Air Gun Size Guide
A proper Air gun size has been adopted for various activities from target shooting by military trainees to fun target shooting for sportsmen and women. Air pistols can also be used by a backyard plinker or a pest control practitioner. The air rifle calibers with plenty of power and high velocity outdoors can be used by homeland security to demobilize a field target without fatal injury.
There are many occasions where the use of high or even low caliber guns with the usual burst of gun powder is not necessary. Activities like game hunting nowadays could well be carried out with air pistols for lightweight game animals, or with larger caliber air rifles for the larger game that would require more pounds of energy per shot. This would not only save you from the additional cost of live ammunition but it would be much safer and more convenient depending on the air gun power type you choose.
This guide outlines air gun sizes and guns accessories with all necessary product details and product descriptions to inform about the variety and uses of almost all the air gun sizes available in the market.
Looking for an overview of gun sizes? check here.
Caliber Size and Recommended use Chart
.177 Caliber BB
Praised for giving the flattest trajectory and a high ballistic coefficient, this air gun caliber pellet together with the .177 caliber bb gun air pistol are the best sellers of all air guns because of their lightweight steel bbs, relatively lower purchase price, higher accuracy, and easily adaptable to a variety of air guns.
.22 caliber
Used with the small caliber gun for the rodent-sized game mostly for pest control purposes. Together with the .177 cal pellet air pistol – 450, the .22 caliber is also popular with kids using it for fun target shooting.
.45 caliber
The .45 caliber is capable of taking down large deer-sized animals at around 130 meters away. From simple average calculations of the most readily available pellets, the .45 caliber will deliver the most pounds of energy per shot compared to any other lesser caliber pellet.
| Animal (Size) | Minimum Recommended Caliber in (inches and Millimeters) | Caliber Energy in (foot-pounds and joules) |
| Small birds | .177+ inches 4.5 mm | 5 foot-pounds 6.77 joules |
| Medium birds | .177+ inches 4.5 mm | 7 foot-pounds 9.49 joules |
| Large birds | .22+ inches 5.5 mm | 11 foot-pounds 14.91 joules |
| Squirrel sized prey | .22+ inches 5.5 mm | 9 foot-pounds 12.20 joules |
| Rabbit sized prey | .22+ inches 5.5 mm | 9 foot-pounds 12.20 joules |
| Racoon sized prey | .25+ inches 6.35 mm | 25 foot-pounds 33.89 joules |
| Possum sized prey | .25+ inches 6.35 mm | 25 foot-pounds 33.89 joules |
| Fox sized prey | .30+ inches 7.62 mm | 35 foot-pounds 47.45 joules |
| Coyote sized prey | .30+ inches 7.62 mm | 50 foot-pounds 67.79 joules |
| Javelina sized prey | .357+ inches 9 mm | 90 foot-pounds 122.024 joules |
| Small deer | .357+ inches 9 mm | 100 foot-pounds 135.58 joules |
| Medium deer | .40+ inches 10 mm | 150 foot-pounds 203.37 joules |
| Large deer | .45+ inches 11.43 mm | 200 foot-pounds 271.16 joules |
| Hog | .45+ inches 11.43 mm | 200 foot-pounds 271.16 joules |
Air Rifle Pellets Size Chart
For all caliber steel bbs, the answers in product info give more information regarding the ballistic properties of the different caliber pellets sold as gun accessories or accessory mounts sold with original pistols and the larger caliber guns. Here is a comparison of ballistic properties of different trajectory lengths
| Pellet | Size | Muzzle Velocity in (feet/sec and meters /sec) | Energy ft/lb | Accuracy at (20 yards or 18.288 meters) | Accuracy at (30 yards or 27.432 meters | |
| Weihrauch HW35 .177 | H&N FTT 8.6 grams | 4.50 | 766 fps 233.47 m/s | 11.2 | 0.45 inches 1.143 cm | 0.75 inches 1.9 cm |
| 4.51 | 772 fps 235.30 m/s | 11.4 | 0.35 inches 0.889 cm | 0.5 inches 1.27 cm | ||
| 4.52 | 760 fps 231.64 m/s | 11.0 | 0.55 inches 1.397 cm | 0.8 inches 2.03 cm |
Swaged and Unswaged Pellet Size Chart
It is quite obvious that the longer the trajectory of a pellet the greater the power surge due to factors like air resistance, ambient temperature, the surface of impact, or the contact surface (pellet tip).
| Pellet | Pellet Weight in (grain and grams) | Head Diameter in (inches and cm) | Skirt Diameter in (inches and cm) | Velocity in (feet/sec and meters /sec) | Lbs of Energy ft/lb | Accuracy (inches at 20 yards) (CM at 18.28 meters) |
| BSA Pylarm .25 Caliber unswayed | 19.1 grains 1.23 grams | 0.246 inches 0.624 cm | 0.255 inches 0.6477 cm | 506 fps 154.2 meters/sec | 10.86 | 0.649 inches 1.648 cm |
| BSA Pylarm .25 Caliber swaged | 19.1 1.23 grams | 0.244 inches 0.619 cm | 0.250 inches 0.63 cm | 498 fps 151 meters/sec | 10.52 | 0.5 inches 1.27 cm |
Air Gun Size Pellets lubrication properties Chart
Depending on the hours on weekdays spent on practice and if possible the time on busy holidays target shooting, one can master and polish his or her accuracy levels in shooting air guns and at the same time get to experience some of the accuracy variable issues highlighted in the table below.
| Pellet | Caliber | Group Size in (inches and cm) Not Lubricated | Group Size in (inches and cm) Lubricated |
| AA Diabolo Field | .177 | 0.47 inches 1.193 cm | 0.51 inches 1.295 cm |
| .22 | 0.56 inches 1.4 cm | 0.52 inches 1.32 cm | |
| FFT Green | .177 | 0.71 inches 1.803 cm | 0.70 inches 1.77 cm |
| .22 | 0.51 inches 1.295 cm | 0.59 inches 1.49 cm | |
| Sierra | .177 | 0.80 inches 2.032 cm | 0.65 inches 1.65 cm |
| .22 | 0.57 inches 1.44 cm | 0.58 inches 1.47 cm |
Airgun sizing explained (video)
Conclusion
Air gun size and pellet choice depend on your personal choice, what you want to do with your gun. Air guns come in both long gun (air rifle) and handgun (air pistol) forms, normal and BB gun format. These guns come with their own size, but the main size factor is the ammo you put into it. That’s the reason the above size charts are about the pellets or caliber size rather the size of the gun itself.
Due to the mass availability of all the variety of any caliber air gun size, shipping can be done to any part of the world from Washington DC to the remotest towns and cities around the world. If air guns are a licensed product for civilian use, and no shipping restrictions are placed on air guns, all that is needed is a clear return policy and return method.
Personal details like your delivery location, shipping address country zip codes, credit card details, payment security, and payment inclusive of shipping charges, you should be able to receive your purchased air gun and air gun accessories within a few days of purchase.
If you enjoyed reading through this air gun size guide, please don’t hesitate to leave a comment below!
