It goes here _______SLUGS?

Because pellets don't expand like slugs...well...they could if you got the fps up high enough but then they don't fly as well as slugs at higher velocity

Goofing around is one thing and getting serious is another.......All I gotta say is don't bring a pellet to a slug fight/ or knife to a gun fight.

Well one aspect is less wind drift because a slug usually has a higher BC. The windier it is the more chance you'll hit what you're aiming at using a slug vs a pellet. I've experienced this first hand at our UFT matches.
If for example Mike N shot his guns and slugs, against his guns and pellets, closer than 50Y, the former would rarely score less than the latter. BTW he calls his slug guns exactly that.

Wind also affects the vertical component, this affect works against pellets more than it does slugs.

There's also arrival velocity at distance which means more retained energy for slugs vs pellets which shed velocity quickly. The shed of velocity aspect for pellets can of course can be desirable in certain situations.

Another is expansion when used for hunting which can help secure a more humane kill rather than a wound. A hollow point slug for example.

Some slugs can exhibit more precision than pellets. Especially swaged or lathe turned slugs. Ever opened a tin of pellets that were all bent up? So far I haven't opened a container of slugs that weren't in great shape.

Shorter slugs can work well in slower twist barrels but it can take time, money, and energy, figuring it all out.

But yes it'd be nice to know if a gun and barrel is specifically designed around a particular slug, or slugs!

All that being said I goof around with pellets inside 50Y more often than I do with slugs because I use my least powerful guns which do fine with pellets and were designed to shoot them. These are mostly 5.5 fpe to 32 fpe and the 22 cal 32 fpe has a smooth twist barrel in it.

airgunmike56 said:

Pistol,,Rifles I don't care , If your goofing around why shoot a slug under 50 yards? A pellets will do better in everything,, 100 yards pretty well the same,,, Past that and ya You better break the slugs out .. Not down on slugs I think more factory's will make SLUG guns , and the tide will turn, Slugs 1st and pellets might shoot well, I think there has to be a separation of the two.. Slug gun, no pellets designed as a SLUG gun, We need this/
Mike

Click to expand...

@airgunmike56 I don't tend to goof around with airguns. I shoot slugs because I can and I prefer put a slug in certain animals. I've hunted hogs, coyotes, and beaver with airguns. Airguns aren't always the most effective tool for the job, but what you use is a personal choice. Just as the projectile we select. None of these are small animals and I've been within 3-20 yards of these animals at one time or another; with hogs on more than 1 or 2 occasions. Considering that I can make my own slugs, I'm also interesting in seeing how they perform beyond paper versus slugs I've purchased or pellets. It's not like I'm out here trying to blow the head off a gray squirrel with a tanerite laced pellet for the fun factor. For me and my squirrel hunting, domed pellets are fine when shooting from close to medium range.

Different abilities, terrain, and circumstances call for different methods. You can watch YouTube and see guys killing coyotes and hog with pellets. I wouldn't set out to do that intentionally under circumstances that are normal for me, although I have shot at both with pellets. I know I hit a hog with a pellet. I think I missed the coyote and I was shooting at it offhand while it was on the run at night. Either way, both times I used what I had on me. I was out hunting something else when I came across these animals. If I were intentionally after these animals, I'd have had larger caliber rifles and loaded them with slugs.

airgunmike56 said:

Pistol,,Rifles I don't care , If your goofing around why shoot a slug under 50 yards? A pellets will do better in everything,, 100 yards pretty well the same,,, Past that and ya You better break the slugs out .. Not down on slugs I think more factory's will make SLUG guns , and the tide will turn, Slugs 1st and pellets might shoot well, I think there has to be a separation of the two.. Slug gun, no pellets designed as a SLUG gun, We need this/
Mike

Click to expand...

In the above, 50Y maybe, although watch this year who wins the 50M unlimited World Championships in Finland. My money is on the slugs.
And at 100Y, fugettaboutit. Slugs will dominate pellets at 100Y in almost all conditions. When we shot at the Oregon EFT GP and EBR last year, there was a 100Y pellet and 100Y slug competition. For the top 5 finalists in both, the slug scores were about 15 points higher on average than the pellet scores.
The slugs we’re shooting today aren’t your grandfather’s slugs….

If you are only shooting short range, maybe the reason to not shoot or care about slugs is safety. At least I hope so. If where you shoot is safe to do so with a .22lr, then slug away. I certainly don’t want people in my parents neighborhood jumping on a slug bandwagon. I hope every old dude there stays in love with pellets forever.

Vetmx said:

If you are only shooting short range, maybe the reason to not shoot or care about slugs is safety. At least I hope so. If where you shoot is safe to do so with a .22lr, then slug away. I certainly don’t want people in my parents neighborhood jumping on a slug bandwagon. I hope every old dude there stays in love with pellets forever.

Click to expand...

Or BBs.

Slugs in my Delta Wolf make the action rediculously smooth. With pellets i feel a bump with every one going in the chamber. With one mag of the 2 the feel is less, but with slugs, I cant even tell a magazine is in it.

What about large volume shooters group - training and practising scores - this of course not included in hunters mind ???
Lets talk about at least 1K shots a month, or per say 500 shots for average week.... 50 or 100 meter/yards rings...
Pellets or slugs?

airgunmike56 said:

I may rethink, My thinking, Looking for a slug barrel now for my Prophet I or II
Thanks lots of good points # I point, the new slugs are better than the old ones ..
Mike

Click to expand...

Mike, Airgun Heaven has the RPB 600mm barrels for $255

airgunmike56 said:

Scotty,
Thanks, but A-H has been sold out of the RPB 22 caliber for a long time,,
Mike

Click to expand...

Did you check with Tony, or Airguns of Arizona?

Slugs have changed so much over the last three years or so. Used to be you had to find “the” slug that performed best in your gun.
These days I can get my FX liners to shoot any number of slugs very well.
At the rate they are improving, in a couple more years you wont be able to say pellets shot better within 50 yards.

I use the jsb KOs 10.03gr in my .177 Vet for pesting . Excellent expansion and energy transfer. I pay $16 for 500 . Most of my shots are under 50y .

I recently acquired a Taipan Vet 2 700mm in .22. It is tuned to shoot H&N .218 (25gr) at 940-950fps. They are absolutely fantastic. My max hunting/pesting range in my backyard is 50yrds. I could have used pellets but these slugs are flying flat and put down 50fpe. At 50 yds I can cover a 5 shot group with a penny. I really dont have much hold over if I stretch out the range. I love that part/aspect of the slugs. Another thing is that a lot of times i have to shoot at steep angles , i.e 25-30 degree up or down and the slugs dont require much hold under/over. This allows me to focus on getting the job done (pest control). My other gun is a .30 cal Fx Wildcat 3, it shoots 45gr JTS extremely well but long range do not retain energy like the slugs. Both guns and pellet/slug combo work great in their own regard. However, after shooting slugs out of my Taipan, I dont see myself going back to pellets. My .02 cents

I've tried slugs in all my pcps, I think, but only found a couple that seem to shoot them reasonably well. I got my Caiman X last year. In the initial cleaning I noticed a significant choke and thought that meant it wouldn't shoot slugs well. A few days ago I tested that assumption and it isn't valid. I had 21 and 25 grain H&N slugs on hand and both shot decently at the tune for my 18 grain pellets. 5 shot groups at 30 yards were 3/8 to 9/16 inch. Pellets shoot better but I need to raise the regulator and shoot them faster and see what happens. I also got a H&n assortment of slugs.

My other favorable very recent experience is with my P35-177 and 12.5 grain Nielsen slugs. Others reported good experience with knockouts in their bullsharks and I tried them and they shot horribly in my gun. I got a box of the little Nielsens yesterday and shot one group even though it is really cold here. The POI was very low and a little left but the 4 holes I found were less than half an inch apart. More testing needed but not in this weather unless I get really bored.

Not sure what I will do with them but my initial thought is to set the Caiman up for slugs but change the P35 back to pellets. I like the 177 for backyard pesting and would have to be very careful with slugs. I might experiment a little but I will probably use mostly pellets in that gun.

I have a rare one. A break barrel that slings 14 grain slugs @ 860fps
10 shots 15 yards. Standing using tripod for support. If it ever warms up. I’ll get outside and see how it does at 50 yards