I remain unconvinced, gentlemen! Perhaps in caliber .257, shooting at distances greater than 200 yards, at higher velocities than normally used with pellets, such factors as ballistic coefficients, lateral sectional density, wind factors, temperature, humidity (atmospheric density) are a measurable factor, but at -100 meter distances and subsonic muzzle velocities...I maintain there is no gain in performance worthy of the extra cost!
Until someone molds a ballistic tip, boat-tail, lead or composite slug, any increase in performance at identical pellet/slug velocities/weights is insignificant at the distances the average pcp shooter utilizes.
The guys who shot the purpose-built .257 air guns years ago might have some useful input on this subject from experience. Roachcreek was one of the first forum members experimenting with high performance slug air guns years ago. Those guys were using ultra-long barrels, custom slugs, and insane distances!
Otherwise, I maintain my position that slugs are fun to shoot, but any increase in performance, over pellets of a similar weight and caliber, would be measured in units too small to be worthy of serious consideration in accuracy, impact energy, or trajectory variations at -100 meters.
To my knowledge, these factors have never been measured or documented. Again, in today's market, the current design of slugs and pellets makes no difference in performance worthy of the greater cost of slugs. When a Sierra hollow-point, boat tailed, two centimeter long, composite slug is produced, then various ballistic factors will begin to have measurable performance improvements...but even then, these improvements will come at a serious increase in price.
I first shot slugs back in 2007, and I shoot them today, with my H&N Barracuda 31gr pellets, the H&N 31gr Grizzly slugs, along with the custom poured privately produced slugs. I love shooting slugs, along with my heavy pellets...but at the end of the day, critters are just as dead, and a five shot, single hole group, is a single hole group at any distance, regardless of what made that hole.
It is possible not everyone agrees with me! Well then...speak up!!!
Regards,
Kindly 'Ol Uncle Hoot