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My top 5 pellets

By B.B. Pelletier

Okay, these are MY picks. You don’t have to agree. But some people might like to hear what someone else thinks.

Pellet No. 5 – RWS Hobby
Hobby is the German codeword for cheap. RWS Hobbys aren’t cheap, but they are good! I like them for plinking in most airguns. And I like them in either caliber. They come in both .177 and .22. I think RWS makes Hobbys just a little better than their price reflects.

Hobbys are especially good in lower-powered airguns. If you have an air pistol or a weaker spring rifle, this might be the pellet to jazz things up.

Pellet No. 4 – Crosman Premier
That’s ANY Premier in the cardboard box. ANY caliber, and they come in three of the four smallbore calibers, with two weights in .177.

I also like Premiers in round tins. They are less expensive that way. And let’s be honest – Benjamin Sheridan Diabolo pellets are Premiers by another name and just as good. The pellets in the tins don’t get packed by lot, or at least it’s not stamped on the tins, but they still shoot very well.

With Premiers you do need to sort by weight and discard the light ones. And they do lead the bore if shot too fast. Otherwise, this is a wonderful pellet.

Pellet No. 3 – H&N Match
Accurate, accurate! I only have experience with the .177 Finale Match high speed; but with the H&N reputation for quality, I bet the .22 and .25 calibers are just as good. These also make good critter-busters at close range. I like the high speed best, but I don’t have as much experience with the low speed. And, you can choose head size with this brand, though I always go with 4.51 unless I know a good reason to try something else.

Pellet No. 2 – Beeman Kodiak/H&N Baracuda
Beeman Kodiak pellets or H&N Diabolo Baracuda used to be numero uno. They’re heavy in all calibers, so they’ll slow down those overly powerful guns so they can do good things. And, these are pure lead and very uniform.

Pellet No. 1 – the BIG KAHUNA – JSB Diabolo Exact
This is the best hunting and all-around pellet I’ve ever seen. Forget deviation – there seems to be none! I think they must hand-sort them, but what do they do with the tons of rejects? Melt them? I think not. Apparently, Mr. Bohumin has found a better way to make pellets. This pellet in .22 caliber has no equal that I know of.

Them’s my picks. Tell me yours.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

28 thoughts on “My top 5 pellets”

  1. Can I also suggest that when you get a tin of Crosman premiers, that you should also check to see if they give a tight fit in your airgun. Just recently I with my PT-80 there were pellets that just sliped in the magazine, instead of me pushing it in, and they shot wild while the other were in a close group. So I went thru the tin sorting them by using my PT-80’s clip as a measurement, the ones that fall thru I discarded them. I hope this helps.

  2. You know, I never mentioned peewees, did I? Premiers are known for having some undersized pellets in the box.

    By the way, are you using Premiers from a real metal tin or from a cardboard box? The “Premiers” sold in metal tins are not lot-sorted the way the Premiers in a box are. Most competitors will only use Premiers from the box.

    Thanks for the feedback,

    B.B.

  3. I’m using the ones from the tin, thats all I can get out here. But I’m really getting to like them, just last nite I was testing them against the daisy wade cutter, which I think needs some more work, the hollow points made good groups , better then the daisy which made ragged holes instead of clean circles. I’m planning to buy 4-packs of crosman and the 1377C and send it to my cousin in the philippines.

  4. I’m tossing up between purchasing a Tau 7 Silouette or an IZH46M. Please suggest the ideal pellet for these pistols with obvious view to consistent accuracy.
    Thanks – John Harvey

  5. I had an old BSA AirSporter in a good condition. Please suggest me the ideal pellets for these rifle with obvious view to consistent accuracy and for maximum velocity.

    Thanks b 4 – R. Farry

  6. John R.,

    The Gamo Multishot is EXTREMELY sensitive to the type of pellet it can accept. It isn’t a question of the most accurate pellet. It is which pellet will feed through the mechanism.

    I have always heard that Gamo wadcutters are the best for this gun.

    B.B.

  7. Hey B.B.

    I have heard that Crosman Premiers have some sort of coating on them (dirt??) and that many people oil them/clean them before they shoot. This has turned me off a bit from the pellet, (let alone the price)and turned me onto the Benjamin Sheridan Diabolos. Do you have any comments on this/reccomendations. Also, what is the main difference between the Premiers and the Diabolos. From what I understand it is the way they are sorted (by weight) is this correct. Also, any other clarification that can help me understand what accounts for the huge difference in price is greatly appreciated. Thanks

    Rick

    p.s. I am mainly using my airgun for plinking shatterblast targets and other things. I am not so much doing target practice as much, although I am still on occasion using targets. Do you think that the Diabolos or Premiers are best for this application?

  8. Rick,

    ALL pellets have an anti-oxydant coating of some kind. Premiers have the most common kind – graphite. Far from dirt, it is a lubricant. When you wash these pellets, they immediately start to turn white with oxydation.

    I never clean any pellets. Just shoot them.

    B.B.

  9. Thank you i have plenty of crosman holow points but i never tried them in that pistol, do you think using Gamo PBA Raptor pellts in the 1377C would be okay? i know they are too light for high powered springers.

  10. Hi, I was just wondering if you have noticed any issues with the JSB’s coming out of the tin with a bunch of distorted skirts?? I am on my 2nd tin of jumbos and both tins about 1/4 of them had really messed up skirts.

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