Pellet prices more than firearms?
My goal is to kick off a debate. But before I do… I like AGs because:
– No range fee, no ceasfire break, no gas nor time spent driving to the range.
– Can shoot in back yard or garage safely, with a beer 😀
– No ammo shortage, price is relatively cheap, and practice is transferable to PB.
BUT…..
I can’t get over the fact 177 barracuda match / Kodiaks match costs the same as Federal 510 22 rimfire rounds, 4c a round! And that doesn’t compare against 22 and 25 call pellets.
So… what are your opinions on “every day pellets” vs “target” vs “hunting” ? Be sure to mention your platform and pellet choice.
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SS, you are comparing the most expensive 177 pellets to some of the cheapest 22lr rounds… 😉
Take a look at some of the top of the line 22lr rounds. A box of 50 Lapua X-act is $27 or 54 cents a round. More then times as much as the most expensive 177 caliber pellets…
Beeman 17 hollowpoints are less than a penny each, another Beeman pellet is 0.85 cents each.
So really your 4 cent pellet compares to a 54 cent 22lr round. And the cheap ammo you listed compares to a pellet that is less than one cent a piece.
Airgun ammo is FAR CHEAPER than a powder burner ammo…
Oh, try some JSB Exact heavies, they are one cent cheaper a pellet and they are very accurate. 😆 😉
Same thing goes with reloading, you HAVE to factor in the price of the reloading equipment into the cost of each round of ammo or the price comparison is bunk.
Sure I can crank out a 223 round for next to nothing with my $1500 worth of reloading equipment. Fact is if I factor in the expense of the equipment it’s not so cheap, factor in my time to make the ammo and it’s far more expensive than buying a box from a store… 😉
I reload for at least one of my PB rounds in bulk, which brings the cost of 45’s down to around $40.00 per 500, or less than 1/3 new price. I have yet to venture into casting, but I am considering it. For my Talon SS I got lucky, it like CPHP’s from Waly World almost as much as the JSB’s. It like both the 15.9’s, and the 18.1’s. My other Air Rifles are mostly Crosman, and they seem to like the CPHP’s too, so even better. Both flavors of my Air Rifles seem to behave this way, so that is a god thing. Air Guns got me back into the shooting sports, and also got my powder burner fun started again. I do enjoy being able to practice paper punching, small game, rodents in my own back yard without breaking the law or annoying my pissy neighbors. Imagine your on half an acre, and someone a street over calls the cops the first few times they heard the un-tamed air guns. No problems with the police, but god forbid I touch off a .45, or even a .22 RF in that space. I know not big enough, and unsafe, but crap, the old bird might have a freaking heart attack. Sorry for the rambling, I enjoy my Air Guns greatly, and to me the cost is quite reasonable for what they like to eat. The PB’s are still a bit more costly. Too bad my local GS only has low end Air Guns.
I got slammed on another forum for saying I think we are getting shafted bad on pellet prices.
There is no logical reason pellets should cost as much as they do.
I was quoted reasons why pellets cost as much as they do by other members.
Pellet = one cheap component.
I think it is bull shit.
Even though I think pellet prices are way too high, my real worry is assholes banning lead projectiles.
+1 on 223 ammo… the shortage is crazy. Thankfully I don’t own a 223 rifle but I still own some 223 rounds! I keep them for when I shoot someone else’s 223 gun 🙂
Pellets also take up a lot less space.
OK, so pellets at $0.04 each vs. .308 at $0.90 each? Hmmm. .223 at $0.85 each…if you can find them anywhere. Or .338-378 Weatherby at $7.00 each. .300 Win Mag at $1.50 each. These are just a few examples. Of course when you figure in the cost of my Hammworty compressor, it makes .308 look cheap. 😉
Seriously, I like the peace and quiet of our airguns. Not going to the range saves me gas money, range fees, and ammo costs. Shooting airguns also allows me to shoot for just a few minutes. When I go to the range, it soaks up half the day or more. …and I can’t bump off the rats with my .308.
I shoot what I hunt with. So no cheap plinking pellets for me.
However one benefit is more hunting possibilities due to firearm laws. At least here in Va. You can shoot bow and air anywhere as long as you keep the projectiles on your property. But with firearms you have to be 100 yards from a state road.
If I buy 25 caliber Kings, I pay $4.56 per 100.
However I have at the most $2.50 into materials for the 257420 73 grain bullet that I cast myself.
When I reclaim my alloy, I shoot at 590 FPE with the Ranger 45 and at 200 FPE with the Haley both under 1 MOA at 100 and 212 yards for the price of Walmart BB’s.
I have around $300.00 in equipment to cast those bullets for almost free shooting after 2 years of shooting.
So for the price 37 tins of 350 ct Kings, 12,950 pellets which yield 50 FPE each, you pay for your alloy and equipment which produces bullets that give you 100 FPE.
After that, the cost is around $8.75 for 350 bullets, or $2.50 per 100.
Now lets talk about air.
I have a Shoebox and several tanks. I also have a AF platform that I fill to 3200, a FX Royale with regulator I fill to 3200 and a Haley and XPAirguns 45 Ranger I fill to 4000 PSI.
The Haley and the Ranger are merging with the power of low end PB’s in both power and accuracy, but not mobility.
I have had the Shoebox for 2 years, and during that time I have purchased 7 SCBA tanks, one of which I gave away to get a fellow airgunner into the Shoebox experience cheaper.
About year one, I paid for the Shoebox in fill prices and gas to get to a dive shop for a refill of my heavy and ineffecient scuba tanks.
As a result, after two years, my ammo is costing me $2.50 per 100. I shoot under 1 MOA with a 25 and a 45 that equals and merges well within PB levels and reaches or exceeds their accuracy at under 1 MOA.
When I reclaim my alloy, the cost is only for propane to refill my tank I use on my propane stove that I use to cast bullets on.
And I do it myself for the price of Daisy BB’s.
Regards,
Roachcreek
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To get the most accuracy out of whatever platform you shoot, you should find the one pellet that works best and shoot it exclusively. My gun is zeroed for JSB 15.9g exact jumbos.
My gun is a Talon valved Condor with hammer weight. Barrel is 18″ .22 cal that shoots through a stubby TT silencer. Zero distances are 25 and 56 yards. Everything is in Chairgun Pro mobile on my phone and it works….