Joules of Energy
One of the most common questions we receive is in regards to “Joules” of energy. Many shooters are unsure of the measurement ( Joules ) and what the number actually means. You will notice that our 0.22” caliber Hunting 5 rifle comes in 40 joules, but that may not really explain much to shooter inexperienced with air rifles.
For most shooters in the USA, when assessing the power of a firearm, the most common measurement is Foot Pounds of Energy ( fpe ). This is basically derived from the weight of the bullet and the velocity it is traveling at a particular distance. Most measurements are taken close to the muzzle for these calculations.
In the world of air rifles, this measurement of energy is represented in Joules, often simply shown as “j” in catalogs and websites. Because joules of energy can be used to measure many different aspects in physics, for this discussion we will be discussing the kinetic form of energy.
The simplest way to see this is to take ½ the mass of the pellet and multiply it by the squared velocity that the pellet is traveling. There are plenty of websites which will dig deeper into this, but to make this simpler we have given some measurements and comparisons to make this a bit more understandable.
One of the most common questions we receive is in regards to “Joules” of energy. Many shooters are unsure of the measurement ( Joules ) and what the number actually means. You will notice that our 0.22” caliber Hunting 5 rifle comes in 40 joules, but that may not really explain much to shooter inexperienced with air rifles.
For most shooters in the USA, when assessing the power of a firearm, the most common measurement is Foot Pounds of Energy ( fpe ). This is basically derived from the weight of the bullet and the velocity it is traveling at a particular distance. Most measurements are taken close to the muzzle for these calculations.
In the world of air rifles, this measurement of energy is represented in Joules, often simply shown as “j” in catalogs and websites. Because joules of energy can be used to measure many different aspects in physics, for this discussion we will be discussing the kinetic form of energy.
The simplest way to see this is to take ½ the mass of the pellet and multiply it by the squared velocity that the pellet is traveling. There are plenty of websites which will dig deeper into this, but to make this simpler we have given some measurements and comparisons to make this a bit more understandable.
40 Joule Hunting 5 Automatic Scout
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Measurement in Joules
Muzzle Velocity: 266 meters per second (mps ) Pellet Weight: 18.1 grains Energy: 41.6 joules |
Measurement in Foot Pounds of Energy
Muzzle Velocity: 872.7 feet per second ( fps ) Pellet Weight: 18.1 grains Foot Pounds of Energy: 30.6 fpe |
Measurement for Standard Velocity .22lr Cartridge
Muzzle Velocity: 1070 feet per second ( fps )
Pellet Weight: 40 grains
Foot Pounds of Energy: 102 fpe
As you can see, the .22lr standard velocity cartridge offers slightly more than three times the energy when compared to the 0.22” caliber air rifle. We hope this comparison helps give some perspective as to the power of these high-power air rifles.
Muzzle Velocity: 1070 feet per second ( fps )
Pellet Weight: 40 grains
Foot Pounds of Energy: 102 fpe
As you can see, the .22lr standard velocity cartridge offers slightly more than three times the energy when compared to the 0.22” caliber air rifle. We hope this comparison helps give some perspective as to the power of these high-power air rifles.