Real distance effectiveness of pellets?

[His lordship.]

I was reading my Beeman airgun manual and they say that pellets can go as far as 450 yards, this is with the velocity ratings of 300 to 1200 feet per second.  The longest shot I ever did, range estimated is around 300 plus yards with my RWS 52 in .22 pellet on a large tree that had some crows sitting on it, I aimed high and heard an impact sound on the trunk, the crows flew away.  I did not think my airgun could shoot that far.  My other long shot was with a Chinese side pump in .177 at around 150 yards on an old metal box.  Both shots were done from a second story window which allows me to aim true most of the time as there is not the same gravitational drop from a level horizontal position to the target that you get with distance shooting with airguns.

Is Beeman just using "lawyer talk" and "dangerous within 450 yards" to intimidate the owner to be extra careful, or would a pellet at 450 yards actually do any damage to anything/animal it hits?

[bobtodrick]

uhhh...lets say we stand you out at 450 yards and take a few shots.  Specifically if a slow moving pellet hit your eye, I'm pretty sure you'd agree with Beeman.

[mechanic]

Effectiveness being the operative word, NO.  A pellet has no effectiveness at 450 yds.  As light as a pellet is, it would have no energy left.  That is not to say it would not/could not cause damage, as noted above, I wouldn't want it to hit my eye.  I've been hit by shotgun pellets at less than 200 yds, and while it didn't make me happy, it did not cause serious injury either.

Beeman and all others just want it to be know that a pellet can travel that far, and in extreme circumstances MAY cause damage of some sort.

When I was a boy I took a Red Ryder BB gun and shot at a window of a church that was more than 100 yds away.  I did so to prove to the fellow next to me that the BB would go that far.  The window cracked, and I spent the entire summer mowing grass and the fall and winter raking and sweeping to pay for an 8" x 10" window glass. 

If Beeman tells me that that might happen at 450 yds. I'm going to take their word for it....

[Buckskin]

I will stand out at 450 yards all day and I'll bet you anything you can't get a pellet to me unless you have a hell of a wind behind you....

[Ron 1]

Would it matter if it was pointed, a wad cutter, or hollowpoint?

      rw

[jamaldog87]

I will stand out at 450 yards all day and I'll bet you anything you can't get a pellet to me unless you have a hell of a wind behind you....

i have hear of some going up to 600 yards. I know with a aim shot(Prone with a back pack as a rest) i can make 100-150 yards shots on soda cans with my 760 and 7.9gr wadcuts.   I onces hit a dumpster at 400 yards with my crosman 2200 and hunting pellests.

[Dand]

I know some of the Field Target shooters and a few hunters do some amazing stuff at relatively long distances. Why argue with them? 

[North Pack]

That 450 yards was probably written by the company lawyer to "keep things safe" - a true necessity these days. While a pellet may go that far - any real damage would be hard to find. In fact the toughest thing to find would be the pellet. Having said that, - why tempt fate, take their word for it. Since at that distance you have no true idea where it's going to hit/land, - don't bother with it.