifles, this one is easily the best constructed and my favorite. I got the rifle for $87 on sale; I’m very pleased. -Brett.P
8. Umarex Prymex Break Barrel Pellet Gun
Highlight: Precision-engineered break barrel design for powerful, accurate shooting.
Constructive Review: The one i chose is the .22 cal, it is getting close to the promised fps for lead pellets, which i use heavier weight pellets, so rather surprised. Not a fan of the scope that came with it, but if it werent for the “iron” sights on the gun, the scope would do the job.
It does not seem to care for Gamo types ive tried, or the more expensive H&N pellets, but shoots crosman hollow point and dome pellets ok, and Hatsan Vortex Strike pellets quite well.
With Benjamin hollow points i am able to “stack” pellets at 40′, within a dime’s width.
A much better air rifle than the clunky M1A clone i regret buying, sights and even the scope work better than the sights on the M1A clone. I would rate this rifle as an equal to my Hatsan 25 cal, though quieter and easier to cock and load. -Richard Andersen
Supportive Review: So it arrived Undamaged Which is good! It is powerful. Wich you will feel while cocking.Its also lighter than I expected,almost like a Gamo. I don’t know if I will mount the scope, it does good without. Considering what you get, SHIPPED! For a hundred bucks! Good deal. Good gun! -Gregory
Final Words: Best Air Rifles For Rabbit Hunting
Tested and ranked by a seasoned hunter, this expert guide reveals the best air rifles for rabbit hunting in 2026 based on real field performance, accuracy, and humane power.
Built from hands-on experience in US hunting conditions, it helps you choose an air rifle that’s reliable, ethical, and perfectly suited for small game success.
Whether you’re a beginner or veteran hunter, this up-to-date ranking ensures you invest in the best air rifle for rabbit hunting with confidence.