Pellets, slugs, and BBs: shapes, weights, fit, lead handling, and quality grades.
A wadcutter has a flat face. It is designed to punch crisp, easy-to-score holes in paper targets, which is why it is the standard for 10-meter competition. The flat face creates high drag, so wadcutters are best inside about 25 yards. Beyond that, they shed velocity quickly and group sizes open up. They also work well for short-range pest control on small animals because they transfer energy efficiently and do not over-penetrate.
Read full answerA domed (round-nosed) pellet has a rounded head and is the most aerodynamic common shape. Domed pellets are the all-around best choice for almost any airgun and almost any task beyond paper-punching: hunting, long-range target, plinking, pest control. They retain velocity and energy at distance, group well, and are less wind-sensitive than other shapes. JSB Exact, H&N Field Target Trophy, and RWS Superdome are popular examples. If in doubt, start with a domed pellet.
Read full answerA pointed pellet has a sharp tip designed to penetrate harder targets like thick-skinned game or plastic spinners. In practice, pointed pellets are usually no more accurate than domed pellets and often less so, because the sharp tip is harder to manufacture concentrically. Domed pellets penetrate about as deep in lead testing. Try pointed pellets if your gun likes them, but do not expect them to outshoot a quality domed pellet.
Read full answerA hollow point has a cup or cavity in the head designed to expand on impact, dumping more energy into soft tissue and limiting over-penetration. They work best at short range from medium- to high-powered airguns; expansion typically requires impact velocities around or above 600 to 800 fps depending on design. They are a hunting pellet for squirrel- and bird-sized game inside about 30 yards. At long range or low velocity, the hollow point does not expand and the cavity actually hurts the ballistic coefficient.
Read full answerA heavier pellet starts slower than a light pellet from the same gun, but loses velocity more slowly downrange and resists wind better. Energy depends on both: FPE = (weight x velocity squared) / 450240. In most airguns, mid-weight to heavy pellets actually deliver more energy at the muzzle and far more at 50 yards than the lightweight alloys advertised on the box. Light alloys gain advertised FPS at the cost of ballistic coefficient and accuracy.
Read full answerA slug is a solid, bullet-shaped projectile with no diabolo waist or hollow skirt. Slugs are denser and longer than pellets, have higher ballistic coefficients, and retain energy and accuracy at extended ranges (often 100 yards or more). They require a fast-twist barrel (typical 1:16 to 1:20) to spin-stabilize them, while pellets are drag-stabilized and prefer slow twists. Slugs need significant power to push them accurately and are mostly used in tuned PCPs producing 30 FPE and up. They are not a beginner's first ammo.
Read full answerBuy a sample pack or three or four tins of different brands, weights, and head shapes (domed is the right starting place). Shoot 5- or 10-shot groups at a representative distance (25 yards is a good benchmark) using identical hold and rest. The pellet that produces the smallest group consistently is your gun's pellet, full stop. Do not trust online forums; barrels vary even within the same model. Plan to spend an afternoon and a few hundred pellets on this; it is the single highest-leverage thing you can do for accuracy.
Read full answerPellet accuracy depends on tight tolerances on weight, head diameter, skirt diameter, and concentricity. Cheap pellets are made fast in worn dies, so weights vary by half a grain or more, head sizes vary by hundredths of a millimeter, and skirts have flash and burrs that throw the pellet off-axis. The result is fliers and group sizes 2 to 5 times larger than quality pellets. Brands like JSB, H&N, Air Arms, and RWS are the consensus quality benchmarks.
Read full answerThe skirt is the thin, hollow rear of a diabolo pellet. It must be slightly larger than bore size so the air pressure expands it (obturation) and seals the bore. A damaged, out-of-round, or too-small skirt blows by air, drops velocity, and tumbles the pellet. Inspect skirts visually before loading; flash, dents, or split skirts go in the discard pile, not the gun. Skirt quality is one of the biggest reasons premium pellets shoot tighter than budget pellets.
Read full answerA PelletGage is a precision laser-cut sheet with calibrated holes (usually in 0.01 mm steps) for sorting pellets by head diameter. Drop pellets through and they fall through the smallest hole that fits the head, indicating its size. JSB, H&N, and Air Arms publish target head sizes on their tins (e.g., 4.51, 4.52, 4.53 mm in .177). Match the size your barrel likes; many guns prefer 4.52 mm in .177 or 5.52 mm in .22, but it is barrel-specific. Calipers work too but are slower and less repeatable.
Read full answerA pellet is a lead (or lead-alloy) diabolo with a solid head and hollow skirt, sized in calibers like .177 and .22. A BB is a small, hard, round steel ball, typically 4.4 to 4.5 mm. BBs are cheap and fed from magazines for fast, plinking-style shooting from smoothbore guns. Pellets are far more accurate at any range past close-up because their shape stabilizes them in flight and their soft lead engages rifling.
Read full answerSteel BBs in a rifled barrel will erode the rifling over time, gradually destroying accuracy with pellets. Some dual-ammo guns have polygonal or shallow rifling designed to tolerate both, but they are a compromise. If your gun is sold as pellet-only, do not shoot BBs in it. If you must shoot round projectiles in a rifled barrel, use lead BBs (Smart Shot, Gamo round lead) which are soft enough not to damage the rifling.
Read full answerPractical lead exposure from shooting is low if you wash hands after handling pellets, do not eat or smoke while shooting, and use a proper trap so pellets are contained rather than scattered. Lead-free alloy pellets exist (often called PBA or similar) but most are lighter, faster, and less accurate than lead. For competition and hunting, lead pellets are still the standard. Periodic cleanup of accumulated lead from indoor traps reduces dust exposure. The bigger lead concern is environmental, especially around wetlands; some states require non-lead in specific areas.
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