Explained · October 2026
"Carbon gun", "carbon pistol", "carbon dioxide gun" — they all mean a CO₂ air gun. Here is what it is, what it costs in India, and what the law says.
Written by Camstar Sports, makers of the Star RX Gen 3 CO₂ pistol · Updated 28 October 2026
Quick Answer
A "carbon gun" is a CO₂ air gun — a pistol or rifle that fires .177 pellets or BBs using compressed carbon-dioxide gas from a small 12 g cylinder. In India a new CO₂ pistol costs from ₹25,500 (the Indian-made Camstar Star RX Gen 3); imported CO₂ pistols cost ₹45,000–85,000. No licence is needed if it is .177 calibre and under 20 joules.
CO₂ is carbon dioxide, so in shops and on WhatsApp a CO₂ pistol gets shortened to a "carbon gun", "carbon pistol" or "carbon cylinder gun". The name describes the power source, not the material: there is no carbon in the pellet and the gun is not made of carbon fibre. The same product is sold online as a CO₂ air pistol, CO₂ air gun or gas air pistol.
Inside the grip sits a 12 g steel cylinder of liquefied CO₂. Once it is pierced, the gas sits at a steady pressure and every trigger pull lets a small dose behind the pellet. Because the gas does the work, there is no spring to cock between shots — which is why a carbon gun can be semi-automatic: one pull, one shot, as fast as you can pull.
| CO₂ ("carbon") pistol | Made in | Price in India | Fires |
|---|---|---|---|
| Camstar Star RX Gen 3 | India (Lucknow / Kanpur) | ₹25,500 delivered | .177 pellets, 32-round rotary mags |
| Aerosoft X1 | India (Himachal Pradesh) | ₹36,000–39,499 (retailer listings) | .177, smooth bore (listed as BB) |
| Umarex Glock 17 Gen 4 and similar | Imported | ~₹55,000–85,000 | .177 steel BBs |
| KWC / Beretta-branded replicas | Imported | ~₹45,000–80,000 | Mostly .177 BBs |
Camstar price from our own catalogue. Aerosoft X1 prices from two Indian retailer listings checked on 28 October 2026; imported prices are typical Indian retail ranges and move with stock and exchange rates.
Two things explain the spread. Imports carry customs duty and a dealer margin, and most are BB replicas of famous firearms — you pay for the badge. Indian-made CO₂ pistols skip the import cost, and an Indian maker can actually service the gun and sell you spare parts. For the full price breakdown, including the cheapest options, see the cheapest CO₂ air pistol in India.
Watch out for "carbon gun ₹2,999" ads. A real CO₂ pistol needs a sealed gas valve and a metal frame that holds 800+ psi; nobody makes one for a few thousand rupees. Listings that cheap are spring pistols, toy BB guns or gas-blowback lighters. If you want a cheap real air pistol, buy an honest spring one — the Star Leo is ₹8,400.
Put together, an hour of steady practice costs a couple of hundred rupees. That is more per shot than a spring pistol, which runs on pellets alone, and it is the honest trade-off for semi-automatic fire.
No — as long as it meets both conditions the Ministry of Home Affairs sets out for air weapons under the Arms Rules 2016: .177 calibre (4.5 mm) and under 20 joules of muzzle energy. Every CO₂ pistol in the table above is .177; the Star RX Gen 3 is under 5 J.
The full, sourced version is on is a CO₂ gun legal in India, and state-by-state detail on air gun laws in India.
| CO₂ ("carbon") | Spring | PCP | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cocking | None — semi-auto | Every shot | Bolt / lever per shot |
| Needs | 12 g cylinders | Pellets only | Hand pump or tank |
| Camstar from | ₹25,500 pistol | ₹8,400 pistol | ₹29,000 rifle combo |
| Best for | Rapid-fire practice, plinking | Budget target shooting | Long-range rifle accuracy |
If you are shopping specifically for an air gun pistol, the carbon (CO₂) route is the one that feels most like a real semi-automatic handgun. If you mostly want to put pellets on paper cheaply, a spring pistol does that for a third of the price.
"Carbon gun" is an everyday name for a CO₂ air gun — an air pistol or rifle powered by a small cylinder of compressed carbon dioxide gas. It does not fire carbon and has nothing to do with carbon fibre. Each trigger pull releases a measured puff of CO₂ that pushes a .177 (4.5 mm) pellet or steel BB out of the barrel.
A new CO₂ (carbon) pistol in India costs from ₹25,500. The Camstar Star RX Gen 3 is ₹25,500 delivered; Indian-made rival the Aerosoft X1 is listed by retailers at ₹36,000–39,499; imported Umarex, KWC and Beretta-branded CO₂ pistols mostly sell for ₹45,000–85,000. Anything much cheaper than ₹20,000 advertised as a "carbon gun" is usually a spring pistol or a toy.
Yes, if it is .177 calibre (4.5 mm) and produces under 20 joules of muzzle energy. Under the Arms Rules 2016, as explained in the Ministry of Home Affairs FAQ, air weapons meeting both conditions need no arms licence. A licensed air-weapon dealer still has to sell it to you against photo ID and address proof, and misusing it — pointing it at people, threatening anyone, or shooting birds or animals — is an offence.
A standard 12 g CO₂ cylinder gives roughly 30–60 full-power shots in a pistol, depending on temperature and how fast you shoot. Camstar sells 12 g cylinders in packs of five for ₹550, about ₹110 a cylinder — so a pellet shot costs only a few rupees in gas.
Buy a CO₂ (carbon) pistol if you want semi-automatic shooting with no cocking between shots and you are happy to buy gas cylinders. Buy a spring pistol if you want the lowest running cost and the cheapest entry: Camstar spring pistols start at ₹8,400 (Star Leo) and need nothing but pellets.
No. A .177 CO₂ pistol produces a few joules (the Star RX Gen 3 is under 5 J); a 9 mm handgun produces around 500 J. It will not reliably stop an attacker, and pointing one at a person can itself be an offence. Buy it for target shooting and practice, not protection.
The Indian-made CO₂ pistol: 32 pellets ready, 400 fps, under 5 J, 12-month warranty, ₹25,500 delivered.
View Star RX Gen 3 (₹25,500) →Compare all CO₂ pistols →