Nothing clears your head like a trip into the wilderness. Going back to nature is one of the things that brings me back to my roots and away from the digital world we work in. This is why I spend many weekends camped out away from civilization.
While I was lying on the grass looking at the stars with my head resting on my trusted Exped air pillow UL I thought of all the different things I've learned over the years about the outdoors, camping and shooting.
One of the things that took me a bit of time to learn was the trajectory, use and importance of knowing what type of ammo air gun to get.
With different calibers out there how do you decide which pellet caliber is the right one to use? While there is no absolute correct answer, illustrating the difference between pellet calibers should help you learn which pellet is right for you.
A 0.177 pellet is the smallest caliber you can find on the market. It has the straightest trajectory which means a better accuracy for your shot, another plus to recognize is that when you use this caliber, you don’t have to adjust the angle of your rifle to accommodate the arc of the pellet’s trajectory. The flat trajectory also means that your shot will still be accurate at longer distances than when you use other calibers. This caliber will also have the fastest velocity due to its small size.
Shots fired from recent 0.177 caliber air rifle models are now made so they can achieve speeds beyond 1250 ft./sec. (FPS). The more reasonably priced, and not so recent, rifle models would reach velocities of 1000 FPS. With these velocities, small animals like birds or rodents can easily be killed. The high accuracy and velocity of this caliber makes it ideal for target shooting as well as pest control.
While I was lying on the grass looking at the stars with my head resting on my trusted Exped air pillow UL I thought of all the different things I've learned over the years about the outdoors, camping and shooting.
One of the things that took me a bit of time to learn was the trajectory, use and importance of knowing what type of ammo air gun to get.
With different calibers out there how do you decide which pellet caliber is the right one to use? While there is no absolute correct answer, illustrating the difference between pellet calibers should help you learn which pellet is right for you.
A 0.177 pellet is the smallest caliber you can find on the market. It has the straightest trajectory which means a better accuracy for your shot, another plus to recognize is that when you use this caliber, you don’t have to adjust the angle of your rifle to accommodate the arc of the pellet’s trajectory. The flat trajectory also means that your shot will still be accurate at longer distances than when you use other calibers. This caliber will also have the fastest velocity due to its small size.
Shots fired from recent 0.177 caliber air rifle models are now made so they can achieve speeds beyond 1250 ft./sec. (FPS). The more reasonably priced, and not so recent, rifle models would reach velocities of 1000 FPS. With these velocities, small animals like birds or rodents can easily be killed. The high accuracy and velocity of this caliber makes it ideal for target shooting as well as pest control.
With the 0.22 caliber pellets, you get the most knock down power, as can be expected due to its heavier weight. There is a price for power though, and that would be that the range of this caliber is definitely shorter than the 0.177. The range is about 45-50 yards (41-46 meters) but that can still vary depending on the material of the pellet. Nonetheless, this shouldn’t be a big problem because you can easily get close to animals with this range. Larger pests like crows are best tackled with this caliber due to their knock down capability guaranteeing a quick and humane kill.
There are heavy duty air rifles that are available that are capable of propelling a 0.22 caliber further than the normal range. Though be ready to see higher price tags on these, you'll shell out more cash for these high end 22 cals than you would with a normal air rifle.
The trajectory of this caliber is not so much flat as it is arced. This means that you have to adjust your sights and aim to accommodate the arc of your shot.
As always, your choice of caliber depends on what you are going to end up using your air rifle for. If you’re mainly going target shooting, then you would want to use the 0.177 to give you a better accuracy. If you need knock down power to kill a prey, then you would use the 0.22 caliber. But if you want to use the 0.22 for target shooting or the 0.177 for hunting, then you should try out both to see which one feels right with you.
That was something that just crossed my mind over the weekend while I was lying on my camp pillow in my sleeping bag. I'm sure not many people think back a lot about the tiny little details but doing so keeps me grounded and helps me remember where I've been and that once upon a time I didn't know much about something and that life is worth the journey of learning.
There are heavy duty air rifles that are available that are capable of propelling a 0.22 caliber further than the normal range. Though be ready to see higher price tags on these, you'll shell out more cash for these high end 22 cals than you would with a normal air rifle.
The trajectory of this caliber is not so much flat as it is arced. This means that you have to adjust your sights and aim to accommodate the arc of your shot.
As always, your choice of caliber depends on what you are going to end up using your air rifle for. If you’re mainly going target shooting, then you would want to use the 0.177 to give you a better accuracy. If you need knock down power to kill a prey, then you would use the 0.22 caliber. But if you want to use the 0.22 for target shooting or the 0.177 for hunting, then you should try out both to see which one feels right with you.
That was something that just crossed my mind over the weekend while I was lying on my camp pillow in my sleeping bag. I'm sure not many people think back a lot about the tiny little details but doing so keeps me grounded and helps me remember where I've been and that once upon a time I didn't know much about something and that life is worth the journey of learning.