A pneumatic striking mechanism includes a guide cylinder in which a freely moving piston and an exciter piston are arranged movably along a striking axis. The guide cylinder has a plastic. The striking mechanism includes a pneumatic chamber sealed off by the guide cylinder, by the freely moving piston and by the exciter piston, as well as a drive for periodically moving the exciter piston, as a result of which the freely moving piston is excited to execute a periodical movement between the striking surface and the exciter piston.