As you might expect the most common topics on airgun forums would be the features and foibles of the dozens and dozens of different models, but following closely behind the model discussions may be the chatter about airgun ammunition or pellets. You might not expect that a.177 caliber pellet from Manufacturer A would perform wildly different from a.177 caliber pellet from Manufacturer B in exactly the same airgun, nevertheless they do. To produce it even more difficult Manufacturer B’s ammo may outperform Manufacturer A’s in a different air rifle or pistol.
We shall discuss a few of the different characteristics of airgun pellets and how you need to use these details to your advantage when selecting a pellet for your air rifle or pistol.
A lighter pellet will leave the barrel of an airgun faster than a heavier pellet and it may also accelerate faster downrange best place to buy ammo online. That means less time to focus on and a flatter trajectory while there is less time for gravity to work its magic. A heavier pellet will are apt to have a less flat trajectory not because of its weight but as it spends additional time to focus on providing gravity with an increase of time and energy to pull it towards the earth.
The second factor that most affects the flight of an airgun pellet is air resistance. Air resistance increases with the cube of speed. Whenever you double the speed of a pellet moving downrange you increase its air resistance by eight times. Really light.177 caliber pellets lose energy as a result of air resistance so rapidly that if a 35 yd. approximately it will be moving slower than a heavier pellet fired from exactly the same gun. Air resistance might be irrelevant for target shooting out to 10 m but it’d play a huge role in a hunting shot beyond that range. This is one of the reasons that you intend to hunt with the heaviest pellet your airgun can handle effectively.
In addition to the weight of the pellet air resistance will be different according to the model of the pellet. Wadcutters are flat nose pellets useful for paper target shooting. At the 10 m range the increase in air resistance is nearly negligible but the same as with the aftereffect of weight beyond 35 yd. the flat nose begins working as an air brake.
Medium weight round nose pellets offer the very best compromise for both weight and shape for medium powered air rifles. For small caliber air rifles (.177 and.20) the very best hunting ammo is a circular nose hollowpoint. This pellet moves through the air as well as a regular round nose and mushrooms on impact significantly increasing the force of the shot.
The best advice about air rifle ammo is to test a number of different brands, a number of different shapes, and a number of different weights. What you read inside the airgun forums might be true generally but might not benefit your air rifle. If you are only an occasional shooter and still want the very best accuracy and range then pick a premium pellet from exactly the same manufacturer that made your gun. It is typically best to prevent no-name bargains because there could be significant variability between pellets in exactly the same package.
