Hey guys could use some help. I'm new to the sport and trying to do some research. What's the best caliber to use for plinking in the back yard up to 50-100yds? Should I use pellet or slugs?
Last edited:
Caliber Selection
- Thread starter FIDI_G
- Start date
Depends how hard you want to hit the targets. I use anything from 22 to 30 for similar purposes. Only shoot slugs (& pellets) out of the 30 calibers though.
I do enjoy smacking metal hard and a bit longer range target shooting.
If you're limited to 50 yards and really only going to be plinking you'll get the most air efficiency and cheapest ammo using 22.
I do enjoy smacking metal hard and a bit longer range target shooting.
If you're limited to 50 yards and really only going to be plinking you'll get the most air efficiency and cheapest ammo using 22.
Upvote 0
.177 or .22 with pellets will work fine. 50yds is pretty close range still. If you're in a particularly windy area or plan on doing some pest control, I would recommend. 22
Upvote 0
For 50 yard backyard duty, a .22 cal with pellets shooting somewhere in the ballpark of 20fpe to 30fpe is what I would recommend
Slugs are a finicky game...starting there would be to invite frustration and disappointment, and of little to no meaningful benefit for back yard shooting anyway.
Slugs are a finicky game...starting there would be to invite frustration and disappointment, and of little to no meaningful benefit for back yard shooting anyway.
Upvote 0
.177 @ 9 FPE or around 680 FPS would serve you well in a 50 yard back yard , HW50 would be my choice. you do not need high power , high power you have to be very careful about what is in the backfield , high power shoots through squirrels and keeps going .
Upvote 0
Inside 50 ... Back yard, Neighbors. Pass threw shots Ricochets etc ...
.177 cal by a landslide IMO !!
.177 cal by a landslide IMO !!
Upvote 0
IT baffles me to listen to the people say You Need this power and that power for a back yard . Maybe they have always lived in 3 or 5 acre lots and some day hope to move to a house with a real back yard maybe 300 yards in length ? ok rant over .
Upvote 0
While owning LOTS of air guns ... For My yard it is a 12 fpe .177 cal pcp ... accurate, quite & effective.
Upvote 0
Another vote for .177 pellets. I shoot about 100% of the time in my suburban back yard, and they work great.
Upvote 0
I would concur, you want to use the smaller calibres, 177 or 22. I personally gravitate towards 22 since it's easier to find. But 177 offers advantages in an urban setting. If you want to avoid any potential trouble with neighbours, having the energy bleed away from your shots as quickly as possible once it's out of your yard is what you want.
Upvote 0
I shoot mostly in my yard which is not huge. I am fortunate that my yard ends with a large lake, however, so if I am aiming down the lake gets the pellet if I miss the trap or backstop (which is rare). If you can arrange something like this where your projectiles will not go into other yards it is advisable. The shakier the backstop is, the more it suggests the 177 and even lower energy 177. A wooden fence should stop almost any 177 and a less than 30 fpe 22 or 25. But I higher energy 22 or 25 will go through a wood fence.
If you can solve the backstop need then it is more a question of noise. I have all my guns set up to 85db or less but it is harder the higher you get in fpe. My highest fpe is a little over 40 with a couple others in the low 30s.
I like having guns in 177, 22, and 25 but I think that 22 is the most all around caliber.
If you can solve the backstop need then it is more a question of noise. I have all my guns set up to 85db or less but it is harder the higher you get in fpe. My highest fpe is a little over 40 with a couple others in the low 30s.
I like having guns in 177, 22, and 25 but I think that 22 is the most all around caliber.
Upvote 0
I'm a fan of the .177. It's well suited for backyard suburbia, quitter, less prone to pass through, more affordable, great selection of pellets,
Upvote 0
I have a little 1/2 acre yard. I shoot .25. My target is rubber mulch filled and behind that is a wall of 4x4 boards. For besting I'm elevated and shooting down the vast majority of the time. Racoons are my main nemesis. I know people always shout at the top of their lungs, "It's all about shot placement" but the reality is you aren't always going to hit right where you aim.
Upvote 0
.177 pellets will be just fine for 50 yards, if things play ball as they should you will be making 1 hole in the paper, maybe one that slowly grown in size and get a little ragged, once you reach 1/2 - 3/4 " hole size it should stop growing in size.
With moderate power and a moderator the loudest thing will still be when the pellets land in / on what ever pellet trap you get / make.
But high power will not be much louder, pellet trap can also be a lot less loud than the generic steel pellet trap which will be "loud", so people mention rubber mulch for instance, that will be nice and quiet compared to just having a thick board or even a slab of concrete as a back stop.
A berm of sand are also pretty quiet in catching pellets and slugs, you just have to take a shovel to it now and then as it collapse as you shoot into it,,, well at least if it is a small berm up against some boards, 5 - 6 cubic feet i think will do it for a nice little sand backstop.
A .177 shooting 13 and up grain pellets or slugs, well a regular thickness fence board, it will make holes in, even if you go to a lot thicker piece of wood, well shooting the same place again and again and you soon drill a hole thru that too.
If you want to and your rifle can, you can change to slugs and push it out to 100 yards. i personally shoot ( slugs ) 75 M with my .177 and 100 or more M when i feel for that once in a while.
You can also up the power if the rifle allow for that, pout in a 16 grain pellet like the JSB Beast, and you will be able to drop fairly big things just fine.
10 . 13 grain are about the middle weights, though 13 grain are called heavy, the lightest stuff are around 7 grain, personally i favor 13 grain in pellets and slugs which i mainly shoot.
The heavy 10.34 grain and 13.43 grain monster redesigns, they will also fairly accurate ( no wind ) shoot longer distances. At least if the rifle are good, the shooter are good, and the setup too, you can dial a adjustable rifle to a place where you can barely hit a barn door, and opposite tweak a little and maybe gain 1/2 - 1" in accuracy.
The heaviest slugs are 20 grain in .177 caliber, shoot them at high speed ( 1000 FPS ) and you are up around 50 food pounds, which is more than my 2012 .22 FX Cyclone rifle will do with the 15 - 18 grain i mainly shoot with that one.
If the wind are not bad, i have no problem keeping 95% of my shots on a 2" shoot and see splatter target, and i will take shots at flies that land on the target too, and thats at 75M / 80 yards or so, or longer distances ( 100 yards = 91 Meters as i recall )
If your rifle are not adjustable, well get a tin of every relevant pellet, and you will soon find out what pellets your rifle like, and what ones it absolutely DO NOT like, thats the old fashioned adjusting for accuracy,,,,, finding that one good pellet, and then just shoot those and be happy.
With moderate power and a moderator the loudest thing will still be when the pellets land in / on what ever pellet trap you get / make.
But high power will not be much louder, pellet trap can also be a lot less loud than the generic steel pellet trap which will be "loud", so people mention rubber mulch for instance, that will be nice and quiet compared to just having a thick board or even a slab of concrete as a back stop.
A berm of sand are also pretty quiet in catching pellets and slugs, you just have to take a shovel to it now and then as it collapse as you shoot into it,,, well at least if it is a small berm up against some boards, 5 - 6 cubic feet i think will do it for a nice little sand backstop.
A .177 shooting 13 and up grain pellets or slugs, well a regular thickness fence board, it will make holes in, even if you go to a lot thicker piece of wood, well shooting the same place again and again and you soon drill a hole thru that too.
If you want to and your rifle can, you can change to slugs and push it out to 100 yards. i personally shoot ( slugs ) 75 M with my .177 and 100 or more M when i feel for that once in a while.
You can also up the power if the rifle allow for that, pout in a 16 grain pellet like the JSB Beast, and you will be able to drop fairly big things just fine.
10 . 13 grain are about the middle weights, though 13 grain are called heavy, the lightest stuff are around 7 grain, personally i favor 13 grain in pellets and slugs which i mainly shoot.
The heavy 10.34 grain and 13.43 grain monster redesigns, they will also fairly accurate ( no wind ) shoot longer distances. At least if the rifle are good, the shooter are good, and the setup too, you can dial a adjustable rifle to a place where you can barely hit a barn door, and opposite tweak a little and maybe gain 1/2 - 1" in accuracy.
The heaviest slugs are 20 grain in .177 caliber, shoot them at high speed ( 1000 FPS ) and you are up around 50 food pounds, which is more than my 2012 .22 FX Cyclone rifle will do with the 15 - 18 grain i mainly shoot with that one.
If the wind are not bad, i have no problem keeping 95% of my shots on a 2" shoot and see splatter target, and i will take shots at flies that land on the target too, and thats at 75M / 80 yards or so, or longer distances ( 100 yards = 91 Meters as i recall )
If your rifle are not adjustable, well get a tin of every relevant pellet, and you will soon find out what pellets your rifle like, and what ones it absolutely DO NOT like, thats the old fashioned adjusting for accuracy,,,,, finding that one good pellet, and then just shoot those and be happy.
Last edited:
Upvote 0
