How to choose cartridges for air rifles | Price comparison e-Catalog

In fact, bullets and cartridges for pneumatics have much more characteristic differences, which we will talk about in this article, and we will start, perhaps, with the most important criterion — caliber.

Caliber

The caliber is the diameter of the bore of the weapon. The bigger it is, the greater the killing power. Also, important parameters are the muzzle energy and the weight of the bullet. The initial velocity and range of the projectile depends on them. Most entertainment weapons have a muzzle energy of less than 3.5 J. Sports and hunting options reach 7.5 J and higher at the output (up to 25 J).

There are 5 main calibres for pneumatics:

Flaubert is named after the inventor of pneumatic cartridges with a caliber of 4 mm . It is used in revolvers of the same name. The appeal of Flaubert cartridges is that they are percussion caps, and do not require a gas cylinder or a spring to fire. In view of this, they are widely used for entertaining shooting. Flaubert revolvers do not look any different from real ones, cartridges are also inserted into them, and the sound of the shot is more realistic than that of a conventional "air gun".

Flaubert 's cartridge

"Children's" (4.46 – 4.53 mm) is the most common pneumatic caliber of 4.5 mm. It is widely used in gas cylinder pneumatics, sports and hunting rifles. The range of such a bullet ranges from 10 to 60 m and depends on its weight and the power of the weapon. Children's caliber can shoot rats, small birds weighing up to 1.5 kg — crows, grouse, etc. If you aim at the head, you can hit the fauna and larger — up to 5 kg.
"Papal" is already a more serious caliber (5.5 — 5.52 mm), suitable for hunting small game, capable of effectively hitting a target at a distance of 30 – 70 m. With it you can hunt beaver, hare, gopher, fox.
"Dedovsky" — 6.35 mm, confidently chosen for hunting groundhog, pheasant, duck, fox, hare, and a shot in the head will bring down even a roe deer.
9 mm — suitable for shooting almost any animal weighing up to 50 kg, even a wild boar (if you try hard). For small game, such as grouse, it is not suitable, since it leaves too large holes when hit.

The most popular among consumers, due to its accessibility and relative cheapness, is the pneumatic weapon of the "children's" caliber — 4.5 mm. No special permit is required to purchase it, and the choice of pistols and rifles is quite wide.

4.5mm pneumatic bullets

Form

There are 7 types of forms of pneumatic bullets, on which their ballistic and striking characteristics depend:

caps;
conical;
hemispherical;
with a flat head;
with a core;
expansive;
balloons.

Balls are the simplest kind of bullets. Its advantages include good penetrating power and good ballistic characteristics. The disadvantage of the balls is low accuracy, and it is observed even when shooting from rifled barrels. The use of balls is reduced to exercises in the dash, and the target should be large enough.

Pneumatic balls

Umarex Steel BBs 4.5 mm 0.36 g 1500 pcs

from 338 ₴

Crosman BB Black Widow 4.5 mm 0.33 g 1000 pcs

from 308 ₴

Gamo Round 4.5 mm 0.53 g 500 pcs

from 322 ₴

Gamo Acero BB'S 4.4 mm 0.35 g 250 pcs

from 157 ₴

Haendler & Natermann Rund Verk 4.4 mm 0.5 g 750 pcs

from 607 ₴

The cap is an improved form, which, in comparison with the ball, preserves the flight path better. It has good accuracy, but the penetrating power is small. For a shooting range, such a projectile is better suited than a ball, but it is of little use for hunting, since it is too light due to the hollow structure.

Cap

Bullets with a core consist of a pallet and a core element, and have an average penetration ability and accuracy. They are appropriate for both smoothbore and rifled rifles. They are not used in powerful weapons because they are not designed for high speeds — the pallet is made of rubber or soft lead. Such charges can be fired at a distance of 20 to 70 m . Bullets for pneumatics with cores are chosen by hunters going for medium-sized game.

Bullets with a core

Shells with a flat head are chosen for sports. Their aerodynamic performance is higher than that of the caps, but due to the flat shape of the head, air resistance increases. Thanks to her, such shells leave clear holes in the paper target, which are convenient to count. Aimed shooting with such bullets is usually carried out at a distance of less than 20 m, and mainly from pistols, but they are also suitable for rifles with a rifled muzzle. Bullets with a flat head are also used for shooting small game, a flat surface on impact has a shocking effect on the bird.

Bullets with a conical head penetrate the surface better than all the previous ones, therefore, some manufacturing companies are marked as hunting. Such bullets for air rifles keep a good trajectory and have good accuracy. They are used in weapons of any power. Perfect for both rifled and smoothbore rifles. Capable of hitting a target even at long distances (70 – 100 m).

Hemispherical bullets look like badminton shuttlecocks. They are equally successfully used in sports and hunting, in smooth-bore "air bags" and fittings. They keep the trajectory well, differ in moderate punching power and are considered universal for all distances.

Expansive projectiles have a recess in the head, thanks to which they expand upon contact with the target. They are used for hunting poultry or medium and large game at a distance of less than 50 m from the target. Usually, in such a projectile, the expansive cavity is filled with paraffin or plastic. Due to the special format, the expansive projectile, when hit, splits into four fragments and a tail segment.

Bullets (from left to right): hemispherical, expansive, conical, flat

Material

Pneumatic shells can be made of lead, steel or steel with a copper/brass coating that protects the body from corrosion. Choosing steel bullets, it is necessary to take into account that the danger of ricochet in case of their use increases. Since steel is harder than lead, when hitting a concrete wall or a metal object, such a bullet does not flatten, but flies away, almost without losing speed, whereas lead bullets, hitting a solid object, flatten and lose energy.

Steel bullets have a greater penetration ability, but low accuracy, lead bullets, on the contrary, fly to the target more accurately, but their striking characteristics are not high. Lead bullets perform best in rifled weapons, as they are stabilized by rotation after passing through the rifling of the barrel.

Weight

When choosing ammunition for the "air", you should pay attention to its weight. The combination of powerful weapons and a large mass of ammunition allows you to achieve a good range and conduct targeted fire over long distances. "Heavy" projectiles are not so afraid of the wind, they can travel long distances without changing the trajectory, besides, they have a high destructive ability.

Such nuances are useful to consider when choosing bullets for hunting or serious sports. In the case of pneumatics for entertainment and training shooting, low-mass projectiles are suitable, since the power of such weapons is small.

For the most common 4.5 mm caliber, bullets weighing from 0.28 to 1 g are usually used.

1. Light shells (up to 0.48 g) are designed for low-power weapons: gas-cylinder pistols, light rifles.

2. Medium (0.48-0.56 g) are suitable for weapons with a power from 7.5 to 15, less often 24 J.

3. Large (from 0.56 g) are used only in powerful Magnum-class weapons (over 15 J), since in weapons of lower power, the initial speed and accuracy of the flight of such a bullet are noticeably reduced.

Cap bullets

Shershen 4.5 mm 0.28 g 300 pcs

from 55 ₴

Shershen 4.5 mm 0.28 g 2500 pcs

from 230 ₴

Shershen 4.5 mm 0.4 g 600 pcs

from 85 ₴

Shershen 4.5 mm 0.40 g 300 pcs

from 62 ₴

Shershen 4.5 mm 0.28 g 600 pcs

from 75 ₴

Shershen 4.5 mm 0.28 g 140 pcs

from 59 ₴

Appointment

The choice of cartridges for the "air gun", in addition to the above parameters, is also due to the very purpose of using the weapon. Basically, pneumatics is used for the following cases:

1. Entertainment — shooting bottles and other targets, getting out into nature, is becoming an increasingly popular activity.

2. Sports — competitions in pneumatic shooting, hardball, airsoft are not inferior in effectiveness to exercises with firearms.

3. Self—defense — carrying an air pistol gives confidence and helps protect yourself from attacks by bullies and dogs.

4. Hunting — powerful pneumatics can adequately compete with firearms.

Taking into account all these aspects, the owner of the weapon decides which pneumatic cartridge he needs. To be completely sure of the correctness of the choice, it is necessary to adhere to the recommendations of the manufacturers of weapons and ammunition, and then the pleasure of shooting and its quality will be the best.