Best Hunting Pellets For .177

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Just wondering what you guys think!

When I get my shipment of pellets I want to test them to see the terminal expansion and killing power of each, so I was thinking that the best way to do this was to use either a potato or an apple, then I can review the damage for myself, then I can inspect and know the internal damage the pellet will produce. Make sense? Thanks guys! :eek:)
 
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Personally I think that would be wasting time but if you want to see go for it. I have shot many birds with my 11 fpe .177 using AA fields which are domed pellets out to 50+ yds and the birds just drop when hit properly so to me it doesnt matter what it does to the apple or potato I am more concerned with the accuracy because experience shows me that having the accuracy to put that domed pellet in the right spot drops them in their tracks every time.
 
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I live in MT and I to hunt big game and want shock delivered to big game animals I hunt but you seem to be missing the point. You are using an airgun on small game not elk. Airguns just dont cause the large amount of shock you get with cartridges designed for elk and moose. As I stated I use domed pellets exclusively for shooting pests and small game I hunt because they give me the best accuracy and they dont expand much. Accuracy is what airguns are about for cleanly taking game.

Here is a pic of a .25 JSB king from a pcp shooting 44 fpe taken out of the head of a rock chuck that was shot at 79 yds. The pellet stopped just under the hide on the off side of the head. That pellet went thru allot of bone and muscle and thats all it expanded.


Here is a video of a starling I shot with my pcp shooting 11 fpe at the muzzle with AA diablo field pellets. The distance is 49 yds and shows what people have been trying to tell you in this thread about shot placement and the reaction of the bird which is stopped dead in its tracks with very low power and domed pellets. At that power level I highly doubt that pellet deformed at all but the pellet was placed exactly where it needed to be and the result speaks for itself.
You can get on youtube and find allot of videos that show the exact same result with low power using domed pellets. Accuracy and shot placement for airguns are the two most important things for effective airgun hunting/pesting not terminal shock. These results are not obtained by high shock applied with the pellet but instead by getting the pellet to the spot it needs to be. Dont get me wrong if you can find a pellet that shoots accurately at the distance needed and it applied large amounts of shock then by all means use it but I think you are going to find that its not that easy to do using the power level you are talking about. So you need accuracy to get a clean kill.

So what I am trying to say is pick the most accurate pellet not the pellet you think is giving you more terminal performance on an apple.
 
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I don't think anyone has mentioned how to properly bench rest a springer yet. Take a look at the shooting portion of the following video. Notice where he is resting on the front bag and that he is NOT using a rear rest. A rear rest with a powerful springer is almost always an accuracy killer as it will move the butt around during forward recoil.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_4ZDVKuZOsk

I use the same popular Caldwell front bag in that video, but I put a towel over it to reduce friction and rest the gun directly on it. Similar idea - no rear rest and a front rest that is soft and lets the gun move forward easily. Here is a great example of the idea taken to an extreme:

Paint roller front rest - http://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=26910.0

I had a Nitro Venom and similar accuracy desires as you (1" @50yds). The Nitro Venom lasted a couple weeks and I returned it for a Marauder (PCP). This is a most difficult endeavor and I wish you the best of luck. That kind of springer accuracy is typically only seen in the high end makes/models, and usually at a lower power level.
 
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What I do know for sure at this time is that I wish I was talking to somebody that knew what they were talking about at the gun counter when I purchased this .177, because if I did they would have recommended a .22 instead of the .177 that I bought. Knowing what I know now after a week of research and with your kind peoples advise and suggestions I would have definitely bought a .22!

I was watching a video last week that demonstrated the different expansions between various pellets into soft clay, that is when I realized that not all pellets have the same amount of devastating terminal effect.

This is the video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y__Q_Zfzoqg

I am looking forward to doing my own research on the pellets I ordered and if I do not like the results, I am most likely going to purchase a .22, even though I did not want 2 pellet guns lol.

I have been doing all of my sighting in freehand with the Artillery Hold, time to buy a bean bag to rest my hand on, just like the video TDK posted. Thanks for the suggestions and help guys :eek:)



 
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BumbleB.

I can hear the exasperation in some of the posts as you repeat your mantra about hydrostatic shock without appearing to acknowledge the importance of shot placement when shooting .177.

I was going to say "the best pellet is the one you can repeatedly hit the kill zone with", but LDP has spent a lot time giving you the explanation behind that sentiment.

Can I suggest you look at the 'shot placement on small game' video on the AirArmsHuntingSA YouTube channel.

Regard .22 - it is no magic panacea, a well placed .177 will kill, a poorly placed .177 or .22 will maim.
 
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I hear you Zephyr,

I have been hunting since I was nine. I hunt with a bow as well as high powered rifles and have taken over 100 deer and over 10 moose, not to mention the hundreds of geese and ducks and hundreds of birds I killed with my pellet gun when I was between the ages of 9 to 12.

I only gave up my pellet gun when I discovered that I like girls, then my hunting preferences shifted from Starlings to Darlings lol. 

Being a dedicated bow hunter, I am completely aware of shot placement, same goes with rifles. I also know that some broad heads are better then others as are different types of bullets for high powered calibers.

As mentioned, when I receive the pellets I ordered yesterday, I will discover two things:

1. Which pellet my rifle prefers and shoots the most accurately
2. Which pellet will provide the deadliest terminal effect.

After my testing then I will practice, practice, practice until I can shoot very well out to 50 yards. That is my goal anyway :eek:)

 
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OK, so this is what I did.

​I went to a site in Canada that sold pellets to see if I could find a variety pack after watching the video comparing pellets and could not find one. So after watching the videos I did and then speaking to the support rep I ordered the following pellets, with shipping included it cost $74.00 Cnd.

Crosman Hollow Point
H&N Barracuda Hunter 10.43 gr
JSB Exact Diabolo 8.44 gr
Air Arms Diabolo Field Heavy 10.3 gr
Predator Polymags 8.4 gr
Crosman Super Point (Already had them, since I bought them when I bought the rifle)

​I received my shipment on Saturday and yesterday I shot all pellets. Out of the pellets I purchased the Air Arms Diabolo Field Heavy 10.3 gr. and the JSB Exact Diabolo 8.44 gr. were by far the most accurate, with the Diabolo being the most accurate.

​Out of these pellets, which were both hitting the target within a 1 inch circle (freehand Artillery Hold), the Diabolos were grouping under 1/2" and most pellets were hitting the hole made by other pellets. Because the Diabolo are heavier and I will be using them to shoot pests, grouse and rabbits I zeroed my scope in at 10 yards using these pellets. I am really happy I did the research I did and that I joined Air Gun Nation, otherwise I would not be where I am at now, which is happy! Today I will shoot a couple of Magpies and see what happens! hehe

​Another question I have for you guys is: What range do you zero your rifles in? I zero my high power rifles in at 200 yards, but I do not know what the best range to zero a .177 cal. is?

​Thanks guys! :eek:)



 
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