so i was thumbing though a website looking for .25 pellets when i ran across some slugs. would someone be so kind as to fill me in? can i shoot them out of a stock marauder? pro's vs. cons? what are the benefits and the drawbacks?
slugs?
- Thread starter bongfoo
- Start date
Slugs are generally heavier than pellets. They also have a higher ballistic coefficient than pellets, which means they will carry more velocity and therefore more energy downrange. They don't usually shoot well out of choked barrels and usually shoot better out of a faster twist barrel than pellets. Pellets are stabilized by the skirt on the rear of the pellet and slugs are stabilized by the spin imparted due to the grooves and lands in the barrel. Pellets normally shoot better below 920-930fps and slugs can shoot better at higher "transonic" speeds due to being spin stabilized. I don't know if your Marauder has a choked barrel or not. Good luck.
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Generally, slugs do better in unchoked barrels. The Marauder barrels are choked, so that's a strike against it. However, I have a .177 Mrod (also with a choked barrel) that does just fine with a few NSA slugs. Also, it takes a fair bit more air to get a slug moving fast enough to be accurate. The real benefit to shooting slugs will be found out past 100 yards, where their better BC will let you reach out much farther than pellets and still have enough energy to take small game and pests.
For myself, the down sides to shooting slugs have relegated them to the back burner. Almost all of my shooting is done inside of 50 yards and all of my guns are very accurate with a variety of pellets at those ranges. I can't think of a single shot I've taken much beyond 60 yards, which is a stretch for .177 anyway. In my opinion, stray shots with slugs are more dangerous than with pellets so extra attention to backdrop is necessary. If I were to pursue it further, I would make my unregulated Marauder a dedicated slug gun, though I'd have to accept that I might need an unchoked barrel to get the best accuracy. It can certainly make the power.
In the end, you won't know until you try. But if you do, be prepared for a long haul.
For myself, the down sides to shooting slugs have relegated them to the back burner. Almost all of my shooting is done inside of 50 yards and all of my guns are very accurate with a variety of pellets at those ranges. I can't think of a single shot I've taken much beyond 60 yards, which is a stretch for .177 anyway. In my opinion, stray shots with slugs are more dangerous than with pellets so extra attention to backdrop is necessary. If I were to pursue it further, I would make my unregulated Marauder a dedicated slug gun, though I'd have to accept that I might need an unchoked barrel to get the best accuracy. It can certainly make the power.
In the end, you won't know until you try. But if you do, be prepared for a long haul.
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So you've discovered slugs.
In search of that magical bullet, I've shot ~30K slugs in the last 3 years. I have FX Impacts in Gen 1, X, MK2, M3, EDgun R5m, Taipan Vet etc.. Of the thousands of slugs that I've tested, the Zan slugs are the most accurate in a variety of weights. I believe that is due to the fact they are composed of softer lead...therefore they comform to the barrel better than some of the others.
I've modded my Impacts with all the latest accuracy/power-enhancing equipment, with only modest improvement over stock performance.
Slugs/bullets are designed to outperform diabolo-shaped pellets at long -- for airgun -- distances. Based on my results, I would say that is beyond 125 yards.
Your Benjamin Marauder is a pellet gun. Diabolo pellets will most likely outperform slugs at the distances your rifle is capable of out-of-the box.
Trust me on this one.
Save your money and stick with the pellets. Not only are they slightly cheaper, they're more accurate inside of 80-100 yards.
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