Hey all.
One more question I've been wondering about is what size pellet is best for a target shooting only rifle.
I am wanting to get into a PCP rifle in the near future and I am not exactly sure which caliber would be the best choice. I might even opt for a nice single shot USED match rifle too. Nothing definite for now.
I am going to do nothing but target shooting, no hunting. I am not against hunting at all, I just physically can't do it. I would go and shoot rats off a tripod if someone invited me though.
I suspect my usual shooting distance is 10-30 meters, mostly 20. There are occasions though where I want to shoot at 50 or even 75 yards just to do something different and to test my skills....or lack of. I would put an upper limit on what I would like to shoot at 100 meters.
With that out of the way, what size pellet would be best for what I am wanting do? Right now I have a Diana 34 Classic Professional break barrel. It's a pretty nice rifle, but not exactly what I really want. I know that for the short distances the .177 is king and the .22 is best when the range gets extended. I wonder how well the .177 performs in light wind with the right pellet for your rifle out to those distances I mentioned? We've all seen these guys that are phenomenally talented with an air rifle the can shoot groups at 100 meters and beyond. I am NOT one of those guys. I wish I was.
So, if you don't mind, can you give your thoughts on both pellets and which one would be the better choice for what I am looking to do? Please tell about the performance of the .177 at these longer distances and how it is different than how the .22 performs.
Thank you all for your time and help.
Under 40m .177 at 12 fpe is sufficient. Of course beyond 30 m you'd have to read the wind carefully. If you go for a match rifle at 6 fpe -- all match rifles are .177-- then wind reading will become critical beyond 20 m. If you go for 18-20 fpe in .177, wind reading is less critical at less than 40m but of course never completely absent. I am talking about general backyard level shooting of course-- if you want benchrest level accuracy wind is always a factor .
If your most frequent shooting distance is 20-30 m choose a good .177 pcp at 12 fpe which will let you shoot a lot for the same air. Unless you invest in fill set up-- either a tank or a compressor-- which will be at least another $500 perhaps more, you'll be using handpumps which I think is anyway best to start with and you will appreciate air efficient pcps with moderate power and small airtanks.
I would say .22 is unnecessary unless you regularly stretch beyond 50m, or want to hunt.
I have FWB's, Walthers, Beeman, Hw's and have owned just about everything there is to own before the last 5 years. With that being said, I have 2-Diana Trail Scouts (.177&.22) as well as just getting a .22 Storm Rider and a .22 Bandit Pcp pistol, testing to come. I think any of these would fit you boll and leave a lot left over for accessories. I am trying to get back to when air gunning was simple and fun.
tim
As has been mentioned, match rifles will all be .177, and usually shoot at about 600 fps. While these work great at 10M, the low velocity makes it very susceptible to wind at longer ranges. Field target is also usually shot with .177, but power ranges from 12 FPE, up to <20 FPE in the US, and go out to 55 yds/M. If you want to go out to 75-100 yds/M, you should probably look at something like a FT rig, but in .22.
Given equally accurate rifles,equally good shooter,and NO WIND(like in a lab/sheltered tunnel)....wouldn't expect much difference.
That never happens.
Semi-real world, where the wind blows but the target and shooter stay in one place shooting the same direction over and over again.....the higher BC pellet with less windage needed. Even then,would bet on the shooter's ability to guess the wind right and adjust for it.
(Which is basically why .177 shooters have been looking into .172 slug guns).
Real-real wold,where the targets vary in range,the wind varies,and the direction pellet flight changes (which changes the wind value)....would bet on the better guesser.
The .177's will generally have measurably more drift than the .22 (and higher calibers) as the range increases past say 40 yards or so due to generally lower BC. At lower ranges, it matters less so your 20 yard figure would be fine with the .177 as many bench shooters prefer this caliber at 25 yds. .177 is often cheaper, lower noise, less power and a touch more safety if you have neighbors. You mention some quite a bit longer ranges, these would favor a .22 over the .177 as the generally better BC means less drift.
At your low ranges, a low powered (near or under 12 ft lbs?) .177 would work fine. At the longer ranges more power (say 13-30 ft lbs) would come in handy for all but the most talented shooters so you'll have to find a compromise of sorts. Most moderate power PCP's will be fine.
JSB (and their clones) and H&N pellets along with a few others are good bets to start with. Domed, diabolo pellets are preferred by most but not all rifles at ranges much past 15 yards. There are many other shapes available, but the domes are generally the best. Try many different types of domed pellets and read up first to see what other owners of the same gun say are the best for them. Most exotic shapes tend to perform less than hoped for when it comes to punching paper. I've had good luck with the JSB Hades and Crosman Premier Hollow points... but the vast majority of my guns shoot better with the similar, simple domes.
I think because you wish to shoot over such a wide range of distances but will mostly be shooting near distances, I'd get a mid to high powered .177 PCP and shoot heavy pellets. That way it'll work well at mid and possibly longer distances as well. If you find longer ranges are the are more important, then you could opt for a mid powered .22 and this would be fine at short ranges and likely better at 50 and more. There are guns with selectable power like an FX gun or some others, but then we are getting more expensive and complex.
Have fun,
John
I don't know enough to speak as an authority on the subject but what I have noticed in .177 and .22's is that the heavier pellet weight in either caliber will have a more pronounced drop over longer distances. In .177 I always preferred a heavier pellet in guns over say...18+ FPE however. BC takes a back seat to wind and drop below sub-sonic speeds. Pellet design does come into play, but what gives the most repeatability over a given set of ranges is the pellet for me. As for extended range, I haven't owned a really high powered .22 gun.
Just to stir the pot, I know the OP didn't bring it up but how would the .20 fit?
Got any reliable/observed BC data on the heaviest 5mm pellet still in production (15.9gr. JSB)?
No I don't. I did see them while pellet shopping. Would have liked to try them in a .20 Eliminator I used to have. I have a .20 HW50S on special order but would not consider them regardless of BC at that power level -Unless I was shooting at one range only. I know enough to know they will be too heavy unless mine will not like the other few types available. In that case, I would require a lot of holdover training at different distances...no fun in that.
My old Eliminator did pretty well with the old CP's in the brown box. IIRC, the .20's were the same weight as the .22's oddly enough, around 14.2gn. It did decent with the .20 Kodiaks and those were the only 2 choices that worked/available at that time.
That JSB is one heavy pellet. Maybe in an HW90 or something around that power.
Don't know either...someone out there has likely fired them over a radar-unit, but right now don't have two functional chronographs to do any useful approximations.
(And as you could guess, having a regular chronograph way down range is the main reason I don't have two functioning ones).
Doesn't seem drastically different from .22 18gr. JSB's at the same speed (just less energy from the lighter 5mm) so far as windage/trajectory...so it's likely within 5-8% of that one way or the other.
(And as you could guess, having a regular chronograph way down range is the main reason I don't have two functioning ones).
That's funny but I know it aint….
Doesn't seem drastically different from .22 18gr. JSB's at the same speed (just less energy from the lighter 5mm) so far as windage/trajectory...so it's likely within 5-8% of that one way or the other.
Good reasoning. Since there aren't many choices in .20 anyway I'll pick up a tin just for fun because I'm unable to help myself ?