Could you hunt with wad cutter pellets?

[Ausername]

So, i have a old 1377 (ie the pc77) and i found that it has like a 4 inch group @ 15 yards with with cheap crosman pointed pellets (witch are really round-nose) but anyway i found that crosman wadcutters shoot best(from what i've tested) from this gun. So, what do you guys think about using wad cutters for hunting (unless you guys have some domes that work good in this gun.)


Also I only intend to shoot birds like pigeon with this (because you need steel to shoot doves i guess) or possibly a good shot at a squirrel if i'm feeling lucky or stupid.

[leadslinger]

You can but IMHO not the greatest penetrating with a under 500 FPS airgun.. I smoked a pigeon with a 7.4grn wad cutter running 850 FPS ( Shy of 12 FPE ) the sound could be herd houses away and it flew away. I was about 25m away.

[rsterne]

Yep, keep the range short, as they lose velocity quickly compared to a round-nosed pellet.... They actually hit very hard, velocity for velocity.... The problem in a low velocity impact may be lack of penetration, particularly on feathered armour....

Bob

[YepYep]

Agreed, keep the range short. I used the wadcutter once shot down a pigeon from the roof about 5 meters only to me with only one hit in the chest (the biggest part to aim) using my CP99. If the range is short enough, maybe the flat head of the wadcutter will give more damage to your target.

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[megiddo65]

Generally, Wadcutters are used in target practice and competitions(10m air rifle and pistol) because they cut a nice clean hole that's easier for scoring. They do lose their velocity fast and their effective range in terms of accuracy is usually around 25 metres. For hunting, I would stick with the pointed, domed or hollow point pellets. You'll have to try a few different brands to see which ones your 1377 favors.

[leadslinger]

Agreed, keep the range short. I used the wadcutter once shot down a pigeon from the roof about 5 meters only to me with only one hit in the chest (the biggest part to aim) using my CP99. If the range is short enough, maybe the flat head of the wadcutter will give more damage to your target.

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You need more power.. I hit one at 5 ft with a 400 FPS air pistol ( knocked it out of the rafters ) and I had to throw the gun down so my step father could finish it.

[Glem Chally]

Yeah I don't think that would be that humane unless you can get head shots. Chest shots are worse the breast meat is 1-1.5 inches of tough muscle before getting to vitals. A couple months ago with a Benjamin classic .22 with pellets twice as heavy I smoked probably 5 of them and 4 of them saw feathers fly and they just flew away like nothing happened. 15-20 meter shots. sub 500 fps gun.

[peterdulux]

Yes, it's like getting hit with a frying pan.

Took a gopher at maybe 10m, .22 cal, dropped like a rock. No penetration hole at all. I was amazed.

[YepYep]

Agreed, keep the range short. I used the wadcutter once shot down a pigeon from the roof about 5 meters only to me with only one hit in the chest (the biggest part to aim) using my CP99. If the range is short enough, maybe the flat head of the wadcutter will give more damage to your target.

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You need more power.. I hit one at 5 ft with a 400 FPS air pistol ( knocked it out of the rafters ) and I had to throw the gun down so my step father could finish it.

I
I redo a measurement by the evening before go home , it maybe about 3 meters from the muzzle to the pigeon, not 5 meters far. I have to minus my height and the raised arm, right?!

Maybe I put a lucky shot that hit its heart something at the time?! It was knocked down and flipped over to the other side from the roof edge, and I didn't notice any noise then. And some days later the body was washed to the ground in the storm. If I only hurted it not killed it, it must kept on "bouncing" on the roof before died. And if I made a head shot, it should not be knocked down to the other direction and would just fell down from the roof edge...



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[YepYep]

Generally, Wadcutters are used in target practice and competitions(10m air rifle and pistol) because they cut a nice clean hole that's easier for scoring. They do lose their velocity fast and their effective range in terms of accuracy is usually around 25 metres. For hunting, I would stick with the pointed, domed or hollow point pellets. You'll have to try a few different brands to see which ones your 1377 favors.

For the 1377, due to the small .177 cal, I think it might not be a good choice for hunting. It will be very accuracy, but not have enough impact power to kill unless you make head shots or even eye shots I think...


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[megiddo65]

Generally, Wadcutters are used in target practice and competitions(10m air rifle and pistol) because they cut a nice clean hole that's easier for scoring. They do lose their velocity fast and their effective range in terms of accuracy is usually around 25 metres. For hunting, I would stick with the pointed, domed or hollow point pellets. You'll have to try a few different brands to see which ones your 1377 favors.

For the 1377, due to the small .177 cal, I think it might not be a good choice for hunting. It will be very accuracy, but not have enough impact power to kill unless you make head shots or even eye shots I think...


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They say for small game like pigeons and squirrels, you would need a minimum of 3 to 4 ft/lbs of energy at the muzzle. Hopefully his 1377 is shooting close to 485 fps. If you are using a sub 500 airgun, the distance should be no more than 10 metres as velocity drops off considerably, especially with a Wadcutter. Basically the lethal target area(kill zone) is half an inch to maybe 1 inch; making an accurate pellet gun and good marksmanship skills essential. If you can make precise head or chest shots, you can put them down humanely.

[ole cleatus]

h&n excite is my go to hunting pellet for my 2250 they dont over penetrate meaning all the energy is dumped into the target, they expand very well too. i use domed sniper lights at longer ranges as wadcutters are only good to 20 yrds or so

[rsterne]

For really small targets, like mice, turn the pellet around.... They will expand even in a sub-500 fps gun....



RWS Hobby at 430 fps in soap.... Hit like TRUCK !!!



All the above non-PAL.... from left, top is .30 cal JSB, bottom is .22 cal JSB.... from bottom is .22 cal Hobby, forwards (right) and backwards (left)....

Bob

[ole cleatus]

For really small targets, like mice, turn the pellet around.... They will expand even in a sub-500 fps gun....



RWS Hobby at 430 fps in soap.... Hit like TRUCK !!!


i bet they still shoot better than daisys

All the above non-PAL.... from left, top is .30 cal JSB, bottom is .22 cal JSB.... from bottom is .22 cal Hobby, forwards (right) and backwards (left)....

Bob

[Daryl]

To answer the question asked - yes - you could hunt with wad cutter pellets.

However, perhaps the best answer is another question - "should you hunt with wad cutter pellets".

From a high powered rifle, delivering 700fps to 950fps, the answer is yes - if they are accurate in your rifle, within their accuracy range.

Wadcutters hit hard as the guys have noted. Yes, they will slow down more quickly than round or pointed pellets, however within their normal accuracy range, their velocity loss likely immaterial.

How much harder depends on speed and what they strike. Wing bones are likely to stop them - perhaps, but the bones will also break and bring down the bird.

I would/will never hunt with a non-PAL air rifle, again. Did it as a kid, on birds and squirrels. Found early on, the higher powered German air rifles of the late 50's and early 60's were much better than the Russian rifles on game. No idea what their speed was, but it was a LOT faster & hit a LOT harder than my little Slavic rifle. The higher speed rifles also killed the game whereas the under-powered
rifle oft times failed to bring them down without repeated hits. This was on grackles, starlings and pigeons, as well as being almost useless for squirrels.