It was determined that the bear had been shot, with a .22-caliber air rifle pellet found in its chest cavity.

Accuracy Both our air rifle test and our .22 LR rifle test used similar test protocols. For each test, multiple shooters squeezed off five-shot groups per gun, with a minimum of 20 shots recorded.

In fact, Lewis and Clark took a .46-caliber Girandoni air rifle capable of 22 shots at a time on their famous expedition. Below, we’ve rounded up the best air rifles right now.

Air rifles in the .22-caliber range had noticeably more recoil and "jump" than .177-caliber models. An adjustable soft butt pad on the stock and an internal "Shock Absorber System" mitigated the kick.

Another place slugs shine is the PRS and NRL22 world. Many firearm competitions now have air gun divisions, and nearly every competitor in it is shooting slugs at high speeds. Staying just under the ...