Max Effective Range Of 177

[ROOKIE SNIPER1]

Yep but the hold over is massive and even a slight breeze can put you some inches either side of your target, so best kept at 45 yards imo

cheers

Is their program that can tell you wot the wind drift and hold over will be

[Brian.Samson]

Is their program that can tell you wot the wind drift and hold over will be

Chairgun will give you a reasonably accurate hold over figure, and a very rough approximation for wind drift (assuming you know the exact windspeed and direction and it remains constant along the entire path of your pellet - which it most certainly will not).

I'm reluctant to answer your original question because although you're phrasing it as a hypothetical maximum range question, further questions about hold over and windage suggest that you're contemplating actually attempting this on a live animal. That would be totally irresponsible!

Having said that hypothetically, an efficient .177 pellet (e.g. JSB Exact) shot from an air rifle running at 11.5 fpe is capable of making a clean kill on an average rabbit at distances up to 70 yards.

In reality, no matter how good a shot you think you are or how still you think the wind conditions YOU aren't good enough to make that shot.

That's not a slur on you, I'm not good enough to make that shot with any more than say a 50/50 chance of success (probably less) and I don't know anyone who is - and I know a few FT World Champions.

First off the wind is a major factor - it's never completely still and it's rarely predictable. Secondly range finding is another major factor, just to give you some idea of how critical it is, a laser range finder isn't accurate enough to be able to give you the information you'd need to give the correct holdover at 70 yards and pacing the shot out certainly isn't and lastly pellet stability is also a major factor. At some point the pellet will start to 'tumble' greatly affecting the ability to hold a tight enough grouping.

The killzone on a rabbit is about the size of a 2p piece - you'd be doing well to make the shot at 45 yards.

[Steyr]

The simple answer is yes. Hit the right spot and it is dead.

The reality is that any error you make becomes much magnifyed by range and ones ability to read wind is a dark art not mastered by many.

Even an imperceptible breeze at 60 yds will have an influence and the gyroscopic effect and drag on the pellet will be taking hold making it more of a lottery.

Bottom line - the max range is based on the individuals ability to hit a 5 p peice repeatedly. That is the question you must ask of yourself