I am thinking of the Panthera 500 for next summer and getting it as a hunting gun. I know this is a PRS rifle but I feel like the Panthera 500 would be a great gun for hunting to ranges to 150 yards or even more. Do you think the Panthera 500 would be the best for hunting between the three models or a different gun all together?
Best version of the FX Panthera for hunting.
- Thread starter Tonyo155
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Hitting the killing zone on an airgun appropriate animal at 150 yards and over is rather challenging . Imagine an average killing zone of 1 inch in a hunting situation……. My advice is not to even try unless you don’t mind sending wounded animals into the fields/air . advice……when you are not sure you can hit a dime for a given shot….DON’T SHOOT !
Don’t be ”fooled” by alle the “bulseye” long range shots on the internet.
Don’t be ”fooled” by alle the “bulseye” long range shots on the internet.
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Yep, I agree with this.
I am primarily a target shooter. I work to get all my air rifles shooting 9 of 10 shots on a dime sized target consistently - at a given distance. I would not shoot animals at ranges farther than the distance I can hit 9/10.
I’m interested in the Panthera 500 as a target PELLET gun. My understanding is that the 500 does NOT have the liner wrapped in carbon fiber - the 600 and 700 do. (Which is unfortunate, but hopefully their new “plenum stiffener” solution negates the need for the carbon fiber - but top third of the barrel could still suffer harmonic whip).
When compared to every rifle that I’ve owned or used, I think the 600 and 700 would become an unwieldy length when you add a 6 inch moderator.
I would actually prefer having the 500 with a 600 shroud, and then use baffles in the shroud instead of a moderator, that would be great.
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Because its a precision target rifle - and I’m a target shooter.
The 500 comes with a pellet liner.
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Technically, its not a pellet liner, its a liner designed for a certain grain weight. For example, you wouldn't shoot FX hybrids out of a heavy liner.
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Technically, it's the standard superior so yes it shoots pellets very well. It's not a slug only liner or anything.
"Panthera 500 uses the standard FX Superior STX barrel liner that shoots both pellets and light weight slugs."
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Is a replied to your comment on the other post
"There is no "hunting" version.
In the video he was shooting the 700mm at 1000 fps with 34 grain, at 150 yards thats still 45 fpe , however with such a light projectile theres a lot that can affect it at the 740ish fps its traveling at 150. The 500 on the same settings would likely (guestimate) be shooting those same slugs around 925ish fps..... with 6mph wind at any spot thats 6 inches of movement and it has 47 inches of drop... I am not saying people can't do it I just think that with hunting first shot placement is 100% key , when hunting this isn't paper where you can take a sighter."
No blame to FX here but I knew this would happen, the dreamers come out. You want to do long range on an animal, buy a .270 PB
"There is no "hunting" version.
In the video he was shooting the 700mm at 1000 fps with 34 grain, at 150 yards thats still 45 fpe , however with such a light projectile theres a lot that can affect it at the 740ish fps its traveling at 150. The 500 on the same settings would likely (guestimate) be shooting those same slugs around 925ish fps..... with 6mph wind at any spot thats 6 inches of movement and it has 47 inches of drop... I am not saying people can't do it I just think that with hunting first shot placement is 100% key , when hunting this isn't paper where you can take a sighter."
No blame to FX here but I knew this would happen, the dreamers come out. You want to do long range on an animal, buy a .270 PB
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Shot placement is a key aspect for hunting with air rifles. The possibility of achieving a good shot with an air rifle is adversely proportional to the increase of the distance the target is at.
That is (unfortunately) a fu.....ing unbeatable fact !!!!
That is (unfortunately) a fu.....ing unbeatable fact !!!!
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long range hunting with an air gun makes good YT content when heavily edited, but Emu has boiled it down to the essence of facts.
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It depends on what you are trying to hunt and the group size and accuracy you can achieve with the gun and ammo combo. At 150 yards pellets are completely out of question even in 30 cal, a tiny puff of wind would throw it off plus amount of energy left is too low. If you shoot slugs on the other hand the equation completely changes and 150 yards 1.5-2 inch group is very normal and easily achieved and usually good enough for hunting given the amount of emergy left with slugs.
I think the Panthera would make a great hunting rifle, plus eventually you should be able to change to superior heavy barrel so you can shoot heavier slugs which perform even better in the wind. I've hunted with my impact at 160 yards and even the little 23 grain .22 slugs are devastating both in accuracy and power. Maybe this spring I'll do some long range ground squirrel hunts with mine except I'm planning on shooting 35 grain slugs at 1000fps, it will have more power at 200 yards than most people's airguns at muzzle.
I think the Panthera would make a great hunting rifle, plus eventually you should be able to change to superior heavy barrel so you can shoot heavier slugs which perform even better in the wind. I've hunted with my impact at 160 yards and even the little 23 grain .22 slugs are devastating both in accuracy and power. Maybe this spring I'll do some long range ground squirrel hunts with mine except I'm planning on shooting 35 grain slugs at 1000fps, it will have more power at 200 yards than most people's airguns at muzzle.
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Its rather disturbing if ppl think shooting animals at those distances is ok. Even if you would reach 22LR speeds and ballistics that you wont and that aint even amazing even on airgun standards it still would be equivalent of casually hunting animals at 450yrds with 308win with drops and drift but fraction of the energy. Its a bloody no brainer with drops and drifts that massive you only end up wounding alot of animals and your recovery rate is next to nothing. Just disgusting....
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Well, do you think it is disgusting for people who hunt at 50 yard that don't know their drop and wind drift and can’t keep within the 2 inch kill zone? Maybe you should try field target first and ridicule everyone who can’t shoot 90% or higher. Most competitors in higher power HFT class can’t consistently shoot 90% let along most average shooters. If following the internet trend of imposing my opinion over everyone else I say no one gets to hunt until they can shoot at least 80% on a FT course 3 times!
Obviously at that distances there are more challenges and requires more skills but the misses at that distance are so wide(we are talking in feet) if you don’t know what you are doing! It’s a far better/ethical/clean miss at 150 yards than most people’s bad shots at 50 yards if you really want to talk about ethics! All you nay sayers are talking as if you only miss by half an inch at 150 yards. How many of you can even spot your POI or even consistently stay on paper at 150 yards on first shot? A clueless airgun hunter at 150+ yards is the most humane/ethical hunter ever!
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That is roughly what was shown with the panthera 700mm, at 200 yards that 35 gr slug you are going to shoot is at 39 fpe, 10 mph wind drift would cause 22 inch of drift at 200 yards and you 90 inches of drop....
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This is a very good point, 100% ... but the other good point is the person compensating for the drift and drop allows for a lot more human error than shooting at 50 yards, imagine them missing drastically, then trying to compensate for it and missing again but now hitting the animal but not within the zone. If I can't hit what I am shooting at at 50 yards I simply don't belong behind the scope of that weapon shooting at a living creature, plain and simple in my opinion.
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Best version in my opinion is still an Impact M3. I dont think the Panthera offers any real benefit over the Impact for hunting, and in fact it has some cons when compared. Very low shot count, much longer oal, less power etc. If your goal is hunting "150 yards or even more" I would advise you to look at other options. The 500mm version is going to be the worst choice as it will have even less velocity and still be longer than a 700mm Impact.
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Here is my two cents. There is a range I would try headshots at and then heart/lung shots. Headshots not much more than 75 yards. Body shots though probably 100-125 yards. It gets harder with hunting animals for meat but I can do it. When I lived in Oregon I had a target ranges with all sorts of targets. From 1 foot circles to 1 inch disc spinners. Guess how far the spinners were. 75 yards. I am very confident in my shooting. Yes I was way too excited and put that far of a distance now. But you guys need to learn that you don't know who there talking too. I could be a newbie I could be a very good veteran. Now I am a newbie but I have been shooting since I was three so I know how to shoot past 100 yards with a .22lr. Heck I took a bull elk at 450 yards while he was running. How? I know how to shoot and shoot well. Now I understand that air rifle particularly slug guns are different but not that much from .22lr.
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Thats a really good point, because they will never hit anything. All the animals are safe rofl
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I like the M3 but it is very expensive. Difference between that and the Panthera is that you are going to need upgrades for the M3. Panthera you don't unless you shoot match.
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Even with the recent leaps forward air slugs are still a far cry from 22lr. And those of us from the PB world all agree the 22lr is severely limited when compared to even tiny centerfires.
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