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Air Gun FPS?

9K views 44 replies 22 participants last post by  Perferator 
#1 ·
Question for people who understand the pressures and speed of air guns.
Reading yesterday on one site the author claimed that to achieve better accuracy at greater distance your weapon should stay below 1000 FPS.
He explained it as when you break the sound barrier it creates a sound / shock wave, that wave follows your pellet and as the pellet slows over distance the wave catches up and makes the pellet start to tumble and effects your accuracy.
Just wondering how true that was, and I assume that different pellets achieve different speeds.
So if I wanted to get out 50 yards or so, should I stay below 1000 FPS?
I haven't used an air gun in 25 years, they sure have come a long way.
 
#2 ·
Reading yesterday on one site the author claimed that to achieve better accuracy at greater distance your weapon should stay below 1000 FPS.
He explained it as when you break the sound barrier it creates a sound / shock wave, that wave follows your pellet and as the pellet slows over distance the wave catches up and makes the pellet start to tumble and effects your accuracy.
Well, that is true. It all depends on what you want to use it for? Accuracy or.....um, let's say critter control.
Was it from this article........http://www.fieldandstream.com/articles/guns/rifles/2014/06/4-air-rifles-you-can-actually-shoot

"Not everything you know about pellet guns is wrong. Just most of it. Take the new crop of lightning-fast (up to 1600 fps) .177-calibers at your local big-box store. Gotta be crazy-good, right? Wrong. Most of them are lousy—hard to cock, loud, and the absolute hardest guns to shoot accurately.

That’s not my opinion, by the way, but that of noted authority Tom Gaylord, air-gun designer, 50-year enthusiast, and blogger with PyramydAir.com, a source for all things air-gunny. As Gaylord recently explained to me, air guns operate in a parallel universe to other guns. And very different rules apply.

For example, if you fire 7-grain and 14-grain pellets from identical air guns simultaneously, it is likely that the heavier pellet will overtake the lighter one at 30 or 40 yards. Why? Air resistance. Because air-gun pellets are so light, they have little momentum. And air resistance increases with the cube of a pellet’s speed, which means doubling the speed increases air resistance eightfold.

Also, as a pellet approaches the sound barrier (1080 fps at sea level at 32 degrees), the air around it becomes very turbulent. More turbulence means less accuracy. Breaking the sound barrier makes pellets fly like teal, not projectiles. Serious air-gunners like to stay at 900 fps or below. Olympic shooters’ $4,000 guns push pellets at a leisurely 560 fps."

I know with muzzle loaders, the less powder you use the more accurate it is but, you wouldn't want to deer hunt with that charge. You have to find a happy median between accuracy and knock down power.

Tons of research here......http://www.pyramydair.com/
 
#3 ·
I seen that article a few weeks ago, but it was another one I read yesterday that I was referring to.
950 would be a good speed for accuracy (with the right pellet).
I would like the gun to be super accurate out to about 50 yards or more for small game hunting.
Would like to be able to kill a yote with a properly placed shot.
Am I wishing for to much?
 
#4 ·
If you are anywhere near Dryden stop in and talk to the experts at Precision Air Rifle and Supplies. He will let you shoot just about anything in his shop. All top notch air rifles that are accurate out to 50 yards and beyond.

It is worth the drive.
 
#5 ·
This is also true with typical .22 rim fire high velocity rounds. That's the reason why it's difficult to be accurate at 100+ yards with one and also why "subsonic" rounds are so desired. The projectile becomes unstable and unpredictable as it decels back through the sound barrier.
 
#34 ·
I figured that out over 40 years ago. Everyone was buying the "new" supersonic .22 ammo. I bought a couple 50 ct. boxes and found out real quick you couldn't hit a barn with it even if you were standing inside. I stayed with my old standard velocity shells and won the class I shot in that year.
 
#7 ·
Just trying for a bit of logic here, certainly not knowledge or experience, but, seems to me, the more supersonic the speed at the muzzle (1100 to 1150 FPS dependent upon air temperature and, to a lesser degree, humidity), the further the projectile gets from the notorious "pressure wave." As the projectile becomes subsonic, I wouldn't think it immediately destabilizes. Logic suggests that an air gun with a muzzle velocity approaching 1600 FPS, even though it MAY become subsonic at 50 yards, would not yet be affected by the pressure wave behind it. Of course, I don't have any such worries as my RWS has chronographed at about 890 FPS.
 
#8 ·
My air rifle shoots 940 fps. .25 Cal. I've eliminated 3 ground hogs with it this summer (inside 50 yards). Fun!!!
 
#12 ·
The Cossman nitrogen gun I got on a whim has turned out to be our best value for airguns. As accurate as any airgun up to the $400.00 range I know of. It shoots 1000 fps (lead) and is a favorite plinker because it takes luck out of the equation. I have noticed the hyper guns over spitting lead at1250 or so aren't as accurate but are much more effective on possum and small ***** at moderate ranges.
 
#13 · (Edited)
The Cossman nitrogen gun I got on a whim has turned out to be our best value for airguns. As accurate as any airgun up to the $400.00 range I know of. It shoots 1000 fps (lead) and is a favorite plinker because it takes luck out of the equation. I have noticed the hyper guns over spitting lead at1250 or so aren't as accurate but are much more effective on possum and small ***** at moderate ranges.
Is that the Crosman Nitro Venom in .22 cal?
I want to replace the cheap Chinese airgun I bought 25 years ago, but I don't want to pay hundreds for one.
I noticed something strang that is happening as I get older. I found that I love riding my peddle bike and I like pellet guns, like I did as a kid. Go figure.
 
#15 ·
You and me both.
 
#16 ·
I picked up my made in China Ruger some years ago for around $100.00 at Miejer .It is scoped and I keep it sighted in at 50 ft for rabbits .It has lost some speed as it does not have the same sound as when it was new but still does the job .I am however ready for an upgrade as it is really heavy .
 
#26 ·
I picked up my made in China Ruger some years ago for around $100.00 at Miejer .It is scoped and I keep it sighted in at 50 ft for rabbits .It has lost some speed as it does not have the same sound as when it was new but still does the job .I am however ready for an upgrade as it is really heavy .
Mine is really heavy and BIG. Not something you want to carry around in the woods for too long. I found that shooting .22 rim fire CB rounds out of a lever action is just as effective and just as (or maybe more) fun. Accuracy is great and the CB's are quiet like a pellet gun. I just use the pellet gun in my backyard to keep the groundhogs under control. It seems that every summer, after a big rain/thunder storm, a straggler comes by and wants to dig under my shed. At the cabin I use the 22 CB for red squirrel control. Those red squirrels get into everything.
 
#18 ·
I have a walmart special, Winchester that shoots 800 fps. I can shoot pretty good groups out to 25 yards, but beyond that, I'm just wasting pellets. I have an ongoing battle with red squirrels on my property and I swear they know my gun's effective range better than I do. I would love to upgrade to something that will shoot accurately out to 50 yards. Great thread!
 
#27 ·
I picked up a cheap meijer crosman shockwave .22cal for tree rats. I have tried almost every combination of pellets and even at 8yds cannot get them to group. I'll get 2 within a 1" circle then a flyer high or low, left or right. No idea what to do....feel like I wasted money on it.
 
#29 ·
I have a Chinese Beeman RS2 that I bought on a close-out several years ago at a Walmart in Colorado.

http://www.pyramydair.com/s/m/Beeman_RS2_Dual_Caliber_Air_Rifle_Combo/1334

It came with a 177 barrel and a 22 cal barrel. I never could get a good group out of the 177 barrel. The 22 barrel shoots excellent groups. That velocity/sound barrier issue may explain what I was observing.

Last year, I bought a Hammers 3-9x air rifle scope with an adjustable objective lens. I removed the front and rear sights from the 22 barrel. I set up an air rifle range in my basement. I use a cardboard box filled with old clothing/newspapers/magazines for a backstop. I put a sheet of plywood behind it in case any pellets get through the box. I shoot both paper and reactive targets. For reactive targets, I use empty shotgun shells. I am able to shoot at ranges from 10-15 yards. I shoot almost every evening during the winter. Last winter, I shot 2500 rounds.
The mainspring on the rifle broke when I started shooting shortly after Christmas this winter. I ordered a new one and replaced it myself. The rifle actually shoots better, tighter groups than it did with the original spring.

This winter, I am up to about 1200 rounds. I shoot about 20-50 rounds per evening. An empty 12 gauge shotgun shell has a diameter of about 0.8". Shooting at 10 and 15 yards allows me to practice shooting an 8" wide target at 100 and 150 yards.

I highly recommend purchasing a decent 22 caliber air rifle and a scope with an adjustable objective lens that allows you to see both the reticle and target at close range.

You will be amazed at how your shooting will improve when you shoot a lot.
 
#30 ·
I picked up a cheap meijer crosman shockwave .22cal for tree rats. I have tried almost every combination of pellets and even at 8yds cannot get them to group. I'll get 2 within a 1" circle then a flyer high or low, left or right. No idea what to do....feel like I wasted money on it.
Take a few practice shots with letting the gun just rest on a bag or something. Don't try to shoot it like a rifle by holding it down. The forward energy of the gun is totaly opposite from the recoil in a firearm.Seems strange, but that may tighten your groups up. I sight mine in by just resting it on a towel and shooting it one handed.
 
#35 ·
This is a great thread and thought I would chime in on some related topics. FPS is a marketing tactic by all manufacturers, but if you talk with a seasoned airgunner the name of the game is to stay BELOW the sound barrier. I hunt mostly with my big bore air rifle - but I did enter a long range shooting competition recently and WON the damn thing with a 350 yard shot nailing a golf ball (shot of my life). Watch video:



I will tell you the closer I get to 1000 FPS the less accurate my rifle. 900 - 925 FPS is the sweet spot for mine which equates to 2700 PSI with a 128 gr. "pellet" (Aeromagnum Hollowpoint) So good to see my fellow Michiganders get on board the AirGun train. Let me know if you have any questions!
 
#36 ·
This is a great thread and thought I would chime in on some related topics. FPS is a marketing tactic by all manufacturers, but if you talk with a seasoned airgunner the name of the game is to stay BELOW the sound barrier. I hunt mostly with my big bore air rifle - but I did enter a long range shooting competition recently and WON the damn thing with a 350 yard shot nailing a golf ball (shot of my life). Watch video:



I will tell you the closer I get to 1000 FPS the less accurate my rifle. 900 - 925 FPS is the sweet spot for mine which equates to 2700 PSI with a 128 gr. "pellet" (Aeromagnum Hollowpoint) So good to see my fellow Michiganders get on board the AirGun train. Let me know if you have any questions!
So, did you enter the Airgun Depot Golf Ball Challenge and won? That's fantastic.
 
#42 ·
Ted has some really good videos. This is only one of a bunch.
 
#43 ·
I recently purchased the Bear River TPR 1200. Finding the correct pellet for accuracy requires patience and sampling several types. Groups at 25yds are crazy erratic with two brands. My next try will be the heavier wadcutter nose 9gr, up from the current 7.4 and 7.9 grain. Maybe there is something going on when the pellet goes subsonic. We’ll see with the heavier pellets.
 
#45 ·
Just an update. I have found better accuracy with RWS Superdome 8.3gr, shooting minute-of-crow on the decoy at 70yds. I’m temporarily happy with that. The biggest factor in this was learning cleaning intervals. I use q-tips dipped in Hoppes Bore Solvent with minimal fuss and great results. Last night I was drilling dead center bullseyes tearing up a pellet tin lid at 25yds.
 
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