Good morning. I hunt here in NWA. I shoot an airacuda max 25cal. And it really likes 32gr h&n hollow point slugs, and the fx hybrid. The h&n pass through on squirrels and waste to much meat. The fx don’t they dump all energy ,and haven’t had pass through yet. Was wondering if any other slugs that perform like the fx? I also got the barracuda Hunter extremes pellets. And tried them. They did good as long as head shot. But when taking body shot squirrel could still travel too far. Where I hunt is very thick. So slugs work a lot better for me. Drops them even with shoulder shot. Any info is appreciated thanks.
Over penetration
- Thread starter Airgunner79
- Start date
The target has more influence on expansion than the pellet. A pass through means you didn't hit bone or solid mass. A retained pellet means you did.
Some projectiles may deliver more force to the target provided it meets the same resistance. But therin lies the problem.
Hit them in the shoulder bones and it will stop the animal right there. Hit them in the chest with no bones and you get a pass through and they run a few seconds.
You aren't going to get expansion or energy dump with any projectile unless you hit something solid to cause it. The biggest difference is not pellet type but where the shot hits them and how much resistance the projectile encounters.
A squirrel is light and has no body mass. Any pellet will perform poorly unless you hit something solid. Any pellet will deliver its energy if it meets resistance. The same projectile will behave completely differently depending on where you hit a tiny critter.
A squirrel clinging to a tree will cause more resistance than a squirrel standing on dirt. A squirrel with his body weight on his front legs will get hit harder than a squirrel standing up on his rear legs. The variability in the resistance of your target makes more difference than the shape of pellet you are shooting. Unless all factors at the target are equal it would be very difficult to measure the difference in pellet performance between types of pellets.
Some projectiles may deliver more force to the target provided it meets the same resistance. But therin lies the problem.
Hit them in the shoulder bones and it will stop the animal right there. Hit them in the chest with no bones and you get a pass through and they run a few seconds.
You aren't going to get expansion or energy dump with any projectile unless you hit something solid to cause it. The biggest difference is not pellet type but where the shot hits them and how much resistance the projectile encounters.
A squirrel is light and has no body mass. Any pellet will perform poorly unless you hit something solid. Any pellet will deliver its energy if it meets resistance. The same projectile will behave completely differently depending on where you hit a tiny critter.
A squirrel clinging to a tree will cause more resistance than a squirrel standing on dirt. A squirrel with his body weight on his front legs will get hit harder than a squirrel standing up on his rear legs. The variability in the resistance of your target makes more difference than the shape of pellet you are shooting. Unless all factors at the target are equal it would be very difficult to measure the difference in pellet performance between types of pellets.
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As far as slugs go, H&N are on the harder side of slugs. Their improved HP design allows for a perfect balance of expansion and penetration. If you're looking for maximum energy dump at low and high velocities with maximum expansion and as little pass through, my #1 recommendation is Varmint Knockers XLHP slugs which you can find on ebay the lighest slugs is a 30gr and the heaviest is a 47gr round BT.
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I've never had a problem with DRT results with simple domed pellets as long as it was either a side to side chest shot or a brain shot (or neck shot, I treat them the same because the animal reacts about the same). I've used 17-18 fpe 177 and 22, 32 fpe 22, 32 fpe 25, and 40 fpe 25. The under 20 fpe guns typically do not exit and the animal may take a step or two before dropping. With the more powerful guns, it might take a second or two but they just drop. Only exception was two front of chest shots with the 32 fpe 25. The pellet ended up under the hide in the rear but the squirrels ran 10-15 feet. The only other shot with that gun that did not exit was a shoulder to shoulder shot. The squirrel dropped immediately. I'm at about 60 squirrels with the various PCPs.
I make sure I am shooting in a safe direction and I don't worry about the projectile exiting. It will not have nearly as much energy if it goes through the squirrel. Misses are more dangerous. I think having an exit hole helps them bleed out quicker.
I make sure I am shooting in a safe direction and I don't worry about the projectile exiting. It will not have nearly as much energy if it goes through the squirrel. Misses are more dangerous. I think having an exit hole helps them bleed out quicker.
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I agree with the FX Hybrid slug and H&N slug II performance, but I don't know if I buy the waste too much meat argument.
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Thank for all info, I’m learning a lot. I’m pretty new to the pcp world. If what I,ve seen so far. the h&n shoulder to shoulder to shoulder. When I’ve tried to skin the animal, the exit shoulder was coming off with the skin. To me that is wasting meat. When I can use the fx slugs. They stay inside chest cavity. Like I said, I’m pretty new to the small caliber stuff.. this is what I observed. And I would definitely try the varmint knockers. Thanks!
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