How far will a pellet fly

There is a free program, which is made by Hawke Sport Optics, called "chairgun pro". You can punch in velocity, and type of pellet (select a pellet off a list). It will do the calculation for you. It really comes down to how much you aim upwards (above the intended target). This is known as holdover. The moment any projectile is fired (to include regular guns), it starts dropping. You can compensate for the drop by aiming higher than your intended target. For example, on one of my airguns, I have to aim 12.6 inches higher than the bullseye to hit it, at 100 yards.

This means, if the ground was flat, and I was laying prone (on the ground, and barrel 9 inches off the ground) and aiming directly at the bullseye (no holdover), the projectile would hit the dirt before it got to the target.

I've often wondered that myslef.. I'm not sure if the app will actually give that information thtat you originally asked about.

Winchester has a chart that is online that shows max distance shotgun shell "shot" will travel.. really good info. I have this with me when landowers question whether the lead shot will hit neighbors house, barns or what ever.. 

Hope we can get an answer.. 

Yes, Chairgun will give you that info... set range to something stupidly long, then when the holdover equals the distance fired, you are at maximum range (a 45 degree artillery shot). Actual velocity of the pellet and the ballistic coefficient of the pellet will be the primary determining factors. I have never needed to do it, because I am interested in how far I can shoot and still have enough energy to take down game.

With an artillery shot at 45 degrees, your energy is so low, as to be useless for most game.

Just guessing here but there is Journee's principle that if you take the caliber and multiple that by 2200 you get the yards a projectile can fly. So if this holds true a .22 would get out to around 484 yards. This is not exact but should be close. 

Hookster, Journee's principle assumes a velocity and a standard BC of the round. Airguns tend to be lower velocity, and pellets have a worse BC than a bullet. 

When I get home tonight, I will run it for a JSB Exact king 25.39 grain pellet, fired at 840 feet per second (if this is not already resolved by then).

Let me plug some stuff in on my phone and see.

This is good to know in the event of a miss, for example, when shooting at a bird on a roof or silo at 10 or 16 degree angle.

Here is a quick example... got to get to work..

JSB Exact king 34 grain at 850 fps. Maximum distance is at a 30 degree upward inclination of the barrel. This would have to be calculated at different FPS and pellets to give a real answer for your gun and pellet of choice.

Wow, that's a long way.

So the max range would be 804 yards? What would the velocity be at 800 yards?

I didn't ask chairgun to calculate the FPE at 800 yards. I would imagine the forward velocity would be nearly spent, with most of the velocity coming from the 650 foot fall from the peak altitude. Keep in mind the 804 yard range is with a "cloud shoot" where the barrel is aimed 30 degrees up from the horizon. When you are pointed this high, you have no reference on where the strike is going to be, unless you have a very thin target close, which is aligned with the distant target (but 30 degrees up). In other words, effectively unusable without a substantial amount of careful measurement and alignment, which would include having the butt of the rifle and barrel of the rifle aligned within a few hundredths of an inch.

It will. Just enter in 45 degrees as the angle. For any given BC, pellet mass, and muzzle velocity, a 45 degree angle of elevation will give you the maximum distance, per se. It will also deliver the least impact energy.

Very interesting. I am surprised the a pellet will carrry a half mile. That would be the max with a perfect holdover, but good to know. 

My FX Wildcat .25 MKI will shoot a 28.12 gr (actual measure) H&H Sport Hunter Extreme pellet @ 848 fps muzzle velocity a maximum of 545 yards (45 degrees elevation angle), but the impact energy at that distance is only 1.2 ft-lbf with a drop of 3,400 inches; that's 283 feet! (Yes, that's feet!)

Not sure, but I smoked a sparrow a few nights ago at 30 yards... Hit a rock (or something) the pellet ricocheted 90° I heard it hit an about building about 200 yards from where I shot the sparrow. 



No more shooting sparrows off the ground for me.