airgun hunting and velocity?

[Steffen]

i hope there are some airgun hunters here, i have a question about velocity.

i'm getting an air rifle, and have narrowed it down to 2.
both are .177cal, one does 820fps and the other does 950fps
the thing is that the weaker one, is 24% cheaper and 300g lighter(i believe both are about equal as far as quality goes)

so my question is, will those extra 130fps make a difference for hunting uses?
(i know this is a very wide question, but please help me choose).
thanks.

 

[Dannytsg]

Velocity can be very misleading when it comes to manufacturers figures.

The velocity in FPS is governed by how heavy the projectile is that it is firing. For hunting small game or vermin I'd say that 10ft/lbs of energy is more than adequate BUT that depends on the pellet you are using and how fast the gun can push it.

If you can try and find out what pellets the guns were used with for those figures and this will allow you to work out roughly what those FPS figures equate to in ft/lbs.

As for your question about the difference well it really all come down to your personal preference as the velocity may be 130FPS higher in gun 2 but it may have been tested using a light pellet to achieve those figures.

What guns are you thinking about getting?

EDIT: here is a good website for calculating this.

http://extorian.co.uk/shooting/pellets.html

 

[Ogri the trog]

Steffen,
I'm afraid it is a bit more complicated than that!

You have to vector in the mass of the pellet - not only the one that was used to test the velocity by the manufacturer (are they made by the same manufacturer?) - but also the one you intend to use for hunting.

By calculating the velocity, combined with the mass of the pellet, you get an amount of energy - that energy will dissipate over distance and whatever is left when it hits the target will be used in penetrating that target. The speed/weight is called "Muzzle Energy" - do a search and it is bound to bring something up!

Do you have muzzle energy limits in Norway?

Small game (rabbits etc) only need a certain level of energy to penetrate a skull, for example, but the skill come in placing that shot to deliver the energy in the right place.

ATB

Ogri the trog

 

[Gray]

That just about sums it up really, what make/model guns are you looking at

 

[Dave]

This is quite a good introduction video to hunting with an air rifle:

[video=youtube;rfcO1z4tEF4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rfcO1z4tEF4[/video]

Youve also got to let your rifle choose which pellets it likes best. Or ask the seller.

Which rifle you getting?

 

[Bowlander]

I've shot thousands of rabbits with my Falcon FN12 which chronos at 10.5ft/lb.

 

[ozzy1977]

Which rifles ar you looking at?

 

[adestu]

Get a springer . I regret selling mine . hw95k.

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[adestu]

Also don't be concerned with the technical stuff . a long as its legal and humanly dispatches quarry all Is good.

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[VANDEEN]

That just about sums it up really, what make/model guns are you looking at

Which rifle you getting?

Which rifles ar you looking at?

Hi chaps, this is almost as exciting as us buying our own first gun's isn't it, and isn't going to cost any of us any money or a nagging from the other half, come on Steffen put us out of our misery.

Some good comments above, best if you can have a try with both.

I remember when I was younger fancying a HW77 right until I felt the weight of it :-(

Without an adjustable but pad & stock/comb you could do with trying them with your chosen scope (or open sights if that's you thing) to see how they fit you.

 

[blacktimberwolf]

There are legal limits in the UK.....depends on the weight of the pellet but with average weighted pellets for an air rifle, it works out as .177 (7.9 grains) max. permissable speed 826 fps. & for a .22 ( 14.4 grains) max. permissable speed 612 fps. which will give the max power allowed (12ftlb).....anything over that will require a firearms certificate.

If you are going to hunt with it don't be persuaded by all the BS spouted by some about shooting critters from 40 -50 meters away.............30 meters/yards should be your maximum distance if you care about killing humanely.

 

[HillBill]

Cant beat a good springer, i've got a 95k too, great guns.

The excel was sorted yesterday.... strip down, Degrease, fettle, polished internals, re lubed. Its a different beast

Get a springer . I regret selling mine . hw95k.

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[adestu]

Glad it's turned out good HillBill

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[Steffen]

thank you for your replies so far.
the air rifles i'm looking at is a weihrauch hw50s and hw95.

previously owned .22lr, .222, .30-06, .300 wby mag, and a 12ga shotgun.
+ a weaker .177 air rifle as a kid.
i know a thing or two about rimfire and centerfire rifles, and i spent the first half of my twenties calculating ballistics and energy.
new to foot-pounds, but it seems 1 joule = 0,74 foot pounds.

i'm surprised to learn that there is no standard bullet weight manufactorers use when measuring V0.
(i just assumed it was 0,5g/8gr, as it seems to the most common).
that means that the stated v0, is absolutely useless as a tool to compare "powerful-ness" in airguns.

as long as its not bigger than .177, there are no restrictions on power.

 

[VANDEEN]

Not had personal experience of either of those, hopefully someone has & can advise.

Aye the FPS reading is pretty subjective.

I hear that some pellet / gun combo's over here have put people straight over the 12 ft/lbs limit out of the box & that's why the manufacturers set them deliberately low.