TargetTalk

I am a pistol shooter. I am wondering what is the most popular and desirable air rifle and smallbore rifle being used today without regards to price.

I'm a beginner like you and honestly it is not easy to provide an answer to your question.
Nowadays all the rifles are good but the major differences are the stocks and how they suit your body.
Personally I choose Feinwerkbau for both air and small bore.
FWB air rifle (Alu700) is considered one of the most popular choice.
I decided to purchase the small bore 2700 not because is considered the best one but because it has the same dimensions and setups of the air rifle.
In this way I'm always sure to deal with the same stock dimensions.
I suggest you to try them all and decide only considering your feelings.
Another consideration, as a beginner you may purchase the best rifle of the world but you will often see some very good shooters hit a row of 10’s by an old rusty gun.
I think the best rifle is the one that gives you confidence about the performance but it has not to be too expensive.
Very good rifles provide the difference between a 10.2 and a 10.9 therefore at my stage are unnecessary. At the moment it has been almost a year since I start shooting and at the small bore I swing between a 6 and a 10 while at the 10 mt air rifle between the 8 and the 10. Considering the above any rifle is fit for purpose!

the two most popular smallbore rifles i would say are the Anschutz 1913 and the 2013. those two rifles seems to dominate the smallbore world followed by the Feinwerkbau 2700 and the Walther kk300.

in precision air rifle theres a few more options
heres a list of some precision rifles
Feinwerkbau p70
Walther Lg300
Anschutz 9003
Steyr Lg100


with dedication, any of these rifles and others are capable of winning Olympic medels.

I would say the most desirable smallbore rifle would be a Grunig & Elmiger stock with a Bleiker barrel and action. Very expensive that one.

But as everyone else says, it is what you feel most comfortable with that matters. No point getting the most expensive rifle if you feel uncomfortable when you are holding it.

As for air rifles, they are all much of a muchness. They all come stock with everything you need, they are all good quality and all perform extremely well. Again it just comes down to the feel with those. How the balance is, how the butt-end feels in your shoulder, how long the stock is, how it feels when the shot is let go etc.