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The information provided on this and other pages is for basic guidance only. You must read the full information disclaimers at the foot of this page before proceeding further.

Definition of a pistol under UK law
UK law defines a pistol as a gun with a barrel shorter than 30cms and a total overall length of less than 60cms. This includes revolvers, semi-autos, single shot and in fact ANY pistol regardless of the number of shots that can be fired before reloading.
Prohibited pistols
Includes any pistol within the dimensions stated above, that fires self contained "cartridge type" ammunition.
Legal or non-prohibited pistols
Include "long barrelled" cartridge firing revolvers (see below), Single shot "long barrelled" cartridge firing pistols, "long barrelled" semi auto "pistols" in .22 calibre ONLY (see below), muzzle loading pistols with barrels LESS than 30cm and less than 60cm total pistol length, and air pistols that produce less than 6ft lbs of power.

A "long barrelled" revolver or single shot pistol having a barrel of not less than 30cms and an overall length of not less than 60cms is legal to acquire and posses in the UK provided the person is in possession of a Section 1 Firearms Certificate, which is officially endorsed for the specific gun in question.

The overall length is obtained by adding an extension to the "handgrip". Long barrelled revolvers and single shot pistols can include any pistol calibre from .22 rimfire through to, for example, .357 Magnum and up to a maximum of .45 calibre. Long barrelled semi-automatic

"pistols" are ONLY ALLOWED IN .22 RIMFIRE CALIBRE.

"Standard" barrel length revolvers, (ie; less than 30cm) or single shot pistols which are muzzle loaders, and therefore do NOT use separate self contained cartridges, are legal to acquire and posses in the UK provided the person is in possession of a section 1 firearms certificate. A muzzle loader is a gun where the explosive "powder" (propellant) and separate bullet are loaded from the muzzle end of the gun. Or, in the case of a revolver, from the open end of its revolving "cylinder". The "powder" (propellant) is fired using a separate means of ignition, usually a "percussion cap", which is fixed in position at the opposite end of the barrel, or the revolving cylinder, next to the firing mechanism (hammer).

You do NOT need a Firearms Certificate to purchase an air pistol.
Air pistols can be either single shot or multi shot, but must only produce 6ft lbs or less of energy. As the name implies they use compressed air to fire small lead pellets.
PCP air pistols (multi shot capability)
PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) pistols contain a reservoir of compressed air that provides enough air for multiple shots before the reservoir needs recharging. The reservoir is filled and refilled using a hand pump or from a larger source such as a divers "Scuba" tank. The shooter needs to reload the gun either with a single pellet being manually placed in the chamber, or by manually activating a "bolt" or similar device to reload the gun from a built in magazine system each time it is fired.
CO2 air pistols (multi shot capability)
The compressed "air" for this type of gun is provided by "standard" 12 gram CO2 capsules or "sparklets". Many shots can be provided by these capsules before the need for replacement. Most CO2 air pistols are replicas of "real" semi-automatic pistols or revolvers. These pistols can fire a number of shots, by simply continuing to pull the trigger, from either the built in magazine (8-10 shot capacity) in the case of a "semi-auto" or from the revolving "chamber" in the case of a revolver (8-10 shot capacity).
Spring powered air pistols (single shot capacity)
The compressed air for this type of pistol is provided by a spring loaded piston. The pistol is made ready to fire by hinging the barrel downwards and using it as a lever to compress the spring in the pistol assembly. When the trigger is pulled it releases the spring loaded piston, generating a pulse of high pressure air to force the pellet down and out of the barrel.
Air pistol ammunition and calibres
Airgun ammunition is called a "pellet". The pellet is usually made from lead and is specially shaped to give it good aerodynamic (or ballistic) performance and to most effectively utilise the energy provided by the compressed air propellant. There are two main sizes of air pistol pellets. These are 1.77 inch (4.5mm) and .22 inch (5.5 mm) diameter.
The smaller 1.77 (4.5mm) diameter pellet is the preferred paper target competition calibre as its smaller mass produces a "flatter" or more "straight line" and more accurate trajectory. The .22 inch calibre provides more mass and therefore probably better "hitting power" for target shooting with "knock down" metal targets.

Shooting opportunities with pistols
Target shooting
Long barrelled cartridge pistols
Pistols are shot "single handed" at distances of between 20 and 50 metres from the target.
Centrefire pistol calibre competition shooting, i.e. larger than .22 calibre is overseen by the NRA (National Rifle Association) – For the NRA website

Rimfire .22 calibre pistol shooting is overseen by the NSRA (National Small-bore Rifle Association) – For the NSRA website

Muzzle loading pistols
Pistols are shot "single handed" at distances of between 20 and 50 metres from the target.
Muzzle loading pistol competitions are overseen by the MLAGB – For the MLAGB website

Air pistols
"Olympic" match target shooting is undertaken at 6 yards or 10 metres from the target and where single shot pistols are fired "single handed" in the standing position. Because of the accuracy required for competition target shooting, specially designed, custom built PCP target pistols are the obvious choice.
Plinking with air pistols
"Plinking" is the term used for fun shooting with airguns. So if you don't want to participate in serious target shooting you can still develop your skills on your own or get together with a group of friends for an informal competition – either way it's immensely satisfying and rewarding.