Thanks for the input.To show my complete insanity, I went to Pyramyd and bought each of the .177 lead-free pellets that they sell. Over $200!!! with 23 different pellets and vendors. Now I really have to do the tests - after which I will have a bunch of partial boxes to pass on to the eco-warriors!This could take a while!!!!!!!!!
Veering back to the topic. Sorry I distracted us. Rifling Marks The answer, yes there are rifling marks on the pellets but only visible under 20x magnification with my one good eye. The lead showed distinct edges, the tin much fainter, the plastic a "streak of discoloration." I dumpster-dived my trash can and came up with over 100 pellets, plastic skirts, expanded pellets, and other bits and pieces shot into the plumber's putty and into my metal pellet trap. Those shot into the pellet trap clearly had serious deformation characterized by a crushed tip usually diagonally where it hit the angled metal plate. Those in the putty showed either no deformation of the metal inserts or mushrooming of the pellet head as one would expect. Many of the plastic skirts were deformed when shot through the RWS54 but much less or not at all in the FWB300. \39M:"Now that is crazy!"Why am I crazy enough to do this detailed a study?My reason for doing this study was not the toxicity of lead but the extraordinary claims for high velocities with ballistic alloy pellets. Some of the claims seem ridiculous to me. My plan is to test the different pellets at low and high velocity for accuracy. i simply am tired of Gamo's claims about their rifle's velocities. I know 3 guys who bought them, saw how poorly they were made and the lousy accuracy they got, and then dumped them or put them in the corner never to shoot another air rifle. NOT good for our sport!!! By the way, I tried to dissuade them but they didn't listen. (Read Cheap - not poor!!)The air rifle pellets on the market today were designed for sub-sonic flight for high accuracy. We stretch their capabilities in getting them just above sonic velocities. As I have said before think about the badminton birdie (aka shuttlecock - please not again on the jokes - we went through that some time ago.) If you hit them too hard they flutter, fall quickly and don't go accurately. Pellets look like that !!! Some of the pellets that I collected are composite with plastic skirts and metal tips or "sabot" with undersized cores of metal (tin or copper - most likely and possibly aluminum?) A couple are very short while others are considerably longer. The range is about 0.25" up to 0.4" more or less. I postulate that the longer pellets may perform better at long distances. Moving to round or pointed head pellets seem to be the right direction to improve ballistic coefficient and longer range accuracy. My rifles are both highly accurate, not hold sensitive because of their "recoilless" mechanisms and represent low power and high power so I should have a fair chance to get a good test. If I had a PCP it might be better but I don't. I suspect that most will be reasonably accurate in my FWB300 at lower velocity but the results will tell the tale.