bullets from firearms. But, when we load solid bullets/pellets and shoot them at rimfire velocities, they don’t care where they came from. These are solid pellets. The left two are 33-grain .22 cal. hollow-points from Pyramyd Air. The two on the right are 30-grain round-nose Eley Magnums. Gaylord says they demand careful use. The moment we load a solid pellet in an air rifle, we have to be just as cautious of the downrange safety situation as any firearm shooter. In my book, that takes away most of the fun. What’s The Solution? “Well,” you say, “don’t the manufacturers expect people to shoot these powerful rifles?” Of course they do, but they also know that to make them accurate, they need to stay subsonic. Shooters can keep their springers under control with pellet choices. For powerful spring rifles such as the Gamo 1250, RWS 350 Magnum and the Beeman Kodiak, lowering velocity is not difficult. These guns only go supersonic with the lightest .177 pellets, so simply use heavier pellets. The Beeman Kodiak, at 10.6 grains in .177, is perfect. It’s not only heavy, but it also has a thick skirt that resists being blown out by the violent air blast from these powerful spring-piston rifles. Another winner is Crosman’s 10.5-grain Premier. Also heavy, the Premier is made from hard lead alloy that resists distortion. Crosman Premier 10.5-grain on the left and Beeman Kodiak 10.6-grain on the right. Both are .177 cal. These pellets slow those magnum springers, keeping velocity in the subsonic range. The powerful precharged rifles, however, present a challenge. A few PCP rifles can launch the heaviest .22-caliber diabolo pellets into the transonic (sometimes supersonic, other times subsonic, depending on atmospheric conditions) region. The Sumatra, the Saver 7000 and the Career 707 are big Korean rifles sold by Pyramyd Air, Compasseco and Airgun Express. They can go supersonic with medium-weight .22 pellets on the first few shots. The new AirForce Condor not only goes supersonic—it can sustain that speed for up to 20 shots with all but the heaviest .22 diabolos. Fortunately, these rifles all offer adjustable power in one form or another, so it’s a simple matter to control the velocity. If you absolutely have to shoot a solid lead pellet, be as cautious as you would when shooting a .22 long rifle. For most of us, that means either going to a range or using the rifle for formal hunting, and that takes much of the convenience and impromptu fun out of airgunning. If you’ve dreamed about how “way cool” a supersonic pellet rifle must be, it’s time to wake up to reality. Stay subsonic and keep ‘em in the X-ring!