Yes, many of the more expensive air rifles shoot over 1,000 fps in 22, .177, and even 25 in some countries which translates into be a little weaker than a 22 rifle that shoots around 1,300 fps and generally has a heavier 36 grain round. Regardless there are a ton of pics and you tube videos where people have killed pigs, goats, and I even saw a mountain sheep in a gas charged rifle.Ethically though I highly discourage attempting to hunt large 100lbs+ or even medium sized games 30–75lbs with a pellet gun because it takes extreme precision to hit an animal in the perfect spot and it has to be up close because pellet guns do not travel or transfer as much energy to the target. Basically even if you a pretty gun shot, you are highly likely to wound or injury the animal vs. killing it quickly and efficiently.
Is an air rifle lethal?
Air rifle can certainly be lethal. You say it shoots about 800 fps? Well what do you think the original loading of the venerable .45 acp pistol cartridge was rated at? Less than 900 fps. Same thing for a .38 Special fired out of a snub nose revolver. Never point a weapon at anything you're not willing to destroy. Air rifle can cause serious to life-ending injuries. H
Best 1500 fps .177 Cal Airgun Rifle?
The better measure of an air rifle is muzzle energy, not muzzle velocity. Air rifle manufacturers use lightweight and in many cases ultra lightweight pellets and a lot of wishful thinking to come up with their "up to a maximum muzzle velocity of" claim 1500fps I have never heard of an air rifle that actually chronographs 1500fps+, at least not one that wasn't forced to diesel. At that point it's no longer an "air" rifle http://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2009/03/h... IMO, sporting air rifles tend to perform best when you keep the muzzle velocity between 800fps and 950fps. You do that by matching pellet weight to the power of your rifle**. If the MV is too slow the trajectory suffers, if the MV is too high accuracy does. **Example 15ft-lb rifle 900fps with 8.3gr pellets 25ft-lb rifle 900fps with 14gr pellets 50ft-lb rifle 900fps with 28gr pellets Two medium power air rifles I highly recommend are the Benjamin Discovery(23ft-lbs) and Diana(RWS) 350 Magnum(25ft-lbs). I do prefer these rifles in .22 caliber. http://kirschy.tripod.com/177vs22.html "J Kirsch" has an excellent article on the subject There are more powerful rifles, but then you're talking about quite a bit more expense as well. The .25 caliber Benjamin Marauder(40ft-lbs) and AirForce Condor(65ft-lbs) are examples.
Whats more lethal a .22 at 450fps or a .177 at 1000 fps(airgun pellets)?
I'm going to answer your question a little differently than you asked. In most cases any reasonably powerful air rifle that you can find in .177 you can also get in .22. Basically, if you double the velocity you get 4x the energy, if you double the weight you get 2x the energy. So, going from 500 to 1000 FPS gives you 4x the foot pounds, going from 5 grains to 20 grains gives you 4x the foot pounds for a constant speed. Now, most air rifles have some upper limit on the amount of energy they can generate, then depending on pellet and caliber, the efficiency of the air gun changes. So, as an example, a Beeman R1 might run 1000 FPS with a reasonable weight .177 pellet generating 18 foot pounds, but it might run 750 FPS in .22 caliber, but generate 20 foot pounds. This is very, very common. Most spring piston/gas piston air rifles loose efficiency dramatically as velocity gets over about 1000 FPS, and best accuracy is usually closer to 850 - 950 FPS. Further, take a look at the straight shooters link I have below. If you specifically look at their pellet tables, what you can see is that the higher muzzle velocity .177 pellet is actually travelling slower at 50 yards than the slower muzzle velocity .22 pellet. Which means more retained energy is carried to target where it matters. So, the other answer are strictly correct - twice the velocity is 4x the energy and .22 pellets are generally only 2x or 2.5x the weight of a .177 pellet. That just isn't all there is to the story. Thinkingblade
What can a .177 air rifle kill?
The .177 can take small game(rabbit, squirrel, etc) you just have to be more precise with your shot, and work within the limitations of your rifle. Airgun - hunting http://www.americanairgunhunter.com http://www.adventuresinairguns.com http://f4bscale.worldonline.co.uk/pest.h... http://f4bscale.worldonline.co.uk/over.htm http://www.network54.com/forum/79537 If you're looking for a rifle, these are the ones I recommend, by price range Crosman 2100(9.2ft-lbs) - $60 Daisy Powerline 1000WS(17ft-lbs) - $100 http://www.pyramydair.com Benjamin 397(12.4ft-lbs) - $150 http://www.gunbroker.com RWS 34(14.9ft-lbs) - $199 http://www.airgundepot.com Example: Jim Chapman hunting with his favorite small game air rifle, the .177 caliber Beeman Webley C1(13.3ft-lbs) http://www.americanairgunhunter.com/webc1.html Among the small game he takes on this hunt, is a rabbit at 44 yards.
1400 fps air rifle or cheap "150-200" 22 long rifle.?
The Ruger Air Magnum delivers around 22ft-lbs of muzzle energy, or around 1000fps with 10gr pellets. IMO, air rifles tend to perform best when you keep the muzzle velocity between 800fps and 950fps. You do that by matching pellet weight to the power of your rifle. If the MV is too slow, trajectory suffers, too fast and accuracy does. The problem for the Air Magnum is that it only comes in .177, and you'll probably have better luck(accuracy) if you use relatively heavy pellets. . . There just are not all that many good 13-15gr .177 pellets to choose from. The standard, high velocity .22 rimfire(LR) will deliver more like 135ft-lbs.(1250fps with a 40gr bullet) There are some .22 rimfire rounds that will deliver up around 200ft-lbs You can buy the Marlin Model 60(.22) at Walmart for around $160 And a brick(550rds) will run you around $18 Coyote - I would suggest something a bit more powerful Squirrels - Rabbits - Pest birds - etc A good, accurate, 12ft-lb to 15ft-lb .177 will work just fine. Hunting with air rifles http://www.airgunarena.com/index.php/Air...
Can a .177 caliber air rifle take down foxes or yotes?
Q. Can a .177 caliber air rifle take down foxes or yotes? A. Under ideal conditions (the shot is from extremely close range [say 5-10 meters], the animal is stationary, the shooter is an expert shot who knows exactly where the pellet has to go and can guarantee that he won't miss...), it may be possible. Under actual field conditions (unknown ranges, a moving target, and a mere mortal who can and probably will manage to not put the pellet in exactly the right place) I doubt a .177 airgun which claims a velocity of 1,000-1,400 fps would do anything more than injure the animal since .177 caliber airguns that claim those sorts of muzzle velocities generally don't produce more than 20 ft-lbs of muzzle energy (which means less than 20 ft-lbs of impact energy) and .177 caliber pellets will produce an extremely narrow wound channel. I said this the last time you asked about using an airgun to hunt coyote and fox... If you want to shoot coyote and fox with an airgun, you need to use a big-bore (.357/9mm, .45, or .50 caliber) pre-charged pneumatic that produces more than 100 ft-lbs of muzzle energy. That will ensure you produce a large enough wound channel and adequate penetration to quickly kill a coyote or fox even with a body shot. An big-bore airgun like that would be effective out to 40-50 yards if you do your part. Give or take. If you don't have a big-bore, PCP airgun, then you need to find something else with adequate energy for fox and coyote. That might be a 12 or 20 gauge shotgun loaded with shells containing #2-#4 shot or buckshot. It may be a center-fire rifle. However regardless of what you think you've seen on TV, it most certainly is NOT a .177 caliber, spring-piston airgun putting out 20 ft-lbs (or less) of muzzle energy.
How powerful are air rifles?The answer is, it depends. A .177 cal (4.5mm) is mostly a target and training rifle, though there are many magnum .177 rifles that are suitable for small pest control (squirrels, rats and such) with a muzzle energy of up to about 20 ft/lbs (27 Joules). Rifles in .22 cal (5.5mm) and .25 cal (6.3mm) are usually classed as magnums in the US, and are suitable for target, training, and a wide variety of pests, up to about rabbit and opossum size. Muzzle energy can go up to about 25 ft/lb (34 Joules) for a .22, or 38 ft/lb (51 Joules) for .25The first repeating military rifle was the Girandoni air rifle with a magazine holding 20, .46 caliber balls, and was effective at over 100 yards. Ballistically, it was about the same as a musket, firing 900 FPS, with a muzzle energy of 260 ft/lbs (352 Joules). It was introduced by the Austrian Army ca. 1780. “Big Bore” air rifles are usually pre-charged pneumatic action. using a tank charged to 3000 PSI (200 Bar), firing pellets ranging from .357 cal (9mm) up to .50 cal (12.7mm). Though these can be used for target and training, due to the expense of the pellets, these are primarily hunting rifles, suitable for varmint control and mid size to big game (pigs and deer). The muzzle energy from these rifles range from 125 ft/lbs (170 Joules) to more than 500 ft/lbs (680 Joules). I have personally seen a custom built .51 cal air rifle fire a musket ball at over 1500 FPS. That is a muzzle energy of 915 ft/lbs or 1240 Joules.How far will an airgun kill?Edit: Corrected flawed calculation
That would be the AirForce Texan. Capable of generating up to 500 ft/lbs of kinetic energy.But, airguns aren’t about power. They’re about stealth and accuracy. If you want power buy a center fire rifle. You can have as many shots as you can carry without the worry of refilling from a dive tank. An air gun would only give a couple of shots at that kind of power before you have to refill.Manufacturers love to tell you how many FPS the gun is capabale of firing a pellet at, but the truth is 900fps is plenty. Any more than that, and diabolo shaped pellets will destabilise. If you use the special heavy pellets for big air guns, they’re basically bullets and defeat the object of an air rifle.