Which is the Best Air Rifle Ammo? from Madai's blog

As you might expect the most typical topics on airgun forums are the features and foibles of the dozens and dozens of different models, but following closely behind the model discussions is the chatter about airgun ammunition or pellets. May very well 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, however they do. To make it even harder Manufacturer B's ammo may outperform Manufacturer A's in a different air rifle or pistol.

We shall discuss some of the different characteristics of airgun pellets and how you can use this information to your advantage when selecting a pellet for your air rifle or pistol.

A light pellet will leave the barrel of an airgun faster than a heavier pellet and it will even accelerate faster downrange. That means less time to a target and a flatter trajectory because there is less time for gravity to work its magic. A heavier pellet will generally have a less flat trajectory not because of its weight but because it spends more time to a target providing gravity with an increase of time to pull it towards the earth.

The 2nd factor that many affects the flight of an airgun pellet is air resistance. Air resistance increases with the cube of speed. Once you double the speed of a pellet moving downrange you increase its air resistance by eight times. Really light.177 caliber pellets lose energy because of air resistance so rapidly that after a 35 yd  30-30 ammo for sale. approximately it is likely to 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 would play a huge role in a hunting shot beyond that range. This is one of many reasons that you wish to hunt with the heaviest pellet your airgun can handle effectively.

In addition to the weight of the pellet air resistance will be different based on the shape of the pellet. Wadcutters are flat nose pellets used for paper target shooting. At the 10 m range the escalation in air resistance is nearly negligible but just like with the effectation of weight beyond 35 yd. the flat nose begins working like an air brake.

Medium weight round nose pellets offer the most effective compromise for both weight and shape for medium powered air rifles. For small caliber air rifles (.177 and.20) the most effective hunting ammo is a round nose hollowpoint. This pellet moves through the air in addition to a typical round nose and mushrooms on impact significantly increasing the force of the shot.

The best advice about air rifle ammo is to use a number of different brands, a number of different shapes, and a number of different weights. What you read inside the airgun forums may be true generally but may not benefit your air rifle. If you are only a periodic shooter and still want the most effective accuracy and range then pick a premium pellet from exactly the same manufacturer that made your gun. It is almost always best to prevent no-name bargains because there may be significant variability between pellets in exactly the same package.