Pellets, Pellets, and even more Pellets! They just keep coming, in all shapes, sizes, weights, and calibers. How is anyone supposed to know which is the best for the type of shooting they are most interested in? Well, some pretty easy-to-follow guidelines can help airgunners make good choices and skip some of the learning curves. In this article, we’ll take a look at how to pick the right pellet for your next airgunning adventure. Let’s get started.
Target or Varmint please?
The first question you need to ask yourself is what kind of shooting you have planned. Are you mostly a target shooter or varmint shooter, or do you do a little of both? While accuracy is always the key goal for us airgunners, there are other factors to consider. For target shooters, it’s going to be consistency and accuracy at a given range, while for hunters, it’s going to be lethality. Fortunately, some great pellets easily meet all these goals.
Target Pellets
Your typical target-focused pellets are going to be your wadcutters and your domed pellets. Wadcutters are ideal for up-close competitive shooting, like 10-meter rifle and pistol. Domed pellets are best when you need to stretch things out and maintain accuracy to 50, 75, and 100 yards.
Some of the most popular wadcutter pellets are the .177 H&N Finale Match series. They come in different weights and head sizes so shooters can match the best pellet to the bore of their rifle. For .22 match shooters, the RWS Meisterkugeln is a great option.
As we move to longer-range target pellets for benchrest and field target, JSB continues to be the king. Their .177 10.3s, .22 caliber 18.13s and .25 cal 25.39s are legendary. JSB continues to provide top-tier offerings when accuracy at range is the goal. However they are just one manufacturer focusing on this market segment. H&N has been a contender for years with their Baracuda Match and Field Target Trophy pellets, and they just released their version of 18.13s and 15.89s to try and take some market share from JSB. Most recently JTS has been gaining ground with their excellent “Dead Center” line of pellets.
Whether you are target shooting in your backyard or competent in 100-yard extreme benchrest, there are several great target pellets out there for you to choose from. If you are new to the process, consider some of the pellet sample packs from H&N, RWS, Gamo, and JSB to help you find the best pellet for your airgun.
Hunting Pellets
There are many things to consider when selecting the ideal hunting pellet. Accuracy always needs to be their priority, but you’ll also need to understand penetration, expansion, and overall lethality. After all, your goal is to make a clean, ethical shot to dispatch your target as quickly and humanely as possible.
While domed pellets are usually seen as target pellets, their ability to remain stable and accurate at range makes them an ideal option for hunting as well. Understanding this, JSB took some of their most popular domed pellets and revamped them with an expandable and very lethal head pattern. The Hades line of pellets are available in .177, .22, .25, .30, and .35 calibers. They deliver very similar velocities and trajectories as their domed counterparts. So if you are used to shooting the 15.89 domed pellets for target practice and training, you can then switch to the 15.89 Hades, head right to the field and get to some successful hunting and posting.
Do We Need Specialty Pellets?
It all comes down to accuracy. Regardless if you are target shooting or hunting, you need accuracy to be successful. Sometimes, the mainstream pellet options just don’t get it done. Fortunately, that’s where specialty pellets come in. There are lead-free options, pointed options, frangible options, polymer/metal ballistic-tipped options, and the list just keeps going. So, if you are looking for that perfect pellet and all the normal contenders just haven’t delivered the desired performance, don’t give up; the perfect pellet is just around the corner.
Have More Questions?
If you have questions about the best pellet for your next airgun outing, or you have an airgun that has yet to realize its full potential and want some help finding the best ammo option, just give us a call. We are always here and ready to help you get lead on target.
