Hunting with pellets. Which style?

[heretohunt]

I bought a pellet gun a while ago and it is remarkably accurate and powerful. The problem is it's .177 cal. I do use it for hunting and shooting squirrel and gophers. Does anyone have experience with the different pellets? Which ones are the most accurate? Which ones do the most damage?

["No Choke"Lord Walsingham]

I started out in Hunting with a .177 air rifle and tried everything from BB to pointed hunting pellets. Typical, the pointy ones (many years ago, I can not recall the name of these pellets as I'm typing) were most penetrative. As with all Hunting - Shot placement is paramount. Be inside of your effective range (quite short with an air rifle that does not require a PAL. A projectile travelling at something more like 1,500fps has much greater range) and make a well placed shot with a pellet designed for taking Game such as Squirrel and you'll do well.

As per accuracy - A pellet gun is still a gun and just like any other it will have its preferences when it comes to the ammunition that groups best for you. All are individuals and you'll need some range time with a variety of pellets to determine which will be the most accurate for you.

Happy Hunting!

[hilt134]

The ones used in the cadets contests are wad cutter and thoes kids get pretty insane at ten yards which is where i would call the limit to an under 500 fps gun. As far as hunting At that speed the pelets really wont expand much so they pretty well all equal with maybe the excepting of the flat fave wad cutter which wont penetrate.

[MrSharp]

I've used my high power .177 to hunt gophers before, I find Crosman Premier to be very accurate, very uniform and clean pellet.

[Tactical Lever]

Something heavy enough to keep a bit of a margin under the speed of sound, and with a flat nose or rounded profile. The pointed do not seem to kill well, slip through. The kicker is you need enough power to do something with a flat-ish pellet. Killed a bunch of gophers with humble Crosman wadcutters. With a sub-500 .22.

[Ray Ray]

I have found .22 superior to killing and not wounding to .177. Close range and shot placement are paramount

[Pioneer2]

JSB predators for small game and domes for general pesting and plinking.Headshot small game like rabbits ,will not be able to tell the difference between the calibers,although I prefer the .22 at 750fps+ myself.Just under 500fps in a pistol the .22 works fine on grouse...........Harold
https://www.dlairgun.com/Pellets/JSB/

[elkhunter11]

I use the JSB Exact in the heavier weights. My current gun is a 22 that drives them at around just under 700fps, and with head hits, it kills ground squirrels and pigeons easily at 30 to 40 yards. I am talking chronographed velecities, not the fantasy velocities that the manufacturers rate the guns at. The most important thing is to find which pellets are most accurate in your gun.

[Pioneer2]

Speed sells but doesn't kill if you miss.Subsonic pellets especially from springers tend to be very unforgiving with less than perfect form on the shooter's part.Alloy lightweight pellets they use to get the high speeds will damage the gun over time .....akin to dry firing. No such thing as a free lunch.Harold