01-Sep-2026
Air pistols occupy a peculiar corner of British shooting. They are the cheapest way into shooting there is; they take up almost no room, and a decent one will still be shooting long after the person who bought it new has given up. Which is precisely why the used market is where the value sits.
A great many air pistols spend their lives in a drawer being fired occasionally at a garden target. They come up for sale barely worn, at a fraction of the new price, and the good ones were built to last decades. This guide runs through the used market by budget bracket, explains what is worth having at each level, and covers the checks that separate a bargain from a project.
Before you spend: The legal basics
Air pistols in Britain sit under a specific and fairly strict set of rules. The legal power limit for an air pistol is considerably lower than for a rifle; there are minimum age requirements around purchase and unsupervised use, and where you may shoot is tightly defined, with the landowner’s permission, and with pellets contained on that land.
None of this is complicated, but all of it is worth understanding properly before you buy rather than after. Our guide to UK air rifle and airgun law sets out the framework, and if you are ever unsure whether a particular pistol sits inside the limit, our piece on chronograph requirements explains how power is actually measured.
Anything above the limit is not an air pistol in the ordinary sense at all; it is a Section 5 prohibited weapon in Great Britain, and not something available on the general market.
The entry bracket: Classic springers and pump-ups
This is where most people should start, and where the used market is at its most generous.
The Webley Tempest is the obvious name. A compact break-barrel springer made in Britain, mechanically simple, and available second-hand in large numbers because so many were sold. It is not a target pistol, and it does not pretend to be; it is a plinker and a pest-control back-up that will keep going almost indefinitely with the occasional seal.
The Webley Hurricane is the Tempest’s slightly larger sibling and comes up regularly at similar money. The Webley Premier and older Mark I models drift into collector territory, where condition and originality start to matter more than shootability.
Beyond Webley, older Original and Diana models, Chinese and Spanish springers from the same era, and the various Umarex and Walther CO2 pistols all populate this bracket. CO2 is worth a thought: it is easy to shoot, recoilless and pleasant for casual target work, though it costs a little per capsule and performance shifts with temperature.
Our Webley Tempest review covers the most-searched of these in detail, and current stock sits under Webley and Scott and the wider air guns section.
Who it suits: anyone starting out, anyone wanting a garden plinker, anyone buying for occasional use rather than serious accuracy.
The middle bracket: Better springers and quality CO2
Step up and the build quality improves noticeably. Triggers get better, sights get more adjustable, and the pistols become meaningfully more accurate at ten metres.
German-built springers dominate here. Weihrauch’s spring pistols have a strong following for exactly the reasons the company’s rifles do: proper machining, sensible engineering, and parts availability that stretches back decades. Walther and Diana models from the same tradition are worth looking at, as are the better Umarex CO2 target pistols, which offer a surprising amount of shootability for the money.
At this level second-hand really does make sense. A five-year-old quality springer that has fired a few thousand pellets is barely broken in, and the depreciation has already happened.
Have a look at the Weihrauch listings and our best air pistols buyer’s guide for a wider view of what to consider.
Who it suits: the shooter who has decided they enjoy this and wants something that will reward practice.
The upper bracket: PCP and serious target pistols
The top of the market divides into two quite different things.
PCP air pistols are the interesting development. The Weihrauch HW44 is the model people search for by name, a pre-charged, magazine-fed pistol with a proper trigger and none of the spring-piston recoil that makes accurate pistol shooting difficult. It shoots more like a small rifle than a traditional air pistol, and for anyone who has struggled to hold a group with a springer, the difference is immediate. Used examples appear regularly, and the model holds its value; see the Weihrauch HW44 page for current listings.
Ten-metre match pistols are the other route. Single-shot, precharged, adjustable in every dimension, and built for one job: putting pellets into a 11.5mm ten-ring. Names like Steyr, Walther, Feinwerkbau, and Morini dominate. These are club and competition tools rather than garden guns, and buying used is standard practice; match shooters upgrade regularly, and the guns are meticulously maintained.
If competitive target shooting appeals, this is where to look, though joining a club and trying a few before committing is far better advice than any article can give.
Who it suits: committed target shooters, club members, and anyone who wants genuine precision from a pistol.
What to check before you buy used
Air pistols are simple machines, which makes them easy to assess.
Ask when it last held power. Springers lose energy as seals age. A pistol that “feels a bit soft” probably needs a seal kit, often cheap and straightforward on common models, but factor it in.
Check the breech seal and barrel lock-up on break-barrels. Excessive play at the hinge or a tired seal will cost you both power and accuracy.
Look at the trigger. On older pistols, this is often the weakest point. A gritty, creeping trigger is liveable on a plinker and a deal-breaker on anything you intend to shoot seriously.
On CO2 models, ask about leaks. A pistol that will not hold a capsule overnight needs seals.
On PCPs, ask when it was last filled and whether it holds pressure. Also confirm which filling adaptor is needed and whether it is included.
Check for magazines and accessories. Spares for PCP pistols are not cheap, and missing ones add up quickly.
Assess honestly whether it is a shooter or a collector’s piece. Original finish and box add value to a vintage Webley, and a pristine example may deserve better than a summer of tin cans.
Our complete air rifle buyer’s guide covers a lot of the same ground in more depth, and most of it applies equally to pistols.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need a licence for an air pistol in the UK? Not for one held within the legal power limit, but there are firm rules on age, supervision and where you may shoot, and Scotland operates its own air weapon certificate system. Read our UK airgun law guide before you buy.
What is the best cheap second-hand air pistol? For general plinking, a sound Webley Tempest or Hurricane is very hard to beat on cost-per-year-of-service. For target work on a budget, a good used springer from one of the German makers will teach you more.
Is a PCP air pistol worth the extra? If accuracy matters to you, yes, the absence of spring recoil makes a real difference to how consistently most people can shoot. If it is for casual garden use, a springer is simpler and needs no filling equipment.
Can I use an air pistol for pest control? It is legal to use a legal-limit air pistol on quarry you are entitled to take, but the low power limit makes clean, humane kills difficult beyond very short range. Most experienced shooters would point you at an air rifle instead; see our air rifles under £200, £500 and £1,000 guide.
Browse air pistols on Rightgun.uk
The used air pistol market is one of the last genuinely good-value corners of British shooting. Decide what you actually want the pistol to do, set a realistic figure, and then be patient; the right one comes along regularly.
Explore air guns for sale on Rightgun.uk, including air pistols from Webley, Weihrauch, Walther and others, listed by dealers and private sellers across the UK.
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