So, for hunting with an air rifle, do I want expansion with HP or penetration with something akin to Lehigh Defense's Extreme Penetrator? With the lower velocities of air rifles vs PB I imagine HPs wouldn't be as effective against deer, antelope, etc. I'm new to this so any suggestions are appreciated.
Penetration or expansion?
- Thread starter projectbaja
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It really depends on the quarry you are going after with said airgun. Obviously if your shooting pest birds with a .22 you do not need penetration, so a highly expanding pellet like a predator polymag works awesome.... makes a hell of a pop. However if your talking big game like deer and pig with a big bore air rifle like a .40-50 caliber then I'm a firm believer in penetration. I don't think you necessarily need to have an expanding round when your already poking a .45 caliber whole in an animal. However if you can get the expansion and penetration all the better.
As far as your question about if hollow points work in air rifles the answer is a resounding yes. First... air rifle ammo regardless of caliber are usually made of fairly soft lead which allows them to expand easier than your typical PB ammo. Second... most of your airgun ammo with hollow points also have very large hollow points for this same reason, it allows them to open up at lower velocities.
There is a wealth of info. out there, but it depends on the type of hunting you plan to do. AKA what specific animal you plan to hunt and what rig you plan to use.
Hope this was helpful.
As far as your question about if hollow points work in air rifles the answer is a resounding yes. First... air rifle ammo regardless of caliber are usually made of fairly soft lead which allows them to expand easier than your typical PB ammo. Second... most of your airgun ammo with hollow points also have very large hollow points for this same reason, it allows them to open up at lower velocities.
There is a wealth of info. out there, but it depends on the type of hunting you plan to do. AKA what specific animal you plan to hunt and what rig you plan to use.
Hope this was helpful.
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@projectbaja Up North Airgunner talks a lot about this discussion with big game, and I would say he is an expert on it, and is a firm believer of pass through of the projectile when hunting large game. Here is a link to his YouTube channel. https://www.youtube.com/c/UpNorthAirGunner
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Thanks for the knowledge. I'm getting a .22 for prairie dogging with my pa, and want to use a Bulldog for the big game as I've seen a few people use them to hunt deer, antelope and the african equivalents of them.
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22 slugs should do well on prairie dogs if you place your shots well and keep the distance reasonable
I’ve done some prairie dog hunting and my experience has been it’s usually windy and the close ones go into the holes.
It will be a challenge
I’ve done some prairie dog hunting and my experience has been it’s usually windy and the close ones go into the holes.
It will be a challenge
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This is probably a no-brainer, but shouldn't it be Accuracy, then penetration, then expansion?
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For big game, given our subsonic speeds, I would add to the list, 'Exit'; as two holes are better than one. Accuracy, then Penetration, then Expansion (of the wound channel), then Exit. Exactly what the Lehigh Defense's Extreme Penetrator does as it cuts through making the wound channel, except without actually expanding the bullet.
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Too bad a guy couldn't manufacture the same style as the extreme penetrator for PCPs without running the risk of copyright infringment
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Now I need to go dig up the old book I’ve got with a discussion about Roy Weatherby and Elmer Keith. I don’t feel that Roy’s theory will apply to us on larger game(not enough velocity). Elmer Keith probably has a better theory for us, I large slow moving round that smashes its way through(penetration).
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