Tag: airguns

Demystifying Airgun Pellets: A Guide to Choosing the Perfect Ammunition

Introduction:

When it comes to airgun shooting, selecting the right pellets is vital for achieving accuracy and optimal performance. With a wide variety of airgun pellets available, it can be challenging to determine which ones are best suited for your shooting needs. In this comprehensive guide, we’ll walk you through the different types of airgun pellets, their characteristics, and factors to consider when making your purchase. Let’s dive in and unlock the secrets to finding the perfect ammunition!

  1. Diabolo Pellets:

Diabolo pellets, also known as domed pellets, are the most common and widely used type of airgun ammunition. They feature a rounded head and a hollow skirt, making them aerodynamically efficient and accurate. Here are key points to consider:

  • Calibre: Diabolo pellets are available in various calibres, including .177, .22, and .25. Choose the appropriate calibre based on your airgun’s specifications and shooting requirements.
  • Purpose: Diabolo pellets are versatile and suitable for a wide range of shooting applications, including target shooting, plinking, and small game hunting.
  • Accuracy and Penetration: Due to their shape, diabolo pellets offer excellent accuracy and penetration capabilities, making them a popular choice among airgun enthusiasts.
  1. Hollow Point Pellets:

Hollow point pellets are specifically designed for hunting and pest control purposes. They feature a hollow cavity at the tip, which promotes controlled expansion upon impact. Key considerations include:

  • Expansion and Energy Transfer: The hollow point design facilitates expansion upon impact, increasing the pellet’s stopping power and energy transfer to the target. This characteristic makes hollow point pellets highly effective for hunting and pest control.
  • Calibre and Velocity: Consider the appropriate calibre and velocity required for your specific hunting needs, as hollow point pellets come in various sizes to match different airgun specifications.
  • Accuracy: While hollow point pellets may not offer the same pinpoint accuracy as diabolo pellets, they are designed to deliver maximum impact on targets.
  1. Wadcutter Pellets:

Wadcutter pellets are characterized by their flat, disc-like shape. They have a wide and squared-off head, resulting in a clean, round hole upon impact. Consider the following aspects of wadcutter pellets:

  • Target Shooting: Wadcutter pellets are primarily designed for target shooting due to their ability to cut clean holes in paper targets. They offer excellent accuracy and visibility of shot placement.
  • Caliber: Wadcutter pellets are available in different calibers, with .177 being the most common choice for target shooting.
  • Velocity: Since wadcutter pellets have a larger surface area, they tend to decelerate faster than diabolo pellets. Consider the optimal velocity for achieving consistent accuracy with wadcutter pellets.
  1. Pointed Pellets:

Pointed pellets, as the name suggests, feature a sharp point at the tip, offering improved penetration and long-range accuracy. Here’s what you should know about pointed pellets:

  • Penetration: The pointed design of these pellets enhances their penetration capabilities, making them suitable for shooting at longer distances and hunting small game.
  • Calibre and Weight: Pointed pellets are available in various calibres and weights. Consider the specific requirements of your airgun to select the appropriate size for optimal performance.
  • Velocity and Ballistic Coefficient: Pointed pellets typically have a higher ballistic coefficient, allowing for better stability and less affected trajectory, especially at longer ranges.

Conclusion:

Choosing the right airgun pellets is crucial for achieving accuracy, consistency, and desired shooting results. Understanding the different types of pellets available, such as diabolo, hollow point, wadcutter, and pointed, empowers you to make an informed decision based on your shooting requirements and preferences. Consider factors like calibre, purpose, accuracy, and penetration to select the perfect ammunition for your airgun.

At Pellpax, we offer a wide selection of high-quality airgun pellets to suit various shooting needs. Visit our website to explore our range and discover the perfect pellets for maximizing your shooting performance.

Buyer’s Guide to Airguns for Newbies

airgun blogAirguns are a low cost form of shooting, and great fun for all, thanks to the instant feedback from hitting a target. However, they do come in all shapes and sizes, and can be something of a minefield for the new shooter, so we’ve put together this blog post to guide you through the pitfalls!

Essential Equipment : An Airgun

We here at Pellpax strive to be one of the best air rifle shops in the UK, and provide all the essential equipment that you require to start shooting. Furthermore, with our UK airgun delivery service we can deliver airguns and accessories to your door!

The first thing that you’ll need is an airgun. This is the catch-all term for air rifles, or air pistols, and these come in different power types and calibres. For newbies, I’d recommend an air rifle, as they are more accurate than pistols, and easier to shoot accurately, as they have a longer barrel, and benefit from a stock to hold them steady. Once you’ve mastered the basics of shooting then you can add a pistol to the collection, but when starting out it’s very easy to be disheartened with a pistol.

For a Newbie, a spring rifle is definitely the way to go. Spring rifles require minimal maintenance and no power source such as CO2 capsules, or an air bottle. The only power source is yourself, breaking and cocking the barrel on each shot. Spring rifles have recoil when fired, but this teaches you how to shoot and hold the rifle correctly to deal with this recoil, ultimately making you a better shot!

Entry Level Scopes

When it comes to firing the rifle, you can either shoot with a scope, or open sights. Open sights are more of a challenge than a scope is, but if you’re ultimately looking at a sporting event such as 10 metre or bell target shooting, then only open sights are permitted. For anything else such as hunting, Field Target or Hunter Field Target shooting, a scope is a much better choice.

For a starter scope, then either the Hawke Vantage 4×32 Mil dot Scope or the Hawke Vantage 3-9×40 Mil dot Scope are great choices. All of Hawkes scopes range comes with a lifetime warranty and of superb quality, making them a great starting point for newbies.

As well as a rifle and scope, then other accessories are pellets and possibly a bag to keep everything safe in. Luckily we have put together several cheap air rifle kits which include a rifle, scope, bag, and pellets to get you started and shooting, as soon it is delivered by our fleet of vans.

Price Range

Rifle kits start from around the £100 mark and increase upwards from there. For £108.99 the Stinger UL Starter Kit .177 includes the rifle which fires at around 7 ft/lbs, which is more than enough for target shooting, and includes the rifle, 4×32 scope with mounts, gun bag and a tin of pellets. A great choice for those looking for something which won’t break the bank.

If you’re looking for something a bit higher quality, and harder wearing, then we can offer the Rabbit Sniper Kit, which comes with a full power .22 rifle, a hard and durable wood stock, a 4×32 Scope with Mounts, a tin of pellets, and a gun bag. Again this is everything you need to get started, and also it benefits from a little bit more muzzle energy, meaning it can be used for pest control and hunting up to ranges of around 40 metres.

Other Markets

Other areas to consider are second hand stores such as online websites, and your local gun shop which might have a selection of second hand goods. You can quite often pick up an older rifle such as a Weihrauch or BSA which has had a fair bit of use, but these are still plenty good enough for target shooting.

Of course, you can have it refurbished and returned back to its former glory with a service. Most gunsmiths should be able to offer this but it depends on how much work is involved, and their standard charges.

The Law

Before purchasing anything, though, I would recommend making sure that you know what the law is regarding air rifles and air pistols, so check out our Airguns Laws to ensure that you’re brushed up on the latest rules.