Hunting pellet size
What pellet sizes do you use for small game hunting?
In the U.K. there is always a debate about what pellet size is the best and it is normally between 0.177 & 0.22 for sub 12f.p. rifles so what do you guys use for hunting. Personally if I want to keep the kill zone to ½” at to 40yards I use 0.177 you get a far lower trajectory and I have never had a rabbit complain.
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I love my country especially my county so I will get by with 12fp. 😀
If I lived where the limit was 12 fp, I would do my best to move away from there. 😀
The .22 pellet is a great all around hunting round and it works really good in many airguns from 15fpe and up for a good safe kill. For me the .25 pellet at around 940fps+ is a sweet shooting hunting setup. Head shots, body shots, it just does a great job on small game. Yes, I would also say that if the limit was 12 fpe the .177 would be the best hunting setup for the pen point shot placement that can be done with it on small game.
One of the nice things about not having a power limit is that the trajectory issue isn’t so important. Can run a .22 (or a .25) fast enough, with high BC pellets, to really flatten the trajectory.
If i were limited to 12 foot pounds (or if i elect to self-limit) then a 12 foot pound .177 makes hitting easier than a 12 foot pound .25 when hunting. On the practice range, where you get a feel for hold over from previous shots, doesn’t make a whole lot of difference if you hold one mil-dot high or three.
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last range session, was using two rifles (not the 12 pound limit, but still a good comparison). A .22 (14.3gr. pellets ) at 835fps and a .25 (30.7gr. pellets ) at 585fps. Pretty close to the same energy, pretty much the same windage hold, but the fast .22 made hitting at unknow ranges a good bit easier.
For small game, .22 is definitely my preference; however If I lived on your side of the pond Id probably shoot .177 as trajectory would be better vs. the .22; given the 12 ftlb limitation. A .22 limited to 12 ftlb is like throwing rocks, have to judge trajectory much more which means easier to miss an already small target. and as you said, put the shot where it belongs and the furry little critters won’t ever know the difference between 12 & 25 ftlb.
or just get an FAC .22 and be done with it.
.22 fan here. There is a good amount of pellets available and I like them because they knock the shit out of what I am shooting at.
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What kills me is spending a $1000 or $2000 on a gun that only shoots 12ftlbs. It is ironic some of the best airguns made can not reach their full potential in their land of origin without haveing a FAC.
I would find it hard to justify the cost and hassles of a PCP on a 12ftlbs gun. I probably would stick to a nice springer. At that level of power they are pretty smooth to shoot.
Then again we are sure hogs here for power that we overlook the increase shot potential in shooting a lower power gun. Having a couple hundred shot would not be all that bad 😀