Ask any hunter or target shooter about their first gun and most will regale you with stories of the joys of shooting their first BB gun. A few may have also been initiated to shooting with a .22 rimfire. But most shooters step up to burning powder only after having "fired" a few thousand air rifle rounds.

For those who haven't already turned back the clock to those idyllic days of youth to reduce the recoil and costs of shooting, the return to shooting air guns and rimfires is chock full of pleasant surprises.

Lets take a look at some of the advances in small bore shooting and some of the new product lines hallmarked with these features. The first thing anyone shooting a modern air rifle will notice is the incredible accuracy they are capable of. But other features create higher velocities through a wide range of action, cocking and triggering mechanisms.

Velocities of some air gun models now exceed the velocities of what were once termed "high velocity" .22 rounds, making them true hunting guns for pests and small game (where air guns are legal for those uses). Flatter trajectories at extreme ranges make these new generation air guns effective long-range plinkers.

Other accuracy innovations include adjustable trigger pulls and sound attenuation, which previously was not an issue with air guns. But with increased projectile speed comes an exponential increase in sound.

Probably more than any other air gun company, Gamo caters to shooters who want more power in their plinkers. However, aside from increased power, Gamo air guns incorporate innovative features into every facet of their design. Increased power does not compromise accuracy with the company that pioneered composite/steel, rifled barrels for the utmost in shrinking group sizes.

Let's take a gander at the company's Hunter Extreme Series as an example of extreme innovation. Gamo's .177-caliber Hunter Extreme recently set a world velocity record for a spring piston air gun by shooting one of the company's PBA (Platinum Ballistic Alloy) pellets at 1,650 fps, exceeding the speed of sound by a huge margin. This mini-monster gun also exceeded mach I by shooting a lead pellet at 1,250 fps.

Gamo offers innovative technology that goes way beyond improved accuracy and velocity. It also leads the way in other categories -- especially power and rate of fire for those interested in serious long range shooting or hunting.

Gamo's Hunter Extreme 25 is appropriately nicknamed "The Cannon" because it achieves 750 fps with lead ammo and 1,000 fps with PBA ammo. It has a second-stage adjustable trigger and bull barrel and comes prepackaged with a 3x9 scope.

Besides old standby, single-stroke pneumatics, Gamo offers Dynamax PCP (pre-charged pneumatic) series rifles that offer multiple shots at velocities of 1,000 fps for 30 shots with lead .22 and .177 ammo and 1,200 fps with .177-caliber PBA ammunition. The Dynamax has a cycling rate of one shot per second and reloads with a touch of the fingertip from a 10-round detachable ammunition magazine.

Another innovative feature is the ND52 noise reduction technology, which is available on the Gamo Whisper series air gun line to offer quieter shooting in civilized settings. Another unique air gun to check out is the dual-purpose, spring-piston Viper, which shoots a .22 caliber pellet at 725 fps or a shot load at 750 fps.