5.5 mm / .22 pellets for air rifles and airguns

Buying .22 / 5.5 mm pellets first means making a selection from our enormous assortment. Whether it’s impact, penetration or distance you’re after, we’ve got the right .22 / 5.5 mm air rifle pellets for you in stock. If you’re in doubt what’s the best .22 / 5.5 mm pellet for you, we’ll tell you more about it further on this page. Read more

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.22 / 5.5 mm or .177 / 4.5 mm pellets?

Ah, this might best be the most asked question in airgun history: ‘Which one is better, .22 / 5.5 mm or .177 / 4.5 mm calibre?’ As most airguns offer the same power in both .177 / 4.5 mm and .22 / 5.5 mm calibre, the lighter .177 / 4.5 mm pellets will offer a flatter trajectory, due to their higher velocity. This means less drop between different distances, which makes the .177 / 4.5 mm a bit easier is you don’t need to make huge adjustments on your sights. And, for shooting paper targets for example, you don’t always need the impact of a heavy pellet.

However, .22 / 5.5 mm air rifle pellets have the advantage of extra weight, giving them an advantage of having more impact on the target. And they seem to be less sensitive to side winds, which is an advantage when shooting outdoor. Coming back to the trajectory, it’ll be more arced than a .177 / 4.5 mm pellet, but the accuracy will be exactly the same. Maybe even better when shooting outside, because of less wind sensitivity. Besides, nowadays there are .22 / 5.5 mm calibre airguns for sale that are so powerful, that the speed of .22 / 5.5 mm pellets can be quite high, making for a flatter trajectory. That does wipe the only advantage the .177 / 4.5 mm has from the table, enhancing its strongpoint: impact.

What are the best .22 / 5.5 mm pellets?

Yes, here’s the second most asked question. And while we understand the question and recognise its importance, the answer is always a bit less straightforward. But, no worries, we’ll guide you through the massive range of .22 / 5.5 mm caliber pellets, helping you to find the perfect ones for your needs. The first thing you’ll need to do, is figure out what exactly you expect them to do.

Best .22 / 5.5 mm pellets for long distance shootings

The most popular type of .22 / 5.5 mm cal pellet is the dome head. It’s the most aerodynamic pellet, making it by far the most accurate .22 / 5.5 mm pellet available. Besides that, it has enough kinetic energy to deliver a substantial impact and the shape allows for some penetration too, if needed. The domes .22 / 5.5 mm calibre pellet is not only the most accurate pellet, but also the most versatile one. And for this reason, we’ll probably recommend a domed .22 / 5.5 mm pellet to most airgunners, except for those with specific wishes.

Best .22 / 5.5 mm pellets for penetration

When it’s purely penetration you’re after, pointed .22 / 5.5 mm airgun pellets are the ones you’re after. It’s slightly less accurate at longer distances than a round headed pellet, but will penetrate the deepest. As hunting with an airgun in the Netherlands is prohibited, pointed .22 / 5.5 mm pellets are mainly interesting for destructive plinking.

Best .22 / 5.5 mm pellets for paper targets

If it’s paper targets that are your forte, flathead pellets will be the obvious choice. The flat front will punch perfectly round holes in the paper targets, without any rips on the edges. Perfect for faultless analysing of the score.

Best .22 / 5.5 mm pellets for impact

Without a doubt, these would be hollow point pellets. They’re shaped to expand immediately on impact, making the frontal area as big as possible. This will result in a minimal penetration and a maximum transfer of force (impact) on the target. Again, as we’re not allowed to hunt over here in the Netherlands, these pellets are often used for knock-down targets.

Best .22 / 5.5 mm pellets for hunting rabbits

First thing we need to mention, is that if you’ve got a legal limit for the power of an air rifle in your country, you should be sure that power is high enough for a clean kill. If this isn’t the case, you’ll be needing a FAC air rifle with sufficient power. We won’t be talking about maximum distances, as common-sense dictates that you should only take a shot at a distance you know will be within the effective reach of the airgun and -most important of all- within your capability to certainly hit an area within one inch. And only a headshot will do. Hunting is all about a clean kill, never about long shots. Because that’s what they are, longshots.

Having said that, and taking the information about different types of .22 / 5.5 mm airgun pellets mentioned above into account, the best pellet for hunting rabbits will be the most accurate one. It can be hard-hitting, but if the accuracy isn’t top notch, nothing good will come from that. So most used are domed .22 / 5.5 mm pellets because of their accuracy. For short range, semi-hollows are used too. Semi-hollows will -for instance- feature a tip inside the hollow or have a domed head with a hollow cross. Plain hollow points won’t be as accurate.

If we would be asked to recommend one type of .22 / 5.5 mm air rifle pellet for hunting, it would be a domed .22 / 5.5 mm pellet with some weight to it. But not so much that your air rifle can’t get them up to speed. More about that below.

Which weight should .22 / 5.5 mm pellets have?

Before we’re going to talk about weight, we’d like to spend a few words on size first. Yes, .22 / 5.5 mm is a calibre, which means it’s a fixed size. However, reality shows us that not every .22 / 5.5 mm barrel is exactly .22 / 5.5 mm inch in diameter. That’s because different factories use different tolerances, which means a standard .22 / 5.5 mm pellet could sit fairly loose inside a certain barrel. This will cost you speed, power and accuracy. Especially for such barrels and for those of you who like their pellets to have a very tight fit, we’ve got oversized .22 / 5.5 mm pellets. A standard .22 / 5.5 mm pellet will be 0.216 inch in diameter, while an oversized pellet could measure 0.217 inch or even 0.218 inch. In a very wide barrel, this could make the difference between tight grouping and -let’s exaggerate- a shot image from a shotgun.

It’s definitely worth experimenting with pellet size, but most experimented with (and debated on the internet) is pellet weight. As many airguns, PCP’s excepted, have a fixed power, it’s really worth experimenting with the weight of your .22 / 5.5 mm pellets. A heavier .22 / 5.5 mm pellet will be slower than a lighter one. And, depending on the type of pellet, it will have its own ‘sweet spot’ velocity where it will behave best. You’ll find that at a certain weight, accuracy and consistency come together. Even two identical airguns will have their own preferences, which means finding the perfect .22 / 5.5 mm pellet weight always comes from experimenting. For many, this is a hobby in itself.

For really long distances, we’ve got .22 / 5.5 mm slugs. These aren’t diabolo shaped like pellets, but shaped like a bullet. This gives them minimal air resistance, but also a maximal weight. That weight helps them to reach long distances with high accuracy. However, you’ll need a high-powered airgun to help slugs reach their optimum speed. Still, if you’re shooting short or midrange, the extra weight of a slug isn’t really needed. For these distances, .22 / 5.5 mm pellets will be absolutely perfect.

.22 / 5.5 mm pellets for sale

With all the information above digested, you should now be able to make a well-informed choice from our vast assortment of .22 / 5.5 mm airgun pellets. But since it’s general information, we can understand that you might have some specific questions. Please feel free to contact our experts, they’ll be happy to help you out. If you happen to be in the Netherlands, please drop by and ask any of our staff. If not, our customer service can be contacted by phone and through chat or e-mail.

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