A Closer Look at Pellet Gun Hunting


Are you thinking of investing in a pellet gun for your hunting purposes? Before you go ahead with your plans, these tips will help you choose the right gun, scope, and ammo. We’ll also help you adopt effective and humane practices for pursuing your hobby. We’ll start off with the game you should hunt with your pellet gun.

The Game

It is important to keep in mind that only small games should be sought while pellet gun hunting. In most cases, even powerful air guns fail to impart enough destructive impact to ensure clean shoots and kills. This is especially true in the process of hunting larger animals. It is best to stick to smaller sized pests like squirrels, field mice, rats and so forth. Nothing bigger than average-sized raccoons should be aimed at with pellet guns. This assures accuracy of distance and helps you use your caliber gun and ammo the proper way.

Pellet Gun and Ammo Selections

While 223 ammo and other kinds of intermediate cartridges are available for more specialized purposes, the .22 caliber guns/ pellets are considered to be preferable for those interested in tackling small game with their pellet guns. Here, there is a common misconception that smaller caliber guns like .177 and .20 are liable to produce greater pellet velocities or are considered to be much better for hunting purposes.

In reality, it is more about the creation of proper force that creates greater internal damage than the penetration force. For example, they are useful if you desire to strike the target with an angle that disperses more killing force, even after impact. This means that the thicker and heavier .22 caliber is suitable for the purpose. It is also essential to know that the smaller calibers possess the risk of passing through the target without causing enough internal damage for killing it cleanly, if at all.

Muzzle Velocity

With pellet guns, your speed is measurable in feet/second (fps). This is referred as muzzle velocity. So, if you are planning to hunt a small game with your .177 caliber air gun, then it is best to use the ones that produce a muzzle velocity of at least 1,000 fps. This kind of high speed, complemented with hollow point pellets that are much heavier, offers better chances of making clean kills every time you manage to hit your target.

So, are you ready to pick up your pellet gun and fire a few shots? With these tips in place, you can look forward to some exciting times ahead.

All the best.