Air Pistols

Air guns are not technically or legally firearms, but for many shooters, they're the next best thing. Like their combustion-based counterparts, air-propelled firearms have made great strides in their development. Air guns are believed to have originated in mid-16th century Europe. During that time, they operated by either a spring loaded bellows or compressed air stored in an external reservoir.

By the late 1700s, powerful pneumatic weapons found their way into military conflict. The Austrian army had an entire regiment armed with .44-caliber repeating air weapons that were used with great effectiveness against Napoleon's forces. In the United States, air guns taken along on the famed Lewis and Clark expedition were known by Native Americans as smokeless thunder sticks.

Today, companies like Daisy and Umarex produce high-velocity carbon dioxide-powered BB guns, pellet pistols, and other types of air handguns. A range of manufacturers crank out powerful air pistol replicas. The replicas resemble firearms ranging from Glock semi automatics to Smith & Wesson handguns, as well as low-impact airsoft guns used for police training and competitive shooting.

Quick Facts

• In 2014, a rare circa 1880s Giffard French air pistol featured on the History Channel series "Pawn Stars" surprisingly sold well below its $2,000 to $4,00 estimate, going for only $384
• A lot of 3 Iver Johnson air pistols sold at Rock Island Auction in 2014 for an unexpected $3,737
• In December 2010 at Christie's London, the Walther air pistol held by Sean Connery in the poster for the 1963 James Bond film "From Russia With Love" sold for a world record price of £277,250