Rabbits are probably the first upland game hunting experience you had as a youngster. Rabbits are plentiful in a wide variety of locales because…well because they multiply like rabbits. They are considered a varmint in many states and don’t have any limitation on hunting them, but in others, they are regulated as small game and require a license and have allowable seasons to hunt. It is best that you check your local regulations before heading out into the field and ending up like “Elmer Fudd” while chasing these “Wascally Wabbits.”

Hunting rabbits with a pellet gun is fun, inexpensive and can be done even in many urban or suburban settings since air rifles are silent. The important thing to remember is to use a pellet gun that humanly kills a rabbit without risking wounding the animal. A standard rule in air rifles is to only hunt rabbits with .177 caliber or larger pellets fired from a gun with a velocity of at least 600 feet per second. Even with those parameters, the smaller the pellet and the lower the speed, the lower the distance. Models on the lower edge of the spectrum should only be used at ranges of less than 20 yards. A larger .22 caliber pellet, fired at speeds over 1000 FPS can safely take rabbits up to 60 yards away.

What to Look for in a Pellet Gun

Traditional firearms use an explosive propellant to launch a bullet at high speed, usually down a rifled barrel. Pellet guns work a little differently. The propellant is almost as explosive as you can achieve with gunpowder, but instead, the force comes from compressed air in a reservoir inside the pellet gun that is released to create energy. There are three ways of compressing air for this method of shooting. The first is a piston that is charged for each shot by pumping a lever or “break.” Pump it one or more times and the air rifle is ready to fire. The second is a larger reservoir that can be pumped up with dozens of strokes to fill. This style allows you to fire repeatedly, sometimes as many as 60 shots before the air is expended. The final method is a CO2 cartridge. A small cartridge of compressed carbon dioxide is loaded into the air rifle, and it provides compressed CO2 that is drawn down with each shot. There is no pumping needed with a CO2 style pellet gun.

The most popular size pellet is the .177 caliber. Many higher quality BB guns have the ability to shoot .177 pellets, but you’re more likely to find this size pellet in a CO2 style gun, but there are many break action models that fire this smaller pellet too. The standard pellet for hunting small game, such as rabbits, is the .22 caliber. It has the same dimensions as a .22 rimfire and on some models is as powerful as a .22 short cartridge. You’ll find these in both break action and pump reservoir style pellet guns, and they can often generate speeds of above 1,000 feet per second. These easily meet the 600 feet per second standard set for rabbit hunting, and faster speeds deliver enough energy to take large jackrabbits easily.

Model	Caliber	Action	Speed FPS	Length Weight	Effective Range – In Yards
Umarex Origin	.22	Pump Reservoir	1000	39 in. 5.5 lb.	50
Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X	.177	Break Piston	1300	45.7 in. 5.78 lb.	50
Umarex RWS Model 34	.22	Break Piston	800	45 in. 7.55 lb.	30
Umarex Walther Reign	.22	Pump Reservoir	1100	35.5in. 5.51 lb.	60
Gamo Swarm Whisper 10	.22	Break Piston	975	44.5 in. 5.43 lb.	40

Detailed Review of the Top 5 Pellet Guns

Umarex Origin

CHECK PRICE

Caliber	22 Caliber
Pellet Velocity	1000 FPS
Powerplant	Pump

Just 13 strokes and you’ll be ready to fire a .22 caliber pellet at 1,000 fps. The ease of the arming action on this pellet gun makes it a favorite for all shooters since it doesn’t require great upper body strength to load the rifle. A thousand feet per second in a .22 caliber pellet is an impressive standard. Though the Origin is ready to shoot in just 13 pumps, you’ll have a better hunt if you fill the air reservoir to maximum capacity before you take it to the field. This requires about 100 total pumps. When primed, you can fire 40 .22 caliber shots before you have to recharge the tank.

A built-in overpressure system prevents you from exceeding the 4500 PIS maximum. won’t. If you prefer a lighter or heavier trigger, you have a choice with this gun in a two-stage adjustable trigger. A Picatinny rail and Dovetail optics mounting rail are included, making this rifle adaptable to just about any scope. This is a hard-hitting rabbit gun. The speed, combined with the larger .22 caliber pellets brings hard-hitting rabbit hunting action. The energy allows you to shoot through light bushy cover and even sagebrush.

Gamo Swarm Fusion 10X

CHECK PRICE

Caliber	177 Caliber
Pellet Velocity	1300 FPS
Powerplant	Piston

While many hunters prefer a .22 caliber pellet for rabbit hunting, the energy equation comes into play with the Fusion 10X. You can have low-speed and heavier projectiles or higher-speed and lighter projectiles and get the same energy on target. At 1,300 fps this is the fastest pellet run in this review and though it fires the smaller .177 pellet, the speed still delivers ample energy to take the largest rabbit in a single shot. This complete design includes a 3x9x40mm scope, and with blazing fast 1300 fps speed is an accurate platform. The only concern with accuracy is firing in strong crosswinds where the lighter pellet can be affected. This is the best pellet gun in our list for long-range shots. The one-stroke piston design loads the rifle in a single motion for quick second shots.

The longer 45.7 length offers a longer fulcrum for the break action, but it still requires ample strength to cock this air rifle. It might be a challenge for smaller shooters, but the quick one-stroke action and 10-round magazine allows quick repeating shots. The gun and scope combined weigh less than six pounds. The overall length of 45.7 inches is a good one for most shooters and enhances accuracy to distances approaching 100 yards making it a great long-distance pellet gun.

Umarex RWS Model 34

CHECK PRICE

Caliber	22 Caliber
Pellet Velocity	800 fps
Powerplant	Pump

The Model 34 will take you back to your youth and that first walnut stock single-shot .22 rifle you took on your first rabbit hunt. The classic lines of the Model 34 make it look like it fell out of the pages of a 1965 issue of Outdoor Life. No matter the nostalgia factor, you’re going to love the Model 34. Made in Germany, with a hardwood stock, and adjustable rear sights, this is a time machine in a well-constructed air rifle that will take you back to the carefree days of your youth.

This is a larger pellet gun with an overall length of 45 inches and weighing about seven-and-a-half pounds. It has the heft and design of a traditional percussion-style rifle, but it is an all-around air rifle. This is not a rapid-fire air rifle, but it takes just 33 pounds of pressure to break and load the air cylinder, in a design that even a youngster will be strong enough to cock.

An open-sight model, this is a great platform to introduce youngsters to the joys of target shooting, and then to take them to the field for an afternoon of cottontail hunting.

Umarex Walther Reign

CHECK PRICE

Caliber	22 Caliber
Pellet Velocity	1,000 FPS
Powerplant	Pre-Charged Pneumatic

The Reign is an air rifle you can charge at home before you go out on a weekend hunt and never worry about recharging. The innovative design features a 3,300 PSI tank. When fully charged you can fire 60 .22 caliber pellets at an impressive 1,100 feet per second. In the world of rabbit hunting, that’s a tremendous amount of shots. Have you ever emptied a 50-round box of rimfire .22 cartridges on a rabbit hunt? Odds are you haven’t.

This rifle is quick, with a 10-shot auto-indexing magazine that delivers nearly silent pellets. and the accuracy is impressive. The quality of the machining in the barrel, combined with the high speed makes it a very accurate pellet gun. You’ll probably want to add a scope, and it's easy with the integrated Picatinny rail system. This is arguably the best pellet gun for hunting rabbits in terms of energy, accuracy, and range.

Gamo Swarm Whisper 10

CHECK PRICE

Caliber	22 Caliber
Pellet Velocity	975 FPS
Powerplant	Piston

This is an inexpensive air rifle that still delivers quality performance. The break-action .22 caliber pellets fly out of the gun with a single pump at an impressive 975 feet per second. This is a great rabbit gun, and with the size and speed of the pellets is a good choice for trying your luck at those larger, faster, western jackrabbits. The light 5.43-pound weight makes it perfect for packing into the wilderness, and since air rifles are recoil free, you won’t have to worry about a bruised shoulder as you would with a lighter, heavier-powered traditional rifle. It has a good overall length of 44.5 inches making it easy to use for hunters of all sizes.

Though it doesn’t have the rate of fire of a CO2 powered or pump reservoir air rifle, the single-shot, break action is fast for a manually loaded gun. It comes with a 4x32mm scope and while that isn’t something you’d use for shots over 100 yards, it’s great for rabbit hunting, bringing the target clearly into the scope at ranges up to 50 yards. This rifle, firing a .22 caliber pellet at 975 feet per second is more than powerful enough to take rabbits with one shot at respectable distances.