Pellet Kills

[olsenjb]

Newbie here...just getting into PCP. I'm wanting a .25 and was thinking I'd definitely want to shoot slugs, but now I'm wondering if I'd be perfectly happy with pellets?

It would mostly be used for varmints (squirrels, rabbits, rock chucks, maybe occasional trash panda) and birds. It wouldn't be super long distance...but maybe stretch it out to 100 yards occasionally.

Thoughts?

 

[Franklink]

If you're keeping it to those pests and max of 100yards, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration by sticking with pellets.

 

[olsenjb]

If you're keeping it to those pests and max of 100yards, you'll save yourself a lot of frustration by sticking with pellets.

Thanks. What grain pellets would you recommend for those pests?

 

[Franklink]

Thanks. What grain pellets would you recommend for those pests?

Pellet weight will depend on the power output of the PCP you choose. The 34grain .25s made by JSB are one of the top couple "best" long range pellet options. If your gun can push em to 880-900, that would be the easy choice.

For a lower powered .25, the other good .25 pellet option is the 25.4gr, although it has a lower ballistic coefficient and won't fair as well on the 100 yard shots as the 34grainer will.

 

[Crabbypatties]

Before the 34g were even made the 25g or the 27g benjis were the best. It’s all just preference and the right variation. I have shot monster groups at 100 with the 25g! That was done indoors though so take that with a grain of salt

 

[Lastcat]

Pellets. Been there and done that recently. I have the Wildcat .30 for slugs and a .25 barrel kit for same that shoots only pellets and really well at that. The problem with 1 gun that shoots both is the power needed to push slugs. Unless you have a compressor and large bottle on the gun, slugs eat air faster than you can fill a tank. Pellets use less air.

Then it's the 1 gun you need to shoot both, it can be done, it takes adjustments to get both to shoot good from 1 gun. I gave up. There are some that shoot .22 slugs really well and the work by a few developers have made the .22 slug a success. Or if you can afford it, get 2. One for pellets and one for slugs only.

Myself and others here have found it time consuming and costly trying to find a slug to shoot well in .25. I found only a few out of maybe 10 Slugs so far and not very well as far as 50 yards goes. Search here about .25 slugs, lots of dead ends. Pellets in .25 are very accurate and easy to find and shoot to 100 yards.

I shoot .30 44.8 FX Pellets out to 100 yards at 1", same for .25 25.9 Dead Center pellets. But I only have the Wildcat. I made a few IHS and can change barrels from .30 to .25 and install my preset IHS for each. But, that's just my case. For some reason I've been eyeing an M3

 

[Chukar60]

I have two slug guns and 1 pellet shooter.
The slugs have their place. Longer ranges, flatter trajectory, increased terminal performance and way less wind drift. If you are going to be shooting a lot and in challenging conditions and need better terminal performance then slugs are worth considering. But you have to understand it is not an easy thing to achieve most of the time. finding the right slug for your gun can be challenging. Then it has to be tuned properly. It can be a lot of effort and work.
My pellet shooter is easy to tune very accurate and compact to boot. Perfect field gun for pesting in my view. I have killed Collared doves and ground squirrels with it out to 90 yards. Conditions were conducive for those shots. Light winds and known distance. Inside of 60 yards where most of my pesting shots will take place it is hard to beat a pellet shooter. You don’t need the extra FPE or terminal performance.
I don’t bother with the heavier pellets in my 25. It shoots the 25.39 JSB so well and I have no issues with it putting critters down if I place the shot properly.

 

[Gerry52]

My advice is stick with pellets at first. You might very well find there's no need to even consider slugs after finding the right pellet(s) for your gun.

 

[JimD]

46 squirrels so far with plain domed head pellets. Most have been DRT. 20 with 25s, 20 with 22s, and 6 with my one 177. No shot over 35 yards. My 25s and one of my 22s would have what I think is enough fpe at 100 yards but placing the pellet would be more of a challenge. A slug might be a little easier but not a lot. Pellets are fine with me and also see no need for "hunter" pellets.

 

[Vetmx]

To put thinks in perspective for you, I will touch on what Franklink said because it’s true. Yes a 33.95 grain .25 pellet is superior to the 25.4 grain .25 pellet. But, and this is the important part, it’s easier to find the best speed for the 25.4 grain pellet to get it close to matching the accuracy of the 33.95 at 100 yards than it ever will be to find a slug that will match the accuracy and more importantly the consistency of these pellets. I have guns that shoot the 25.4 pellet or a 27 grain pellet so well at 100 that I don’t even consider using a 33.95.

 

[olsenjb]

To put thinks in perspective for you, I will touch on what Franklink said because it’s true. Yes a 33.95 grain .25 pellet is superior to the 25.4 grain .25 pellet. But, and this is the important part, it’s easier to find the best speed for the 25.4 grain pellet to get it close to matching the accuracy of the 33.95 at 100 yards than it ever will be to find a slug that will match the accuracy and more importantly the consistency of these pellets. I have guns that shoot the 25.4 pellet or a 27 grain pellet so well at 100 that I don’t even consider using a 33.95.

So what's the argument for slugs? More energy downrange and less affected by wind?

 

[Impact701]

In my opinion slugs kill more humanely.
Because they retain more energy and expand to transfer energy more efficiently.

 

[Vetmx]

Perfect shot placement kills the most humanely. Chose the projectile that you can do it with the most consistency and you’ll have less drama. Slugs have benefits way down range because yes, they don’t bleed off energy like a pellet does. But where they start to have a definitive advantage is out where a large percentage of guys can’t get them to shoot worth a crap. If you can, you’re golden. Another misconception is wind drift. Yes they do drift less than a pellet. But everything shot from an airgun doesn’t like the wind. A slug is not a little miracle. They just do slightly better. Pellets will generally keep a guy honest about his most effective range. With slugs, we launch mortar rounds at stuff because the slug will make it there. We just have to hope it hits something. If it does, that doesn’t get deleted. It makes it to video. Like someone else said. Start with pellets and you may find that they are all you’ll ever need. If you get bitten by the slug bug, make sure your credit card has room on it. The only true argument for slugs is if you live in a location that never gets a break from the wind. I live in Pa so when it’s windy, nobody is holding a gun to my head to go shoot so I don’t. If the wind was relentless, I would rather try to curve a slug into a target or animal than a pellet. But you have to have a dialed in slug shooter first.

 

[HogKiller]

So what's the argument for slugs? More energy downrange and less affected by wind?

Ask for and you shall receive ....FX MKII, .22 with FX hybrid slugs...aka Rocky Mountain Reloading slugs, it's long but answers a ton of questions and some impressive results/tests.

Addendum, I've yet to get them to work, and it's partially because they don't stabilize in the short range I'm testing as I turns out. Also they need to be CLEANED, lots of stuff in the ends. RMR makes them for FX. Thusly cheaper.

 

[JimD]

To me there is no real argument for slugs for shots within 50 yards. If I ever want to try my luck over 100 yards I would want to find one that works in one of my guns. Their advantage is purely a little better bc. It varies by design but they may or may not expand. And if they do expand they are not going to penetrate nearly as well. You absolutely do not need expansion for well placed shots in small game even with a 177. So what's the purpose? To me it's totally a little less drop and wind drift at ranges that are pretty extreme for airguns.

I think an exit hole works better than expansion so I do not want to give up penetration for a wider hole (expansion). If you have way more fpe than you need, then you can afford to waste some on expansion you don't really need.

 

[Pfddi]

I have a Red Wolf HP .25 that I consistently shoot the JSB/FX 34 gr pellets at 100 yards for hunting. I have a Huben K1 in .25 that I use the same pellets and they do the job at 100 yards. I can shoot slugs in both, but as others have said, you get more consistency and higher shot count with the pellets. I don't shoot anything that will not be a clean kill with a single shot at that range. Simple to me - if I can't make the kill shot, then just don't take it! I have a Vulcan 3 30 that is a dedicated slug gun, but it eats air! I have a Wolverine R in 177 that I use FX 10.3gr pellets and I have no problem dropping starlings at 60 yards with it - it's just that accurate. It's all about the shot placement! And I will say that you can't practice enough for that perfect shot! Especially as time move on!

 

[Ezana4CE]

Newbie here...just getting into PCP. I'm wanting a .25 and was thinking I'd definitely want to shoot slugs, but now I'm wondering if I'd be perfectly happy with pellets?

It would mostly be used for varmints (squirrels, rabbits, rock chucks, maybe occasional trash panda) and birds. It wouldn't be super long distance...but maybe stretch it out to 100 yards occasionally.

Thoughts?

I’ve killed every animal on your list, besides rock chucks, with .25 pellets - 25 grain and 34 grain. With the right .25 air rifle and working within its effective range you should be good to go.

Mine are an EDgun Lelya 2.0 and a Brocock Bantam Sniper HR.

 

[Impact701]

Apparently you have to shoot pellets to know about shot placement.
I started shooting pellets 10 years ago.
The 1st time I went pdogg'n with pellets I knew there had to be something to make a more humane kill and extend my range.

W.I.N.D Weather In North Dakota if I didn't shoot in the wind I would hardly ever get to shoot.

In North Dakota the prairie dog towns I shoot at are hunted by guys, (me included) with centerfire rifles.

Even with a suppressor, after taking a few shots most of the prairie dogs are down under 200 yards. Making shots from 300 to 400 yards with my 204 Ruger is what I get, so 145 yards with my Impact M3 is well within the maximum range of that rifle.
At 145yards the H&N 40gr traveling at 970fps still retains 62 ftlbs of energy wich is equal to or more than any .25 caliber pellet has at the muzzle and makes a complete pass thru stopping the prairie dog in his tracks.

 

[JimD]

We don't have prairie dogs in South Carolina. But if I needed to shoot my airguns at targets of any kind 145 yards away I would want to use slugs too. But a lot of the time it's hard to see 50 yards where the animals are here. Pellets work for me but I accept others hunt in different conditions and may be better off with slugs.