Favorite close range pellet?

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I am in the same situation as you are. I have my Marauder sighted in for 25 yards but the distance from my kitchen window to my typical kill shot is between 9 and 12 yards. I will tell you that in .25 cal the H&N Crow Magnum hits like an exploding hammer. More than once I have separated a house sparrow's top from it's bottom. Out at 50 yards I think there is time for the flat face of the pellet to destabilize in the air and pull to one side or another, but from 0 to about 25 yards these shoot like a laser. Most well made pellets do this out of my .25. I save my round nose pellets for the squirrel woods where I might get a 50 yards shot. 
Here is a good way to illustrate this for yourself: 
On a sunny day, go find a valley or somewhere where you can take 200 yard shots or more into a safe backdrop. Pick a spot and shoot but don't focus on the target, focus on catching a glimpse at the pellet shinning through the air. I was trying to get an idea of my pellet drop at 150 yards just to see where it was going. I clearly saw the pellets go straight out about halfway down my scopes vertical crosshair. Then, right before I lost sight of the pellet is started cork screwing off to the side and once it started going to the side it really hooked like a sliced golf ball. It wasn't windy and I could have shot all day without knowing where I was hitting because it wasn't only falling low of target but also about 20 feet to the side. But the point is that it did not start veering off course until it got out a good 60 yards. So I keep the hammers for smacking things up close and the arrows for tagging those far off squirrels.
 
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Inside thirty yards I have found H&N Terminators 7.25 HP (at least in my NP springer @ .177) to be very accurate. They are also a great one shot show stopper...Aaaaand share the same scope zero as my CP 7.9gr domes (what are the odds?). Good penetration and not insignificant expansion can be expected. I have hit squirrel at 35-ish yards (no pass through, lodged just under skin on the "exit side") with similar effect, but at the range when I try to stretch them out to 40 plus yards they start spreading out. I can't pretend to see what's going on, but I would assume they are destabilizing and corkscrewing/tumbling/whatever.
 
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"MattChastain"
"Cookie"Insert any waisted pellet backwards into the breech, and at 10 yards you'll get good accuracy and good stopping power.
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Really that is very interesting I will have to try it. I bet they would do massive damage since the skirt then becomes a huge hollow point. I can't believe they would stay straight flying skirt first.



I didn't believe it either, but I tested it after hearing reference to it on American Airgunner from Steve Criner and Tom Gaylord at 2min 56 secs and 22min 41 sec.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmapL8A0_ko


"Someone" called BB Pelletier wrote an article about it....

http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2007/10/can-you-shoot-pellets-backwards-introducing-the-flying-ashtray/



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Normally I'd stick with my Beeman FTS copper pellets, but I'd rather much keep those around for when I really have to reach out far. When I did my 31yd trials I got some acceptable grouping with Hunter Extreme and Crow Magnum. That said, I figured I'd use the Crow Magnums for close up because I want to produce the hardest pest knockdown I can on the first shot because with my Disco a follow up shot is longer than if I was using a magazine fed rifle like the Marauder.

I won't spent money on PolyMags until I pick up a .25 rifle. I like their idea and all but that'd definitely be a round that if it shot exceptionally well I'd keep it in reserve for the toughest targets.
 
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I just use Jsb kings in my .25 marauder at all ranges. I guess it's not broke so don't try and fix it for me, besides I only use gun for pests and don't shoot high shot count just made it through first tin of 150 and had gun since early spring. I rather have the gun set so I can shoot at whatever range and don't have to single load or worry about spare mags to load different types of pellets. Currently I am zeroed at 55 yards so I can stay at 16x and shoot out to a little over a 100 yards with no adjustment.

I would rather buy bulk and save that way. Having the .22 marauder as well it was really pellet fussy(wished I had started with .25 )and that has also biased my idea on that. I am glad to see that others have had excellent luck with the cheaper ones at short range.
 
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Inside a barn for roasting pigeons or birds in general , .177 H&N Match Rifle wad-cutters out of my R7 or R9. Outside ,. 22 cal. 18 gr .Defiant lead pellets, not to be confused with the 14.5 gr. Dynamic non-lead pellets. For those area's in California that require the use of a non-lead pellet, military bases and certain private ranches,
the .22 cal. Dynamic 14.5 gr PCP 2. All .22 cal. pellets being launched from a Hw100/STB .
 
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For the range I've been using my Disco at Beeman Copper FTS, H&N hunter extremes, and crow magnums they've all had nearly the same POI. .Now with my Trail that's a different matter. Weight and shape play more havoc with the POI on it, and it seems to prefer to lighter weighted Crosman Premiere domes, Beeman, and JSB Diabolo RS for its current zero.

I'm actually kind of eager to see how the .25 Marauder shoots compared to the Disco when I get one. Also I probably won't be using but 1 or 2 different pellets with it because its going to be a rural area only rifle, so no close range specific one for it.
 
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