I have only been using Rifle airgun pellets for around a year, but I genuinely believe this brand can be rated alongside the best airgun pellets in the world.
Distributed by iHunter, the range is extensive – covering a huge variety of weights, profiles and calibres – and their prices are extremely competitive.
Of course, matching your airgun with the right pellet is a vital factor, but the domed RTX has given me excellent results with several different air rifles, while the 8.18 grain Super Selected Flathead Heavy is arguably the best air pistol pellets I have used to date.
That is all well and good, but what about the hollow-point options? Following questions from several Airgun Extra viewers, I have been experimenting with various hollow-point airgun pellets and, to be honest, the results have not been great. Some have been accurate but have failed to expand at sub-12ft/lb power levels, while others have expanded but have failed to produce the consistent accuracy required for hunting.
Adrian Brennan at iHunter suggested that I try the Rifle EVO HP Field as he was confident that it would deliver in both the accuracy and energy transfer stakes. This .22 calibre (5.50mm) pellet weighs in at a fairly heavy 18.21 grains and has a very distinctive cup-shaped hollow-point which certainly looks like it has been designed to expand.
Below: The Rifle EVO HP Field is a hollow point pellet with all the hallmarks of a round that has been designed for expansion
Rifle EVO HP Field airgun pellets are sold in tins of 250, which currently retail at £9.49 on the iHunter website. Like the other Rifle airgun pellets I have used, they are supplied in a screw-top metal tin with a foam disc to keep them safe in transit. They are very clean and tidy and appear to be made to a consistently high standard.
Running through my Daystate Huntsman Revere Safari Edition, they were giving a muzzle energy of 11.6ft/lb with consistency remaining within a variation of six feet per second over a ten-shot string. Accuracy testing was carried out from the support of a bench on a day with very little wind.
I shot my first proper test group at 14 metres – the sort of range that tends to lend itself to hollow-point ammo. Sure enough, the EVO HP Fields returned an extremely tight five-shot group measuring just 6mm from centre to centre. That is brilliant, and significantly better than some of my recent experiences with hollow-point pellets but – although terrific for close-range pest control – it wasn’t exactly stretching their performance.
Moving the target back to 30 metres, I tried not to raise my expectations too high and was very pleasantly surprised. The five-shot group measured just 11mm from centre to centre – around half the size of the groups I got from the best hollow-point ammo in my previous test. To give you some idea of scale, the circle the group is shown on below has a diameter of 25mm.
At 40m, the five-shot group had opened up to over 30mm from centre to centre and dropped around 50mm from the 30m zero. That group doesn’t meet my sub-12 hunting standard but still takes nothing away from this pellet’s impressive performance at 30m.
Below top: The Rifle EVO HP Field pellets produced very tight groups at 14m
Below bottom: Grouping remained impressive when pushing the range out to 30m
The main reason why most shooters will choose hollow-point ammo over domed ammo (which is generally more accurate) is because it is believed to deliver more impact when it connects with the target.
I carried out a very basic test by firing the Rifle EVO HP Field into a cube of plasticine at 15m. The wound channel was 31mm deep, which is around what I would have expected but, most encouragingly, the retrieved pellet had really expanded.
Not all hollow-point airgun pellets manage to achieve proper expansion at sub-12ft/lb power levels, but the Rifle EVO HP Field clearly has the right design and softness of lead to really deform. It is also worth remembering that the expansion seen here happened on impact with plasticine. Add some bone to the equation and it is likely that this pellet will open up even more – and that all-important expansion amounts to improved energy transfer when the pellet hits home.
Of course, different pellets perform differently through different airguns. Your results may differ from mine although, if you run the EVO HP Field at a similar power level, you should witness similar expansion. As far as I am concerned, paired with my Daystate Huntsman Revere, this hollow-point pellet strikes a very good balance between accuracy and expansion and is one of the best I have used to date.
Below top: The Rifle EVO HP Field is a pellet that delivers shock energy without over penetrating
Below bottom: The retrieved pellet (right) shows unmissable signs of serious expansion
As previously mentioned, domed (or roundhead) airgun pellets are usually the most accurate – and that is why Field Target and Hunter Field Target shooters favour them. Accuracy is also the prime consideration when tackling live quarry, although there are instances when hunters need a pellet that will expand, deliver maximum impact and slow down very quickly as soon as it connects with the target.
Pest control around farm buildings is a good example. When shooting rats or feral pigeons are very close ranges, it is possible that the pellet will pass right through without delivering optimum shock energy. The rat or pigeon you are shooting at will still die quickly if your pellet strikes a vital organ, but there is a chance of it flapping off or running on for a few seconds. Hit a vital organ with a hollow-point pellet that expands properly and the kill will be instantaneous.
Going by my testing so far, the Rifle EVO HP Field provides excellent stopping power and also has the accuracy to do more than just close-range pest control.
MAKE: Rifle, Brazil
TYPE: EVO HP Field
CALIBRE: .22
HEAD SIZE: 0.50mm
WEIGHT: 18.21 grains
PRICE: £9.49 for 250
AVAILABLE FROM: ihunter.co.uk
Article first published 16th July 2025
