Unexpected results. How does your gun react to pellets it does not like?

[Big Rick]

In the process of finding which pellets my Nitro Venom Dusk (.22) prefers I have tried three pellets. The two it agrees with so far are Crosman Premier HP and JSB Exact Diabolo. Both shoot well with no appreciable difference in accuracy. The thing that was unexpected was the third pellet. The Beeman Silver Arrows, which are heavier are a definite no go in my gun. They fly way to the right. Seven inches at twenty yards. I figured a heavier pellet might drop some but these group to the right. I thought when I tried something the gun didn't like the would shotgun. I`m just wondering if this is common with disagreeable pellets?

[OKHunter1]

Shotgun is bad, no consistency bad, pellets firing in the same hole 7 inches from the bull is good though. You can adjust for that.  The sound your gun makes can also give some indication whether it likes them or not. The right pellet to me not only shoots right but sounds right as well. Another thing, heavier pellets need more piston mass or spring power to shoot right. They may not have even really started down the tube by the time the cycle is just about complete. If your follow through is not perfect, this late cycle and resulting piston bounce my show up as a wild POA effect.

[Privateer]

I've got a few AG's that pellets do a consistant off of POA.
If I use those pellets? I know to adjust for them.
You want a shot gun effect? Try Peak Pellets!

[JohChris]

With my guns I find that with pellets they don't like the groups open up pretty good. Today I did some shooting and pellet testing with my Air Hawk. I ran through about 8 different kinds of pellets with 5 shot groups each. First round went like this. Rws Super Domes where the best. All where touching and with in 3/8 or so inches of one another. The Benji Hp's where second and group close to 7/16th on a inch. The third group where get this Crosman Hunting pellets, yeah the ones that come 1250 to a carton which my 1077 loves. The other pellets where larger groups so I ruled them out. SO I went with a round 2 with the top three to narrow it down to top 2. Well The rws group that was almost perfect opened up on the second round and was the worse while the Benji's tightened up a little and became the best. The hunting pellets stayed more or less the same. So to round three. Benji's came out on top and repeated the same grouping as the second round. I then ran one more round to be sure and re-included the Super domes to make sure since they shot so well in the first round. The fourth round went the same as the second. That gun just loves the Benjamin hollow points. It is grouping them small enough I can cover the group with my pinky at 25 yrds. Good enough for me. I can hit used co2 cartridges at 40 yrds every time with it.

[Methuselah]

With my guns I find that with pellets they don't like the groups open up pretty good. Today I did some shooting and pellet testing with my Air Hawk. I ran through about 8 different kinds of pellets with 5 shot groups each. First round went like this. Rws Super Domes where the best. All where touching and with in 3/8 or so inches of one another. The Benji Hp's where second and group close to 7/16th on a inch. The third group where get this Crosman Hunting pellets, yeah the ones that come 1250 to a carton which my 1077 loves. The other pellets where larger groups so I ruled them out. SO I went with a round 2 with the top three to narrow it down to top 2. Well The rws group that was almost perfect opened up on the second round and was the worse while the Benji's tightened up a little and became the best. The hunting pellets stayed more or less the same. So to round three. Benji's came out on top and repeated the same grouping as the second round. I then ran one more round to be sure and re-included the Super domes to make sure since they shot so well in the first round. The fourth round went the same as the second. That gun just loves the Benjamin hollow points. It is grouping them small enough I can cover the group with my pinky at 25 yrds. Good enough for me. I can hit used co2 cartridges at 40 yrds every time with it.

I've heard stories of people getting different results just because the one tried before it laid down lead (or cleared it).  Some folks clean the barrel after each new round to give all a clear playing field and fire up to 50 to get some lead back in the barrel.

Is that Lucy...?

[JohChris]

With my guns I find that with pellets they don't like the groups open up pretty good. Today I did some shooting and pellet testing with my Air Hawk. I ran through about 8 different kinds of pellets with 5 shot groups each. First round went like this. Rws Super Domes where the best. All where touching and with in 3/8 or so inches of one another. The Benji Hp's where second and group close to 7/16th on a inch. The third group where get this Crosman Hunting pellets, yeah the ones that come 1250 to a carton which my 1077 loves. The other pellets where larger groups so I ruled them out. SO I went with a round 2 with the top three to narrow it down to top 2. Well The rws group that was almost perfect opened up on the second round and was the worse while the Benji's tightened up a little and became the best. The hunting pellets stayed more or less the same. So to round three. Benji's came out on top and repeated the same grouping as the second round. I then ran one more round to be sure and re-included the Super domes to make sure since they shot so well in the first round. The fourth round went the same as the second. That gun just loves the Benjamin hollow points. It is grouping them small enough I can cover the group with my pinky at 25 yrds. Good enough for me. I can hit used co2 cartridges at 40 yrds every time with it.

I've heard stories of people getting different results just because the one tried before it laid down lead (or cleared it).  Some folks clean the barrel after each new round to give all a clear playing field and fire up to 50 to get some lead back in the barrel.

Is that Lucy...?

Lucy? No

Well the gun has always seemed to like the Benjamin HPs, I was just kinda scratching my head on the Super domes as it never group those very well in the past. It struck me kinda strange it had a super great grouping with those the first round and then they opened up to what they normally shoot in it with the later groupings. Also it was the 7th brand down the barrel on the first round and the second on the next down on the next round. also the second on the final round. First round the grouping is almost square and the next two with it it kinda clustered them in in oblong line. 

[Joe Brancato]

I had a very nice AZ tuned .177 Theoben Rapid, built by DaveG, with DaveG stock, and FX airtube that was extremely accurate.  It was called the WildKat.  Theoben actually copied this particular rifle, and made their Vanquish.  It was extrememly accureate, but one day started shooting high and to the rigth, and a 4th or 5th shot would be a flyer. I took off the shroud, did everything I could to determine the cause. Felt like a fool when someone asked if I changed the pellets. I had forgotten that I had always shot one brand through it (Crosman) and when I changed mid-shooting to JSB it went ballistic (no pun intended).  Switched back to Crosman, and she was printing consistently right where she should.

[Dockey 454]

    I ran out of JSB's last year. My HW 100's favorite pellet. Wile waiting I shot a couple of tins of Crosmans, and it shot them OK but not great. When the JSB's came in it didn't do so good with them, and my ES opened up. After giving the barrel a good cleaning, and about 70 shots it was back again. I know that Crosman pellets are harder lead then JSB. If that has anything to do with it.
     Tom

[nced]

In the process of finding which pellets my Nitro Venom Dusk (.22) prefers I have tried three pellets. The two it agrees with so far are Crosman Premier HP and JSB Exact Diabolo. Both shoot well with no appreciable difference in accuracy. The thing that was unexpected was the third pellet. The Beeman Silver Arrows, which are heavier are a definite no go in my gun. They fly way to the right. Seven inches at twenty yards. I figured a heavier pellet might drop some but these group to the right. I thought when I tried something the gun didn't like the would shotgun. I`m just wondering if this is common with disagreeable pellets?

My .177 R9 with bad pellets at only 18 yards (arrows mark aim point)............
Uploaded at Snapagogo.com

Bad and good pellet at 18 yards...........
Uploaded at Snapagogo.com

[Underdog]

My HW95 did the same thing with anything over 10 grains. The Crosman CPUMs did it, the H&N Barracuda Match did it, and the Gamo Whispers were REALLY bad because they were also a loose fit in the barrel. They were wildly out of control! 4-6" off the bull.

So the other day I was talking to a friend who works in an armory about why the heavier pellets tended to roll down and to the right.
I didn't understand exactly what he said, but it had to do with the rate of twist in the rifling and the heavier pellet tending to roll if it was pushed out of the barrel over a certain rate.

So I've just stuck with the 8.xx grain pellets. So far the H&N FTT, JSB Exact, and Winchester HP have done the best.

[anuthabubba]

Besides grouping differences, the feel of the shot cycle with various pellets in springers is a very good indicator of whether your gun likes a particular pellet or not.

[Underdog]

I've heard that before YROK, but I haven't been able to tell much difference in the sound of my HW95 from pellet to pellet. I can tell a little difference between the 7.x grain and 10.x grain, but not much.

[Methuselah]

@Jim

If i had 1 pellet hitting 6" from the rest, but they all went through the same hole, I'd forget the rest and bend the barrel, shim the scope, twist the turrets (within reason) or hire a witch doctor, whatever, and make that 6" pellet hit POA!

Just saying...

@John

Glad not Lucy. Only movie I wanted to leave early AND ask for my money back.  I think i fell asleep instead

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction on things like that rws mystery

[JohChris]

@Jim

If i had 1 pellet hitting 6" from the rest, but they all went through the same hole, I'd forget the rest and bend the barrel, shim the scope, twist the turrets (within reason) or hire a witch doctor, whatever, and make that 6" pellet hit POA!

Just saying...

@John

Glad not Lucy. Only movie I wanted to leave early AND ask for my money back.  I think i fell asleep instead

Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction on things like that rws mystery

What movie was that bud? And yeah I can't explain the rws thing either but Now my Gamo hates Benji hp's and like Rws super h points. Ran several strings to confirm that one.

[BigTinBoat]

Lucy? No

Kate I believe

[Methuselah]

What movie was that bud?

Pretty girl shootemup turned Forbin Project ... wife was with me and held me captive.  One of the greats like The Happening, Gravity, Jupiter Ascending, and Water World (but at least I missed WW)

And yeah I can't explain the rws thing either but Now my Gamo hates Benji hp's and like Rws super h points. Ran several strings to confirm that one.

You are in the right place if you care to brainstorm that one    There's got to be a reason but finding it can go from fun to work faster than watching a great coming attractions and sitting through a record-breaking bad movie...  ball is in your court, as they say

[mcoulter]

Here's a pretty good example of two targets, side-by-side, with different pellets.  These are two 10-shot groups from my Hatsan 135 (.22) shot from 30 yards.  The left group are crosman premier ultra magnums and the right group are JSB 18s.  I have 7 inside or touching the colored area while with the JSBs only 2 are inside the colored area.

[Methuselah]

Here's a pretty good example of two targets, side-by-side, with different pellets.  These are two 10-shot groups from my Hatsan 135 (.22) shot from 30 yards.  The left group are crosman premier ultra magnums and the right group are JSB 18s.  I have 4 inside or touching the colored area while with the JSBs only two are inside the colored area.

The OP has seen similar situation where one is better than the other, but then they switched (A FAR more interesting scenario than the movie plots...) 

[Big Rick]

The barrel twist sounds quit plausible to me. It might be that if I had sighted the gun in with the heavier Beeman`s I would think the CPHP were off. I still have to get some different pellets to try just to see if I can find one my gun like better. 

[Underdog]

@Jim

If i had 1 pellet hitting 6" from the rest, but they all went through the same hole, I'd forget the rest and bend the barrel, shim the scope, twist the turrets (within reason) or hire a witch doctor, whatever, and make that 6" pellet hit POA!

Just saying...

Did I say same hole? Nope. It was WILD!  as in every shot went every which way. Two hit the side of the pellet trap about 6" away, one hit 4" from the bull on the paper, and one hit some where else. It wasn't consistent AT ALL... I didn't even finish out the ten shot test. Stopped at five...