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A pellet is the cheapest part of your setup and the one that decides where the shot lands. The same rifle can group like a laser with one tin and throw fliers with the next, so “best” really means best-for-your-gun-and-your-job. This guide walks the .177 and .22 pellets in the catalog by what the listings actually claim — weight, caliber, and head shape — and sorts them by the work they’re built for: hunting, pest control, or punching paper. Where a listing gets sloppy or hides a number, that gets said plainly, because a spec you can’t trust is worse than no spec at all.
What the numbers on a pellet tin actually tell you
Two numbers matter most: caliber and weight. Caliber has to match your barrel — a .22 pellet won’t go down a .177 bore, and a .177 rattling down a .22 barrel is useless. Weight, measured in grains, is the one that changes how the pellet flies. Heavier pellets stay stable and buck wind better, but they need a gun with the power to push them, or they just lob out slow. Lighter pellets leave the barrel faster and shoot flatter up close, but they shed energy and get shoved around by wind sooner. There’s no universal right answer — there’s the weight your rifle groups best, which you find by trying a couple.
Head shape is the real choice
After weight, the nose shape tells you the job. Pointed pellets are the hunting default — they bite and penetrate, and they’re cheap to buy in bulk. Domed pellets are the all-rounder: no tip to fuss with, steady accuracy, good energy downrange, and usually the safe first thing to try in a new gun. Flat-nose wadcutters are the target pellet — they punch a clean, round hole in paper that’s easy to score, but the flat face drags them down fast, so keep them close. Hollowpoints and polymer-tipped pellets are built to expand and dump energy into game, which needs a gun making enough power to do it — under-power them and the fancy nose does nothing.
When a listing won’t say what it’s selling
A few tins here show why this site reads listings instead of trusting them. One repeats a full spec blurb copied from a different-size tin. Another prints a weight with the wrong unit, or off by a wild margin. One flat-out says “See Description” where the specs should be. When a page can’t keep its own weight and count straight, don’t fill in the blank with hope — the grain weight and the caliber are the two things you most need to know, and if the seller won’t state them clearly, that’s a reason to be careful, not a detail to shrug off.
Buy a small tin before you buy the case
Pellets are barrel-specific, so the smart money buys small first. Grab the little tin, shoot a few groups at the distance you actually use, and only then buy the big bulk tin of whatever your gun likes. It’s tempting to stock up on the cheapest bulk pack, but a case of pellets your rifle scatters costs more than a small tin that shoots. Once you’ve found the match, buying in volume is where the savings are real.
Best Air Rifle Pellets
1. Harpex Pointed Arrowhead .22 Cal, 20.1 Grain (200-Count)
The Arrowhead is the heavyweight of Harpex’s .22 lineup at 20.1 grains, and the sharp tip is built to punch deep rather than spread. Read the fine print before you buy: at 12.2mm long these run past most magazines, so the tin itself calls for single-load rifles only. That’s fine for a bolt-action or a break barrel you feed one at a time, and a pain for anything mag-fed. The 200-count tin is the one to grab once you already know your gun likes a heavy .22 pellet.
Best for: Single-load .22 rifles and shooters who want a heavy, deep-driving pellet.
Listed at $17.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
2. H&N Sport Hornet Pointed .22 Caliber, 16 Grains
H&N’s Hornet is a pointed hunting pellet with a brass tip pressed into the nose, and the pitch is penetration over expansion. H&N says it stays accurate out to 40 yards in .22, which is honest framing — this is a close-to-mid-range pellet for backyard pest work, not a long-range slug. It runs pricey per pellet next to the plainer options here, so it earns its spot when you want a dedicated hunting round rather than a plinking bulk buy.
Best for: Close-range .22 pest control where penetration matters.
Listed at $44.01 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
3. Gamo Red Fire .22 Cal Polymer Tip Hunting Pellets
Red Fire is Gamo’s polymer-tip hunting pellet: a red plastic point sits in the lead nose and drives back on impact to open the pellet up. At 15.59 grains in .22, it’s a mid-weight built to dump energy into small game instead of zipping through. The 125-count tin is smaller than most here, so it’s a buy-for-a-hunt pellet rather than a stockpile. If your rifle groups well with tipped pellets it’s worth trying; some barrels don’t like them, so don’t buy deep before you know.
Best for: Hunters whose rifle already shoots polymer-tipped pellets well.
Listed at $9.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
4. Stoeger X-Hunt .22 Caliber, Medium Weight
Stoeger keeps it vague — “medium weight” is all you get, with no grain figure on the listing, so you’re buying on the brand’s word rather than a number. What’s stated is a pointed .22 pellet, 200 to a tin, aimed at general hunting and target use. If you like to know exactly what a pellet weighs before it goes in your gun, that missing number is a real strike against it. If you just want a working .22 pointed pellet and trust Stoeger, it’s a middle-of-the-road pick.
Best for: Shooters who want a basic .22 pointed pellet and don’t mind an unlisted weight.
5. Harpex Athenas .22 Cal, 17.9 Grain Pointed
The Athenas is Harpex’s mid-heavy .22 pointed pellet at 17.9 grains — lighter than the Arrowhead, and short enough that it won’t fight your magazine the way the long Arrowhead does. The listing keeps its claims plain: pointed head, 200 to a tin, meant for target work and legal hunting. It’s a sensible everyday .22 pellet when you want some weight without going to the heaviest option.
Best for: An all-round .22 pellet with moderate weight for target and small game.
Listed at $17.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
6. H&N Terminator Hollowpoint .22 Caliber, 16.36 Grains
The Terminator is a hollowpoint — a cupped nose meant to open up and dump energy instead of drilling straight through, the opposite job from the pointed Hornet. It’s a .22 at 16.36 grains, and the listing notes it wants a gun making a minimum muzzle energy to work the way it’s designed to. If your rifle is under that, a hollowpoint won’t expand and you’re better off with a domed or pointed pellet. Match it to a mid-power .22 and it’s a solid pest pellet.
Best for: Mid-power .22 rifles doing pest control.
Listed at $18.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
7. Harpex Fenix Premium .22 Caliber, Lightweight
The Fenix is the lightweight of Harpex’s .22 pellets at 12.5 grains, in a small 100-count tin. Lighter .22 pellets leave the barrel faster and shoot flatter up close, but they shed energy and get pushed around by wind sooner than the heavy stuff. The listing also offers a .25 caliber version, so check you’re grabbing the .22 tin. For close-range plinking and light pest work on a lower-powered .22, it’s an easy, cheap tin to try.
Best for: Close-range plinking and light pest work with a lower-powered .22.
Listed at $7.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
8. Harpex Pointed Arrowhead .22 Cal, 20.1 Grain (110-Count)
This is the same 20.1-grain, 12.2mm Arrowhead as the big tin, just in a smaller pack — a lower-cost way to see whether your rifle likes it before you commit. Worth a heads-up: the listing’s own bullet copy still describes a 200-count tin even though this pack is the smaller one, so trust the count in the title, not the spec blurb. Same rule as the big tin applies — it’s long, so single-load guns only.
Best for: Trying the heavy Arrowhead in a single-load .22 before buying the big tin.
Listed at $9.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
9. Crosman Premier .22-Caliber Domed Pellets (500-Count)
Crosman’s Premier is a domed .22 pellet at 14.3 grains, and domes are the safe default when you don’t know what your barrel likes — no tip to fuss over, good all-round accuracy, decent downrange energy. Crosman points it at their PCP and break-barrel .22 guns and at small-game hunting. The 500-count tin makes it a genuine bulk buy, so it’s the one to reach for when you want one do-everything .22 pellet in quantity.
Best for: A do-everything .22 pellet to buy in bulk.
Listed at $15.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy. Amazon lists this one for pre-order rather than immediate shipping.
10. Crosman .177-Caliber Pointed Lead Pellets (500-Count)
This is Crosman’s basic pointed .177 in a 500-count tin — a hunting-leaning pellet that also does fine knocking down cans. The listing doesn’t give a grain weight, so if pellet weight matters to your setup you’re guessing, but for cheap, high-volume .177 shooting that’s less of a deal-breaker. Pointed pellets like these trade a little target-paper tidiness for more bite on small game. A fair pick when you want a lot of rounds without much fuss.
Best for: High-volume .177 plinking and casual small-game shooting.
Listed at $9.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
11. Harpex Slug Pointed .177 Cal, 10.8 Grain
Harpex calls these “slugs,” but by the listing they’re a pointed .177 lead pellet at 10.8 grains — heavy for .177, which is the point if you’re chasing stability at distance out of a stronger air rifle. Heavy .177 pellets need a gun with the power to push them; in a weak springer they’ll just lob. The spec here is at least internally consistent, which isn’t true of every tin on this list. Good for a higher-powered .177 where you want more weight than a target pellet.
Best for: Higher-powered .177 rifles wanting a heavy pellet for distance.
Listed at $12.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
12. Umarex RWS Meisterkugeln .177 Caliber Pistol Pellets
The RWS Meisterkugeln is a long-running target pellet, and this line is tuned for pistols — a lighter, flat-shooting round for close-range paper-punching rather than hunting. Fair warning on the listing: one of its own spec lines gives a .177 weight that’s off by a wild margin, the kind of typo that should make you double-check any number on the page. Take that weight figure with salt and treat these as what they are: a shiny, consistent target pellet in a 500-count tin. For pistol paper work, they’re a classic.
Best for: Air pistol target shooting on paper.
Listed at $12.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
13. Harpex Slug Pointed .177 Cal, 9.4 Grain (400-Count)
This is the bigger tin of Harpex’s .177 pointed slug, and here the listing trips over itself: the title says 9.4 grains while the spec bullet underneath still reads 10.8 grains, copied straight from the smaller tin. When a listing can’t keep its own weight straight, don’t guess — confirm the grain figure before you load it, because weight is the one number that changes how a pellet flies. What’s not in dispute is the caliber, .177, and the larger pack if you shoot enough to want it. Sort out the weight first, then decide.
Best for: Buying .177 pointed slugs in bulk — once you’ve confirmed the real weight.
Listed at $16.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
14. Crosman Pointed Pellets .177 Caliber
Crosman’s classic pointed .177 runs 7.6 grains — a light, standard-weight pellet that leaves the barrel quick and does honest work on cans and small pests. At 250 to a tin it’s priced to plink. The title lists both .177 and .22, so check you’re getting the .177 pack. Nothing fancy here, and that’s the appeal: a cheap, known pointed pellet most .177 guns will feed and shoot.
Best for: Cheap, everyday .177 plinking and light pest control.
Listed at $6.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
15. H&N Sport Hornet Pointed .177 Caliber, 9.6 Grains
This is the .177 version of H&N’s Hornet, the same pointed hunting idea scaled down a caliber, in a 225-count tin. One catch: the listing’s weight line is garbled — it prints the weight with the wrong unit, so treat the exact grain number as unconfirmed. It’s a lead pointed pellet built for penetration on small game, and it carries H&N’s usual price premium. Good if you specifically want a .177 hunting pellet and your gun shoots pointed heads well.
Best for: A .177 hunting pellet for guns that group pointed heads well.
Listed at $32.95 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
16. Gamo Red Fire .177 Cal Polymer Tip
The .177 Red Fire is the small-caliber take on Gamo’s polymer-tip hunting pellet: a plastic point that drives into the lead to open the pellet on impact. It’s a .177 hunting-and-expansion pellet in a small tin. As with any tipped pellet, some barrels love them and some scatter them, so it’s a try-before-you-stockpile pick. If your .177 already shoots Gamo tipped pellets well, it’s a familiar choice.
Best for: Gamo .177 owners who already shoot polymer-tipped pellets.
Amazon currently shows this one out of stock — a temporary supply gap on a product that is still made, so it is worth checking back.
17. Stoeger X-Power .177 Cal Copper-Coated Dome Pointed
Stoeger’s X-Power is a heavy, dome-pointed .177 with a copper coating that Stoeger says runs 20% harder than plain lead — the pitch is less lead fouling and cleaner drive through the barrel. It’s a 500-count tin aimed at power and distance rather than tidy target holes. Copper-coated pellets can shoot great or can foul differently than your barrel expects, so judge it by your own groups. A strong pick for a higher-powered .177 where you want penetration and volume.
Best for: Higher-powered .177 rifles wanting a heavy, high-volume pellet.
18. Crosman .177 Flat-Nose Wadcutter Pellets
Wadcutters are the flat-faced target pellet — they punch a clean, round hole in paper that’s easy to score, which is exactly what this Crosman .177 is for. It’s a 250-count tin built for paper and backyard plinking, not for reaching out or hunting. The flat nose sheds speed fast, so keep it to close range. If you’re sighting in or shooting for score at short distance, it’s a cheap, sensible choice.
Best for: Close-range target scoring and plinking.
Listed at $6.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
19. Stoeger X-Match .177 Caliber Flat-Nose
The X-Match is Stoeger’s competition-leaning wadcutter: a lightweight flat-nose .177 in a 500-count tin, made to cut clean holes and group tight at short range. It’s a training-and-scoring pellet, not a hunting one — light wadcutters run out of steam quickly past close distances. For high-volume paper practice where you want a big tin at a fair price, it fits.
Best for: High-volume .177 target and training on paper.
20. Stoeger X-Sport .177 Cal Flat-Nose
The X-Sport is Stoeger’s plainer flat-nose practice pellet — a lightweight .177 wadcutter in a 500-count tin, sold for straightforward target work. The listing is thin on numbers; it leans on “precise” and “lightweight” more than specs. For what it is — cheap paper-punching ammo in bulk — that’s about all you need to know. Buy it to practice, not to hunt.
Best for: Cheap, bulk .177 practice pellets.
Listed at $6.49 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
21. Gamo Match Lead-Free Flat Wadcutter .177 Cal
This Gamo Match is a lead-free .177 wadcutter — the draw is the lead-free part, for indoor ranges or backyards where you’d rather not spread lead. The trade-off with lead-free pellets is usually weight and consistency: they tend to be lighter and can group differently than lead match pellets. The listing is bare-bones on specs beyond caliber, so go in expecting a target pellet and test it against your usual. Worth it mainly if lead-free is the reason you’re buying.
Best for: Shooters who need a lead-free .177 target pellet.
Listed at $15.81 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
22. Daisy PrecisionMax Flat-Nose .177 Cal Wadcutter
Daisy’s PrecisionMax is a flat-nose .177 target pellet in a 500-count tin, and the packaging is the quirk worth noting — a flip-top box with a belt clip instead of the usual screw tin, handy if you shoot standing at a bench. It’s a wadcutter, so it’s a close-range paper pellet like the others in this group. For plain practice ammo with packaging you can clip to your belt, it does the job.
Best for: Close-range .177 target practice with grab-and-go packaging.
Listed at $12.98 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy. Amazon lists this one for pre-order rather than immediate shipping.
23. H&N Excite Plinking Wadcutter .177 Caliber
H&N’s Excite is the budget end of a quality German maker — a ribbed .177 wadcutter at 7.48 grains, 500 to a tin, sold flat-out as a plinking pellet. The pitch is price-to-performance, and that’s a fair read: you’re getting H&N’s manufacturing on a cheap target pellet. It’s a close-range paper-and-cans round, not a hunter. If you want name-brand consistency without paying hunting-pellet prices, this is the value pick of the wadcutters here.
Best for: Budget-minded .177 plinking with name-brand consistency.
Listed at $9.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy. Amazon is showing limited quantities on this one.
24. Gamo Pellets Match (Flat Nose) .177 Cal
This is where a listing earns a warning: Gamo Match flat-nose .177, and the spec sheet literally says “See Description” twice with no weight and nothing real to go on. Gamo makes fine match pellets, but this particular listing tells you almost nothing about what’s in the tin. If the page won’t say what it’s selling, treat the price as the only fact and set your expectations low. Buy it only if you already know this exact Gamo Match pellet and want it.
Best for: Only shoppers who already know this exact Gamo Match pellet.
Listed at $29.00 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy. Amazon is showing limited quantities on this one.
25. H&N Excite Plinking Wadcutter .22 Caliber
The .22 Excite is the bigger-bore version of H&N’s budget plinker — a .22 wadcutter at 12.96 grains, 250 to a tin, and the listing calls out CO2 pistols and revolvers as a natural fit. Like other H&N tins it lists a minimum muzzle energy to behave, and it’s a close-range target pellet rather than a hunter. For cheap .22 paper practice, especially out of a pistol, it’s a straightforward buy.
Best for: Cheap .22 target practice, including CO2 pistols.
Listed at $13.99 when this guide was last updated. Amazon pricing moves, so check the figure on the page before you buy.
26. H&N Match Green Wadcutter Lead-Free .177 Caliber
The Match Green is a lead-free .177 target pellet aimed squarely at 10-meter competition, at a light 5.25 grains with 500 to a tin. Being lead-free and match-grade, it’s a specialist round for scoring at short range, and H&N notes it needs only a low-powered gun, which suits target pistols and light rifles. Light lead-free pellets can shoot differently than lead, so test before a match. If you compete lead-free at 10 meters, this is built for exactly that.
Best for: Lead-free 10-meter target competition.
Amazon currently shows this one out of stock — a temporary supply gap on a product that is still made, so it is worth checking back.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I pick a pellet weight?
Start with what your rifle’s power fits. A lower-powered springer or pistol does better with lighter pellets it can actually push; a higher-powered rifle or PCP can drive heavier pellets that stay stable at distance. Past that, weight is a testing question, not a chart question — buy two weights, shoot them at your normal distance, and keep the one that groups tighter.
Can I shoot .22 pellets in a .177 gun, or the other way around?
No. Caliber has to match the barrel. A .22 pellet won’t chamber in a .177, and a .177 in a .22 barrel won’t seal or fly right. Check the caliber stamped on your gun and buy that, every time.
Are pointed pellets more accurate than domed?
Usually the opposite for pure accuracy — domed pellets tend to group better and fly more predictably, which is why they’re the all-round pick. Pointed pellets trade some of that for more bite on game. If you’re hunting, a point helps; if you’re chasing tight groups on paper, a dome or a wadcutter usually wins.
What’s a wadcutter for?
The flat nose punches a clean, round hole in paper, which makes scoring easy — that’s why they’re the target and competition pellet. The trade-off is they slow down fast, so they’re a close-range tool, not a hunting or long-range one.
Why do some tins list a minimum muzzle energy?
Expanding pellets — hollowpoints and tipped hunting pellets — only open up if the gun hits them hard enough. A tin that lists a minimum muzzle energy is telling you the pellet won’t do its job below that power. If your gun is under it, pick a domed or pointed pellet instead.
Lead or lead-free?
Lead is heavier, usually more consistent, and typically groups better, which is why most pellets here are lead. Lead-free pellets exist mostly for indoor ranges or backyards where you’d rather not spread lead; they tend to run lighter and can shoot differently, so test them before you count on them.
There’s no single best air rifle pellet — there’s the one your gun shoots well for the job in front of you. Match the caliber, pick a weight your rifle’s power can handle, choose a nose shape that fits the work, and buy a small tin to confirm before you commit to a case. Read the listing before you read the reviews, and if a tin won’t tell you what’s inside it, take the hint. This is one of 40 buying guides here built the same way — on what the specs actually say.