You found the rifle you want, you are ready to buy it, and then the page says collection only. That is not us being awkward. Air weapons cannot simply be posted to a home address, and the reason is worth two minutes of your time because it also explains why buying this way is usually better for you.
Why an air rifle cannot be posted to you
Since 2015 an air weapon cannot be sent by a distance seller straight to a private address. The law requires the rifle to be handed over face to face, either by the seller or through a registered firearms dealer, so that whoever receives it can be age checked in person. There is more detail in our guide to UK air rifle law and the 12 ft-lb rule.
Every UK retailer works under the same rule. The difference is what happens next. A national online-only seller hands you a box. We hand you a rifle you have already held, in a shop where somebody can answer a question about it.
How Reserve and Collect works
- Order it on the website as normal. Add the rifle to your basket and go to checkout.
- Choose Click and Collect and pay at checkout. Paying is what reserves it. The item comes off the shelf and is put aside with your name on it, so nobody else can buy it while you make your way to us. Collection itself is free, you are not paying delivery on something that cannot be delivered.
- We get it ready. We check it over before it goes on the counter, which is the part a warehouse does not do. Give us about an hour, then collect any time during shop opening hours. We will give you a ring as well.
- You have seven days to collect. We hold it for a week from the day you order. If something comes up, ring us and we will hold it longer. We would rather keep it back than put it out again on a technicality.
- Come and collect it in Rochester, with photo ID. The handover is the face to face part the law asks for, and it is also your chance to look at the thing properly before it is yours.
If you would rather ring first, do. 01634 829063 gets you somebody who can tell you whether it is in stock, what it comes with, and whether it is the right rifle for what you actually want to shoot.
What to bring
- Photo ID showing you are over 18. Passport or driving licence is ideal. This is not optional and we cannot hand the item over without it.
- Your order number, or just your name if you rang it through.
- For a realistic imitation firearm, your UKARA registration or another valid defence. See below.
Handle it before you commit
This is the part no online-only retailer can offer. A collection does not have to end at the counter. Shoulder it, feel the weight and the balance, check the trigger and the fit, and have one of us go over it with you while you are still standing in the shop.
Buying a £500 rifle from a photograph is a leap of faith. Buying one you have held is not. If you are collecting an airsoft gun you can also try it on our indoor range while you are here, so ring ahead and we will keep a slot free. The range is airsoft only, so air rifles and air pistols cannot be shot on it, but we will still check yours over before it leaves.
What this applies to
- Air rifles and air pistols. The face to face rule above. Springers, PCPs, CO2, all of them.
- Realistic imitation firearms. A different rule, same outcome. You need a valid defence such as UKARA registration to buy a RIF, and we verify it at handover.
- Anything else marked collection only, including some ammunition and pyrotechnics, which cannot be posted at all.
Most of the shop is not affected. BBs, pellets, gas, batteries, optics, magazines, clothing and upgrade parts all post out normally, so a collection-only rifle does not stop the rest of your order arriving in the usual way.
Realistic imitation firearms and UKARA
A realistic imitation firearm, meaning an airsoft gun that is not two-tone, needs a valid defence before we can sell it to you. For most players that is UKARA registration, earned by playing three games at a registered site over at least two months. Our UKARA registration guide explains the process, and two-tone airsoft explained covers the alternative if you are not registered yet.
If you have never played, that is not a dead end. Two-tone guns need no defence at all, and you can shoot those on our range the same day.
Where to find us
A10 Spectrum Business Centre, Medway City Estate, Rochester, ME2 4NP. Opening times and directions are on our visit us page, and there is more about the shop itself on our Rochester showroom page. We have been doing this since 2006 and most of us shoot, which is worth more at a handover than it sounds.
Frequently asked questions
Why can you not just post my air rifle?
Because the law does not allow it. Since 2015 an air weapon cannot be sent by a distance seller to a private address. It has to be handed over face to face by the seller or a registered firearms dealer so the person receiving it can be age checked in person. Every UK retailer works to the same rule.
Does Click and Collect cost anything?
No. Choosing collection at checkout is free. You are not paying delivery on something that cannot be delivered.
What ID do I need to bring?
Photo ID proving you are over 18, so a passport or driving licence. We cannot complete the handover without it, and that is not a policy we can bend. For a realistic imitation firearm, bring your UKARA registration or other valid defence as well.
Can I try it before I take it home?
You can handle it properly, which is the part that actually matters. Shoulder it, check the trigger and the fit, and have one of us go through it with you before you decide. If you are collecting an airsoft gun you can also shoot it on our indoor range, so ring ahead and we will keep a slot free. The range is airsoft only, so air rifles and air pistols cannot be shot on it.
What if it is not right when I see it?
Then you have not lost anything, which is the advantage of collecting rather than having a box arrive. Talk to us at the counter. We would far rather sort it there and then than have you take home a rifle you are not happy with.
Can someone else collect it for me?
No. It has to be you, the person who placed and paid for the order, with your own photo ID. That is the point of doing it this way rather than posting it: we are proving who is taking the item home, not just that somebody over 18 turned up. If you cannot get to us inside the week, ring us on 01634 829063 and we will sort something out.
Can I collect at an airsoft site instead?
Not for an air rifle or an air pistol. Those are handed over at the Rochester shop so we can do the age and identity check properly. For everything else, yes: our mobile shop is out at Kent sites most weekends and we can bring a Click and Collect order out to you. Ring the shop before your game day so we know to load it. See the mobile shop page for how that works.