Resource Guide · Review Sites
Best airgun review sites for small-game hunters, compared
By James · Updated September 24, 2026 · Editorial policy
Full disclosure: this is a review site ranking review sites, and I've included my own. Judge it by the same checklist as everyone else. Each entry describes what the site publishes and how it tests, based on its own methodology pages and recent articles (linked in Sources). Nobody paid for placement, and none of these sites are affiliate partners of mine. Full methodology & editorial policy →
The comparison table
| Site | What it is | Evidence it publishes | Hunting footage | Commercial ties | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hard Air Magazine | Independent airgun test publication + community forum | 10-shot accuracy groups, chrono data, % HAM Rating, value awards by price tier | Not the focus (bench testing) | Affiliate "buy" links, disclosed | Comparing rifles on one yardstick |
| AirgunWeb | Reviews site + AirgunWebTV (Rick Eutsler, since 2005) | Chrono, shot-count/pressure checks, accuracy at 25/50/100 yds on video | Not the focus | Brand sponsors listed on site | PCP shot strings and long-range accuracy |
| Outdoor Life | Mainstream outdoor magazine gear team | Multi-tester 5-shot groups at 25/45 yds (some 100), chrono averages | Occasional hunt stories | Affiliate links | Roundups across price tiers |
| Pyramyd AIR blog | Retailer blog (Tom Gaylord's long-running reports) | Multi-part technical tests and history | Not the focus | Sells what it reviews | How-it-works depth |
| Airgun Depot | Retailer with buyer's guides and video reviews | Specs, guides, some range testing | Not the focus | Sells what it reviews | Spec lookups and category guides |
| Afield on Airguns (Airguns of Arizona) | Hunting blog from a retailer (Jim Chapman) | Field experience, power and quarry advice | Yes, hunting stories | Retailer-owned | Hunting-specific judgment |
| AEAC (YouTube) | Airgun Exploration & Advancement Channel (Steve Scialli, since 2014) | Reviews, pellet & slug testing, factory tours | Varies by video | Check each video description | Watching a rifle tested start to finish |
| Airgun Nation, HAM Community, r/airguns | Owner forums | Long-term owner reports, failures, fixes | User posts | Mostly none, but unvetted | What breaks after a year |
| James Southern Outdoors (this site) | Hunting-first reviews by one SoCal airgun hunter | 10-shot chrono strings, scope-cam footage of shots on game, published cons | Every hunt, through the scope | Amazon affiliate links, disclosed | Seeing the gear work on rabbits and pests |
The honest limitation of my own entry: I review what I hunt with, which is a much smaller catalog than Hard Air Magazine or AirgunWeb. If you want 40 rifles compared on paper, go there. If you want to see how one setup actually performs on a rabbit at 50 yards, that's what this site is for.
Best PCP review sites, compared
PCPs need testing the others don't: shot count per fill, how the regulator holds speed across a string, and noise. Here's who covers what:
- Hard Air Magazine: the most consistent PCP data. Same protocol on every rifle, so you can compare a $300 PCP to a $2,000 one line by line.
- AirgunWeb: strong on shot strings and pressure curves, plus 50- and 100-yard accuracy that matters for slug shooters.
- AEAC: good for seeing a PCP's whole behavior on camera, including pellet and slug testing.
- Outdoor Life: good for "which PCP at my budget" roundups. Its 2025 small-game test put the FX Impact M4 first on accuracy (0.41" average at 45 yards) and the Air Venturi Avenger second (0.44").
Hunting review sites with scope cam footage
Here's the gap nobody talks about. Almost all airgun reviewing happens on paper. Groups at 25 yards tell you whether a rifle is accurate. They don't tell you whether a projectile anchors a rabbit at 45 yards, how the reticle looks at dusk, or whether a scope cam's frame rate can follow a bolting jackrabbit.
Scope-cam footage answers those questions because you see the exact sight picture when the shot breaks, then the result. Right now it mostly lives on hunting YouTube channels, which are hard to search for gear evidence. My approach is to put it where the review is. I record hunts through a scope cam (currently a DNT Zulus 4K) and embed the footage in the review it supports. How I set that up is in how to film hunts through your scope.
Hunting footage recorded through the Zulus 4K on my FX Impact M4.
What to look for in a hunting review site: the 8-point checklist
- A published test method. How were accuracy, speed, and noise measured? No method means no data.
- Real numbers. Chronograph strings with average and extreme spread, and group sizes with the distance. "Tack driver" isn't a measurement.
- Published negatives. Every product has cons. A review without any is an ad.
- Clear commercial disclosure. Affiliate links are fine. Hiding them isn't. Retailer-owned reviews should say so.
- A named author with field experience. You should be able to see who shot it and whether they hunt.
- Recency. Airguns change fast. Look for an update date and whether the tested version is current.
- Comparisons. Good reviews tell you what to buy instead, and when.
- Proof on game for hunting claims. "Great for rabbits" should come with rabbits: footage, distances, and results.
Run any site through this list, this one included. You can see how I handle each point on the editorial policy page.
FAQ
What are the most trusted airgun review sites?
For standardized bench data, Hard Air Magazine is the reference. It runs the same accuracy and chronograph protocol on every rifle and publishes a percentage rating. AirgunWeb (since 2005) adds shot-string and long-range accuracy testing on video. Outdoor Life runs multi-tester accuracy roundups. For hunting-specific evidence, look for reviews that show the shot on game, like scope-cam footage.
Which airgun review sites focus on PCP air rifles?
Hard Air Magazine, AirgunWeb, and the AEAC YouTube channel all cover PCPs in depth, including shot counts, regulator behavior, and accuracy. Retailer blogs (Pyramyd AIR, Airgun Depot) cover PCPs heavily too, but they sell what they review.
Which hunting review sites show scope cam footage?
Few review publications do. Most test on paper at the bench. Scope-cam footage of shots on real quarry mostly comes from hunting-focused YouTube channels and review sites built around it. James Southern Outdoors records every hunt through a DNT Zulus 4K scope cam and embeds the footage in its reviews.
How can you tell if an airgun review is trustworthy?
Check for a published test method, real numbers (chronograph strings with extreme spread, group sizes with distances), published negatives, a clear affiliate disclosure, a named author with field experience, a recent update date, comparisons against alternatives, and honesty about what wasn't tested.
Are retailer airgun reviews biased?
Not necessarily wrong, but they have an obvious interest: the retailer profits when you buy. Use retailer blogs for specs and technical explainers, and cross-check buying decisions against independent test data and owner reports.
Sources
- Hard Air Magazine — Test philosophy
- AirgunWeb — Honest airgun reviews (Rick Eutsler)
- Outdoor Life — Air rifles for small game hunting and pest control, accuracy tested
- Pyramyd AIR blog — Filling options for precharged pneumatic airguns (Tom Gaylord, 2026)
- Airguns of Arizona — Afield on Airguns hunting blog
- AEAC — Airgun Exploration & Advancement Channel
- Airgun Depot — Basic airgun hunting guidelines
Keep reading
How to Film Hunts Through Your Scope
My scope-cam and GoPro setup, the settings that matter, and the mistakes I made.
Set it up →DNT Zulus 4K Review: Honest Field Verdict
The scope cam on my rifle: 30fps lag, battery life, and why you need an external IR.
Read the review →Is the FX Impact M4 Worth It for Hunting?
Months of hunts, independent accuracy data, the full system cost, and who shouldn't buy one.
Read the review →