25 -27 -Hunter and Gauntlet

[Lani52]

I have been casting for a disabled friend with a gauntlet 25,  who has lots of time and  living on a place to shoot but going broke buying pellets.

Member NVReloader was kind enough to send me the mold to try, a new 4 cavity and a new set of handles.

I started trying to cast a 27 grain pellet, as listed in the  pellets design title, but they were not flying well, exhibiting a few in a tight group core but with several flyers in the 16 shot groups he was shooting.

After dismal results on the first batch I sent him, I readjusted the mold to. cast to the measurements on the NOE site. I  am casting them to 27.9 to 28.4 to get  close to that .300 length listed in the pellet diagram with 40-1.

I weigh every pellet then size them by pushing the pellet nose first into the muzzle end of a  old 25  Seneca/Sumatra magazine, with my tired old Harbor Freight Digital micrometer that I use mostly for comparison, the skirts are sized to around .254 by pushing them into the revolver cylinder type magazine.

I started out doing this magazine sizing idea as a Gauge to catch and size pellets with too large of a diameter skirt, ones that simply dropped into the magazine without needing to be pushed through were not discarded and were added to the original  test samples thinking the skirt would expand upon firing. That was a mistake.

My buddy is pushing them to 940 FPS and a typical group will give him .6 to .75  at 35  yards, which is what he gets with JSB’s when shooting 16 shot groups, but he was still getting one or two flyers that  take the group to 1.5 inches. 

I am now discarding the pellets that are dropping into my improvised Seneca sizer due to being undersized and getting the mold adjusted to cast pellets between .299 and .300.

I think we are close to getting rid of the flyers.

Much thanks to NVReloader,

Roachcreek

[Nvreloader]

Lani 52
Thank you for the update.

Question for you, What alloy are you using/approx temp of ally?

Have you tried the Pellet roll test by Yrrah

Here is some info on it, Pellet sorting/sizing info -YrraH roll- very important info ****
This is the meat of the info by Yrrah:
https://www.airrifle.co.za/threads/39444-Pellet-Sorting-Inspection-Batching-and-measuring -YrraH roll test/photo's  ******
This method should pick up your odd balls etc, might be worth a try, simple to do.
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http://www.network54.com/Forum/79537/thread/1189430606/Pellet+sorting+-+inspection+-+batching+-+my+present+ultimate+strategies+for+long+ranging

https://www.tapatalk.com/groups/yellow/head-size-study-t231505.html

Thanks,
Don

[Wayne52]

I have been having stellar luck with my cast 26 grain pellets from the 250-27-RF mold myself, I've been hunting a lot with my DAR25 using them, just the other day I made a 50 yard head shot on a red squirrel (can't post hunting videos in this gate though) and if you want to see my basic results on that red squirrel you can see it in the hunting gate.  I've got a video I did retrieving a 55 yard distance 5shots on a can as well.

[Lani52]

Wayne,

My Seneca/Sumatra liked them at 26 grains, however I am limited to low power, and my quest is to get that Gauntlet shooting and it likes the full size pellets @ .30o length and 28 grain range.

Don,

Thanks for those links, Harry  is a true gentleman and airgun scientist who has contributed so much to this sport.

Right now I am only casting around 35 casts per morning, then I weigh and measure and sort.  I  then I adjust the pins and record the setting and what that pin adjustment yields, I suspect the adjustments I make this week will eliminate most of those flyers by fine tuning the mold, that and more precise culling.  However what really slows this down is I have to send him the pellets to test before going further. 

I am using 40-1, at 780 F, preheat with a hotplate to 350, do 10 casts to get to temp, then 25 casts for record.I am getting some wings that hopefully, will disappear once I try pure lead.

RC

[Nvreloader]

RC

FWIW,
You might want to confirm with your friend with the Gauntlet, that is has a GOOD muzzle crown,
my Gauntlet was a little lacking in this dept, had to clean it up etc.

My 22 Gauntlet was doing the same as you reported,
I had to make sure the rear shroud band was TIGHT up against the action,
and I added 2 more grub screw holes to that shroud band, 3 total, to stop the bbl from shifting around,
and the bbl grub screws were loose, which didn't help accuracy wise etc.

I am now getting 1/2 - 3/4" groups with CMHP pellets at 40-50 + yds, starlings and Hosp are in a world of hurt.   

I am still hunting a 25, I want a DAR, but getting tired of waiting for it, the Aspen 25 cal is singing real loud......

Tia,
Don

[KnifeMaker]

I always enjoyed Yrrah's post.  (Harry spelled backwards). Wonder if he is still around after the shake up at the yellow.


RC, tell him to back it down. 940 fps will cause them to go unstable.


Mike