About Big Bore Airgun Hunting
Air rifles that use big bore calibers are a good choice for hunting larger game because they are equipped with more significant projectiles than conventional air rifles. Nowadays, hunters are taking deer, hogs and even larger game with big-bore air rifles. The big bore ammo uses a heavier grain weight causing more terminal ballistics than a smaller pellet.
Best Calibers for Big Bore Airgun Hunting
When choosing a big bore air rifle for hunting, people usually consider using a .357 or larger bullet. The .357 caliber or bigger will provide enough power for clean and humane kills on larger game, while a .25 caliber rifle might be better for smaller game or target shooting.
Suggested caliber breakdown for hunting deer:
- Small deer – .357+
- Medium deer – .40+
- Large deer – .45+
- A 50-caliber air rifle is advocated for larger game weighing 250-500 lbs. These animals include mule deer, bighorn sheep, alligator, bear, and caribou, etc. which would require 250-500 foot-pounds of energy for an effective shot.
Best Range for Big Bore Airgun Hunting
It’s always important to understand the animal’s anatomy and vital zone, and to avoid bones as much as possible when shooting. We suggest always aiming for the vitals such as the lungs to take down the game quickly and humanly.
Although big game animals have been harvested with air guns at distances greater than 150 yards, the effective range is recommended to be 75 yards or closer. Some say it’s best to stay within 40–50 yards when shooting bigger game such as a deer with an air rifle.
About Big Bore Airgun Deer Hunting Article
Below is a good article about big bore hunting from the Airgun Sporting Association website. It is an in-depth discussion from the Texas Parks and Wildlife with good information about ethical hunting with big bore air guns:
“Recently, we had the chance to talk with our good friend, Chris Turek from UpNorthAirGunner, who discussed the many factors you need to understand at a deeper level to be successful when hunting with a big bore airgun.
“A lot of us big bore airgunners that got into this sport bring with us years of hunting knowledge from the powder burner (firearm) world. Some of that knowledge is applicable and some of it needs to be totally reconsidered when hunting with big bore airguns.
When I talk with first time big bore airgunners that want to get into deer hunting, I often ask them to totally forget what they know about hunting with firearms and think more like an archery hunter. This mindset starts the conversation to consider shot placement and range to the deer and how those factors become exponentially critical.
Currently available big bore airguns on the market today can vary in foot pounds of energy (FPE) from 175 FPE on the lower end to 700 FPE on the higher end of the spectrum. Even knowing the FPE rating for your gun, you need to understand the ballistic effects of the grain weight of your ammo. Your FPE rating will fluctuate based on the grain weight of the ammo you choose sometimes by over a 100 FPE within the same gun shooting very light ammo vs. very heavy ammo for the given caliber.
You also need to understand these FPE ratings manufacturers publish are recorded at the muzzle and not at the Point of Impact (POI) of the target. So if you are hunting with a big bore airgun that reaches low 200s FPE at the muzzle, at 100 yards your projectile may only be carrying around 150 FPE at the point of impact. Knowing this should have us airgunners take pause when considering longer range shots.
Furthermore, practicing with your airgun at 50-100 yards is critical to learn what your gun will do at the various ranges and velocities (air pressures) and differing ammo grain weights as the trajectory and Point of Impact (POI) will drop by many inches at 100 yards.
This last consideration is quite possibly the most important factor when it comes to hunting. You must understand the anatomy of the game you are hunting especially when it comes to larger game species like White Tail Deer. Understanding the specifics of the vital zone shot area of your game and how to choose your shot placement is critical. With big bore airguns you need to avoid bone as much as possible. You want to make sure your shot doesn’t just get to the vitals – but will actually pass through the vitals of the deer for the most effective shot. Also understand the angle at which you are taking your shot. A broadside shot angle is going to have a lot different penetration characteristic vs. a shot on a deer quartering away or towards you.
I also talk with a lot of powder burner firearm hunters and they swear by the high shoulder bone shot for deer. Unless you are shooting a highly modified airgun that can shoot 700-1000 FPE and at closer ranges, this shot is highly discouraged with big bore airguns and again, you should really be avoiding the larger bones on a deer. This photo for example was a recent range day where I was demonstrating where the high shoulder shot is placed. You really want to be aiming for the middle to rear parts of the vitals zone (heart and lungs) for a more effective shot with a big bore airgun.
Another aspect to consider with big bore airgun hunting is this… Unlike paper targets, deer have this really bad habit of not sitting still when you are getting ready to squeeze that trigger. Knowing your predetermined primary shooting lanes from your hunting position is always great and having the various yardages visually pre-marked out is a great strategy, but deer also have a bad habit of being “woods ninjas” and showing themselves nowhere near your scouted shooting locations.
With varying light and weather conditions you may not have the luxury to pull out your trusty laser range finder to know the exact distance. With airguns, your range estimation could miss that all important vital zone by inches if your range estimation is off when attempting a longer range shot.
Deer also have an awesome ability to react to sights and sounds in the woods and you will hear archery hunters talk about the deer “jumping their shot” or “jumping the string”. Big bore airguns shoot at subsonic velocities so the sound of the airgun shot will get to the deer before the projectile and you might still hit the deer, but if ducks – dodges – flinches – or jumps – that hit may not be where you were aiming, especially at longer ranges.
Check out this video I created on this subject last year during the AirGunDpeot.com Long Ranger Challenge (hitting a golf ball at 150+ yards) when I had a few of my subscribers asking me if I was going to be taking these 150+ yard shots at deer. I was shocked to think people would even consider this as an option and is why I made this video.”
So get online and get connected with other big bore airgunners to pick their brains about their hunting experiences. The airgunning community is growing and with the recent changes in hunting regulations that is happening all over the United States, the number of hunters entering our sport will only continue to get larger. Understanding these principles is important before you go into the woods.”