Airgun pellet and slug questions answered

.22 is the best all-around choice for rabbits, squirrels, and backyard pests: it delivers clean-kill energy with a flatter trajectory and cheaper ammo than .25. Step up to .25 only on a high-power PCP for longer or windier shots; see .22 vs .25 for small game.

At the same velocity, yes, by a wide margin: an 18.13-grain .22 pellet at 900 fps carries about 32.6 FPE versus 15.2 FPE for an 8.44-grain .177 pellet at the same speed, since energy scales directly with projectile weight. Real rifles do not always run identical velocity in both calibers, but .22 is still the harder-hitting standard hunting caliber; see .177 vs .22.

Neither caliber is inherently more accurate; barrel quality and how well a specific pellet matches that barrel matter far more than bore size. .177 dominates 10-meter Olympic and field-target competition because the rules and target geometry favor it, not because a .177 barrel groups tighter than a .22 one.

.22, for almost everyone. Rabbits do not need .25-level energy; they need a hit in a golf-ball-sized brain zone, and the flatter, faster .22 makes that easier at unknown ranges. Pick .25 only on a high-power PCP, past 50 yards, or in regular wind, per the caliber guide.

Big bore air rifles run .30 to .50-plus caliber and produce 150-700+ FPE, aimed at hog- and deer-class game rather than small game, where that much energy is neither needed nor ethical. See big bore air rifles for specific rifles and where that class of hunting is legal.

Most rifles are built around one fixed barrel and one caliber. A few modular PCPs let an owner swap a barrel or liner to change caliber, but that is a deliberate parts swap at the bench, not something you switch mid-hunt, so check a specific rifle's spec sheet before assuming it is multi-caliber.

Four shapes cover almost everything: domed pellets for general accuracy and hunting thanks to a low, consistent air-resistance profile; wadcutters with a flat nose for clean paper holes at target-range distances under 25 yards; pointed pellets for extra penetration on pests at close range; and hollow points that expand on impact for hunting stopping power. See airgun pellet types for the full comparison.

Domed and hollow-point pellets are the two real hunting shapes: a domed pellet like a 14-19gr .22 JSB Exact Jumbo balances accuracy and penetration for general small game, while a hollow point trades a little accuracy for a larger wound channel at closer range. Full picks are in best pellets for hunting.

Wadcutters, thanks to their flat nose, which punches a clean, easy-to-score hole in paper at the short ranges, under about 25 yards, where most target and plinking sessions happen.

Not automatically, though a heavier pellet generally holds velocity and resists wind better past 30-40 yards, while a barrel's own preference, tested with real groups, matters more than weight alone. Test 4-6 pellet types with 10-shot groups at 10 and 25 yards to find what your rifle likes; the method is in testing for the most accurate pellet.

No. BBs are round steel or lead balls, almost always .177 caliber, fired from a smoothbore barrel, while pellets are diabolo-shaped with a waisted body and flared skirt, fired from a rifled barrel for real accuracy. BBs suit casual plinking, not hunting.

Often, yes, in practice: a lighter pellet that groups well at 15-25 yards can lose enough energy and drift enough in wind past 40 yards that a heavier, more aerodynamic pellet, or a slug, becomes the better choice. Match the projectile to your actual shooting distance rather than using one tin for everything.

A pellet has the classic diabolo shape, a narrow waist and a hollow, flared skirt that stabilizes it like fletching on an arrow. A slug looks like a scaled-down firearm bullet, solid and cylindrical or boat-tailed with no skirt, stabilized instead by spin from the rifling. See pellets vs slugs for the full mechanical breakdown.

Not automatically. A slug that fits a barrel well can out-group pellets past about 50-60 yards because it holds velocity and resists wind better, but inside 50 yards a pellet your barrel already likes is usually just as accurate and far cheaper to prove out.

Once your shots are regularly landing past about 50 yards, or you are fighting wind, a slug's flatter, more wind-resistant flight starts to earn its keep. Inside that range, a pellet your rifle already groups well is simpler, cheaper, and just as lethal; see pellets vs slugs.

They need a barrel that can stabilize a longer, heavier, unskirted projectile, meaning enough twist rate and, ideally, no choke. Many pellet-tuned barrels do not stabilize slugs well without a liner change, which is why dedicated slug setups, like a heavy slug liner, exist.

Yes, in practice. Slugs are heavier than most hunting pellets in the same caliber, so pushing one to a useful velocity takes more air and often a rifle tuned specifically for it; my own .22 FX Impact M4 needed a slug power kit, high-flow transfer ports, and a tungsten hammer weight to push 40.1gr ACE FRAG slugs to about 950 fps. See the full slug-tuned setup.

Slugs generally carry a higher ballistic coefficient than pellets, so they shed velocity and energy more slowly downrange; a pellet that starts strong can lose a large share of its energy by 40-50 yards, while a well-matched slug holds more of it. That is the entire case for slugs past typical pellet range.

FPE equals projectile weight in grains times velocity in fps squared, divided by 450,436. An 18.13-grain pellet at 900 fps works out to 18.13 × 810,000 ÷ 450,436, about 32.6 FPE; use your own chronographed velocity, not the box number. Run it instantly in the FPE calculator.

About 9-12+ FPE delivered to the rabbit's head. A rifle making roughly 15+ FPE at the muzzle usually clears that floor with cushion left at field distances; the full quarry chart is at how much FPE do you need.

The same 9-12+ FPE at the animal as rabbits, with a head shot. Squirrels are small but tough, and a body hit often means a squirrel lost in a tree or burrow rather than a clean kill.

For rabbits, squirrels, and pest birds taken with head shots at sensible ranges, yes; it is the UK's legal limit for air rifles without a firearms certificate, and British hunters take large numbers of rabbits at that power. It is not enough for raccoon-sized animals or anything larger.

It depends on the rifle and pellet: entry spring guns and small PCPs sit around 12-20 FPE, typical hunting PCPs run 25-45 FPE, and high-power PCPs shooting heavy slugs go well past that, up to around 80 FPE on a tuned setup like my own 40.1gr ACE FRAG slug load. Chronograph your own rifle to know for certain.

FPE, because it accounts for both speed and weight, while FPS alone can mislead: a light 5.25-grain alloy pellet at 1,400 fps carries only about 22.8 FPE, less than many heavier, slower hunting pellets. See FPS vs FPE for the full comparison.

Yes, directly: a lighter pellet leaves the barrel faster and looks flatter out to 30-40 yards, but its lower ballistic coefficient means it sheds velocity and drops faster past that range than a well-chosen heavier pellet. That crossover is one reason .22 is considered the more forgiving hunting caliber at real field distances.

At the same velocity, yes, since energy scales with weight, but real rifles usually push heavier pellets slower, so the actual energy gain depends on both numbers together. Always compare a rifle's actual chronographed FPE for a given pellet, not weight alone.

A mid-to-heavy domed pellet in the 14-19gr range, such as a JSB Exact Jumbo, covers most rabbit- and squirrel-sized hunting well, balancing energy, trajectory, and barrel compatibility. See specific picks in best pellets for hunting.

Every barrel has its own harmonic and twist-rate preference, so a pellet that leaves the muzzle in sync with the barrel's vibration groups tighter than one that does not, regardless of either pellet's weight on paper. Testing several weights with real groups, not specs, is the only reliable way to find your rifle's preference.

Yes, modestly: thinner air at altitude reduces drag slightly, and cold air is denser than warm air, both shifting point of impact a small amount at longer airgun ranges. It rarely matters inside 40 yards but is worth rechecking zero after a large change in conditions.

Pellets, with their lower ballistic coefficient, drift more in wind than a well-matched slug at the same distance, which is the main reason experienced long-range airgun hunters lean toward slugs past about 50-60 yards. See what 100+ yard airgun shots really take for real hit-and-miss numbers.

Cast and swaged slugs vary slightly in diameter and carry lube residue from manufacturing, so many slug shooters run them through a sizing die for a consistent diameter and wipe off excess lube before loading. The full process is in how to size and clean airgun slugs.

Yes, slugs are legal ammunition everywhere pellets are, since they are not regulated differently under federal or most state law. What varies is whether your specific rifle and barrel can shoot them accurately, and whether local hunting regulations restrict projectile type for certain game, which is always worth a quick check with your state wildlife agency.

Not reliably. Slugs need enough power and the right barrel to stabilize, so a mild backyard PCP tuned for light pellets often will not group them at all. Check the rifle maker's specs, or plan on a tune, before buying slugs for a stock gun; see pellets vs slugs.

Often yes, mainly because a slug-capable tune runs more power to reach useful slug velocities, and higher power usually means more muzzle report. Caliber, moderator use, and how far above the speed of sound the load runs all matter more than the projectile shape itself.

Cast slugs are poured from molten lead into a mold, while swaged slugs are formed by pressing a lead slug into shape under high pressure, which typically gives tighter dimensional consistency. Consistency matters more for slug accuracy than pellet accuracy, since slugs rely on a precise fit to the bore.

Slugs generally cost noticeably more per shot than diabolo pellets, since they use more lead per projectile and often carry tighter manufacturing tolerances. That extra cost is one more reason most hunters reserve slugs for the ranges where they actually earn their keep, past about 50 yards.