Pellet Impact & Penetration Test

[AirgunSniper2022]

This is something I did that most of you may already know or who knows I might be showing you something you don't know already.

So I did a test, I took my Gamo Whisper Fusion Mach 1 and fired 6 different pellets, 3 times, for a total of 18 shots into 7 layers of 8oz leather set back at 15 yards or 45 feet. Now I will let you all do the math for multiple layers but, 1 layer is 1/8 inch or 3.2 millimeters thick. Also anyone who know leather or hides knows that this stuff is tough. There will be accompanying pictures to show the layers of leather and also the expanded pellets. I only needed 5 layers and wasn't able to recover the 3rd pellet for 3 of the types but the results are amazing.

I normally have 2 additional pellets on hand but, sadly was out for this experiment. I normally have Gamo Pointed Silent Cat and also polymer pointed Red Fire pellets in my stock.

1 Overall I am disappointed in the Piranhas (pellet E).
2 The Gold Flights (pellet A) are decent but expected more from them.
3 The Destroyers (pellet C) had excellent expansion as you can see.
4 The Point and Crossman Premier Hollow Point (pellets B and D) both left deep impact marks on the 4th layer and you could feel impacts spots on the 5th layer.
5 Between the Crossman Premier and the Umarex Hollow Point (pellets D and F) the Crossmans are better as far as penetration, however; the Umarex pellets have a more even expansion. They actually roll down the side.

 

[AirgunSniper2022]

I do have pictures of the pellets after impact so you can see what the expansion looks like. I left them out and will only add them if people are interested in them.

 

[jmsdad]

Please post them. I'm always interested in recovered projectiles, whether they're pellets, slugs or bullets

 

[Sqwirl57]

Expansion really doesn't matter much in a break barrel imo. I usually just find what shoots straight and stick to it. This is a game of precision more than anything else. Even the most powerful break barrels are still pretty low powered so an accurate pellet that penetrates is USUALLY king.

As a side note, I don't believe shooting stacks of leather would say much about expansion on your typical springer game anyway. You would want to test it on a soft tissue substitute like ballistics gel.

Thats just my two cents.

 

[JimD]

Interesting results. I do two types of penetration tests. One is in layers of 1/4 MDF that are separated so I can tell how far each pellet penetrated. This test is for penetration of an animals skull. For small game I want to see at least one 1/4 inch layer. Many of my airguns will shoot through two and one, my 25 Avenger, will shoot through 3.

My other test is penetration in wet magazines. I used to use newspapers but they are pretty rare these days. Decades ago an old professional hunter and writer named Finn Aagard wrote that penetration in wet newsprint was the best simulation of animal muscle he had found. I use my Prod in each test because I've also done penetration tests with it on dead squirrels. I want other guns/projectiles to penetrate at least as far as my Prod which is tuned to about 18 fpe. One thing I've learned is that projectiles which actually expand penetrate about half as far in wet magazines as projectiles that do not expand. That may be a good thing depending on what you are shooting/hunting.

I do my tests at 25 yards which is my most typical range to shoot small game with my air rifles. I think some kind of penetration test is good before I start shooting game with a projectile/gun. Humane kills depends on accurate placement but also sufficient penetration. Once you have those two, bigger holes seem to drop animals quicker.