25 caliber Marauder pellet recommendations for Groundhogs?

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TG59

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Jul 26, 2021
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MI, United States
Which 25 caliber pellets have proven to do the job on groundhogs at 30 to 50 yards?

I have been trying several pellets on paper through a 25 caliber Marauder. The JSB King Exact Heavy Diablos (33.95 gr) group well, but have ~ 1.5" drop between 30 and 50 yards from my Marauder as now set up.

Have any used the JSB King Exact Diablos (25.39 gr) with good success on groundhogs?

Open to suggestions.

As a kid I hunted a lot of groundhogs with a 22LR and learned that head shots were the most reliable way to avoid wounding them.




 
25s are the way to go with a stock mrod to take maximum advantage of trajectory and energy ... if youve shot alot of .22lr then you know shot placement makes the most difference .. you can shoot some critters all to hell, dragging their guts and it doesnt stop them without getting a good shot on them .. so if you cant get a precision shot at 50 stalk in, doubtful a heavier pellet and a couple of more footpounds will make up for 'aim at the middle' shoddy airgunning ...
 
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With 23 groundhogs under my belt this year alone, let me explain what you are dealing with. I have shot groundhogs with 142 gr .357 slugs from my Benjamin Bulldog pushing 170 fpe to the body at 20 yards, and they have run off. Now, they run off and go bury themselves, but if you want a more surefire (some say ethical) kill with the .25 cal, you must go for the headshot. 

https://youtu.be/hOGWhhFmyVQ?t=19

If you can't get the headshot, the next best thing is a upper body shot (draw a line across their shoulders, and aim just below it a half inch for a heart shot) with a pellet with deep penetration, such as the H&N Hornets (Highly recommended). Don't use Polymags with the .25 cal on bodyshots, because they just have way too much body fat to penetrate to the vital organs. Here is a Polymag body shot with the Benjamin Bulldog .357 at 25 yards, and it had no exit wound. 

https://youtu.be/aLXTueSqyOI?t=29

Similar shots with JSB Exact would exit because of the much harder lead alloy.

These guys are super tough. I've killed my share of raccoons with a .25 cal, but you'll need the perfect head or heart shot to drop a groundhog.
 
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Thanks all for the feedback. It is clear that the best combination of accuracy and penetration is critical.

I found the trajectory charts published in Hard Air magazine for these two JSB 25 pellets. There's about 1/2" more drop for the 33.95 King Heavies vs the 25.39 Kings at 50 yards, but notably more retained energy. I have some of the JSB King Exact Diablos (25.39 gr) on order and will try them out on paper next for accuracy.

These fellas usually don't hang around long enough in my yard to get a rangefinder on them. Determining the difference between e.g., 42 and 48 yards makes quite a difference given the rate of drop with the Marauder 25. An effective and quiet 90 yard air rifle would enable me to take them from the porch - perhaps someday.

In my youth I learned quite a bit about groundhog hunting. Went from a 22LR to a 222 which was a big improvement, but the additional noise was an issue with some landowners. Ended up loading a 308 down with 100gr Speer Plinker bullets and a light charge of pistol powder. This was quieter than the 222, worked great out to ~ 100 yards and typically anchored them well if I did my part.
 
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Thanks all for the feedback. It is clear that the best combination of accuracy and penetration is critical.

I found the trajectory charts published in Hard Air magazine for these two JSB 25 pellets. There's about 1/2" more drop for the 33.95 King Heavies vs the 25.39 Kings at 50 yards, but notably more retained energy. I have some of the JSB King Exact Diablos (25.39 gr) on order and will try them out on paper next for accuracy.

These fellas usually don't hang around long enough in my yard to get a rangefinder on them. Determining the difference between e.g., 42 and 48 yards makes quite a difference given the rate of drop with the Marauder 25. An effective and quiet 90 yard air rifle would enable me to take them from the porch - perhaps someday.

In my youth I learned quite a bit about groundhog hunting. Went from a 22LR to a 222 which was a big improvement, but the additional noise was an issue with some landowners. Ended up loading a 308 down with 100gr Speer Plinker bullets and a light charge of pistol powder. This was quieter than the 222, worked great out to ~ 100 yards and typically anchored them well if I did my part.
Click to expand...

If you have an Android phone, I highly recommend the Strelok app. My ATN X-Sight 4K Pro has a built-in ballistics calculator, and plugging those same numbers into app gives the identical POI.
 
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First, I am a huge fan of Strelok Pro and have been using it exclusively now for some time. It is spot on for pellet guns (at least my PCP guns). I recommend the Baracuda Hunter Extreme (28.24 grain) in .25. They are a bit heavier than the standard JSB Exact with a better BC and a bit flatter shooting than the Heavies. I find that, with enough velocity (700+ fps), they do expand and leave a better wound channel.
 
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Strelok Pro looks interesting - but unless I misunderstand isn't a rangefinder is still required?

I have tried both the H&N Baracuda (30.86g) and Hunter Extreme (28.24g) on paper. Does the Hunter Extreme penetrate as well as those without an expanding design?

For some reason my Marauder is grouping H&N pellets 3" to the right of the JSB's at 30 yards, and 1" further to the right at 50 yards. Accuracy is similar for both from my semi-steady rest, but the POI is quite different. I can see the H&N's spiral to the right in flight.

The JSB's had the same windage at both 30 and 50 yards.




 
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Strelok Pro looks interesting - but unless I misunderstand isn't a rangefinder is still required?

I have tried both the H&N Baracuda (30.86g) and Hunter Extreme (28.24g) on paper. Does the Hunter Extreme penetrate as well as those without an expanding design?

For some reason my Marauder is grouping H&N pellets 3" to the right of the JSB's at 30 yards, and 1" further to the right at 50 yards. Accuracy is similar for both from my semi-steady rest, but the POI is quite different. I can see the H&N's spiral to the right in flight.

The JSB's had the same windage at both 30 and 50 yards.



Click to expand...

Yes, a rangefinder is required. But the app will tell you where you POI at distances different than your zero will be, and how to do the appropriate holdover/holdunder with your scope.
 
Upvote 0
Strelok Pro looks interesting - but unless I misunderstand isn't a rangefinder is still required?

I have tried both the H&N Baracuda (30.86g) and Hunter Extreme (28.24g) on paper. Does the Hunter Extreme penetrate as well as those without an expanding design?

For some reason my Marauder is grouping H&N pellets 3" to the right of the JSB's at 30 yards, and 1" further to the right at 50 yards. Accuracy is similar for both from my semi-steady rest, but the POI is quite different. I can see the H&N's spiral to the right in flight.

The JSB's had the same windage at both 30 and 50 yards.



Click to expand...

Yes, a rangefinder is required. But the app will tell you where you POI at distances different than your zero will be, and how to do the appropriate holdover/holdunder with your scope.
Click to expand...

Or, at those relatively short distances, you can simply use a tape measure like I did. Even out to 100 yards, it doesn't really take that long.

I don't have a range finder.
 
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From the OP:

Thanks all for feedback.

I will look into Strelok Pro. Since shooting primarily in backyard I can work out distances ahead of time.

Received the JSB Exact King Diablos (25.39 gr) and tried them out last weekend. It was a bit breezy, but they grouped into one ragged hole at 30 yards and into ~ 5/8" at 50 yards from my semi steady rest. On a whim tried them at 75 yards and with a 10 shot group four were within 1" and seven within 1 1/2" - better than expected for a first attempt. Three additional shots pulled out of the group by shooter error.

Windage for this pellet the same at 30, 50, and 75 yards. Elevation worked out via Mildots: +1 at 50 yards and +2 at 75 yards worked pretty well.

With the same scope settings used for the JSB's, the H&N pellets grouped to the right and windage diverged even more as distance increased. Not sure why other than this gun does not like H&N's - especially as distance increases.

I hope to get this rifle tuned over the winter and ready for next year - hibernation has begun in this part of the country.


 
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estarkey7 said:
With 23 groundhogs under my belt this year alone, let me explain what you are dealing with. I have shot groundhogs with 142 gr .357 slugs from my Benjamin Bulldog pushing 170 fpe to the body at 20 yards, and they have run off. Now, they run off and go bury themselves, but if you want a more surefire (some say ethical) kill with the .25 cal, you must go for the headshot.


If you can't get the headshot, the next best thing is a upper body shot (draw a line across their shoulders, and aim just below it a half inch for a heart shot) with a pellet with deep penetration, such as the H&N Hornets (Highly recommended). Don't use Polymags with the .25 cal on bodyshots, because they just have way too much body fat to penetrate to the vital organs. Here is a Polymag body shot with the Benjamin Bulldog .357 at 25 yards, and it had no exit wound.


Similar shots with JSB Exact would exit because of the much harder lead alloy.

These guys are super tough. I've killed my share of raccoons with a .25 cal, but you'll need the perfect head or heart shot to drop a groundhog.
Click to expand...
 
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I must say groundhogs are tough. I've shot several at 20-30yds with a Ben Marauder 22cal ,all head shots and none dropped dead.
2 with H&N hornets. Which look like the most lethal pellet in my collection. They go a 1/2 inch into a 4x4,..Got a second body shot off as they went back to the hole.
I think they must heal in 3-4 days or somebody else is taking over their hole.
Maybe I'm slightly off the kill zone which I think is very small.. might need a 30cal or bigger.
 
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SimpleGuy said:
Ground hogs are tough creatures! I shot one in the head with a 30cal and it took about 3-4 shots to put it down completely. I thought it was dead after the first shot went to go view it and almost pooped my pants when it hissed at me when I got too close
Click to expand...
😂

I bet that got the blood pumping!

I know some people thought I was using too much gun when I did most of my groundhog hunting with my Benjamin Bulldog .357 shooting Polymags and slugs, but adult groundhogs are as tough as nails, and they need a good headshot between the eye and ear to put them down clean. I have had a lot of success using the Bulldog on bodyshots as well, as a good heart lung shot is easier to get over a headshot.

I am now shooting groundhogs with my FX Maverick VP .30cal and the greatly improved accuracy has liberated me to take more headshots to get the job done. I've been using FX Hybrid slugs, and they are as devastating on groundhogs as they are pricy.


 
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Groundhogs are so damn skittish and waiting for a good headshot can mean an escaped garden raider. A good .357 hollow point will allow you to quickly line up the shoulder shot and let loose. Even if the shot isn't perfect there is no way he is going very far with a quarter sized exit hole in him.

Make big holes....win big prizes.
 
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