.25 pellets for air rifles and airguns

Well, .25 calibre pellets are pellets with a diameter of .25 inch. As this diameter is quite significant, they’re often seen as the starting point of big bore pellets. And as their mass is often substantial, they require a powerful air rifle to get them to the right speed. A small number of springers and gasram airguns are powerful enough for light .25 pellets to reach relevant speeds, but .25 airgun pellets are mostly used in PCP air rifles.

In countries where hunting with air rifles is permitted, .25 airgun pellets are used for different reasons. When there’s no power limit, the .25 calibre pellets are seen a bit like inbetweeners. They’re used, to have both the advantages of a small-bore calibre with a flat trajectory, combined with the stopping power of a big bore calibre. Especially when used in a PCP air rifle, .25 calibre pellets offer a wider range of choice in terms of weight. Would you be using smaller calibre pellets in a powerful air rifle, you need to be in the top end of their weight scale for them to stay within the sweet spot in terms of velocity, which is somewhere between 800-950 fps. Too fast and accuracy will go out of the window. That, or dial down the power output, which isn’t always possible and will affect your effective range too.

Back to the pellets. The more weight you put into a pellet, the longer it becomes. As the diameter is a given, they can only add weight in length. And you can only add so much length to a pellet before it starts affecting accuracy too. So, that’s where .25 pellets come in. They’re heavy, which means they can be used with more power. More power means more impact, more mass means more impact and a bigger diameter (frontal area) means more impact. They’ll be fast, coming from a powerful air rifle, which means the trajectory is nice and flat. This gives less drop on different distances. And because of their weight, their range is longer too then smaller pellets.

In countries with a power limit, there’s a different outlook on the .25 airgun pellets. Over there, they’re seen as big bores. .25 calibre pellets are then chosen for their extra mass and frontal surface, providing as much impact as possible, while also suffering less from wind deflection and adding range. The downside of being restricted to a power limit, is that .25 pellets are just about the largest calibre that can be used before pellet speed drops too low to be accurate or effective.

Over here in the Netherlands, where hunting with air rifles isn’t permitted, the .25 air rifle pellets are popular for another reason. They’re very often used on 50 metres target shooting where they are light enough to give a flat trajectory, while heavy enough to cover the distance. They’re also less sensitive to wind when shooting on an outdoor shooting range.

Just like with other calibres, .25 air rifle pellets are available in lots of different weights and shapes. It’s important to consider what you want from them and choose weight and shape accordingly. To give you some sort of direction: .25 airgun pellets are often used mid-range (close range for air rifles with a power restriction). A domed pellet will be the most accurate here, while a hollow point offers the most impact and a pointed pellet will have the best penetration. A flat headed pellet (wadcutter) is your best choice when shooting cards.

Weight is chosen by experimenting, as the weight must match the power of your air rifle and the characteristics of it. Which could be different, even between two similar models of the same make. By experimenting, you’ll find the weight that gives you a pellet speed that offers the best accuracy (heavier pellets will go slower than lighter pellets). Have you reached your optimum accuracy -i.e. going lighter or heavier will result in spreading of the groups- then you’ll know you’ve found the best .25 pellets for your air rifle.

With the same power, .25 pellets will fly faster and have a flatter trajectory, while .30 pellets will have more impact and a further reach. However, .25 air rifle pellets will offer better penetration, due to their smaller frontal surface. What you also should consider is which pellets match the power of your air rifle best. If you have a low powered air rifle or are bound by a power limit, the lighter .25 pellet is often the pellet of choice as the power required for a .30 pellet to be effective, is quite significant.

If you’re still in doubt which .25 air rifle pellets are best for your air rifle and your needs, please feel free to ask one of our experts at customer service for advice. They can be contacted through phone, e-mail (normal mail too) and chat, and they really do know their stuff. If you’ve made your pick, you can buy the .25 calibre pellets online as we’re shipping them worldwide. They will be well-packed and will arrive at your doorstep swiftly. Just have a look on this page and browse through our range of .25 airgun pellets. We’ll definitely have the right one for you.