I don’t even wear ties. I have a tie, in the rare event that I’ll need it, but, no, you will not find me wearing a tie with anything that resembles frequency. So much for that stereotypical Father’s Day gift. I do wear socks, but, once again, my highly predictable clothing choices reign. A set of novelty socks will find their way to the back of the sock drawer and live a lonely life while my crew socks get worn to a frazzle.
That’s just the way it is for many of us guys. Then there is this other phenomenon where when we dads want or need something, we go out and get that thing. This is especially true when the kids are grown or nearly grown and you have a little fun money in your pocket for such occasions. That being said, in the event you would like to drop a hint to your family or just go ahead and treat yourself, here’s a list of the top 8 airguns that need to be on your radar STAT.
Licensed Replicas
What has kept you from picking up our GLOCK 17 Gen 4 air pistol so far? Not only is it a replica of one of the coolest, most popular brands on the globe, this full featured air pistol is a conversation starter and big hit with everyone who sees it. Pro Tip– pick up the Range Ready or Family Bundle to get everything you need to get started with your new airgun.
What could possibly top that? Look no further than Smith & Wesson’s M29 .177 caliber revolver complete with full metal construction and an 8 inch barrel. This revolver is huge and ultra cool. There’s a speed loader available and the M29 takes the same BB shells used in other Umarex
BB replicas. If you are the least bit a fan of the Dirty Harry movie franchise, this is an essential replica piece that you can probably show off to your friends.
Traditional Pellet Rifles
Today’s traditional air rifle is only traditional in a few ways when compared to the airguns of yesteryear. Yes, they still operate with “spring” power and shoot pellets, but today’s air rifle tosses the steel spring in favor of a gas ram and piston power source. Not only that, but the modern airgun says goodbye to single load actions in favor of multi-shot auto-indexing magazines.
With this in mind, the first rifle on the list has got to be the Synergis Elite. The Synergis Elite utilizes an underlever action and a 10-shot magazine. With Umarex’s T.N.T Gas piston, this air rifle is accurate and ready for hunting, plinking, or target shooting. The Synergis Elite is offered in .177 and .22 caliber and will shoot a lead pellet in .177 at 1,000 FPS and .22 caliber pellets at 860 FPS and both versions come with a 3-9X40 scope as well.
If you prefer a break barrel style rifle, the Emerge might just be your ticket. Also offered in .177 and .22 calibers, the Emerge also employs the T.N.T Gas Pistol and comes with a 12 shot magazine and a 4X32 scope. The Emerge flings pellets at 1,000 FPS in .177 and 825 FPS in .22.
BB Carbines
This is a category where Umarex really shines. We’ve been making the best in BB guns for a long time now. If you’ve seen our Legends replicas, you know exactly what I am talking about. The Legends line is legendary for fun, and accurately representing classic military based firearms in airgun form. But this isn’t all we do.
New for 2025 is the AER16. The AER16 represents a complete change of philosophy for Umarex in BB guns, at least. The AER16 takes a cue from the airsoft world in that it is powered by electricity. That is to say, the AEG (automatic electric gun) platform central to airsoft can be co-opted for .177 caliber steel BBs, too. The AER16 is built on the popular modern sporting rifle platform and comes with all the bells and whistles you would expect from such an example. There’s M-LOK slots, full length Picantinny rail, adjustable stock, flip up sights, and quick detach sling sockets. With the convenience of plugging in a re-chargeable battery pack, the AER16 represents a new way to look at BB guns.
Since we’ve already mentioned the Legends series, it’s no surprise that one of those amazing airguns finds its way into this guide. You literally cannot make a mistake with anyone of these, but for argument’s sake, the M3 Grease Gun is just sublime. Based on the M3 A1 version, Umarex’s M3 Grease Gun is powered by twin 12 gram CO2 and will fling all 30 BBs in the magazine downrange in a few seconds when placed in full auto mode. You can shoot it with the wire stock pulled out or collapsed or in semi-auto or fully automatic modes. Everyone who sees the M3 Grease Gun falls in love with it. Have you seen this airgun yet?
Pre-Charged Pneumatic Airguns
The fastest growing segment in airguns belongs to Pre-Charged Pneumatics or PCPs. There’s plenty of reasons for this; inherent accuracy, multi-shot capability, hard hitting, and high shot capacity. The major downside of PCPs is the need for a source of high pressure air. With this in mind, making the jump to high pressure air isn’t for everyone. And that explains the birth of the Umarex Komplete.
The Komplete NCR utilizes a single use Nitrogen filled cartridge as a power source. This cartridge contains 32 grams of Nitrogen gas pressurized at 3,600 PSI. And just like that, you have access to accuracy, power and multi-shot performance without having to pony up for an expensive high pressure compressor. The Komplete has been a wildly successful product for us for these reasons. In fact, recently we made contact with a Komplete owner who has taken well over 2,000 iguanas with his .22 caliber Komplete. Don’t miss out on this one!
For those of you who have everything, there’s a few of you who don’t have the Notos. This is a bit of a joke since we’ve barely been able to keep the .22 caliber Notos on the shelves since it was introduced two years ago. The Notos the bumble bee of air rifles. It isn’t overly powerful, it is kinda small, it doesn’t have a big air tank, but it does have something that people absolutely love. Insanely accurate under 50 yards, the Notos is perfect for backyard or even commercial pest control, plinking, target shooting, small game hunting, and even competition.
There it is! This year’s guide to giving (or getting) the best gear for Father’s Day from Umarex. We wish you guys a great and happy Father’s Day. We sincerely hope you don’t get a goofy tie!
Mark Davis, avid outdoorsman, family man, and outdoors writer is the eCommerce Marketing Manager for Umarex USA.