How To Pick A Perfect Pellet

Your ammunition can make or break airgun performance, so how do you choose the right one? Mat Manning offers a few pointers

- Mat Manning

Pellet selection can make a huge difference to airgun accuracy, yet it is something that is all too often overlooked. Even if you invest in a high-end air rifle, the gun simply will not shoot with consistent precision unless it is matched with the right ammunition.

Cheap airgun pellets are a complete non-starter and a false economy. Inconsistent weight, shape and head size is detrimental to accuracy, making them useless for serious target shooting or for tackling live quarry. I wouldn’t even recommend using sub-standard pellets for practice sessions; time on the range should be spent using your first choice of ammo so you can learn exactly how it will perform in readiness for competition or targeting pests.

It is not a matter of buying quality ammo, though; it is a frustrating quirk that different airguns shoot well with different pellets and even guns that roll off the same production line can have widely varying preferences. The only solution is to put a few different brands to the test and find out which gives the best results with your gun.

I have experimented with most of the available lines of airgun pellets over the past three decades, so here are a few pointers to help narrow your search.

Most airgun shooters who use legal limit, sub-12ft/lb, air rifles opt for one of the two main calibres: .177 or .22. A few choose .20 as a middle option and .25 is a consideration for close-range pest control such as culling feral pigeon inside farm buildings and warehouses, but their size and weight make for low-velocity projectiles with a distinctly curved trajectory.

Sticking with the two main choices, the smaller, lighter .177 is the faster, flatter option, while the bigger, heavier .22 is slower with a more distinctly curved flightpath but does tend to strike harder when it hits the mark.