It seems like most competitive air rifles shoot pellets between 500 and 600 fps...Why?

Question

Is this the velocity that best suits most match-grade pellets, or is it a legal issue?

Answer 1

its not a legal issue.

Its all about accuracy, consistency and precision.

UIT union internationale de tir or

http://www.issf-shooting.org/

In air category ... air pistol mens/womens and air rifle mens/womwens all are shot in 10 meter ranges. lets get that clear.


In air pistol or rifle, there is no blowback operation or a floating bolt to couter act the "kick", "recoil" or backward motion of the gun. So to keep the the pistol or rifle steady, we have to keep the fps low and constant or "consistent" I usually go up to 800fps. The newer models also use compensators.

factors also depend on the what propellant your gun uses.
1. Pneumatic Spring and piston
2. CO2 Uses compressed CO2
3. Compressed Air

Also the caliber used are .177 for percision shooting and .22 for sport shooting

the pellets used are commonly know as "wad cutters" flat heads. This is to punch a perfect hole on the target for propper scoring. The hole being on the line of the target or a fraction there of can mean a medal or a certificate. These wad cutter give the highest resistance when flying thru the air and they start to "shake" and become inconsistent in excess of anywhere between 750-900fps depending on the weight and diameter of the pellet.

hope this helps.

if you are interested check out these brands

Feinwerkbau
Steyer Mannlicher
Anchutz
Walther

I have shot most of their rifles and pistols

http://www.auspistol.com.au/about/pistols/airpistol.htm

Answer 2

What I heard is air rifle's pellets gets less accurate the higher the fps becomes. Most pellets are hollow and lightweight thus they tumble in the air when shot at high speeds. Match grade pellets are 0.177 and some 0.22 I believe. The 0.177 is really light and the skirt is empty inside. All the solid part of the pellet is the tip. It is only about two millimeters. Air rifles that shoots 0.25 or higher calibers are mostly solid pellets. I've seen the pellets that a 0.45 and 0.50 cal pellets that looks like the bullet of a live round.

Certain countries limit their airguns too. I heard in the UK(United Kingdom) that 400 fps or higher for an air pistol or 800 fps or higher for an air rifle is considered a firearm. As in Japan any pistol/rifle shaped weapon that shoots a metal projectile is considered a firearm which is why Japan started the Tokyo Mauri Series of Air soft.

Answer 3

no, it is because this is a good speed for accuracy. generally, air gun competitions are very short range, most likely 50yards at the most. 600fps is a good speed to get the pellet there without too much drop. usually pellets are short and light weight, so they tend to wobble, or even tumble when they get close to the sound barrier. i have heard that some pellet guns that shoot around 1200fps are not very accurate because it is just above the speed of sound, and it causes the projectile to become unstable.

if you have ever heard anything about the first planes to break the sound barrier, they had a very hard time. when they would approach the speed of sound, the plane or jet would start to shake and wobble.

with most firearms, the bullet accelorates past the speed of sound very quickly, and it is stabilized by the barrel.

also another factor might be the air pressure as the pellet exits the barrel. unless the barrel is ported, there will be alot of pressure behind the pellet as it is coming out of the barrel. this could cause poor accuracy. by reducing initial pressure as much as possible, there would be much less pressure as the pellet exits the barrel.

Answer 4

Bound's hubby here:

This is not a legal issue. And it is not unique to air rifles. Rifles, pistols and air rifles all have a window of velocity where bullets (or pellets) shoot more accurately. For air rifles, it's around 700 fps. For .38 and .45 caliber pistols, it tends to be between 750 and 825 fps. For the .223, it's about 2600 fps. For the .308, it's about 2550 fps. For the .30-06, it is about 2650 fps.

Good luck.

Answer 5

I'm no expert but,maybe that the velocity is that way for the ranges that are used in competition.It also could be that mostly might be for indoor ranges.That's a good question.