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redroush00 · Member

See it a lot and have no idea what it means Neutral

rsterne · Moderator

The term is typically used to describe a Springer type gun (where a piston compresses air which in turn fires the pellet) which is in the ~20+ FPE range in .22 cal.... but there is no hard and fast line where the term is applied.... .177 guns will usually have 10-15% less power than their .22 caliber cousins in the same model.... so some .177 magnum springers might just be in the 15-20 FPE range....

Generally, the more powerful the Springer, the harder it is to cock, the heavier it is, and the harder it is on scopes....

Bob

sniper · Silver Status Member

IMO,

6-10 fpe- low powered
12-16 fpe-mid powered
18+ fpe magnum powered.

kinda. Neutral

personally, i like low to mid powered springers. easier to shoot/cock. much less recoil. my 1 magnum springer is dusty. Rolling Eyes

donec · Senior Member

How do you determine what the gun is in which range? I mean how do we find out if a particular gun is in one of the 3 ranges listed below?

6-10 fpe- low powered
12-16 fpe-mid powered
18+ fpe magnum powered.

Amigo · Veteran Member

Rating or defining a Magnum springer seems to be an ever evolving and moving target.
I can remember about 15 years ago when many considered 12 to 15 fpe a magnum springer.

However, the power of an airgun is irrelevant unless the power is consistent, shot after shot, and the shooter can control that power to consistently place the projectile at the exact intended POI.

broommaster2000 · Moderator

packrat · Senior Member

Yes, on the main page of this forim is a section called "Energy and Measurement calculators" Just put in pellet wt., and pellet velocity, it will give you FPE. Is a handy device Smile

Slavia · Moderator

So if there is no industry consensus about the definition of "magnum springer," let's make up our own.

I propose "low power" to mean subsonic (MV<900 FPS), "medium power" means trans-sonic (900<MV<1100>1100 FPS), and "magnum" means supersonic (MV>1100 FPS).

Forget the kinetic energy, just go with the ballistic effects of supersonic pressure waves.

broommaster2000 · Moderator

Hm, I'm not sure if I agree. Don't we usually use Feet Pounds of Energy to define if a rifle is a magnum or not? Neutral

Lipoly · Veteran Member

I think FPE would be a good rating. We would sidestep companies using ridiculously light pellets so they could rate their guns as magnum; wait, that already happens.

Slavia · Moderator

I agree; I was just reponding to how the arbitrary term "magnum" might be defined. It is arbitrary - once you get the definition nailed down, someone will come out with a "magnum+," then a "magnum++," then a "magnum ultra," and the definition is lost again.

It would indeed be more useful to forget the adjective altogether and simply rate the gun with a single FPE number. That's what civil authorities use in places where airgun output is regulated. That would tell you what you can hunt with the gun. It would give you a guess about what pellets to use, and what the ballistics might be. It would sidestep the issue of using featherweight pellets to make inflated marketing claims.

But - in the U.S. market speed is everything, because consumers have no clue what a "FPE" is, but they do know about "FPS."

broommaster2000 · Moderator

Doesn't Magnum just mean really really big? So if we call it a Magnum, it's okay? Mr. Green

Slavia · Moderator

Apparently magnum can mean anything you want:

Amigo · Veteran Member

broommaster2000 · Moderator

I see:

Magnum Pumpkin. Mr. Green