Advice needed on caliber selection

I think 22 cal is the most versatile 14 gr pellets to 34 gr pellets heavy slugs as well
But for some reason I keep going back to 25 cal 34 gr pellet which shoots well and hits hard

First thing find out what calibers lead free projectiles are available in and what availability looks like. Lead free ammo is’t exactly mainstream

Lead free 177 or 22 would be probably the easiest

Just use a few pellet traps, then it doesnt matter what pellet. Lead is always cheaper than the lead free.

Id check with pyramyd air and see what kinda lead free ammo they have and if you want more than a 22 I would go 25 depending on ammo weights hopefully they are 25 gr or heavier and I would tune to around 900 fps depending on ammo

I personally prefer .25. I hunt mainly & mostly. The difference in terminal power, ability to cut through wind & brush & the stopping power on prey compared to a .22 is obvious to me every time I'm out. A .25's bark is easy to quiet too if it even needs additional sound dampening.

Scotay42 said:

Just use a few pellet traps, then it doesnt matter what pellet. Lead is always cheaper than the lead free.

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I’m with him on this. A cardboard box filled with old clothing is the cheapest. I use rubber mulch in storage containers. I’ve been know to fill Amazon boxes with rubber mulch and repeatedly duct tape thre box when it wears out. 5” tape makes for a quick refresh.


I’d do this. I’ve tried @HN Sport and JSB GTO’s in all the rifles I’ve owned, and that’s over twenty now, and I can say two of those rifles shot them acceptable for my use (dime size at 20 yards repeatedly)
And in those rifles there was a lead pellet that grouped better.
There are a lot of recommendations about entry rifles. You really can’t go wrong with a Notos and a couple Maple or Carm 12 round mags. I keep a Notos to loan out to friends interested in PCP. I can hand them a Notos, a hand pump, and a tin of pellets. The last guy bought his own Notos

If you are simply going to only target shoot you don’t necessarily need to go lead free. Just build yourself some rubber mulch target traps and shoot into those. Then you can have myriad choices of pellets to shoot… Good luck in your endeavor…

If you're just target shooting .22 caliber pellets are economical and practical to shoot out to 75-80 yards without a problem, 100 yards is doable in good conditions.

If most of your shooting is out to 100-150 yards then I'd lean towards the .25, beyond that, .30.

As others have suggested, setup a target box and recycle the lead. I make fishing jig and sinkers from my scrap lead.

Cheers!

While trying to find a preferred .22 pellet for a nitro-piston break barrel bought an H&N Sampler pack. All going well until lead-free, loud sonic crack (like a .22 long rifle) pellet disappearing into the unknown. Since firearm discharge prohibited in neighborhood, a few came to their windows to investigate. Needless to say, last I ever used lead-free. WM

Lead free pellets are an utter joke, a waste of time which will end in disappointment. Do as others suggest shoot quality lead pellets into a rubber mulch trap and problem solved.

dasenahk said:

Thank you for all the replies. When I compare weights of lead pellets and lead free pellets, it seems that going up by one in caliber gets you the same mass. For example, lead free 0.25 pellets are as heavy as 0.22 lead pellets. So I think I'll go for a 0.25 cal, since my original plan was to shoot 0.22. This way, hopefully, even if I go lead free, the weight of the pellet will be the same as that of a normal lead 0.22 pellet. That's my noobie level analysis - let's hope it works !

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As you go up in caliber, airgun designs ramp up power to handle heavier projectiles. My .25 is more powerful than my .22, .30 caliber more powerful than .25. A pump style airgun (Crosman 760) that offers various power levels depending on pumps or an English power-restricted 12 FPE airgun would be ones I'd consider for sub-sonic use of lead-free ammo. WM

As long you don't care about accuracy you can go lead free. Less mess and less fuss, a Big Bang Pellet trap will work fine and are quite well, not the cheapest thing in town but, quiet and no need of rubber mulch, easy disposal of the lead. You didn't give the distance you want to shoot, that is going to really give you the caliber, you can do 100 yards with a .22, but IMHO a .25 is a bit easier.

dasenahk said:

Distance will be 100 yards. Thank you.

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600 mm barrel .22 will do it, if you want a challenge go with a 500mm barrel. Get a good moderator, I'm a big Donny FL fan. I also like AEA pellets...A LOT, check them out on this forum.

I would forget an air rifle and buy a nice bow instead. Lead free pellets will not be fun especially at 100yds.