Air Rifle Slugs vs. Pellets — Optimizing Barrel Twist Rate

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Air Rifle Slugs vs. Pellets — Twist Rate Testing

Initial radar testing shows an interesting stability trend for slugs vs. pellets: drag is minimized for pellets in slower-twist barrels, while drag of slugs is minimized for a faster twist. Also, consistency of drag/BC is best when drag is minimized (BC maximized).

Show below are test data for .300 caliber 44.5 grain Slug and .300 caliber 44.8 grain Pellet, both shot from an air rifle around 800 FPS. Experienced air rifle shooters told us to expect this so it’s nice to see the measurements supporting this trend!

So why is fast twist good for slugs while bad for pellets and vice versa? Air rifle pellets with a skirt are mostly drag-stabilized, not spin-stabilized. So, they don’t need much if any spin at all to fly point forward; the skirt catches the air like the fins of a rocket. As such, spinning the pellets faster only becomes a problem of dynamic stability. If I had any suggestion after looking at this data, it would be to try an even slower twist for pellets, perhaps a 1:60″ (one turn in 5 feet) or even 1:120″.

Slugs are spin-stabilized so it reasons that more spin suppresses yaw and maximizes BC, to a point. Based on these results, it appears the slug is reaching max stability/BC with the 1:22″ and the 1:18″ provides no further benefit. Again, these are just initial findings, we’re eager to explore further in the coming weeks! To view our recent Air Rifle projectile testing, with full 8-minute video, CLICK HERE.

The Science of Accuracy Air Rifle Projectile Testing Part 1 Video »