Daisy pellets are keyholing?

[NickB79]

I decided to try out some really cheap wadcutter and pointed Daisy pellets in my Benjamin Trail NP.  For $5/500.  How bad could they be, right?

For a baseline, CPHP's will shoot 1/2" at 15 yards.  In comparison, the Daisy pointed pellets were scattering 5 shots in 1" groups.  Ugh.

The wadcutters showed more promise.  They were cutting ragged one-hole groups!  With my hopes up, I moved the target stand to 30 yards.  Bad idea.  I fire a shot, and WHOOP!  The sound of the impact on the wood is twice what it usually is.  Fired another shot, that one is 2" away from the last one.  Fired 3 more shots, and 1 more of those was unusually loud.  2" group, no good.  Fired another 5-shot group with CPHP's to double-check, and those were under 3/4".

Walking up to the target stand, I can see the silhouette of the wadcutters in two of the shots.  Aha!  That explains that loud impact sound.  I then dug the flattened pellets out of the wood with my knife; they didn't even penetrate the 1/4" board I tack the targets to.  Now, my question is: why?

[phantomshtter]

Cause they're junk.  I don't think Daisy is exactly doing R&D into creating a superior airgun pellet (hence the $5/500), they just make pellets for kids to shoot at random stuff. 

[amb5500c]

The phantom knows.
Richard

[cactusrat]

Besides the Daisy pellets being cheap junk, wad cutters where only design to cut clean holes at about 10 meters with low power guns. They where not design to travel any great distance.

Pushing a wad cutter past (fps and distance) what they were design for makes them unstable.

[starlingassassin]

everybody is correct

[phantomshtter]

As stated wadcuters are made for 10 meter matches essentially.  As their name suggests they cut a nice round wad from the paper target for clear visibility of a hit.  Having a large flat nose makes them less than aerodynamic so they destabilize very quickly and viola, there's your keyholing.

[Bullit]

Cause they're junk.  I don't think Daisy is exactly doing R&D into creating a superior airgun pellet (hence the $5/500), they just make pellets for kids to shoot at random stuff. 

That JUNK statement, simply isn't warranted JR.  The pellets don't fit well with that rifle.   Try some in the lower powered daisy rifles, and the results will be quite different.

[nervoustrigger]

Oh, I think it's plenty warranted.  Pellets that measure 3 or 4 thousandths undersized (~0.1mm) and have many molding defects, flashing, etc. have properly earned the right to be called junk.  Here are measurements from 3 different types of Daisy pellets from my log:

[Bullit]

If you compared it to numerous barrels, and could say there isn't a fit possible, it would be valid.  The point being the fit to the barrel.  They may not work for your rifle, but that surely doesn't constitute "junk".  I personally had decent fit and 10m groups, with the wadcutter in my 953, (Same with the old TF wadcutters), and I didn't find them undersized as your data.  Of course, it's subject to the mic and operator.  The Bottom line was they weren't poor shooting in the 953.
Perhaps it would be better to say, "they didn't work for my airgun"?

[nervoustrigger]

If you compared it to numerous barrels, and could say there isn't a fit possible, it would be valid.

Well, they shot horribly in 3 rifles.  A low/med-powered Daisy 880 pneumatic, a Beeman RS2 springer, and a QB79 on HPA which is not pellet-picky in the slightest.  In my estimation, that is enough of a sampling to be valid.

Heads so undersized, rattling back and forth against the rifling as they accelerate toward the muzzle and emerging into the world without proper spin stabilization, have no real chance of delivering acceptable consistency (accuracy).  No rifled barrel designed for a 0.177" pellet can properly stabilize a pellet that is 0.173" or 0.174" in diameter.  It's just that simple.  You might as well be shooting a smooth bore, in which case you may get acceptable results at only 10 yards.

I maintain they are a cheap pellet for dinking around, shooting soda cans in the back yard.  They are not for serious target shooting at any appreciable range and certainly not something that a responsible hunter would use for small game hunting.  True, if I were to buy some new tins today they might be different.  But that is the very nature of cheap pellets:  a lack of consistency and quality control.  For anyone taking the time to sight in a rifle with an intent of long-term airgunning enjoyment is sure to be disappointed the next time he/she picks up a new tin of pellets and finds them to behave entirely differently than last time.

So while one man's trash (junk) is another man's treasure, they obviously don't meet Nick's expectations nor mine.  That's all I'm trying to say.

[Bullit]

I learned about using the, "I didn't have luck", with any ABC specific item; rather than bashing or posting something that might mistake "me" as thinking I'm the "be all, end all" authority on the item.   Keeps posts short too.

Nick:  Wadcutters should have a "10m use or you are on your own" sticker on them!  LOL 

[dancergene]

i agree that most daisy pellets are not made for mag springers. i tried and failed. however if you look on a tin of winchester round nose pellets (9.8g) the name daisy is there on the back and these are real nail drivers in my cfr.

[1nmartin]

I have tried daisy pellets in all my guns, just to see if they shoot any good at all. I have not had success with any daisy's (pointed or wadcutters) in any of my guns...

To me, they're junk

[robert w]

my stoeger digests cheep daisy pointed hunting pellets real good. only gun I own that likes them. even my $17.50 pioner trining rifle don't like them .

[gamo2hammerli]

I think the Daisy pellets are made for lower powered airguns.  Never had too much success with them....the round nose ones are pretty hard though.  Penetrates pretty deep.

[NickB79]

Thanks for the info, guys.  I knew that wadcutters lost accuracy at longer ranges, but never saw one out-and-out keyhole before.  As for the quality debate, these pellets actually looked good and shot VERY well out to 15 yards in my rifle (like I said, ragged hole groups).

[phantomshtter]

Cause they're junk.  I don't think Daisy is exactly doing R&D into creating a superior airgun pellet (hence the $5/500), they just make pellets for kids to shoot at random stuff. 

That JUNK statement, simply isn't warranted JR.  The pellets don't fit well with that rifle.   Try some in the lower powered daisy rifles, and the results will be quite different.

Sorry, plenty others seemed in agreement.   You're entitled to your opinion as am I.

[Tater]

My 1377 loves Daisy HP. No idea why, and I've tested many other brands with it. Can't complain I guess, they're cheap.

[DavidS]

Now My Crosman 2289 loves Daisy point .22 cal pellets, and my Crosman 66 loves .177 cal Daisy Pointed, as well as Winchester .177 Pointed (made by daisy if I am not mistaken).

[K.O.]

the Daisy pointed only do well to 15 yards in my 853 which is also able to shoot the Daisy wads.