Best pellet or Slug for birds?

[Hylander]

So I smacked a Dove sized critter with a JTS 18.1 doing about 950fps from about 25yds.
Hear the solid hit, feathers go all over.
The thing still flies atleast 50yds to a group of trees where I loose sight of him.
How the heck did he fly off? It was a solid hit.
So is there a better pellet or would a slug do better?

 

[PapaT]

I imagine that you got a clean pass through, so it didn't know it was dead yet.

 

[Danman]

Oh boy here we go
I could not count how many pests I have laid low with the mighty 18.13gr pellet (feather or fur). Your shot placement was just not perfect on vitals is all. Had a similar shot like that last year; hit a pigeon at 80ish yards with my ghost. Mrd going waaaay past 900fps. The pellet hit just below the spine, lifted it up from the birds body and then kept on zinging. The bird took off and got about 100Y and crashed dead in the field. Our cat saw the whole thing and got to it before my brother and i did to see the damage. I'd suspect a 15.89gr Hades (my go-to inside 50Y) or a soft H.P. slug will hit harder but its never a gaurantee. I've also flattened pigeons with an 8.44gr outta my TX more than once (13fpe).
Shot placement, shot placement, shot...

 

[Solo1]

Or you. Had a solid hit in a non vital area

 

[Dogowski]

So I smacked a Dove sized critter with a JTS 18.1 doing about 950fps from about 25yds.
Hear the solid hit, feathers go all over.
The thing still flies atleast 50yds to a group of trees where I loose sight of him.
How the heck did he fly off? It was a solid hit.
So is there a better pellet or would a slug do better?

Need to try some Hades pellets to cause more damage. Like Danman, I have great success with these in 22 and 25 calibers.

 

[pan60]

if you dont get vitals sometimes not only do they fly off but possibly survive depending?
I pop a simulate size bird at 50 ish yards today with an 18g jsb and it dropped like a rock.
as for the Hades you might have great luck with them but as for me I dont notice any difference and in the minimum testing I have done I cant see any real noticeable different in expansion
I wish we had a pellet with good expansion.

 

[Solo1]

if you dont get vitals sometimes not only do they fly off but possibly survive depending?
I pop a simulate size bird at 50 ish yards today with an 18g jsb and it dropped like a rock.
as for the Hades you might have great luck with them but as for me I dont notice any difference and in the minimum testing I have done I cant see any real noticeable different in expansion
I wish we had a pellet with good expansion.

You could always throw a hand grenade! Lol

 

[Dogowski]

if you dont get vitals sometimes not only do they fly off but possibly survive depending?
I pop a simulate size bird at 50 ish yards today with an 18g jsb and it dropped like a rock.
as for the Hades you might have great luck with them but as for me I dont notice any difference and in the minimum testing I have done I cant see any real noticeable different in expansion
I wish we had a pellet with good expansion.

Yea, I think it's all down to proper shot placement. More expansion would be awesome but I'm afraid the manufacturer of the pellets are worried that they wouldn't survive the trip in the tins without getting deformed if they used softer lead. Don't you think? Just a thought.

 

[pan60]

I think we just need better head designed hollow points so they will open up on small game
I shot a coyote with a 25g peltelt great vital shot and that pellet expanded great but theres a different between that and a tree rat or bird.
I would bet folks are surprised at how many pass throughs they have and just miss the vitals

 

[Hoppalong Doc]

You could always throw a hand grenade! Lol

I think that that is called a shot gun.

 

[FL22]

There is no replacement for shot placement, the only caveat is that you must have enough Airgun to make the shot.

That’s been my actual experience so far.

 

[Bladebum]

Jts 21.53 hit hard, if you don't care about saving a bunch of the meat javelin 21 grain slugs will turn them inside out

 

[Danman]

If your gun will shoot H&N Barracuda Hunters accurately....they are devastating too. For slugs go Javelin or FX hybrids as mentioned....explosive!
In the name of science...I have shot 4 squirrels this year with my S510 while they were digging up my property.
2 were with Jsb Hades and 2 with Jsb 18.13gr. Same gun and same power setting (15.89gr obviously travelling faster) and all within 5 yards (25-ish Yards) of each other distance-wise. All 4 were shoulder shots into vitals and into the opposite shoulder.
Both 18.13 pellets passed though and both Hades pellets were trapped under its fur on the opposite shoulder. The pellet pic is one of the Hades I got outta the squirrels shoulder. Decent expansion. I do NOT recommend the 25.39gr Hades....have tested them extensively and minimal expansion on everything i've shot from my ghost, even 10Y away @975fps into water jugs.

 

[pan60]

In the name of science.

sure ; )~

I have shot 4 squirrels this year with my S510

what only four! at that rate they will over run the plangent in days!

I do NOT recommend the 25.39gr Hades....have tested them extensively and minimal expansion on everything i've shot from my ghost, even 10Y away @975fps into water jugs.

thats what I tried I have a number of tins of them they shoot fine I just dont see the expansion. : ( havent tried the 18g

 

[Danman]

sure ; )~

what only four! at that rate they will over run the plangent in days!


thats what I tried I have a number of tins of them they shoot fine I just dont see the expansion. : ( havent tried the 18g

Oh dont worry I got more than 4 these 4 stand out in my head and were the most "scientific" as I documented the results I concur the heavy .22 hades are crud, less accurate then Mrds, no more damage, and WAAAAY more coin per pellet than Mrds. The light .22 version ("the original") is in 15.89gr. I think an 18gr Hades (AHEM JSB) would be about perfect. I should mention too the predator polymags are excellent as well on feather, but also a bit pricey per pellet.
@Hylander did you hit the back or the front of that bird?

 

[MountainSportAirguns]

Takes very little energy to kill a bird with a headshot, find the most accurate pellet and go with that. I think sometimes people naturally go for body shots, at least that's how I was until I started consciously making myself aim for the head. It's kind of a weird thing, almost like buck fever.