In this article we are going to be discussing how to choose the best type of pellet for your air rifle. When making this determination, there are so many different factors to take into consideration. Finding best pellet will take some additional work on the shooters part, but this article will help act as a springboard, guiding you down the right path to determining which pellet best meets your air gunning needs.
What attributes make a pellet a good choice?
First, we must consider how the pellet utilized. The application of the pellet will largely determine the attributes required for the ideal pellet. For reference, shooting tasks are separated into four main categories:
- General Shooting (also known as plinking)
- Hunting
- Pest Control
- Target Shooting (generally rated at 10 meters)
Each category will have a different set of criteria for choosing pellets that fit their specific shooting requirements. However, all types of shooting have one requirement that is the same across the board, the ability to group well with your gun in a consistent, repeatable manner.
This single attribute is the most important. Without accuracy, nothing else will matter. A shooter cannot achieve the maximum potential of his air rifle with a pellet that does not group well. It does not take more than a few shots to determine whether your gun performs well with a given pellet.
Testing How A Pellet Groups
The first thing to do is set up a target at a distance you feel most of your shooting will take place at. This can vary depending on the type of shooting you will be doing. As a general guideline, below are reasonable distances for testing how a pellet groups.
- General Shooting – 10 to 20 meters (30 to 60 feet)
- Hunting – 15 to 25 meters (45 to 75 feet)
- Pest Control – 10 to meters (30 feet)
- Target Shooting – 10 Meters (32.8084 feet)
Once a shooter has determined which pellet(s) group consistently with his specific air rifle, then further criteria can be considered. These additional criteria will include:
- Pellet shape – different shapes perform better than others depending on the shooting task.
- Pellet weight – important for trajectory purposes and velocity results.
- Pellet alloy – pellet hardness/softness is critical for hunters/pest control shooters to achieve their desired results humanely. The weight of a pellet can also effect of noise level an air gun produces depending on the power of the gun.
- Pellet energy – remaining energy at the target (Kinetic Energy) is vital to hunters. Not only must the pellet arrive accurately, it must have enough energy left to kill the target.
It is important to remember that attributes important for one shooting type may not be important at all for another type of shooting. Pellet energy, for example, is important to a hunter or pest control shooter, but of little importance when shooting paper targets. However, if the shooting emphasis is field target competition rather than paper target shooting, a certain amount of knockdown power is required to trip the metal targets.
At this point, let’s assume that the shooter has tested several pellet types and has determined the subset of pellets that group best with their air rifle. Now it is time to look at the other pellet attributes and the next step is to choose a pellet type from that subset based on your particular shooting need. The following paragraphs explain the four basic pellet shapes and their basic functions.
Pellet Shape
Domed/Round Pellets – are great all-around, general use pellets. The round head is aerodynamic and great for shooting at longer distances (over 25 meters). Oddly enough, round-headed pellets have the highest ballistic coefficients (meaning it produces less drag) of all the pellet shapes, making them a great choice for pest control and hunting. Pellets with high ballistic coefficients generally have more knockdown power at the target.
Wadcutter Pellets – are wonderful target pellets. Their flat heads make nice, clean holes in paper targets, which is essential for easy scoring. They are also suitable for pest control but it is good to remember that wadcutter pellets were not designed for long ranges (low ballistic coefficient) and any breeze or wind pushing against the pellet’s flat head can easily make groups open up at longer distances. Generally, they are at their best at shorter distances of 20 meters or less.
Hollow Point Pellets – very good hunting pellets that really expand on impact. They are popular with pest control and hunting shooters. Hollow point pellets do suffer from the same weakness as Wadcutters because the big hollow mouth on the pellet catches the wind and may open groups at longer distances. Hollow points generally have a better ballistic coefficient than a wadcutter pellet, putting them in the middle of Domed and Wadcutter pellets.
Pointed Pellets – are pellets that seem to work best in light to medium powered air guns. They have good penetration capabilities for hunting and pest control. Pointed pellets typically do not work as well with magnum or super-magnum air rifles as the domed/round headed pellets. At high velocities the pellets tend to “tumble” which can really affect their accuracy. Low Powered or medium powered air rifle tend to work well with pointed pellets. The lower power reduces the chance that the pellet will “tumble” and the pointed tip of the pellet will give you better penetration.
Pellet Type Accuracy Test
Just to give you an idea of what of how shape affects accuracy, I performed a basic 5 shot group with each type of pellet to see which shape was the most accurate. Note that the type of gun used can greatly affect the results. For this test I used a Crosman 1377.
Here were the results from my test from most accurate to least accurate.
- Daisy Precision Max Hollow-Points Pellets
- Benjamin Point Hollow-Points Pellets
- Daisy Precision Max Flat-Nose Pellets
- Crosman Premier Ultra Magnum Pellets
- Crosman Premier Hollow-Point Pellets
- Crosman Premier Point Pellets
Best General Pellet Shape For An Air Gun (by category)
- General Shooting (Plinking) – Hollow points are mostly like your best bet. Hollow points have solid overall accuracy and help increase stopping power if any hunting or pest control will be required.
- Hunting – Domed (medium to high powered guns) / Pointed (low powered guns). In medium to high power air gun, domed pellets provide excellent accuracy and usually come in at a higher weight, increasing the foot pounds of energy produced. On larger game, the domed shape will provide deeper penetration as well. On a low power air gun, a pointed pellet will likely be your best choice. The pointed shape will provide for better penetration which will be needed for a lower powered air gun. At the lower speed, the pellet will not tumble as much preserving the accuracy.
- Pest Control – Hollow points or wadcutters. If you are wanting to dispatch the pest, hollow points would be a great generic option. If you have larger pest that you just want to drive away and not kill, a low power air gun and wadcutters (Flat Nose) would be a good choice.
- Target Shooting – Wadcutters (Flat Nosed) provide excellent accuracy, especially when indoors out to 10 meters.
Pellet Penetration Test
Using the same pellets in my accuracy test, I shot the pellets into a pine board from 10 yards away to see which on got the best penetration. Here were the results from that test from most penetration to the least penetration.
- Crosman Premier Pointed Pellet
- Benjamin Pointed Hollow Point Pellet
- Crosman Premier Ultra Magnum Pellet
- Crosman Premier Hollow Point Pellet
- Daisy Precision Max Hollow Point Pellet
- Daisy Precision Max Flat-Nose Pellet
The point pellet was predictably the deepest penetrating pellet.
The Benjamin Pointed Hollow Point and the Crosman Premier Magnum (Domed) were not to far behind and very similar in the penetration depth.
The Crosman Premier Hollow Point and the Daisy Precision Max Hollow Point were next on the list. Both pellets had really good expansion on impact, but the Crosman Premier Hollow Point got much better penetration than the Daisy Hollow Point.
The Daisy Precision Max Flat Nosed pellets (Wadcutters) did not even stick in the pine board, but made a small dent and bounced off.
Pellet Weight, Alloy and Energy
Pellet weight is important when considering trajectory and velocity. The lighter the pellet, the faster is will go, which means it will have less drop.
For instance a .177 pellet weighing 7.9 grains with a ballistic coefficient of 0.021 (these are the specs for the Crosman Premier HollowPoint) will drop 1.2 inches over 25 yards if fired at 1000 feet per second.
An alloy pellet .177 pellet weighing 5.4 grains with a ballistic coefficient of 0.021 will drop .8 inches over 25 yards if fired at 1200 feet per second (the additional speed is gained from the lighter weight).
At 25 yards, the 7.9 grain pellet will produce 13.03 foot pounds of energy. The 5.4 grain alloy pellet will produce 12.83 foot pounds of energy.
When it comes to hunting, a heavier pellet is the prefered choice because it produces more energy. Heavier pellets are also less affected by wind, especially at longer distances.
From my experience, a heavier lead pellet usually preferred for outdoor shooting, while alloy pellets may be preferred for indoor shooting.
One final thing to consider with alloy pellets, the lighter weight produces more velocity. If a pellet is capable to reaching speeds in excess of 343 meters per second (1125 feet per second), it will break the speed of sound, producing a mini sonic boom. This will increase the report of your air gun and in some cases make it just as loud as an actual firearm.
Lead vs Alloy – Pellet Expansion
Pellet expansion is an important consideration for hunting and pest control. Pellet expansion can cause more damage, increasing that “knock out power” for bringing down game or pest.
Lead pellets, especially hollow points and wadcutters will have noticeable expansion after impact when fired from a medium to high power air gun. When fired from a lower powered air gun, you may not notice any expansion.