Do you expect your Pellet gun to shoot Slugs?

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Centercut

Centercut

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If so, why? You bought a pellet gun that was set up from the factory to shoot pellets. Unless you specifically ordered a Slug barrel or liner of course. A pellet gun that actually shoots a specific slug accurately is at best a lucky thing. Yes, we all know that some pellet barrels shoot some slugs, but generally it’s a crap shoot. 
I got lucky 1 1/2 years ago with my .22 Red Wolf HP and it shot lights out with the first slug I tried, the .217 JSB KO. Other guns not so lucky and some just won’t shoot slugs of any kind. 
But it seems as slugs become more popular shooters are complaining more and more that their Pellet gun doesn’t shoot Slugs. My .22 EDGun R3 Long shoots slugs accurately but only very light low BC slugs like the NSA 20.2 or FX Hybrids. Hardly a huge improvement over the JSB RD Monsters. 
When I REALLY wanted to shoot slugs I built a specific slug gun starting with a .25 FX Impact X with PP, high power slug kit and Slug A liner. Now I can shoot higher BC slugs like the NSA 43.5 accurately out to 225 yards. Maybe further, but that’s as far as I’ve gone when hunting. 
Just wondering what others think about this topic?


 
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Well i was away from airguns for a few years and now getting back the changes are astounding! Seems to me slugs are a major topic and for me with a rimfire background i quickly see why. Bc has become big in airguns of late and it seems to me youtube is the reason. The reason i want to shoot slugs is mostly because of less wind drift at longer ranges. Im more of a paper puncher and ft shooter but really like to hit things at ranges that most people think are not possible. I also think a lot of my reasons work for a lot of other shooters
 
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"A pellet gun that actually shoots a specific slug accurately is at best a lucky thing"

Isn't the same true for a SPECIFIC PELLET? I have "pellet" guns that shoot both some pellets and some slugs very well. And some that don't.
Click to expand...

In a way, that's partially true... However, most pellets guns are designed around a specific pellet, like FX and the .22 JSB 18.1 and 15.89. Anyone that has gone through the process will tell you that generally (ooops, there I go again talking non-specifics) they spent little time finding a pellet that works in their gun, but spent significantly more time finding a slug that shot well... of course, it’s all relative...
 
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Aloha C-cut,

You are absolutely correct in that topic about shooting slugs from a pellet gun. I have a friend that wants to shoot slugs from his Taipan Veteran std. .25 and complains to me about how the slugs he's shooting are crap, I tried to explain to him that you can't just buy a box of slugs and think its going to shoot like the pellets he's been shooting. I know that his Taipan shoots lights out @ 75 yards (the farthest he shoots) jsb mk2 @ 930 fps 7/8" 10 shot groups, this is what we tuned his gun for.

He bought a box of fx hybrid and nsa 29.0 .249 and he said he's very disappointed, I told him its not the slugs, its the gun. The Taipan's barrel is made for pellets, not slugs. He watches too much youtube and see guys saying they shoot slugs with great accuracy but I told my friend does the guys on youtube show what they did to get that great accuracy. I told my friend to stick with pellets, nothing is wrong with shooting pellets because his gun is accurate shooting pellets. But with all of the hype of shooting slugs he wants to jump on that band wagon, I guess is good for the companies that are producing the slugs.

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I didn't try to shoot slugs out of my guns, I did, I bought a lot of different slugs from : fx, jsb, nsa, vk, mr. hollowpoint, griffin and did a lot of shooting trying to find that diamond in the ruff with a pellet barrel. I did end up ordering a couple of unchoked barrels for my guns to shoot slugs. Do I think it was worth it, money & labor, maybe. It made me past the time during covid when thing were shut down, would I do it again, probably not.

My take is that with the distance I shoot at (mainly hunting) 50 yds max, my pellet guns shoot just as accurate as my slug guns. So to the guys or girls who want to shoot slugs out of a pellet barrel don't expect youtube results unless you upgrade to a slug barrel, tune for shooting slugs only then you will be shooting slug on slug through the paper.

Just my thoughts,

Aloha, Keone
 
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"A pellet gun that actually shoots a specific slug accurately is at best a lucky thing"

Isn't the same true for a SPECIFIC PELLET? I have "pellet" guns that shoot both some pellets and some slugs very well. And some that don't.
Click to expand...

In a way, that's partially true... However, most pellets guns are designed around a specific pellet, like FX and the .22 JSB 18.1 and 15.89. Anyone that has gone through the process will tell you that generally (ooops, there I go again talking non-specifics) they spent little time finding a pellet that works in their gun, but spent significantly more time finding a slug that shot well...
Click to expand...

Sounds a lot like one of those "all relative" things to me.
 
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depends .. if i bought an expensive gun with the capability to shoot heavy projectiles at good velocity and i had a specific reason to then yes, such as with a big bore hunting deer or hogs .. i dont expect an air rifle to have firearm 'rifle' reach though .. we basically, even at the high end use firearm 'pistol' velocities and i never .. not once in 50 years, ever expected a pistol to shoot more than 100 yards for anything other than playing around ... realistically its 50 yards .. i could make longer shots playing around with some, but why .. why waste money and time trying to make a pellet gun shoot over 100 or even over 50 when its really at firearm pistol level trajectories etc which is awesome enough .. im sure its fun to some people though to have that awesome 3k$ gun and shoot slugs , but going preaching it like thats what you need irks me personally lol .. they can shove that crap all i need is a decent pellet gun that thoots pellets well in a real world uses like pesting .. and no 150 yard shots on nutters are not actually pesting .. there may be people that need a pesting gun to do that somewhere cant imagine where though ...dont sell your 'swugs' and fancy gun to me though for that lol ...
 
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Aloha C-cut,

You are absolutely correct in that topic about shooting slugs from a pellet gun. I have a friend that wants to shoot slugs from his Taipan Veteran std. .25 and complains to me about how the slugs he's shooting are crap, I tried to explain to him that you can't just buy a box of slugs and think its going to shoot like the pellets he's been shooting. I know that his Taipan shoots lights out @ 75 yards (the farthest he shoots) jsb mk2 @ 930 fps 7/8" 10 shot groups, this is what we tuned his gun for.

He bought a box of fx hybrid and nsa 29.0 .249 and he said he's very disappointed, I told him its not the slugs, its the gun. The Taipan's barrel is made for pellets, not slugs. He watches too much youtube and see guys saying they shoot slugs with great accuracy but I told my friend does the guys on youtube show what they did to get that great accuracy. I told my friend to stick with pellets, nothing is wrong with shooting pellets because his gun is accurate shooting pellets. But with all of the hype of shooting slugs he wants to jump on that band wagon, I guess is good for the companies that are producing the slugs.

I'm not going to lie and tell you that I didn't try to shoot slugs out of my guns, I did, I bought a lot of different slugs from : fx, jsb, nsa, vk, mr. hollowpoint, griffin and did a lot of shooting trying to find that diamond in the ruff with a pellet barrel. I did end up ordering a couple of unchoked barrels for my guns to shoot slugs. Do I think it was worth it, money & labor, maybe. It made me past the time during covid when thing were shut down, would I do it again, probably not.

My take is that with the distance I shoot at (mainly hunting) 50 yds max, my pellet guns shoot just as accurate as my slug guns. So to the guys or girls who want to shoot slugs out of a pellet barrel don't expect youtube results unless you upgrade to a slug barrel, tune for shooting slugs only then you will be shooting slug on slug through the paper.

Just my thoughts,

Aloha, Keone
Click to expand...

Thanks Keone, good post, and I agree, although some on here would disagree But those of that opinion are in the insignificant minority... Of course, if a shooter only shoots to 60 or so yards, I'm not sure how he could judge slug vs pellet in the first place, or why...?
 
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I agree with all of you. I think because pellets are drag stabilized, most barrels will shoot them fairly well without the barrel seeming finicky. That’s what they were designed for after all. Of course it’s still a good idea to find the pellet with the right diameter and lead density. With slugs being spin stabilized, the barrel’s twist rate and the velocity becomes more of a factor, along with the slug’s diameter and design. This causes the slug-barrel combination to be more of a factor and tuning them a bit more time consuming. WIth slugs, sometimes we get lucky and they shoot without much tuning but if your intention is to shoot them with great accuracy and consistently, you probably better do your research before just buying any gun and then plan on trying quite a few different slug designs and weights.

Stoti
 
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Leaving YouTube and that mesmerizing nonsense out of the equation, I felt long ago before all the hype, that shooting a slug was plausible from my pellet gun. Guns that fire slugs or bullets have rifled barrels and some of them in the .22lr world even have chokes. Right? I then went to building TJ slug barrels for all my guns thinking this would be a shortcut. It wasn’t. Without writing a giant paragraph I will just say that an airgun shoots a slug and a real gun fires a slug or bullet. That’s where the difference is and why I’ll back the you just got lucky thing. If most guys had the issues with their .22lr rifles that a slug shooting airgun guy has with our guns, they would sell it for a less finicky gun. We don’t have the benefit of an instant projectile seal when the primer meets the powder. Also, our guns are way more affected by leading because of their sluggish, no pun intended, performance. So to answer your question, I can see why some might expect their pellet gun to shoot slugs. Especially if they believe everything they read or see on their device. Once you live it for several years, you understand what you’re up against. I don’t believe everything I read and feel comfortable saying that most guys that are living the slug dream with their pellet gun barrels are not shooting the daily consistent groups that their guns did with pellets. Key words are daily and consistent.
 
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I also have found it to be a luck thing with standard airguns and airgun barrels that are designed for shooting pellets. I've gotten lucky and have had some guns do quite well with slugs. Actually have had 3 Edguns in .22 and all did well with slugs in lighter weights similar to yours. Had pretty good luck with a .22 Uragan and a .30 Uragan as well. My EVOL does decent with some slugs also. But yeah that's the thing, those guns weren't designed for slugs and while they did pretty decent with slugs, out to 100yds I still found them to do better with pellets in good conditions of course so I still used pellets. Would love to have a dedicated slug gun but for my limited uses for one in the fields (won't use one on the dairy for safety reasons) I just stick with pellets. Very high chance it will be much easier to find a pellet that's accurate out of a gun vs a slug. And like Vetmx stated above, the daily consistency with pellets out of a pellet gun is way better than with slugs out of a pellet gun. Of course different a than a dedicated slug gun. 
 
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Well sort off, i am also expecting future slug shooting guns with stick magazines and SA/FA will probably see a revival.

But the current airguns with round magazines i still get the pellet feel, though some can shoot a pretty decent slug, but to really get there those guns need a sprinkle of something, be that tailored slugs or barrel.

I am also all pro slugs, just right now thats not a bandwagon i am jumping on with all my gear for a long ride across the plains, but as it is right now i dont want to fight people over slugs, so i am just going to hang out here in the back with pellets and my pink skirt on.

But in the future where all brands have several slugs to choose from in the different calibers, then i will so be there.
 
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Everyone should be shooting all slugs all the time (that would make more pellets available when I want them.... yeah?)

Chase the slug dream, and leave the pellets to the grumpy old men like me.
Click to expand...

Amen Jim. I have 2 dedicated slug guns but I will admit that pellets are where it’s at. I’m way more comfortable shooting pellets. Spend way more time doing enjoyable shooting with pellets. With slugs comes great responsibility. 
 
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I did expect my impact to shoot slugs well, and it do. My first attempt was with the H@N grizzly in .25, which it did not shot that good, compared to pellets. But I wanted to test them because of the low price. I then switched to a .22 barrel and got both H@N and JSB knovkouts to shoot well. Bought many tins of JSB knockouts on black friday last year, because of the relative low price, and is so far happy with the results. The funny thing is that I used the same tuning procedure as I do with pellets, and got them to shoot almost as good as pellets at 25m, by just using the powerwheel. And the accuracy held on long range also. Have so far shot out to 110m hitting a 4cm spinner several times in a row, which I am happy with. Did try both .216, and .217 which seemed to have litle differnce, except the .216 seemed to haver some flyers. So I will stick with .217 so far

I might got lucky, but guess the manufacturers of both slugs, and barrels did theire testing for me.
 
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Oh they will fly out the other end no problem if that is what one wants to call shooting. What really needs to be considered is the twist rate verses the length/weight of a slug to narrow down accuracy with slugs. Speed also needs to be considered as slugs need to be stabilized by spinning, unlike pellets with their skits to do this for them. The speed also helps the slug to expand instead of becoming just a passthrough. I wouldn't expect a pellet twist rate to be best for slugs. Need a much faster twist rate for slugs. Hence a slug barrel.
 
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Maybe the question should have been "Do you expect your air rifle to shoot slugs?" I think there is enough info out there if one follows close enough that they can predict whether or not their new air gun can shoot slugs. I think by now there are 3-4 brands and models that stand a good 80-100% chance that they will shoot a slug really well. From the Avenger to the Superior lined FX's to the Daystates just to name a few. Also now that the slugs are really getting popular they are being designed to be somewhat pellet gun friendly like the FX Hybrids and JSB Knockouts. Just my 2 cents. 

jking
 
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Maybe the question should have been "Do you expect your air rifle to shoot slugs?" I think there is enough info out there if one follows close enough that they can predict whether or not their new air gun can shoot slugs. I think by now there are 3-4 brands and models that stand a good 80-100% chance that they will shoot a slug really well. From the Avenger to the Superior lined FX's to the Daystates just to name a few. Also now that the slugs are really getting popular they are being designed to be somewhat pellet gun friendly like the FX Hybrids and JSB Knockouts. Just my 2 cents. 

jking
Click to expand...

That’s true Jimmy, I think that most have a pretty good idea of what will and will not work. When I started testing slugs seriously out of the FX liners and LW barrels in .25 caliber a couple of years ago, it was about the most frustrating experience ever. There was no information at all for .25 caliber, all the slug information seemed to be about the .22 cal. Some .25 slugs worked pretty well but the fliers were a constant nuisance. Since then though, barrels and liners have just gotten better and better at a super fast rate. And, other parts of the gun like larger plenums and slug kits have too. There are so many slug makers designing slugs with every imaginable meplat, base, bearing surface, diameter, lead composition and weight, making it much easier to find a slug that will work with your particular barrel and air gun. It’s really pretty crazy how this trend has taken off over the last two years and the improvements that have been made in a very short time. I remember Mike and I talking a while back about which is more accurate a pellet or a slug. I said inside 100yds, on a windless day, a pellet without a doubt. Then I started shooting the VK 32.8gr and 34gr and that question became a little harder to answer. Now, since I’ve been shooting the 34.9gr NSA slugs out of my Impact, I’d give the nod to slugs. These things are straight up accurate and so consistent at every range and the retained energy and BC makes it hard for me to want to shoot pellets out of my Impact. Now that there are so many slug manufacturers and it’s become so common for slug makers and air gun manufacturers to work together, improvements will be even faster and the innovation we’ll see in the next year or two are going to be amazing.

Hope all is well with you and your family.

Stoti
 
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