killing efficiently

[SteveKralsAround]

Something caught me by surprise tonight . Black bird sitting on top of my shed little less than twenty yards out . My Kral is set to 910fps , I turned the power wheel down to 1/4 figured half inch below zero and POP! It sounded like a firecracker when it impacted . At least twice as loud as normal . I decided to check it out and found that there was no pass through ; it dumped 100% of the energy . 9.57gr H&N Hunter Extreme . Tomorrow I'll chronograph the speed at that setting . 

 

[Kgphotos]

I noticed that when I first started hunting with pcp air rifles and found that they seemed to perform better on squirrels than the .22 LR I had been using. It just seemed like the rimfire was zipping through with less immediate damage than the slower pellets. It was an interesting eye opener.

Kenny

 

[elh0102]

I noticed that when I first started hunting with pcp air rifles and found that they seemed to perform better on squirrels than the .22 LR I had been using. It just seemed like the rimfire was zipping through with less immediate damage than the slower pellets. It was an interesting eye opener.

Kenny

Same here. In fact, I was so impressed with the air rifle performance, that I began to intentionally shoot some squirrels in the heart/lung area rather than the head, which has always been my sole target with the .22 rimfire. With almost no exceptions, the chest shots proved immediately fatal, either dead on the spot, or within a few feet. Not sure I can explain it, as the pellet goes through the body, so something less than 100% of its energy is transferred to the target which, one would assume, is less than that of a .22 LR cartridge. In some cases, there seems to be some unknown formula for terminal performance that evades all empirical data. In CF cartridges, the .257 Roberts and .280 Remington come to mind. Both seem to perform better than other cartridges of superior ballistics data. Of course, with metallic cartridges, the bullet type and construction is a big variable, whereas with pellets, they are basically the same. A mystery. 

 

[2manyAirGunz]

Just a guess:

HOLLOW POINTS make bigger wounds -- as they expand in the target. And more energy is delivered to the target when the projectile does not pass through the target.

 

[JungleShooter]

Steve,

yes, please, let us in on the ballistics of that shot -- very interesting.

MV and range.

The Baracuda Hunter Extreme had a recent glowing review by Hector Medina -- remarkably in .177 caliber, just what you're shooting. Hector is full of praise for it, including its expansion.

The terminal ballistics comes at the end of his test report, where he tests expansion at 50y, including hitting wing, bone, etc.

Link:
https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/the-universal-pellet-is-here



Matthias

 

[elh0102]

Just a guess:

HOLLOW POINTS make bigger wounds -- as they expand in the target. And more energy is delivered to the target when the projectile does not pass through the target.

In my case no, I shoot nothing but the JSB solids.

 

[SteveKralsAround]

Steve,

yes, please, let us in on the ballistics of that shot -- very interesting.

Matthias

I chronographed the speed at the setting on the power adjuster .

728 fps 

9.57g pellet , 11.26 fpe , 18 yrds to target

 

[Haganaga]

Been shooting ground squirrels for almost two years now. Started with a .25 and they went right through. Then went to .22 and they went right through. JSB’s in each. Until I find pellets as accurate as JSB’s, I’ll just stick to head ot heart/lung shots.

 

[ghost1066]

I use both 22 and 25 for small game. Every time I shoot a squirrel and someone new to air guns hears the impact they are amazed. I use JSB pellets in both and heart and lung shots work great for me.

 

[earthsculptor]

I dispatched a gray squirrel straight on just under the chin while head was down....The pellet ended up halfway down the spine just under the skin. It was a 18.1 gr. jsb diabolo out of my dreamline. At 885 fps I would have thought it would have passed through. 

 

[DanielL]

In order of importance.

1. Accuracy and shot placement.

2. Penetration.

3. Expansion and wound channel size.

With the power of modern airguns penetration is rarely a problem. Hitting the vitals is the most important thing. An expanding pellet can anchor faster depending on the shot placement. A larger caliber creates a larger wound channel, all things being equal.