Four new .177 pellets to test.
This report covers:
- Testbeds
- Do the testing airguns “like” the pellets tested in them?
- What are we testing?
- However
- Clamping an airgun in a vise
- Distance(s)
- Factors
- More tests ahead
- Summary
Today I’m asking your thoughts on testing some new pellets. They are the ones seen above.
The pellets in question are all .177 caliber. Three are wadcutters and the one at the bottom of the photo is a dome. I hope to run the same set of tests on each of the wadcutters and a slightly different test for the dome In fact that brings up my first question. I want to test each pellet separately so we get a reasonably good idea of how it performs.
One tin says the pellets inside are match pellets, but we have seen others where the word match is just a word and not descriptive. I’m trying hard not to prejudge, but the common misuse of that term throws up a red flag for me.
One of the pellets is made in the USA which should be interesting all by itself.
Testbeds
I have testbed airguns of known accuracy such as the FWB 300S, The FWB 600 and a couple other ten-meter rifles. That’s all fine and good except many readers don’t have ten-meter target rifles. I think any test needs more depth than just target rifles.
For air pistols I have the Beeman P1 (HW45), the Beeman P17 and the P3 (HW40). But I also have other air pistols that aren’t as accurate, like the BSF S20 and the BSA Scorpion. Should I also test each pellet in one of them?
Do the testing airguns “like” the pellets tested in them?
Testing pellets isn’t straightforward. Often a pellet will do well in one airgun and not as good in another. That will be one of the things we will discover as the test progresses. Of course we will be looking for pellets that perform well in most airguns as well as pellets that don’t seem to do well in any airgun.
What are we testing?
It comes down to this—what do we want to know? I do understand that many of you will have airguns in which these pellets do better or worse than my test results. That’s inevitable because each of us shoots differently and all airguns shoot differently. Before I ever tested JTS pellets I wondered how well they might do. Now that I’ve tested them in many airguns I know they usually do very well. However—
However
One JSB pellet I’ve tested does stand out. The Simply wadcutter tested poorly with several airguns it was tested in. I was ready to write it off. And then it turned in the smallest group of an accuracy test and if I recall correctly it did so more than once. That pellet stands apart as being picky about the airgun it is fired from.
Clamping an airgun in a vise
Several readers suggest clamping the test gun in a vise for a more uniform test. But I have told you several times that when the AirForce Airguns Edge target rifle was tested, John McCaslin one clamped in a vise and I shot alongside him at the same time with a different rifle that was rested on a sandbag. Both rifles shot groups that were within a few hundredths of an inch in size. So clamping is not necessary, not to mention with airguns like breakbarrels, next to impossible.
Number of shots
I think the target rifles should shoot 5-shot groups and the sporting rifles should shoot ten-shot groups. As far as the air pistols go, I think the same thing.
Distance(s)
I’m inclined to shoot the target guns at 10 meters and the sporters at 21 yards. I’d like to hear from you on that.
Factors
Besides the uncertainty of any pellet’s performance in an airgun there is also the drop-off of accuracy of wadcutters. I once demonstrated this on the television program, American Airgunner. A pellet that grouped well at 10 meters scattered its shots at 35 yards. Now 21 yards is a lot closer and might not be as big an influence, but what do you think?
More tests ahead
These are not the only new pellets I have to test. What I want is a standardized procedure for testing pellets that reaches beyond just shooting hem in as test airgun.
Summary
I am asking you for your thoughts on how best to test new pellets. I want to add things that haven’t been done before.
Tom,
At 10 meters the wadcutters will be held up to scrutiny because that is the range they were made for. At 21 yards I would lower my expectations and ask that they keep within a dollar to guarantee use against feral cans. The domed pellets should be expected to hold well until 50 yards.
Siraniko
Siraniko,
My thinking, as well.
BB
For uniformity of testing deadcalm platforms are necessary.
For different weight categories different power level guns.
PCPs and pneumatics come forward. Five, ten maybe, shots to “season” the barrel. Ten yards for pistols, not AR6P or Talon, 20 to 25 yards for rifles. Simple, isn’t it?
Bill,
But what about springers? Folks like Yogi shoot them exclusively. I think I need to test them too.
BB
Tom
I am think of a strictly pellets test basis.
I mostly shoot springers nowadays. You, RR and Yogi enabled me as a matter of fact. But strictly pellet testing should avoid gun’s or shooter’s parameters.
My thinking of course.
i am interested in the performance of the podium wadcutters in a variety of spring rifles and pistols, as well as co2 and ssp.
Springman3000,
Why is that?
BB
they’ve been on the site for a few months but they don’t have any reviews. i assume either nobody has pulled the trigger on them yet, or anyone that has used them have haven’t found them to be fantastic or terrible enough to rave one way or the other about them. based solely on that i predict they will be a middle of the road pellet, but i look forward to seeing how they really perform. my outdoor range is limited (probably between 20 and 30 feet but i’ve never actually measured) and i shoot a lot of paper. my go to used to be the crosman premier 7.9 wadcutters and while i have four tins of 500 (if i had known they were going away i would have bought everything i could), i’ve been stocking up on rws meisterkugeln 8.2 and 7.0, as well as hobbys and basics, in addition to h&n sports and exites. plus a few of those that are available in .22. it couldn’t hurt to add some more to the mix.
Distances seem right. A fair number of guns seem OK power wise at 20 yards, but not much further. And more than a few have accuracy fall off past 20-30 yards.
I’m really glad that BB think about the systematics of the pellet testing. It makes a big sense to have one testing platform and compare the pellets always in a very similar way. The idea to test not only the most accurate airguns in class is good. I think it makes sense to shot the most accurate available airgun in class to see what is possible with the tested pellet – but the information what is the effect on some “average airgun for plinking” is same important, or even essential, for many readers. It would be also interesting for me, to be honest. If the tendency stays? How big is the difference between match grade and “a normal one”? 🙂
My experience with wadcutters is similar to what BB mentioned. I discovered the 30y – 35 yards range as the effective range for this type of pellet. No mather how fast you will shot them they will lose all after 35 yards, perhaps the heavier one would manage to be accurate up to 40 yards. But that’s it, the most will be at the edge above 25 yards. I think what BB suggested to test after 10 meter – the 21yard rane – will be a good distance. Most of the plinking stuff will happen in this range 🙂
Since I shot a lot on the regulary basis I see the big advantage in wadcutters which are in the best performance – price ratio. I discovered H&N Sport (0,53gramm, approx. 4,50EUR per 500) and ECON II (0.48gramm, approx. 3,90EUR per 500) to be a very good daily training ammo. Especially the Sport is a very high quality pellet with very small tolerances regarding caliber and weight. I discovered additionally that it makes sense to quick wash them using special cleaning gasoline to remove all small trash and other stuff (pellets are then clean, the velocity is even more stable). Nevertheless I do not test the “real match grade” stuff very often. Recently I bought a match H&N pellet box, selected and packed each separately (200pcs box). Yes, the pellets are almost perfect each one but also pretty expensive for my shooting. I will need a box like this per DAY, means like 11EUR – 15EUR for a shooting session… Hmm. Wait a second, I already quit smoking years ago so there is not much left to compensate that 🙂
BB – I would be delighted to see a test series with the “high end match” pellets comparison. This is something not every one will just do at home. The reason is quite simple and it is not the money – when I’m able to pack 5 H&N Sport pellets in 5,3mm hole I’m not very motivated to buy 10 selected pellet boxes to see if I will be able to go further with them or not. But I’m still very interested if there will be some relevant difference… I hope you know what I mean. I wait for more pellet testing! It is very interesting.
I saw Olympia pellets – made in Poland. That will be interesting, this sort is also available in Germany. They are not cheap though.
BB,
I think that the idea sounds like a wonderful way to find how pellets might perform.
You should include a nice cross section of airguns. My rifle recommendations might include: HW30 (entry level springer), TX200 (high end springer), FWB600 (pneumatic match), Avenger (PPP) and Talon/Condor (sporter PCP). All are ‘known quality’ rifles and cut rather a wide swath through variants of rifles.
Not being much of a pistoleer, I have limted experience and suggestions on that quarter. Amongst them might be: P13 (for entry level), a ‘springer’ pistol, a CO2 pistol and a ‘match’ pistol (your choices being far more informed than mine).
Looking forward to the testing.
Bill
Bill,
Yeah, The HW 30S or the 50S for sure.
BB
Do we have to login each and every time we comment? Is this the new norm?
I especially like your proposed distances of 10 meters and 21 yards. Ten meter barrel twists are for 10 meters using wadcutter pellets. Dome pellets are for plinking, hunting and target shooting at various distances. Since hurricane Helene disrupted my 25 yard shooting lane I have switched to other corridors including a 20 yard shooting lane that is less exposed to swirling wind. At 20 yards group sizes have shrunk more than I expected. At least two rifles are remarkably more accurate; my Izzy 61 and Daisy Avanti 753 (domes).
Unlike 10 meters, 25 yards is not a regulation airgun distance that I am aware of so why not use the 21 yards you propose?
Deck
Deck
Why not do it symmetrical? 10m and 20m. That’s 22 yards I believe. That’s if you don’t mind using the metric system.
Bill
My new lane limits me to 59 feet. Target is backed up with baled straw, logs and tree out of concern for keeping neighbors happy.
Deck
I suggest using guns that are known to be accurate with a variety of pellets. For me, this would be a Crosman Challenger for .177 caliber, and a regulated Benjamin Marauder for .22 caliber. By the way, both of those rifles have Lothar Walther barrels.
I suggest using sights that you are comfortable with and are accurate with. Try to ensure good and consistent lighting conditions. In my opinion, sights are at least as important as the barrel.
It would be nice to know the twist rate of the barrel rifling and the velocities of each different pellets. These parameters might be helpful for those who tend to tune their guns.
Close-up photos of the individual pellet holes in targets (especially at longer distances) might tell us something about how stable the pellets are at those distances. Shooting one pellet per target and making sure the target backing is good and uniform might help to ensure more meaningful pellet hole shapes. Someone here likes to use old cereal box material for backing targets. I would think that type of material would be good for this purpose.
If the pellets are designed for hunting, a penetration test in ballistic gel or soap might be helpful to those who hunt.
Measuring and weighing pellets for consistency might be useful. Especially for the pellets designed for “match” target shooting.
Hopefully some of these suggestions will help. Have fun with this endeavor. Looking forward to some results.
Elmer,
Those are some good suggestions.
BB
Thanks, one other item that I should have mentioned is the use of an anti-cant device. For me anyway, this is crucial for consistency. I even put one on my Crosman 760 Classic (along with a peep sight and a red/green dot sight).
The problem with pellet testing is that the results are only valid for that particular pellet/barrel combination. Even between 2 identical guns the results can be quite different with the same ammo.
Ade,
Exactly!
BB
BB,
So, you have this urge to herd cats. Good luck. At least you point out that each airgun and each shooter will have different results.
I have a large collection of pellets that to me are pretty much useless. Sometimes I will try some of them when a new airgun shows up at RRHFWA. You never know, they just might work well with that one. More often than not, they go back into the useless pile.
On those occasions when I find THE pellet for a particular airgun, I often will purchase pellets solely for that airgun and quite often keep that particular pellet with that particular airgun.
On those very rare occasions when a new pellet shows up at RRHFWA, I give it the chance to become my new favorite for one of the “old gals” hanging around here. More often than not, that new pellet ends up in the useless pile with the others.
What may seem strange to some folks is the brands I have found that work well for me. I have found that many of the “old gals” around here prefer the RWS brand of pellets, but most of the newer airguns here prefer the JSB pellets.
How does all of this help BB? It doesn’t.
OK, here we go.
The wadcutters should be tested in 10-meter airguns at 10 meters. That is what they are designed for and that is where their performance should be tested. My Izzy is the only 10-meter airgun I own now, and it prefers the RWS R10 pistol pellet and I keep that pellet with it.
The domed pellet should be given a chance in a larger variety of airguns at longer ranges, and where possible at various power levels.
As Ade points out, your results may vary. Now where did that tabby go?
BB,
this is subjective to what I want to see, at least a little bit. But two questions.
Why wouldn’t all groups be ten shot groups? It would make comparisons direct across the board.
Why 21 yards? That seems like an odd distance. I would like to see longer for the guns and ammo that justify it. Is that a range that you have readily available? (Seems like I remember you giving a reference to 21 yards, but I don’t remember the specifics.)
CB
CB,
BB thought he was shooting twenty-five yards indoors, but it turned out to be only twenty-one yards.
RR,
thanks for the reminder. That makes sense, and shooting indoors would be quite convenient. Don’t have to worry about the weather that way.
CB
Has anyone noticed there can be a POI shift with the same gun and pellet tin even when choosing another location on the same target? I recently shot three groups of 10 shots of a given pellet in a given gun (PCP in this case) and all three groups were 3/4″ or less but the average POI varied by as much as 1/2″ from group to group (@ 25 yds.) Each target was approximately 4″ either horizontally, diagonally, or vertically placed relative to one another. One group’s average center was on the bullseye cross, another average was around 3/8″ to the right of the cross, and another around 3/8″ towards the tip of the upper vertical cross line which gave a roughly 1/2″ difference between average centers between the latter two groups. I’m assuming this could be attributed to an inadvertent “canting” of the scope that could have occurred between the target locations (?) Thoughts? In any case, it’s another undesirable characteristic to have to contend with which influences results in a negative fashion.
I feel bad for the poor animals who might be on the receiving end of our best efforts to eliminate error in order to take them cleanly but we’re doing the best we can. Certainly more data on pellets is better than less so let ‘er rip BB and thanks for the continued contributions to the field!
AirGunnerAmeteur,
First things first is a sorely needed response to: “I feel bad for the poor animals who might be on the receiving end of our best efforts to eliminate error in order to take them cleanly but we’re doing the best we can.” No need to feel bad. Groups have almost nothing to do with pesting-hunting! The reason is what the firearm folks call a Cold Bore shot. For air gunners it is a bit more simple since very little generated heat is involved with our shooting…the FACT of the matter is actually some amount of cooling in the pneumatics and a wash in the spring powerplants. So what does that mean in relationship to your other points?
First your observation of an apparent shift of POI (Point Of Impact) from group to group.
Without knowing the length of time these were achieved over and things like FILL status, if regulated, what the regulator stability is, temperature shifts externally on the scope and gun, internal temperature changes of same, Sun heating of the shooting system is almost always asymmetrical, and a host of lesser variable factors. Then there is the WIND (to include ventilation turbulence if indoor range) which is NEVER exactly the same. But back to your assumptions about apparent shift of POI by observing groups.
For a DEEP LOOK: https://precisionrifleblog.com/2020/12/12/measuring-group-size-statistics-for-shooters/#:~:text=Mean radius%2C also known as average to center%2C is the,measure of precision than ES. If you are REALLY interested do read parts 1 and 2 as well.
You are comparing the average center of one group to the average center of some other groups. That average center is an IMAGINARY point that has little or nothing to do with POI! A group is simply an ellipsis with some level of probability of containment. The very next shot can be mathematically described by saying there is a 95% probability that it will print SOMEWHERE within that ellipsis and there is also a 5% chance that it will land somewhere in the world outside of the ellipsis of containment.
I hope that gets you thinking about all the variables and predictive limits of precision shooting.
Keep thinking about your shooting and asking questions!
shootski
Thanks shootski. I read the article and concluded it is “beyond my scope [cant]” – lol.
[Quote] “Groups have almost nothing to do with pesting-hunting!”
This is a significant revelation to me. If I were to grab two pellet guns I had no history on, what is the preferred method to determine what confidence I can have with each for hunting purposes?
AirGunnerAmeteur,
To give you the Smart A$$leck answer would be to say, “We don’t shoot groups into pests and certainly not game animals…at least the hunters i know. The second one is to give you this bit of advice: Don’t hunt or pest with airguns you have no history on.
But i will offer this. I sight in my rifles before a hunt and that does take shooting groups IF the POA and POI don’t match on the first shot when using my Data On Previous Engagement (DOPE) which normally works for me. I do work on having Cold Bore (first shot) history (and DOPE) on guns i hunt and pest with.
But IF you insist on hunting or pesting with “…two pellet guns I had no history on, …” Then all you can do, as far as i know, is start with sighting them in and trying for some Cold Bore shots before you hunt. At least with airguns the wait for the barrel to return to ambient doesn’t take an hour. Also, don’t get out of a warm vehicle, tent, cabin, or the house and expect to get a good sight in until the rifle and scope have come to ambient.
I try to keep my rifle and scope as close to ambient conditions before and during the hunt.
shootski
Thanks again for the reply shootski. The one (first cold) shot method makes sense and I’ll try documenting that and see how it goes for my “go-to” gun/pellet combinations I have some history on.
AGA,
What shootski has pointed out should be considered. Heat can indeed cause issues, most especially with scopes. The regulator, air pressure, et cetera can also be affected.
As you have mentioned, canting can indeed cause issues but is not likely the culprit in this particular case. To help eliminate this particular issue, hang a string with a weight on the end in front of your target. The string can then be used as a vertical reference. This is a little trick I learned in the Congo.
Another possibility is if you are using a scope, it may be adjusted to where the erecter tube is not under enough tension and is floating. This is the reason that BB uses his world-renowned shims.
There is another possibility that vexed me personally when I first started with airguns. This issue is more with sproingers, but can affect any airgun or firearm. This has to do with the way the airgun is held. I learned by shifting the position of my trigger hand thumb, I was able to move my grouping over an inch at twenty-five yards.
Without actually being there, it can be most difficult to properly analyze what the exact issue is.
Thanks RidgeRunner. I’m avoiding spring guns for the most part now except the ones known to “play nicer” than others like the TX200 for the reasons associated with hold which opens up a whole other set of variables in my opinion that I’d rather not contend with currently.
AGA,
The TX200 is a very nice sproinger. I have met a few others along the way that are very nice indeed. Surprisingly, one of those was a Gamo.
PCPs, SSPs, CO2, and MPPs (I think they all fall under the PCP heading) are not as hold sensitive as sproingers, but you cannot get away from that entirely.
With pellet testing, most sproingers IMMHO should not be used though, unless you are trying to find THE pellet for that particular sproinger. There are too many variables involved without adding more.
B.B.
So nice to see one made in the USA (These days anyway). I’m really hoping on that one.
Doc
BB,
Due to the variability in airgun types, pellet designs/types, barrel geometries, atmospheric conditions and shooter style/skill, I think that it’s impossible to “test” pellets. There’s no consistent point of reference to go by.
IMHO, the only thing we can do is to determine the consistency of pellets/slugs, by weighing and measuring them. Shooting them proves nothing except how they perform in that particular airgun, on that day.
As far as inspecting goes, I’ll spot-check a sample (25-50 pellets) from each tin until I get confidence in the manufacturer and then only do a quick on different batched/orders. A visual inspection is done for molding/swaging quality, finish, dirt and damage whenever the pellets are handled.
For serious shooting (tuning, target shooting and hunting) I only use sorted pellets that I’ve determined shoot best in that airgun.
At typical ranges, for general and casual use, it’s enough to find the pellet YOUR airgun likes by eliminating the ones it doesn’t like. Nobody can do that for you unless they use your airgun to test with.
I’m often guilty of over-thinking things. My take on pellets is to be as fussy as required for the application and for 99% of my shooting it’s just straight-from-the-tin with brands that have proven to be good in that airgun.
Just my 2 cents. 🙂
Cheers!
With the tariffs being imposed, sure hope the USA-made Podium pellets work out well; would not be averse to trying the Polish-made ones, if nothing else to support our Eastern European friends.
B.B.,
Five questions to answer:
Who? B.B. shoots well (most days)…pellet buyer shoots??? NULL information gained.
What? At least one of each powerplant. Works in this one or doesn’t information.
Where? How far to target for this powerplant and still on the paper…or not.
When? Plinking, target shooting, competition, hunting-pesting.
Why? Perhaps keep buyers remorse to a lower level for new to the sport shooters.
shootski
Airgunner Ameteur,
I think either your hold or cant has changed between groups. Also, your AO may be off, not properly adjusted.
Those are the things I would check.
David Enoch
Thanks for the suggestions David. I’ll keep these additional things in mind moving forward.
BB,
I would shoot the Wadcutters with 10 meter guns at 10 meters because that is what wadcutters are designed for. I would suggest the AirForce Edge and Crosman Challenger. If one pellet shoots a lot better than the others I would shoot some groups with your FWB 300.
I would test the dome with your R7 and something like a FWB 124, R9 or TX200. I would only shoot at 25 yards. With the exception of 10 meter guns and pistols, I don’t see much usefulness from shooting 10 meter groups. The reason I am not suggesting PCPs is because not many people shoot .177 PCPs except for those shooting PCP match rifles.
David Enoch
David,
Do you think that if Tom shot my FWB124, FWB300, and TX200 during the same session as he shot his rifles that they would shoot the same pellets into the same sized groups?
Hank
Hank,
To make it more strange, how about Tom shooting his rifles and you shooting your rifles and then swap so that you shoot Tom’s rifles and Tom shooting your rifles. Perhaps crazy but it might be interesting.
Mike
Mike,
I once made a “bulk purchase” of 6 airguns to get a price break for my friends and myself. All the same model and by fluke, with sequential serial numbers.
For “incoming inspection” I shot test targets with each airgun, same tin of pellets and there was a substantial differences in accuracy.
So, if I was testing the pellets, should I believe the good groups or the bad ones? Which airgun should I choose to be the gold standard pellet test bed?
Hank
Hank,
Very interesting, not too surprised that the serial numbers were sequential but the difference in accuracy is strange, you would think that airguns made at the same time would be very close in the tolerances that might make accuracy possible. Perhaps the parts and pieces that made up the airguns were not actually made at the same time or even on the same equipment.
Seems to me that testing pellets is not an easy thing to do.
Do you mind stating the brand and model of the 6 airguns you purchased?
Mike
Mike,
Sorry, that was a long time ago and don’t remember the brand/model of that springer. Think it was made in Czechoslovakia.
IIRC, it was adult sized, quite powerful and featured a barrel lock that had to be released before cocking.
Hank
Vana2,
Hank have you?
…And thanks for mentioning atlatls. It’s been years since I’ve used one and you just added making one to my already too long project list
That was about three years ago….
I just saw it doing a rereading of your excellent MER, MAR, & MPR Guest Blog.
shootski
Shootski,
The atlatl is a fun weapon to use, I need to take it out more often.
You mentioning that MER, MAR, & MPR Guest Blog reminded me (again) that I still need to do the one on Instinctive Shooting… thinking about that. Will be in contact with a rough draft.
Hank
Vana2,
Glad you got it made :^)
Happy to read your rough; hope to be done with the Flight Surgeon and my Annual Physical soon. With every passing year they add more tests and labs and then there is me getting “older” so the scrutiny is ever escalating. What used to be a half day ordeal has become a two week marathon including scheduling delays :^(
But it is still worthwhile.
Standing by
shootski
BB,
I am pretty sure that, like most data, testing information can be ‘analyzed to death’.
The way that I see it, we are simply trying to see if a pellet might be accurate enough to use on a regular basis, or simply ‘sinker larva’.
By testing with several known quality airguns (that seem to be not very pellet picky) we can tend to look for pellets that might work. (And at least accurate enough not to be a total waste of time, to start with.)
Go for some more testing!
Bill
B.B.
The wadcutter should be tested in 10M match rifles only. I would never use a wadcutter when shooting longer that 20 yards. They are for punching papper, use them for their intended use.
The dome you need to test in guns that you would shoot at 20-50 yards. Both springers and PCP’s.
Test the pellets the way the manufacturer intended them to be used!!
-Yogi
Hank,
I don’t honestly know. BB doesn’t have the option of waiting for good wind conditions. I have seen him shooting as well as others testing some guns and at other times BB’s groups don’t seem to be nearly as good as I see others reporting. I put this down to BB shooting when he has to, in good or bad weather, feeling good or not so good, eyesight good or not so good, in a hurry or with plenty of time. I think it is very rare for a person to post his actual results even when the groups are not up to par.
I think given time, patience, all the other factors that BB is capable of shooting representative groups with the guns he test.
David Enoch
The only thing I can think of to add, I may have overlooked it, is the Pellet gauge.
I’m not quite sure that Tom’s shooting 10 different pellets from his TX200 would have much, or any correlation to the same pellets being shot from my TX200. Rifles are pellet picky . . . even our TX200s. Of more importance to me is how clean the pellets are, or of even more importance. . . how many of these pellets are damaged. There are just so many other factors to take into account: is the lead hard or soft, how deep are the skirts, and how is the weight distributed between the head and skirts? These are just a few of the factors to take into account. I said that airgunns are pellet picky, and perhaps that’s true, but I’m convinced that airguns and pellets are even more affected by the skillset of the shooter, you know, how he holds his gun, reads his range, breates and remains on target . . . just to name a few items to take into account. Orv.
I think we may be going too far afield with the suggestions. BB has asked for suggestions on how to test these pellets, but also for a testing others in the future. Finding a repeatable system using the rifles and pistols he owns (rather than those he has to send back to their owners eventually).
The range he intends to use is his home, thereby eliminating issues of weather and lighting. These are up to the 21 yards he has mentioned as his outer limit. Obviously, wadcutters are designed for a specific distance, ten meters and so should be shot for these purposes at that distance.
As to washing, weighing, gauging or other measures, I don’t think we should inflict this kind of discipline on someone, and further believe that testing the pellets “as shipped” makes more sense in determining their respective value.
For the testing platforms, using rifles and pistols that have a history of doing well with a variety of different pellets seems prudent. Limiting the number used would allow these and future tests to be compared more easily. My thought would be to use his one of his FWBs for the 10 meter work as the springer coupled with his choice of any of his very accurate PCPs and then for the 21 yard shooting substitute one of his favorite and accurate springers. That would mean that he only had to shoot three different rifles, something I believe would aid in duplicating his performance as often as needed.
The same goes for any pistol testing he might choose to do. Again, limiting the number of weapons to one each of springer and PCP would both shorten the time needed for testing and add to the repeatability of performance.
I’m not sure how much time you think you might want to dedicate to this testing, but my suggestions are simply what I feel would be most expedient. After all, even with the extra two days a week, you have other things (slingshots, crossbows, straight razors, motorcycles,, etc) to do.
Ed
Remember a while back I was trying to find out if there was a shortcut to determine if a barrel was “Capable of shooting straight” before I went ahead and tested every pellet there is to find the ‘One’ that worked best. Why waste your time if nothing will work well, because the barrel is no good. The is no way.
A barrel that does not shoot straight, but is consistent, can be compensated for by sight adjustments. One that will not group may just need the ‘One’ pellet that works in it, and it may really be a single pellet design.
Good luck finding it. If you try every pellet there is and it will not group well, start all over again with a different hold, and again with a different distance and on and on till you have tried every way to shoot before you determine you have a bad barrel.
I think now you are looking for a shortcut to find out if a pellet is accurate before you find out which airgun is the ‘One’ for it to be used in. There is no way. Like Vana2 mentioned, any results will only be for that particular airgun, at that particular time, distance, place, etc.
If a pellet shoots well in any one airgun then there is probably nothing wrong with it other than the fact you may have the wrong airgun to shoot it well.
Every pellet and airgun must be compatible to achieve accuracy and only time and use will tell if compatibility between any two frequently happens. It needs to develop a reputation.
Using various airgun types that have proven to be accurate with the majority of pellets will certainly help determine if these new pellets are worth ‘trying out’ for shooting accuracy in ‘your’ airgun but they must be compatible with it as well, just like any other pellet. BB may determine if you have a better chance of accurate shooting with them, over most, and help save time looking. No shortcuts.
If the pellet is made well, consistent in weight and size and ships clean and undamaged it should work well in at least one airgun, I would hope.
Has anyone observed point of impact changing from side to side as the distance changes? As in, spot on, at 50 yds, half in. right at 20 yds. I sighted in a Benjamin marauder at 50 yds then I moved back to 20 yds and was surprised to find my shots landing about half an inch to the right. All shots were fired indoors from a secure rest to eliminate wind and shooter error. If I were to adjust my scope so my shots land right on at 20, they would be quite a bit too far left at 50 YDS.
PP,
You might want to read this:
https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2009/07/do-pellets-spiral/
BB
pellet pusher,
Ballistics can be strange!
http://www.nennstiel-ruprecht.de/bullfly/fig26.htm
shootski
pellet pusher
Thats easy, the earth rotates at approximately 1,037 mph at the equator and moves in orbit at 66,600 mph.
At 19 miles per second everything is a moving target. The longer it takes the pellet to reach the target the more it has moved, the closer the shorter. This works shooting north or south.
Shooting east or west would affect the pellet shooting up or down. The figures are true but I’m just kidding 🙂
Sure you moved “back to 20 yds” and not up to 20 yards from the target? Kidding again … Kind of defies logic doesn’t it. Probably changed your shooting hold some?
Tom,
Under the section “However” you refer to the Simply wadcutter as a JTS brand pellet but it is made by JSB. A reasonable mistake yet I am surprised no one else caught it. Sorry I’m a couple of days late. Work keeps me busy and tired.
Everyone,
Perhaps the best way to test pellets is to do the opposite of finding the best pellet for one airgun. Instead of one airgun shooting different pellets, take one pellet and shoot it out of multiple airguns. I’m thinking 3-5 guns per pellet would give us a reasonable approximation of that pellet’s capabilities. The resulting articles could even follow Tom’s standard test format.
I like what HAM does with their pellet tests; measuring all aspects of consistency and quality instead of shooting them, and then giving a score based on that. However, we all want to see holes (preferably tiny groups of them) in paper.
Jared
Jared,
Ooops! Good catch!
BB