If you are a novice shooter and are looking to buy your
first air rifle, or even if you've owned one for several years reading air
rifle reviews can be confusing. Trying to figure what caliber you need is
difficult enough and then you have to determine which is better, FPS or FPE.
Once you understand the terms commonly used in the pneumatic rifle reviews, it
will be easier to find the best one for you.
Which Caliber is Best?
The caliber refers to the size of the pellet that your
air rifle is designed to fire, and the two most common are .177 and .22. The
smallest ammo is .177 and while this caliber pellet may not have the punching
power of the large BBs, it is accurate at a high rate of velocity. If you are
planning on doing a lot of backyard plinking or dove hunting, a .177 caliber
air rifle is designed for you. Another bonus with the smaller pellets is that
they are inexpensive and easy to find.
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The other common air rifle is the .22 caliber, and it
is ideal for hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels. It has a harder
hitting power than the smaller caliber pellets, while still being incredibly
accurate at high rates of speed. While the .177 caliber ammo can be used for
small game hunting, it has the tendency of going straight through the animal
instead of delivering a more humane killing shot.
Other less common caliber air rifles include the .20
and .25. The .20 caliber is often preferred by older shooters who love the
history that goes along with the caliber firearm. Many shooters claim that it is
a perfect blend of the .177 and .22 calibers, which are quickly replacing the
.20 caliber as they continue to become more powerful and accurate.
Understanding FPS and FPE
Every air gun will advertise its feet per second (FPS)
or foot pounds of energy (FPE) in a bid to make you believe that it is the most
powerful and accurate pneumatic rifle. Both ratings can be used to determine
how effective the air gun is, but most experts recommend looking at the FPE.
The FPS on an air rifle is determined by the type of BB
or pellet fired. You also have to be as accurate a shot as the test shooter. If
all of these factors are not duplicated exactly, you will never reach the air
rifle's maximum feet per second. This is why FPE is often considered a more
accurate measurement of the air rifle's performance.
Foot pounds of energy calculates both the weight and
velocity of the fired pellet. This gives you a more concise measurement for all
manufacturers' ammo of the same caliber. It is important to remember that
accuracy is also a factor in an air rifle's performance, and that depends
entirely on you. The angle of your scope and the type of ammo you are using
will not improve the gun's performance if you do not know how to properly line
up a shot.
Pneumatic Rifle Reviews
While reading through all of the different reviews can
be confusing and even frustrating, once you understand the commonly used terms
it will become much easier. The caliber that you choose will determine what
type of shooting activities you can successfully participate in and the
different ratings can help determine an air rifle's speed and accuracy. Simply
remember, the more accurate you are at hitting a target the higher your
performance rating will be for the air rifle.
