As you might expect the most typical topics on airgun forums would be the features and foibles of the dozens and dozens of different models, but following closely behind the model discussions may be the chatter about airgun ammunition or pellets. You may not expect that a.177 caliber pellet from Manufacturer A would perform wildly distinctive from a.177 caliber pellet from Manufacturer B in exactly the same airgun, but they do. To produce it even more complicated Manufacturer B’s ammo may outperform Manufacturer A’s in an alternative air rifle or pistol.

We shall discuss a number of the different characteristics of airgun pellets and how you need to use this information to your advantage when selecting a pellet for the air rifle or pistol.

A lighter pellet will leave the barrel of an airgun faster than the usual heavier pellet and it will even accelerate faster downrange 30-30 ammo. That means less time to a target and a flatter trajectory since there is less time for gravity to work its magic. A heavier pellet will are apt to have a less flat trajectory not because of its weight but since it spends more time to a target providing gravity with increased time for you to pull it towards the earth.

The next factor that many affects the flight of an airgun pellet is air resistance. Air resistance increases with the cube of speed. Once you double the speed of a pellet moving downrange you increase its air resistance by eight times. Really light.177 caliber pellets lose energy as a result of air resistance so rapidly that after a 35 yd. or so it will undoubtedly be moving slower than the usual heavier pellet fired from exactly the same gun. Air resistance is probably irrelevant for target shooting out to 10 m but it’d play a large role in a shopping shot beyond that range. This is one of the reasons that you intend to hunt with the heaviest pellet your airgun can handle effectively.

In addition to the weight of the pellet air resistance will be different based on the shape of the pellet. Wadcutters are flat nose pellets used for paper target shooting. At the 10 m range the increase in air resistance is practically negligible but the same as with the aftereffect of weight beyond 35 yd. the flat nose will begin working like an air brake.

Medium weight round nose pellets offer the best compromise for both weight and shape for medium powered air rifles. For small caliber air rifles (.177 and.20) the best hunting ammo is a circular nose hollowpoint. This pellet moves through the air as well as a regular round nose and mushrooms on impact significantly increasing the force of the shot.

The most effective advice about air rifle ammo is to use many different brands, many different shapes, and many different weights. What you read within the airgun forums may be true generally but might not work for your air rifle. If you’re only an occasional shooter and still want the best accuracy and range then pick a premium pellet from exactly the same manufacturer that made your gun. It is more often than not best to prevent no-name bargains because there might be significant variability between pellets in exactly the same package.