velocity vs foot pounds of energy

2009-04-08T13:57:00.000-07:00

Velocity :
What is velocity and this fascination that pellet gun consumers have with it ? The dictionary says
" it is the speed imparted to something" . Speed imparted to WHAT ?
In this case, a pellet...........but, WHAT pellet? Without knowing what pellet size and weight, there can be no comparisons made using velocity ( speed ), feet per second ( FPS ) in this case.

Velocity ( FPS ) is what the pellet gun manufacturers use as a type of "hype" to sell their guns.
Speed sells, whether it is motor sports or shooting sports.
A pellet gun manufacturer will say model X will shoot 1000 FPS ! Well, will it really ? NO......it usually does not live up to that claim, because whatever pellet they used ( and they won't say what it was ) that may have gone that fast is extremely light weight and is no where to be found at any retailer.

FPS means nothing, unless you know what WEIGHT the pellet is.
FPE ( foot pound energy ) means EVERYTHING. FPE can be used to compare performance of one gun or configuration to another.
* FPE is the energy it takes to lift ONE POUND to ONE FOOT HIGH ( 12" off the ground ).

Lets use an example. Model X in caliber .177 shoots a 7.9 grain pellet at 1000 feet per second
( velocity ), and model Y shoots a .22 cal 14.3 grain pellet at 800 feet per second.
Which one is more powerful ? The one going faster ? NO, the .22 is going a bit slower, but it weighs nearly twice what the .177 does.
The foot pounds energy for the slower moving .22 is just over 20 fpe, while the little .177 is just less then 15 FPE.
SO, as you can see, the heavier pellet was going 20% slower but has over 33% more energy ( and as a side note, the .22 will retain more energy down range and impart far more devastation and larger entry hole, and will be less affected by wind or a blade of grass that may be in the way of the target ).

How do you know the FPE ? by knowing the pellet weight and the velocity you get the FPE factor.
Here is the formula : velocity x velocity x weight, then divided by 450240 = FPE
lets take the .177 going 1000 fps for example :
1000 x 1000 =1,000,000 . 1,000,000 x 7.9 ( weight of pellet ) =7900000
now divide that figure of velocity squared times the pellet weight by a constant of 450240
and you get the answer of 14.62 FPE

Ballistics is a deep subject and can't all be covered in a single blog entry. The purpose of this entry was to educate the masses as to why VELOCITY just "ain't all that" !
No valid comparison can be made with fps alone, unless you know the weight.

SO, don't even WORRY about velocity, decide what FPE you require for how and what you are shooting and then seek out the guns that are withing that level of performance.

why a custom pellet gun

2008-11-29T11:15:00.000-08:00

WHY a "custom pellet gun ".............

first off, if you want power, accuracy AND affordability, You're not likely to find all three aspects in a currently produced product, the first two pretty much negate the last aspect.
If you want a small, easily carried pistol with the power to hunt squirrel beyond 20 yards, well, they just are not actually available.
There are a few pistols out there with 20 ft lbs of power, but they are very large and bulky and the price starts at $600.00 and climbs from there. One such gun that I have had experience with, and would highly recommend as a hunting tool is the Exinex AR6. This $600.00 pistol is a PCP ( pre-charged pneumatic ) , with a 6 shot cylinder. This gun makes an average 25 ft lbs and is extremely accurate and is an excellent long range handgun.
The only complaints I would have about that gun, the price tag......does not come with sights and you also need a pump.....you will be about $1000.00 or more into this gun before you can shoot it ( provided you put on a scope worthy of it ). And also the gun is heavy and bulky and not really packable.

SO, that is one case in point for the custom gun argument. A 25 ft lb pistol that is light and packable, and cost half what the factory gun does can be had from a few different custom gun builders.
Another is, the exclusivity factor......not going to be many out there that have what you have when you have a custom built gun.

Welcome to Pacific Pellet Guns

velocity vs foot pounds of energy

why a custom pellet gun