The future of pellets - some questions

I disagree that slugs are taking over the airgun world. Maybe for those hunters, tinkerers and long range (over 100 yd) shooters, but for me, pellets work better at 100 yd or less. They are lower in cost as well. I agree that projectile development has a long way to go, but I'm not throwing my pellets away yet.

slugs are taking over the world of misinformed newbies imo lol ... unless your actually hunting big game its a big waste of money and also imo 'slugs' arnt designed for airguns, theyre simply bullets and dont fly as well in practical airgun applications ... part of the beauty of airguns is cheap simple shooting .. if you want a firearm .. buy one .. i guarantee you can buy 5 high power rifles at walmart that make about 2000ft lbs of energy for the price of that $2000+ high end airgun with 'swugs'... so no, get you a gun you can shoot pellets in and try to keep it real, what i think ... and no the shortages and economic situation will likely go from bad to worse .. its not getting better probably ever .. if your wise youll think about more important things than slugs like how your gonna get by in the upcoming sht storm ...

I have zero interest in shooting slugs out of an airgun. Your thoughts have little merit in the real world, just as BB's are still around...so will pellets be around, for a long time to come.

If I want to shoot slugs, I'll get one of my guns that were made...to shoot slugs, and go shooting..!

Mike

"Last question"

For me it's the name more than the look of them that could lead to "unwanted" attention.

As for the future of pellets,

"slugs" just a name for pellets?, Because if it's shot out of a pellet gun then surely it is by default a "Pellet". ( Just a bit of humour )



But what is this "slug" is it any non waisted pellet?, Boat tails, dish/flat/cup base, banded, then we have hybrid.

It seems (to me) an overall, overused, overtly aggressive term.

We should change it.

Diablo pellets

Boat tail pellets

Dish base pellets 

Cup base pellets 

Banded pellets

Hybrid pellets ect 

Sounds like someone has their panties in a bunch....pellets will be around for a long tine justvas they always have. I have been into airguns for well over 40 years and have saw what comes around then dissapears then comes back again. It tajes a long time and lots ofbhard earned money to create a good pellet, so companies are not just going to start making new tools for the fun if it. Having spent 50" years as a toolmaker, I am wellcaware ofvthe cost, trial and error, and redesign that goes into building a precision tool. With airguns liking lots of different shapes and sizes of pellet, how many different tools do you think will have to be made? Pellet mfgrs are working to capacity, especially with all the newcommers in the airgun world. Most mfgrs are turning out twice the number of pellets they were just 5 years ago!! Yepvthat many new airgunners! We have also become a group of people that wantvthings instantly...yep we can thank Amazon for training us greedy, want it now generation to get thinks overnite if not the same day. With thevworld slowing down with this damn virus, we all have lots ofvextra time on our hands so guessvwhat exploded in the past couple years?? Yep airgunning with ammo being much less expensive than real ammunition folks turned to airguns and home shopping which clogged up the shipping companies. Then the block of the canal, heckbthere are some ships still waiting to be unloaded from that fiasco!! The world will catch up in time, just hold on to your horses and give things a chance to catch up. It took us over a year to get into this mess, so it is gonna take even longer to get out of this mess!!!

There’s no denying that pellets certainly give the best accuracy right now. I’ve yet to see any slug that prints smaller groups than a pellet at 50-100yds. (Dependency of course being on finding the optimal pellet for the barrel). Slugs start realizing an advantage at distances and wind conditions you wouldn’t realistically use a pellet for anyway. But that is exactly why they have a place in the world of airgunning. 
I am VERY happy to see folks experimenting with different slug shapes and designs, this is how innovation comes about, and advancements in technology. Eventually we will probably be seeing pcp’s built around new projectiles with much greater range and accuracy than we have ever imagined. In the last 10 years alone the advancements have been incredible! Think about how much the community has grown in the past few years and along with that...the demand for more ammo, more power, more accuracy. The money behind that demand is driving the market. 
Innovation must continue, pellets will continue to fill their niche, but there is room and a need for extended range projectiles in hunting areas that are wide open spaces and have little concealment. 

99% of my needs are met with pellets inside 100yds. (The vast majority of squirrel/critter hunting for me is actually around 50-75yds) but I do appreciate when I discover which pellet rifle I own that will perform well with a particular slug in order to extend the range it could be used for target-shooting at 150-200yds. Options are always good.
And as far as self-policing the airgunning community because someone will mis-use whatever new type of projectile.... too late bud, kids have been shooting windows with steel bb’s for as long as steel bb’s have existed. Regardless of the technology there is always the possibility of abuse. I do not condone restricting all people based on the actions of the irresponsible few.

Sounds like someone has their panties in a bunch..

Click to expand...

No, it doesn’t.
Not only were his questions undeserving of this comment, they are timely, thoughtful, and legitimate. They are, in fact, questions that most serious airgunners have been asking for quite some time now.

"Last question"

For me it's the name more than the look of them that could lead to "unwanted" attention.

As for the future of pellets,

"slugs" just a name for pellets?, Because if it's shot out of a pellet gun then surely it is by default a "Pellet". ( Just a bit of humour )



But what is this "slug" is it any non waisted pellet?, Boat tails, dish/flat/cup base, banded, then we have hybrid.

It seems (to me) an overall, overused, overtly aggressive term.

We should change it.

Diablo pellets

Boat tail pellets

Dish base pellets 

Cup base pellets 

Banded pellets

Hybrid pellets ect 

Click to expand...

You're correct. Too bad nobody thought of it before the industry had labels made.

I totally agree as far as "Why isn't there a JSB-level quality pellet-maker in the US?" The way that I look at it is because of tighter firearm restrictions in Europe and Eastern Europe compared to the US, the necessity for better airguns were produced and the ammunition to feed it. I don't think the market is there yet in the US but hopefully things change. What if JSB opened another plant based in the US? Hmmm.

I totally agree as far as "Why isn't there a JSB-level quality pellet-maker in the US?" The way that I look at it is because of tighter firearm restrictions in Europe and Eastern Europe compared to the US, the necessity for better airguns were produced and the ammunition to feed it. I don't think the market is there yet in the US but hopefully things change. What if JSB opened another plant based in the US? Hmmm.

Click to expand...

You are correct about the long-standing airgun culture in Europe, especially in Eastern Europe, partly necessitated by the strict control of firearms..

Anther great thought is JSB moving some of their capacity to the US. I am not sure if JSB has the capital (and the expertise) to do it all alone in the US, but they surely could be sponsored/partnered with some one like Crosman. That may take care of the liability, licensing, insurance etc issues for a foreign company. While also would allow for Crosman to finally produce a world-class pellet that is not aimed at Walmart shoppers. (their sole quality product, the Premier excepted)

Click to expand...

Those are some great points you made and the reality of it all.

I disagree that slugs are taking over the airgun world. Maybe for those hunters, tinkerers and long range (over 100 yd) shooters, but for me, pellets work better at 100 yd or less. They are lower in cost as well. I agree that projectile development has a long way to go, but I'm not throwing my pellets away yet.

Click to expand...

Same here…….

pellets are all you need for everything. slugs may be better on paper, but how much better? for some it is the cats meow. i wont disagree, they are a step above. but i dont need them to shred birds. my pellets kill just fine. and ground squirrels dont have much a chance either. FOR ME, i like to tune all my guns to 800 fps and get excellent accuracy from pellets.

Why doesn't the US have more pellet manufacturers of pellets in general? Probably part of the reason NSA left California. EPA, local, and state regulations pushing out companies that deal with lead.



Allen

I don't think pellets are going anywhere its just a surge of new people picking up the hobby on top of the plandemic issues , not to mention the shipping issues going on at this time. Slugs are not new per se they are just rising up again with a better style. Some people will swear by them and that's fine because the more people buying Slugs the more pellets available for the rest of us. Some of the issue is hoarding and I can kind of understand that also because some think it's the end of times and they better get every one they can get their hands on because there might not be any more. The end of times people need to cool their jets because if it is the end times pellets are not going to save them, there is only one path to salvation but that's not a topic for here. Like someone else mentioned bb's did not disappear we just outgrew them. Get pellets when you can share them if you can respect your fellow shooters and don't buy them all. This too will pass with time . 

Well, we're all just prognosticating, but I don't think pellets are going away any time soon. Those pushing the envelope of performance might be using slugs, but that leaves 99% of us using pellets, no matter how much slug talk there is here on AGN. Pick your tool to fit your needs and don't worry, there are enough people in the same boat to support your hobby...

GsT

Great question; " Why isn't there a JSB level quality pellet-maker in the US?"

I remember back in the late 60's early 70's, Benjamin pellets were the top of the line, not so much anymore, at least not for my guns.

IMHO, I expect something will happen here in the US where we will begin to see quality pellets. Maybe JSB will start a US venture, or joint venture with a slug company (NSA, hint hint).