When I was a kid, shooting airguns
at tin cans and
plinking targets, I never gave a second thought to what kind of
pellets I was using for ammunition. Heck, I’d have used rocks if
they’d have fired out the barrel! And that’s still an understandable
mindset for young shooters these days, even though there are a lot
more options when it comes to pellets. For older and more serious
airgun enthusiasts, the ammo you put into your pellet gun can make a
surprisingly big difference in terms of accuracy and distance. Here
are a few of your options.
Caliber
Pellets generally come in three calibers: .177,
.20,
and .22. Larger sizes are available, but typically only for
competition-level shooters or specialty airguns. Virtually any pellet
gun sold today will fire .177 rounds, and many will take all three
sizes, but you should check before you buy the airgun you’ve got your
eye on. Generally, the larger ammunition will reduce muzzle velocity,
but will make a larger impact on the target. (Less distance, more
oomph!)
Design
There are many styles of pellets these days…more than you would
probably imagine. While some are specifically made for one particular
pellet gun (usually for world-class shooters who compete), The vast
majority can be fired from any standard airgun.
There are four standard designs of
pellets. The first is the Round Nose design. This ammunition works
well in just about any type of pellet gun as a multi-purpose
projectile.
Beeman 'Ram Jet'' Round
Nose Pellet
Pellets made with a Pointed leading
end are a great choice for those who use a pellet gun for long-range
shooting. They are also often preferred by hunters seeking maximum
penetration into the game’s body.
Gamo Magnum
Pointed Pellet
Wadcutter pellets are designed for
target shooters who want to improve their scores with a pellet gun.
They feature a flat, sharp leading edge, which cuts a nice clean hole
in paper targets.
Crosman Wadcutter Pellet
Finally, hunters love Hollow Point
pellets! When fired from a pellet gun capable of high muzzle velocity, this
ammunition expands on impact, causing much more destruction inside the
target animal. Note: this ammo is probably not worth the expense for uses
other than hunting or pest killing, and will not work as designed in a
slower airgun (less than 500 fps).
H&N Smooth
Hollow Point Pellet
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