GTA

All Springer/NP/PCP Air Gun Discussion General => Air Gun Gate => Topic started by: overeasy on June 18, 2020, 11:43:18 AM

Title: Proper speeds
Post by: overeasy on June 18, 2020, 11:43:18 AM
So am I correct in stating that all Diablo style pellets will perform best generally at speeds less than 1,000 fps regardless of the caliber? So I may have a 17 cal and 25 cal that both perform best at say just as an example 865fps.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: anti-squirrel on June 18, 2020, 11:59:47 AM
yes.

Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: fwbsport on June 18, 2020, 12:09:23 PM
I use my HW95L .25 daily now with a Bushnell Trophy 4-16X SF with Match and Diablo JSB Exacts, as well as with The Eliminator .25, to find all very accurate clear out to 35 yards easy.  There is "drop" but as you pointed out sending a .25 pellet at the same speed as a .177 makes the .25 just as "flat shooting" as the .177 for all practical purposes.

My Beeman Falcon PCP will send out heavy .25s at 800 fps, the Theoben Eliminator at 705 fps, the HW95L and the HW80 are about 50 feet per second difference with the HW80 .25 going 625 fps.

As far as accuracy the larger diameter of the .25 will make "more hits" on the steel targets just for its ability to reach wider at impact or near impact.

Center to center accuracy will probably get down to the micrometers of accuracy between .25 and .177--which one actually does make tighter center to center groups.

My take on the .25 in my lowest velocity rifle, the HW95L, is that it is a Match Rifle clear out to 40 yards.  It is very very accurate--and the fact the barrel is lighter from being bored larger makes a difference in hold and vibration.  The HW95L .25 not only is Match Accurate, it is also the Quietest R9-HW95L rifle I have; and I have enough in the HW95L to say it if you look at my list.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: anti-squirrel on June 18, 2020, 12:46:17 PM
I'll add some commentary here: Travis, the GTA owner, has extensively tested a boatload of airguns; he's encountered best accuracy in the 800-910 FPS range.  Does this mean that all airguns should strive for that?

Not at all.  Some can't.  Some are lower powered, like my 2400KT which can put 10 RWS Meisterkugeln wadcutters through the same hole at 25 yards using CO2 when I do my part.  Those .22 wadcutter pellets are moving barely 560 FPS.  My Lelya is equally if not more accurate.  My girlfriend has put a magazine (10 shots) in .25 Hades through the same ragged hole at 45 yards using a 1x reflex site.  IIRC, it is shooting near 880 FPS with the Hades but I neglected to write things down.  I know if I crank the speed up accuracy will start to suffer.

Above all, accuracy trumps power.  If you can't hit the target, there's no point cranking the power up.  Some airgun-pellet combinations are unpicky and hurl everything well.  Some are incredibly picky so you have to test a bunch to find what works at what speed and stick to it. 

A thumbrule for shooting is if you want lots of power but want to stick with pellets, you need to either shoot shorter distances to hold accuracy or move to a larger caliber.  The diabolo pellet shape is not the best for high-velocity shooting; that's the purview of slugs, and now is a great time to be an airgunner as we have a goodly number of slugs available in both store-bought and homebrew sizes and weights.



Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: overeasy on June 18, 2020, 12:58:48 PM
Thank you both for taking the time to expound on a subject I’m sure has been pounded into the dirt.
Experimentation being key here.
And after all isn’t that where the fun comes in?
Again thank you!
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: fwbsport on June 18, 2020, 02:53:53 PM
What's being pounded into the dirt?  ;D

What I've been pounding into the dirt all by my lonesome is the effectiveness and accuracy and ease of shooting of the HW95L in .25!

Nobody else has one!

I'd get another HW98 if it was available in .25, but with just the HW95L .25 I'm achieving better accuracy than with the HW98 .20!  I save the 95L .25 for killing things now!
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: 19Sheridan57 on June 18, 2020, 05:15:56 PM
   I will just add that not all Diabolos are the same. Like everything else in life, some are better than others . Different rifles may prefer one brand over another, too.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Leaded on June 18, 2020, 06:19:20 PM
I shoot JSB Heavy (10.34) .177’s at about 1100FPS with excellent accuracy. Maybe the cylindrical diabolo design is more stable at higher velocities?
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: K.O. on June 18, 2020, 06:47:51 PM
well I have a .22 Hatsan AT 44 Long... JSB 18g get spit out at 1030 fps...what surprised me is at 35 yards it is laser accurate...some time soon I will find out at what distance that accuracy falls apart... will not be surprised if it is in another 5 yards or so....I normally use  cast .22 30g BBT  in my AT.... Love the independence of it... The First shot cost ~100$ (just counting  the mold)...but the more I send rounds downrange the cheaper each shot becomes..;)

the Ruger 16g are very accurate in my 1322 pumpers as long as they are kept under about 750 fps... wadcutter pellets tend to like about 600-700 fps max...

oh forgot  PA has a good deal on the H&N Barracuda Hunters in the 200 count tins right now might want to give them a try... I know I ordered some...

https://www.pyramydair.com/product/h-n-baracuda-hunter-177-cal-10-49-grains-hollowpoint-200ct?p=1375 (https://www.pyramydair.com/product/h-n-baracuda-hunter-177-cal-10-49-grains-hollowpoint-200ct?p=1375)
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Leaded on June 18, 2020, 07:20:18 PM
I get similar good accuracies from 10yds to 75 with the JSB 10.34’s. Just haven’t done a lot of shooting beyond that other than a few NUAH targets @ 100
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: subscriber on June 19, 2020, 02:47:15 AM
It is generally true that there is not much to gain by driving diabolo pellets over 950 FPS.  It is generally true that their highest ballistic coefficient occurs at around 850 FPS; and that it drops like a rock when you go trans sonic.

I say, generally, because some pellets ignore these "rules".  Possibly by virtue of their specific shape; or due to the shape they acquire on firing:  If you launch a soft lead pellet with a thin skirt at pressures over 3000 PSI, the skirt balloons significantly.  The new shape may more closely resemble a cylindrical projectile in flight than the same pellet, launched at 1500 PSI, or less. 

So, some airguns seem to shoot diabolo pellets with surprising consistency, probably due to the distortion that often occurs with "magnum" airguns.

In any event, the actual ballistic coefficient, while possibly improved over the original diabolo shape, if the latter were accelerated gently to over 1000 FPS, is still probably so low that a significant amount of kinetic energy would be shed in the first 10 yards of travel.  Better to find a heavier pellet (or slug) in that caliber, to bring the velocity down to 950 FPS; or to use a larger caliber air rifle, with heavier pellets, at the same power level, for the job.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Chris USA on June 19, 2020, 05:18:12 AM
This might be of interest on the topic. Note that there are 10 parts (see links at top)

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/12/pellet-velocity-versus-accuracy-test-part-10/ (https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2011/12/pellet-velocity-versus-accuracy-test-part-10/)
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Fate on June 19, 2020, 11:24:21 AM
It is generally true that there is not much to gain by driving diabolo pellets over 950 FPS.  It is generally true that their highest ballistic coefficient occurs at around 850 FPS; and that it drops like a rock when you go trans sonic.

I say, generally, because some pellets ignore these "rules".  Possibly by virtue of their specific shape; or due to the shape they acquire on firing:  If you launch a soft lead pellet with a thin skirt at pressures over 3000 PSI, the skirt balloons significantly.  The new shape may more closely resemble a cylindrical projectile in flight than the same pellet, launched at 1500 PSI, or less. 

So, some airguns seem to shoot diabolo pellets with surprising consistency, probably due to the distortion that often occurs with "magnum" airguns.

In any event, the actual ballistic coefficient, while possibly improved over the original diabolo shape, if the latter were accelerated gently to over 1000 FPS, is still probably so low that a significant amount of kinetic energy would be shed in the first 10 yards of travel.  Better to find a heavier pellet (or slug) in that caliber, to bring the velocity down to 950 FPS; or to use a larger caliber air rifle, with heavier pellets, at the same power level, for the job.

You got me intrigued, so I just fired two JSBs into a bucket of water from my D48 to see how their shape changed, a 13.43 gr and a 15.89 gr.

They both apparently touched the bucket, having a small indentation on one side (need a deeper bucket).

That aside, the recovered pellets definitely changed shape during firing. The light 13.43 gr shortened and the skirt blew out significantly, and the 15.89 gr belled the skirt but didn't get significantly visibly shorter, haven't measured either.

The changes must significantly alter their BC, as you describe. With my tuning and shooting inside at only 10 yards the BC likely doesn't come into play... but what has been interesting to me is that both these pellets make very small groups, with the lighter one grouping slightly higher than POA compared to the heavier one.

It will be interesting to see results at longer ranges, but one thing I'm fairly sure of... neither pellet will replicate the predicted trajectory of ChairGun due to the changes in the BC due to their firing-changed shapes.

In the pic the 13.43 grs are on the left and the 15.89 gr on the right, both with unshot pellets to their left. The two unshot 13.43s are first a pristine one, the middle one that I modify the shirt of to fit the loading port without falling out.

 
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Mossonarock on June 19, 2020, 02:06:48 PM
I don't think this topic gets repeated enough nor do I think it gets researched enough.
Everyone keeps saying accuracy trumps power but how fast is too fast? How fast is too slow? What is that goldilocks zone where speed and accuracy are at their best? Does it change based on caliber? When I was buying my airguns, I didn't have answers to those questions. So, I bought .25 cal airguns in several power levels and different gun architectures, all springers, to acquaint myself. Of course, there were those here who thought I was just trying to go for power because "eww .25 cal." But that was not the case. So, I didn't get a lot of dialogue from other folks here that was meaningful to me. I was just trying to learn about answers I wasn't finding. So, what did I find? Maybe 700 to 800 fps and caliber didn't seem to matter. Anyone's experiences differ from mine?
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Ribbonstone on June 19, 2020, 03:38:31 PM
With the idea that subjective evidence does not equal proof.


Have kept a couple of PCPs at +1040fps and thought I had some kind of "freakish-good" match up becasue they were accurate during testing all the way out to 80-100 yards.

time and use went by.

Maybe I did find a magic match up...maybe I didn't.

Getting out into the wide open...didn't shoot so well  as it had at the home range.

Eventually, realized that the home range was pretty much wind-protected over the first 20-25 yards.

20-25 yards is enough distance to bring the nearly transonic pellets to well sub-sonic before they got a fair chance at the random winds.

So had the situation where 20gr, at 1030fps was doing better at long range at 70-90 yards (wind sheltered for 20-25 yards) than 33gr. gr. starting at  800fps. at 75yards (same wind sheltered range).

BUt out in the wild open,were the wind gets a crack at them from  jump,the accuracy results reversed....the slow 33gr. were beating the fast 20gr.

Evidently the little tweaks of wind at near transonic speeds are cummulitive.  Once a pellet  it gets a lateral motiuon...it keeps it thoughout it's flight distance, and they pick up more lateral motion when exposed to wind while close to the speed of sound.

Anyway, it made me a believer of swapping to a heavier pellet (if there is one) once the chronograph starting blinkin out numbers in the middle 900's...and I've not has a reason to regret it once I get out into the wind-wild-younderlands.


Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Fate on June 19, 2020, 05:22:34 PM
That's good reading, Ribbon. Not exactly applicable to me with a springer, but information and insight I hadn't read before.

Who knows what lurks in the hearts of man... the PCP siren's song is always calling. :)
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: subscriber on June 19, 2020, 08:36:00 PM
Thanks for taking those pellet pictures, Jeff. 

I think that skirt bulging becomes more significant when an unregulated PCP is used to shoot the same pellets from 3000 PSI, down to 1000.  Even if the muzzle velocity were not that different due to a degree of "self regulation" at the valve, the difference in pellet skirt shape will almost certainly affect long range performance, due to the change in effective BC over that pressure range.

Obviously, a springer (that is not dieseling intermittently) will blow out the skirts on all pellets from the same can, to pretty much the same degree.  So, whatever is happening, that change in pellet shape should not drift over the next 100 pellets.  Or the next 500.  Different batches of pellets can obviously bulge to different degrees, due to different lead hardness and the exact die shaped used to make them.

Ribbonstone's observations support the general trend for projectile BC to drop off drastically in the trans-sonic speed range.  Even if the drop in energy does not matter with a lighter projectile, its lower BC means more wind drift.  And as observed, early wind drift creates an angular deviation that "points" the pellet in the wrong direction.  Then, the rest of the range to target simply amplifies the sideways deviation from the desired POI, even if the pellet were to travel straight from 25 yards on.

However, even if pellet BC generally peaks at 850 FPS, it may be beneficial to start faster because velocity drops off over range.  This is one of those things where understanding the basics is good. Then making up your own mind, based on your own situation; and your own results.   

The fact that the best pellets you could buy retain more energy at 100 yards and have less wind drift may not matter; if the pellets you have on hand still carry twice as much energy as required to get the job done, and hit the target every time, despite drifting more than the best ones money can buy.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Leaded on June 19, 2020, 10:37:51 PM
Here is a JSB Heavy 10.34 fired @ 1100fps  vs unfired from a gas ram.
Waist diameter increases, length shortens, waist to skirt transition smooths out, head to waist transition changes a bit as well but could be from impact with the water.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: subscriber on June 19, 2020, 11:35:28 PM
I think Hector Medina had the most gentle pellet trap, and it was not water.  I could be confused, but I think it was a box full of cotton waste.  Will have to ask him...

I could certainly see a trashcan full of Styrofoam beads being a more gentle trap than water.

Why bother?  To be clear about which pellet distortion was from firing, and which from the sudden stop in the trap.  That said, firing distortion affects mainly the "tail end" and trap distortion affects mainly the "head end".
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Leaded on June 20, 2020, 01:21:18 AM
BUt out in the wild open,were the wind gets a crack at them from  jump,the accuracy results reversed....the slow 33gr. were beating the fast 20gr.

This is interesting, the other day I was having accuracy issues at 30yds with a light to moderate crosswind so changed directions a little and was right on hitting a 3/4” group at 70yds in same wind but about 20 degrees shifted POA vs the 30yd target. Didn’t make sense at the time but maybe worth looking into with this concept (maybe certain wind conditions affect transonic pellets more).
I’ll  test in winds that cause a problem with the Heavy @1100 and compare groups to Monsters that run about 960-980 both have similar accuracies in the gun @ 30yds.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Chris USA on June 20, 2020, 06:15:07 AM
I think Hector Medina had the most gentle pellet trap, and it was not water.  I could be confused, but I think it was a box full of cotton waste.  Will have to ask him...

I could certainly see a trashcan full of Styrofoam beads being a more gentle trap than water.

Why bother?  To be clear about which pellet distortion was from firing, and which from the sudden stop in the trap.  That said, firing distortion affects mainly the "tail end" and trap distortion affects mainly the "head end".

I remember seeing a 4" PVC pipe with cap at one end and stuffed with pillow stuffing. About 4' long and packed not too tight and not too loose. As I recall,... it worked quite well. I have not done it, nor water.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Ribbonstone on June 20, 2020, 10:06:44 AM


What comes out isn't exactly what went in.

Smack them in the rear hard enough and pellets will obturate(expand their skirts) and scrunch down (shorten). 

Soft catch....the rifling marks show that what happened,had to happen in the bore.

(https://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/pellets/IMG_4247-1_zps8b8e8348.jpg) (https://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/pellets/IMG_4247-1_zps8b8e8348.jpg.html)

Balistic media catch,so the nose is useless...but the base shows the obtration of this softer pellet.
(https://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/pellets/IMG_4666_zpseb808060.jpg) (https://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/pellets/IMG_4666_zpseb808060.jpg.html)


Oversized pellets can get some scallop marks at exit....."fins".

(https://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/micro%20pellets/Image30.jpg) (https://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/micro%20pellets/Image30.jpg.html)


For bolt probe loading rifles.  IF the bolt is wobbly or the probe bent, can end up seating the pellet a little cock-eyed.  Recovered pellets can show where the bolt probe contacted deep down in the hollow base.

(https://i157.photobucket.com/albums/t50/ribbonstone/micro%20pellets/Image49.jpg) (https://s157.photobucket.com/user/ribbonstone/media/micro%20pellets/Image49.jpg.html)


Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: HectorMedina on June 20, 2020, 10:38:39 AM
@ Chris USA;

That's right Chris, Good memory.

4" Dia. pipe, whether cardboard or PVC, doesn't matter. Dacron pillow stuffing, VERY loosely packed, 2' long should be enough to stop gently up to 24 ft-lbs 0.22" pellets. If you want to play it safe, use 3' and no cap at the end.

Upon recovery of pellets, look at the head with a mag glass. If there are strands, or prints of strands, then you are packing the pillow stuffing too tightly.

To ALL.-
You can read this:  https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/at-the-moment-of-firing-and-fit-of-pellet-to-the-rifling (https://www.ctcustomairguns.com/hectors-airgun-blog/at-the-moment-of-firing-and-fit-of-pellet-to-the-rifling)

And, there is a good discussion here:  https://airgunwarriors.com/community/airgun-talk/ah-buhleeve/#post-38463 (https://airgunwarriors.com/community/airgun-talk/ah-buhleeve/#post-38463)

Truth is that we tend to group together things that are not that much alike: Waisted pellets are different from "column" pellets that are different from slugs.

Pellets are flange stabilized, not drag, not spin, not fin. FLANGE stabilized; for the most part. But NOT ONLY flange stabilized, so the real physics behind a waisted pellet with rebated secant ellipsoidal head are completely different from the domed head, two cones waisted pellet, and those are different from the column style (2nd Generation/current JSB heavies). Yes they are all pellets, BUT, they are all morphologically (shape-wise)  different.
You need to throw in the fact that the last swage die in the life of the pellet is the barrel itself, plus the fact that the most detrimental of all  motions to a flange stabilized projectile are the natural motions of precession, nutation, and yaw, that happen even to the most elementary top or dreidel.
Whenever a pellet starts spiralling, for all intents and purposes of the air-flow around it, changes its shape drastically.

MV affects ALL these factors, from the aerodynamics (surface pressure on different points of the pellet), to gyrodynamics (how stable the pellet is in its rotation), to the shape the air flow "sees" that is NOT the physical shape of the pellet, however pristine/deformed that may be.

Even Wikipedia consigns the fact that pellets are, GENERALLY, most accurate between 800 and 900 fps:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gun (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_gun)

Last thing to consider is that, at the energy level we use, specially in spring-piston airguns, WE the shooters, take a role in the dynamics of the shot cycle.
In a 6.5X68 Vom-Hoffe (one of my favourite cartridges of all  times and dating back to the 1930's), the role of the shooter is just as an aiming mechanism. The gun/cartridge combination is either accurate or not. Little will 60 lbs of flesh and bones (weight of torso) can do for the shot cycle of a cartridge that yields a smidge under 3,000 ft-lbs. at the muzzle.

Now, 60 lbs out of 20, or 12? it's a different proportion altogether.

THAT is what is so fascinating about airguns. WE as shooters CAN, and DO, contribute to the shot cycle. Not so much in PCP's, but still a little.

Trying to come up with a general rule that applies to ALL airgun projectiles is not only humanly impossible, but scientifically incorrect.
Distinctions need to be made and all the principles understood, and we are FAR from that.

Best thing then, is to test. But test, knowing WHAT you are testing, and WHY.

Testing can be as simple as shooting groups at short range just to discard those pellets that are a HORRIBLE fit to your gun, to long range testing to determine what will be your "competition system", to very elaborate firings with instrumented sleds to record the shot cycle characteristics of a spring-piston airgun, to extremely expensive controlled firings of pellets with radar trackers to understand the exterior ballistics.

And, believe me, WE ALL CAN contribute to the knowledge base.

I am always learning from posts here. The diversity and the powers of observation of airgunners is always remarkable.

Keep well and shoot straight!






HM



Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: fwbsport on June 20, 2020, 01:18:15 PM
The inside temperature of the springer keeps the mechanism DRY unlike PCP's, one good reason to use one--but how hot is the pellet that is sprung from a springer compared to a PCP?

I have a .25 Falcon PCP I never use; it has the accuracy and the power but the "fill up the tank again" thing and regulation v non-regulation and hammers and such doused me out of the PCP world.  I found the speeds of .25 caliber around 500-600 fps to be deadly accurate in the HW95L--more so than in .177 or .22.  The .20 has the ability to be shot just under 900 fps with good results clear down to R7 levels, and the same thing happens for me using the springer HW95L .25.

Then there is the size and length of the springer like the HW35E v HW95L v R1 v HW77K v HW97K v HW50.  I find the HW35E springer to be the most FASCINATING springer of all!  In .177.

I find calibers that work in certain rifles better; and rifles that will shoot ALL with precision (been shooting HN Pistol Match, JSB lites, HN Crow Magnums, and HN Match in the HW35E .177 and it doesn't care what I use I get the same fine accuracy I'm looking for at 25 yards)!

The proper speed can vary, then, on everything put together here.  Oh, and another word about that Falcon PCP, I can't keep up with the number of pellets I can shoot out of the barrel of a springer while using ANY PCP; that TANK has to be "reloaded" as well!

 ;D
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: overeasy on June 20, 2020, 02:07:00 PM
This site is such a wealth of information and helpful and generous folks that we should all thank our lucky stars that such a place exists!
Dave
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: Ribbonstone on June 20, 2020, 04:48:56 PM
weird mix of post ideas....but have a "don't give a ship what happens to it" springer (about 16-17 foot pounds).

Lets see what it does if I induce it to not so good in co2 rather than air.
Title: Re: Proper speeds
Post by: K.O. on June 21, 2020, 03:08:49 PM
here(at bottom of post) is a CFD result I found about a shotgun pellet @ mach .9 (about 1000 fps)... it can represent a JSB pellet in that they have true hemispherical heads... 

I drew some lines using paint... first line is at 2 calibers... second is at 2.5... and the line ends at 3 calibers... Thought it might help visualize how the skirts of different length JSB (and similar near hemispherical nose) round nose pellets ride in a low pressure zone... for example a .22 JSB 18g is about 1.4 calibers long and a .177 Sniper Mag is about 1.7 calibers long... so can imagine that with the flared out skirts also... so maybe gyroscopic stability assumes a bigger role at middle and high trans-sonic speeds... 

But... then take a look at a 15g bullet at the same length same .5 caliber nose... I reduced density for the missing mass...but can not control where  mass is missing from and mass towards the outside diameter  is more important to gyroscopic stability... so twist probably would need to be just a touch faster than shown... 

http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/drag_working.cgi?unit_length=inches&weight_unit=grains&bullet_name=.338+air&re_calculate=yes&boundary_layer=L%2FT&diameter=.177&length=.311&nose=.088&meplat=.001&drive_band=.177&base_diameter=.177&angle=0&boat_tail=0&secant_radius=&weight=15.4&density=8.7 (http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/drag_working.cgi?unit_length=inches&weight_unit=grains&bullet_name=.338+air&re_calculate=yes&boundary_layer=L%2FT&diameter=.177&length=.311&nose=.088&meplat=.001&drive_band=.177&base_diameter=.177&angle=0&boat_tail=0&secant_radius=&weight=15.4&density=8.7) 

http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/barrel_twist.cgi?diameter=.177&length=.31&nose=.088&meplat=.001&base_diameter=.177&angle=&boat_tail=&b_twist=17.7&secant_radius=&unit_length=inches&temperature=59&humidity=0&local_pressure=29.92&pressure=29.92&altitude=0&density=c_d&custom_density=8.7 (http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/barrel_twist.cgi?diameter=.177&length=.31&nose=.088&meplat=.001&base_diameter=.177&angle=&boat_tail=&b_twist=17.7&secant_radius=&unit_length=inches&temperature=59&humidity=0&local_pressure=29.92&pressure=29.92&altitude=0&density=c_d&custom_density=8.7)

so the sniper mag stand in slug shows about .94 for a stability factor from a L.W. barrel (17.7 twist)at 1000 fps... 1 is unstable so most likely it shows it needs enough flare stabilization going on to make up the difference...also  you will notice that the drag curve is pretty flat to about 600-700 fps and then at 1000 fps it is at about 7 times the drag... and that can give an idea/correlation of the length of the low pressure area that the skirt is riding in... now with the skirt vs the slug the drag actually rises at lower speeds instead of being flat as with a with a slug... more of a smile type drag profile...wonder just how  closely all this would match up with actual Labradar doppler results... 

would also love to see how different result would be with JSB with blown out skirts at say 600-700 fps  out of say an Mrod (3000 psi) and hopefully not blown out skirt of say a disco/maximus(2000 psi)... you can bet there is a difference in the drag curve...thus showing the need to do your own drop charts rather than just trusting a tool like chairgun... Chairgun does give a rough idea of what to expect tho... 

It is good to live in times that we have the tools to help shed more light on the whys and have a better understanding of how different pellets work... and how they can work out of different rifles and barrels... for instance send the above .177 round out of a barrel that is choked down to .172 groove and the round grows in length to .326...slight differences but there none the less...


http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/drag_working.cgi?unit_length=inches&weight_unit=grains&bullet_name=.338+air&re_calculate=yes&boundary_layer=L%2FT&diameter=.172&length=.326&nose=.088&meplat=.001&drive_band=.172&base_diameter=.172&angle=0&boat_tail=0&secant_radius=&weight=15&density=8.7 (http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/drag_working.cgi?unit_length=inches&weight_unit=grains&bullet_name=.338+air&re_calculate=yes&boundary_layer=L%2FT&diameter=.172&length=.326&nose=.088&meplat=.001&drive_band=.172&base_diameter=.172&angle=0&boat_tail=0&secant_radius=&weight=15&density=8.7) 

http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/barrel_twist.cgi?diameter=.172&length=.326&nose=.088&meplat=.001&base_diameter=.172&angle=&boat_tail=&b_twist=17.7&secant_radius=&unit_length=inches&temperature=59&humidity=0&local_pressure=29.92&pressure=29.92&altitude=0&density=c_d&custom_density=8.7 (http://www.geoffrey-kolbe.com/cgi-bin/barrel_twist.cgi?diameter=.172&length=.326&nose=.088&meplat=.001&base_diameter=.172&angle=&boat_tail=&b_twist=17.7&secant_radius=&unit_length=inches&temperature=59&humidity=0&local_pressure=29.92&pressure=29.92&altitude=0&density=c_d&custom_density=8.7)