by Tom Gaylord
Writing as B.B. Pelletier
My Beeman R8 Tyrolean is an accurate pellet rifle that I enjoy shooting
This report covers:
- The test
- Shapes
- RWS Superpoints
- Vogel pellets
- Air Arms Falcon pellets
- Conclusions
To be honest, I was looking for an opportunity to shoot my Beeman R8 Tyrolean rifle today and this came to me. We filmed this segment for “American Airgunner” back in 2010 and the results were very dramatic, so I want to share this with everyone who didn’t get to see that show.
The test
I will shoot three common pellet shapes at 10 meters, 25 yards and 50 yards, so we can compare how they do as the distance increases. I write about this a lot, but haven’t shown the direct results in any of my writing. Today we start correcting that.
Shapes
Popular wisdom says the domed pellet is the most accurate as distance increases. The pointed pellet is the least accurate at any distance and the wadcutter is very accurate close up, but the accuracy falls away at about 25 yards. In an ideal world I would select the most accurate of each of these three pellet shapes to test at each distance. Well, guess what? The world isn’t perfect, and I don’t have that information. I could conduct another test of each pellet type to find that perfect pellet for the Beeman R8, but most of us won’t live long enough fto see such a test completed. I certainly won’t! After three reports like that you guys would be using the comments section to talk about slot car racing!
So here is what I’m going to do. I’m going to take a domed pellet I know shoots well in the rifle, a good wadcutter and an RWS Superpoint that’s the best pointed pellet I know of, and go from there. This really isn’t about which is the best pellet for the rifle — it’s about what happens to each pellet shape as the distance increases. At 10 meters they all should be good.
RWS Superpoints
First up were RWS Superpoints. They thankfully landed just below the 10-ring that’s just a dot on this target. That was my aim point and I wanted to preserve it throughout the test.
Ten Superpoints went into 0.365-inches between centers at 10 meters. That’s better than I expected.
Ten RWS Superpoints went into 0.365-inches at 10 meters.
Vogel pellets
For the wadcutter I selected the Vogel wadcutter that sometimes does very well in a 10-meter rifle. In the R8 10 of them went into 0.379-inches at 10 meters. This group looks much larger than the first one because wadcutters cut clean holes, where pointed pellets slip through and allow the target paper to close after them.
This large group surprised me, but on shot 4 or 5 I took out my aim point. After that I was guessing where the dot was, and that probably made the group a little larger.
Ten Vogel pellets went into a 0.379-inch group at 10 meters when shot from the Beeman R8.
Air Arms Falcon pellets
For the domed pellet I chose the Air Arms Falcon pellet. It usually does very well in this rifle. This time 10 Falcons made a 0.411-inch group that was the largest group of the test.
Ten Air Arms Falcon pellets went into 0.411-inches at 10 meters.
Conclusions
Well, I certainly learned something from this test. I didn’t expect the Superpoints to group the best, but they did. I also expected the Falcons to be the best and they are the worst. Of course “worst” is a relative term, because this R8 is such an accurate rifle.
Also, 10 meters is much too close to learn anything about pellet accuracy. You’ll see that when I back up to 25 yards. I expect the wadcutters to start spreading at that range and the Falcons to surprise us by their accuracy. As for the Superpoints — I don’t know what to expect. And that’s why we do this.
B.B.,
Do you notice a difference at all between these AA pellets, and the JSB branded version?
Jim M.
Jim,
When I shoot the domes I notice a difference in loading. The wadcutters I don’t shoot that often, so I can’t say.
B.B.
B.B.,
First, I think this is an excellent test to conduct.
Second, I think your expectations proved to be accurate and not incorrect. You correctly expected the differences to be minimal at the short distance, and at 10 meters the domes are slightly less accurate for an accurate, powerful sporter (but not slight with a 10 meter Olympic air rifle). And the pointed pellets are possibly less or at least no more accurate than the Vogel wadcutters. The latter would have grouped more tightly if you had not shot out your aim-point, perhaps a greater improvement than the mere .014 inch difference. I think the results prove out your reasoning.
I am eager to see what happens at 25. Are the Vogels comparable in weight to the other two?
Michael
Michael,
I think you are right in what you say. And like you, I am very interested in seeing what happens at 25 yards. At 50 yards I’m pretty sure the domes will shine and the wadcutters will fail.
I’m now thinking about doing this with my Talon SS after I finish this gun.
Vogels average 8.3 grains and the range is 8.2 to 8.4.
B.B.
B.B.,
6 years? I could have used this information long ago. Now I’m back to square 2 to test how pointed pellets perform in my rifles. I had always disregarded pointed pellets because of the reported difficulty in manufacturing them consistently concentrically. The good news I can say is that there are only three local brands to choose from. Usually only round head and wadcutters are imported from overseas here due to the resulting high tariffs which further limit sales.
Hopefully you can give us the 25 and 50 yard results soon.
Siraniko
Hi Siraniko
Try the predator polymags & jsb stratons(pointed). They may surprise you. Plus they’re quite devastating on live targets. I order on eBay as they are not available here. Mostly use the jsb exacts 8.44 with 4.52mm heads, though.
Errol
Errol,
Thanks for that suggestion but I have no experience with eBay. Right now I am content with what I have. With our economy going south (Our local currency is dropping in value against the US dollar not seen in 20 years!) anything imported right now is a premium. I will content myself making the best out of the locally available pellets which at the range I am shooting is accurate enough to satisfy me. I was fortunate enough to purchase my guns and ammunition when our currency was still strong and have a good enough stockpile. I don’t hunt anyway so all I am after is decent/acceptable accuracy which is good enough to hit my designated target with. JSB Exact Jumbo Heavy in 5.52mm 18.16gr is my gold standard.
Siraniko
Errol,
I tried the metal mags. A few tips were loose in the can. Another tip fell out on its way to the target (indoor shooting into a no escape pellet trap). The “tip” is a cone with a round post at the tail end. I even cut some apart to see the overall profile. I found that a drop of thin super glue around the tip and then evenly spread/flowed worked great. From my testing,.. the greater expansion was evident from the tip being pushed back into the pellet body. Perhaps best for a bone or skull hit.
… I even cut some apart to see the overall profile.
Why am I not surprised to read that you are doing that Chris 🙂
Vana2,
🙂 I could say a bunch to that. In short, the same thing that prompted me to tear into a new TX. The same thing that prompted you to tear into a new Maximus. The same thing the prompted Gunfun1 to,… uhhh,…well,… errrr,… to “modify” his new Maximus. Still not sure what is going on there. That is one strange gun.
Because we can. Because we want to know. Because we want to make things better. Because.
🙂 Chris
Hi Chris
I’ve got a couple tins of their metalmags .177 8.5 gr. I plan to try it on small wild pig at 15-20 yds with the 125. I haven’t come across any defective ones in the tin, and I’ve not shot a lot with them. But they are devastating when fired from a 1000+ fps gun. But IMO the predators seem to be much more stable & the polymer tip seems to do their job well as it causes a perfect mushroom expansion almost three times the original calibre. I know cos I’ve extracted the pellets from the small game like squirells I’ve shot just to see what it does to drop them dead in their tracks. The wound channel & internal damage is quite severe. BTW about my quest for a Quattro trigger unit for my 125. It’s more than a week since I contacted Hatsan Turkey but not a word in reply. Pyramyd air gave me a prompt reply saying to contact Hatsan USA & I completed their parts request form, but they too replied that they don’t ship outside USA. I contacted a Bulgarian company that sells the original Quattro unit but they only ship to EU. I’ve a cousin living in France so l ordered it & got it shipped to her address and she very kindly said she’ll send it to me the moment she receives it. I’m now waiting impatiently for it so I can get my 125 going again. With this level of indifference & inflexibility from Hatsan, and they do sell some good guns like the bt65 elite SB, the lack of spares & QC on critical components is disappointing.
Errol
Errol,
In some guns the Predator Polymags are very accurate, but in others they are poor. I have to test them in each gun, unlike JSB Exacts that are always good.
B.B.
BB
Yes Sir that’s quite correct. Not every gun shoots the predators well. But the Exact pellets are superb accuracy wise invariably. My friend’s BT 65 shoots the Predator shorts with deadly accuracy.
Errol
BB, this will be a most useful test for me, especially the domes vs the pointed pellets. I myself firmly believed and used pointed pellets in the evolution copy & they were most accurate, but my recent gun (r9 copy)of 13.6 fpe prefers domes.
BB, can you provide the links to those articles where you wrote and gave ideas to AR manufacturers? A manufacturer close to my house is really willing to learn and improve their springers.
Chris ,thanks for the help on scope, but a $20 scope that too available in India , I won’t thint it will last 20 shots. I will have to import one I think I will buy an UTG or Leapers. When it gets stuck on customs office, I will have to pay some more to solve problem.
I think by June of next year, I may have enough in my wallet.
Riki,
The Leapers/UTG brand,… which I believe are the same thing,… are a good choice. It would be interesting to know if someone could gift/give/send you one. What would be the cost associated with that? I do not have any extra’s,… but it is just an idea. If I did,.. it would be yours.
As for the question to BB on improving springers,…. that is a big question. A few items to consider are:
– accurate/good barrels
– a bolt that can be tightened at the main pivot on break barrels, instead of a pin
– using too much spring. Some can loose spring length without suffering any fps loss,.. others can not
– the piston must be tight/close fitting. Front and rear guides that are part of the piston will keep it from “slapping” about in the cylinder
– spring guides,…. both inner and outer will help with vibration and “slap”. Look at the Vortek spring kits for an idea of what I mean
– tight lock up barrel when closed
– high viscosity grease on the spring,…. not dry
Those are the big ones. Good sights, smooth and adjustable triggers are some finer points. A good 11mm dovetail to mount scopes is nice as well. Some pictures of your India made air rifles would be interesting for all to see if you can do that. Good luck and keep us posted.
Chris,
You had best be careful of sending things like rifle scopes overseas. It is possible to run afoul of federal export laws for such things. I know it may seem strange that you could get into hot water for sending a Chinese made scope overseas, but you would not want the FBI knocking on your door about it.
RR,
Good point. It was just an idea. Some due diligence on applicable laws (on both ends) would be prudent. I hate to see a new air gunner struggle. It makes you appreciate that we live,. where we live.
Chris,
Yeah, they sure know how to ruin a good party sometimes. I have been to quite a few countries in my time. I’ll stay right here, thank you very much.
Chris
Thanks for appreciating our problems. You are indeed lucky to be born in the US where you can pursue the shooting sports. There are so many restrictions and conditions for us in Asia. I would love to own a firearm but have no hope of doing so. Also, only .177 air rifles are legal.
Errol
Errol,
Yea,… I do appreciate,… or at least try to understand,….. what it is like. It is nice to hear from people from different parts of the world and hear what the air gun experience is for them. Truth be told,… the .177 pellet is what most people have shot and will ever shoot.
A small wild pig with a .177 at 15-20 yards. (big grin!) It sounds do-able with the right shot (like right through the ear) or head on through the peepers. That would be some good eating I would bet. The thing about wild pigs is if there is little pigs about,…. there is probably also big ones about. I do not know if you ever caught any of Buldawg76’s pig hunting “adventures”,…. but suffice to say that big ones were something that you did NOT want to mess with. In fact,…. firearms were not part of the equation,…. rather multiple big dogs, brave men and big knives were the order of the day.
Chris
Chris
I plan to use my tuned 125 since .177 is all I’ve got. I’ll be aiming for the places you advised & be shooting from a tree stand if possible. I do remember Bulldawg 76s experiences ha ha. Don’t want to mess with no Mama or Papa pigs!!
Errol
Chris U
We had pigs on the farm when I was kid. Doesn’t matter if their wild or domestic. The mamma and poppa pigs ain’t nothing to mess with as Errol mentioned.
Got my leg crushed by a sow one time when we was getting the baby’s to give shots and the other thing to the male pigs. Crushed it up against the wood fence or pig pen as we called it when it charged me when it got loose from another pen. Had a bruise that was black and blue the size of a foot ball above my right knee on my leg.
Don’t mess with pigs. And believe me they will eat anything that’s bone and meat and won’t be a darn thing left.
Gunfun1,
That is why I mentioned it to Errol,… not knowing his experience with the bigger variety. I have no personal experience with them other than the finished yummy ham and sausage and pork cuts variations. Buldawg’s stories left an impression on me. I did catch one episode on the Pursuit channel where they were hunting hog with dogs and it was every bit as chaotic as Buldawg described.
And since this is the holiday season,… one of the newer trends in pork/pig is heritage breeds that are wild raised/fed,… perhaps have their diets supplemented with Chestnuts and other exotic things. On to the smoker or some other special curing and then to market. Last I saw,….. the were fetching in the 20$ per pound range. That would have to be the best pig I ever ate to be worth that!
Have a good one,…. Chris
Chris U
$20 a pound. Maybe we are in the wrong biusness.
Chris,
Boy you have shead your newbie duds and are holing your own with the old timers. Shows what dedication and putting in the time can do. Congradulations.
I spent quite a bit of time this last summer at my cabin off the grid. Then went to Mexico for a while, came back and bought a 1936 Ford pickup. That pickup along with my other chores has not left much time for serious air gunning.
I bought a new MM HF barrel for my .22 M-Rod but haven`t found a chance to finish tuning and testing. I have shot it enough to say it is much better than the original barrel. I am waiting for a day with no wind to give it a good run.
Buldawg also bought a .25 HF barrel for his M-Rod. I have not seen where he has reported on it yet. I think we both bought the barrels around last March.
Keep up the good work.
Don
Obviously I haven’t got better with typing and fighting the spell checker.
Benji-Don,
Thanks for your kind words. I try. You have been quite busy. Is the ’36 restored? As for airguns, I still have the TX, LGU (in .22) and the .25 M-rod. Turns out that I had quite a bit of extra time this summer so I got to shoot a bunch.
I am surprised that BD76 has not finished his M-rod yet. That was going to be really something. I see the SSG device has gone through several evolutions and last I saw,… people were selling them as drop in kits. Mine just has a 12# spring and I can fill to 3500 and get 24 good shots. Maybe you saw that BB just had his “tuned” up real nice. I think the article is less than a week old. Check it out if you have not. Good to hear from you. Chris
Don
I still talk to Buldawg. He is actually comming back to his .25 Mrod project now. I think we will here about it soon.
Riki,
If you are using a desktop on the right hand side under Categories you can click airgun design and that will lead you to all articles classified under that heading (634 articles so far). Some highlights:
/blog/2016/07/lets-build-a-multi-pump/
/blog/2016/07/give-me-more-power-2/
/blog/2016/07/characteristics-of-a-classic-airgun/
/blog/2016/02/the-influence-of-shooting-galleries/
/blog/2016/02/how-powerful-were-the-big-bore-airguns-of-the-past-part-2/
/blog/2016/11/life-in-the-golden-age-of-airguns/
I hope this does not get marked as spam.
Siraniko
Riji,
OMG! I have written dozens of articles like that over the 11 years this blog has been running. I’ll look and see if I can find some.
Here is one:
/blog/2015/05/an-open-letter-to-airgun-designers/
Here is another:
/blog/2007/12/an-open-letter-to-airgun-manufacturers/
Here is a third one:
/blog/2014/06/what-we-need-now-a-look-at-some-possibilities/
Here is a fourth:
/blog/2008/09/the-ultra-reliable-air-rifle/
B.B.
B.B.,
Nice test. I think that conventional wisdom will prevail,.. but it is good to see it tested/documented here. That cheek pad/riser on that R8 is just plain bizarre. It has been awhile since you have shown that one. I had forgotten.
Chris
Chris USA,
A good thing B.B.’s R8 with Tyrolean stock is a gentle shooter. Can you imagine if it that stock was used in the AR8 he tested? He would probably end up with a cauliflower ear after a session on the range.
Siraniko
Chris,
I was looking at that cheek pad with interest myself – just finished the lamination of the stock “block” for my FWB124 so I am at the “carving” stage… perfect timing 🙂
Hank
Vana2,
Well, you have the skills to do whatever you want. I would find that R8 to be restrictive for different LOP and eye reliefs. Interesting that the maker chose a “cup/bowl” design as opposed to a more open custom contour. It would really be something to have a stock that your face/cheek bone etc. fit (perfect)ly,.. regardless of how bizarre it came out looking.
I know what I went through to custom cut the UTG eye cup/bellows on the M-rod. At least an hour if not more. Cut, test, cut test, cut, test,…..etc. I can not even imagine what that would be like on a cheek riser and using wood. I liked that story of you using a 700$ blank when you were still relatively new to the craft.
Chris,
The advantage of DYI is that you can fit it exactly to what you want and the accessories that you will be using.
Relative to the original stock, I increased the LOP to 14″ and raised the check piece to suit a scope. When done, the stock will be tuned to align my face\eye to a Hawke 44mm scope on BKL mounts.
I considered setting the height of the check piece so that I could use my cheek-bone as a reference the way I have it set up on my 603 (a SSP) but changed my mind. My 124 has a pretty calm shot cycle for a springer but it would still give you a good rap if it was resting directly on bone. Best to avoid that distraction when shooting.
Tuning and fitting is my favorite part of making a stock.
Hank
BB,
Yep, this is a good excuse. I will have to keep this excuse in mind for when I want to shoot my BSA.
B. B., et al,
Thanks for getting into this topic. Analysis of pellet behavior in flight is just as interesting as any other aspect of airgun use. Should help me decide which sort of pellet to use for different types of shooting.
I’ve been meaning to comment on an apparent improvement in the quality of Crosman Premiers in the tin, and this gives me a good opportunity. It appears to us that these pellets have fewer rough edges and deformed skirts. Up until this year we always had to discard some from each tin, and now we don’t find any bad ones at all! Don’t know if others have had the same experience, but the difference is quite noticeable to us. They now perform as well for us as the more expensive European pellets.
Happy Thanksgiving!
Walt
Hi Walt. I would like to comment on the use of the Crosman Premier Hollow Point pellets. I have an RWS 34P in .22 caliber. I have owned this airgun for three years and to date have not found the single most accurate pellet for it. I have tried many, including JSBs in several weights, H&N FTTs in various sizes, RWS Superdomes & HPs, and most recently CPHPs. So far of all my sample pellets the CPHPs have shot the best groups at 25 yards. My criteria is to shoot 1″ or less groups consistently at 25 yards and none have made the grade so far, but the CPHP are the closest to being able to achieve the goal. This RWS 34P is the most difficult hold sensitive gun I have ever shot and after three years I have still not perfected the hold it likes.
That is interesting. My 34p is .177 and quite easy to shoot. I use cphp because a little research said it was overall good performer and cheap for break-in. Aside from a few heavies to settle it down, I’ve never seen a good reason to upgrade! Mine gets used to practice for flintlock matches offhand. Pretty average group is ~1 1/2″ at 25 yards. If only I could shoot my flintlock so well consistently… Of course, your .22 is a different creature and the pellets are also different.
Do really heavy or light pellet changes the firing cycle (key to hold sensitivity in my opinion)? It isn’t unheard of for new rifles to have seals damaged, either, if it seems rough…
Sorry to butt in, but I think you have set a realistic goal and should have been able to achieve it by now from the amount of work you’ve put into it.
Hey BG, thanks for your input. I welcome anyone’s input on this. If you would like to view my posts on this subject and BB Pelletier’s responses, here is the link to that topic: /blog/2016/06/vintage-pellets/#comment-389973
I have shot 25 sample pellets from most of JSB’s from 13.4g to 18g. I got the best groups with pellets of 14.3 to 15.9g. One day a shot some nice groups with the JSB Match Exact Jumbo 15.89g of .5 to 1.0″. Then a week later those same pellets shot groups up to 2″.
It’s been very difficult for me to separate the variables of “the right hold”, and or, “the right pellet”.
My RWS 34P does not seem to like real heavy or real light pellets. I was very surprised when I shot the CPHPs and achieved some of the consistently best groups of 0.5″ to 1.3″. I only had a 25 pellet sample though and I have since bought a 500 tin to give these pellets a real test.
Reading through your first posts, one thing that came to mind first is ao/parallax adjustment.
This will seem like a silly question, but are you consistently getting roughly ROUND groups? If so, I’d adjust parallax with ao before doing anything else! Let me also say AO is not a simple matter of focusing unless it is set up properly first, a process which includes using the ocular adjustment. Basically put your cross hairs on target and move your head side to side and up and down. If the cross hairs appear to move around on the target, change the AO until the cross hairs are locked on target. If the image is blurry, adjust the ocular adjustment until image is cleared. This is a simplified procedure that is often “good enough”. FT people use a more rigorous method, which you can find out if the easy method works… Just this cut my 50 yard .22rf groups in half (from 3/4->3/8) with one particular scope and rifle. Ghengis Jan is an FT guy who maybe can help. One other reason I suspect this is the large objective, which exacerbates parallax, but FT people have leaned to use that shortcoming as a benefit in terms of range finding.
BG
Well no, my groups are strung vertically for the most part and sometimes slanted left or right somewhat. You have now brought up one more variable. My scope is a Hawke 3×9 w/50mm AO objective. When I first set the scope up I focused the ocular adjustment against the clouds until the reticle was sharp. My scope has an AO which I have to adjust to get a good focus on the 1/2″ dot at 25 yards. After focusing, the scale may show the distance to be slightly more than the 25 yards I have measured to my target. I will try as you suggest the next time I shoot. Thank you for the suggestion.
Geo791,
Thanks for the feedback. CPHP’s seem to work well in many guns. I got decent accuracy out of all of the batches I’ve tried with my guns, but the CPHP’s I’ve used this year seem to be of better manufacture.
I’ve been contemplating the purchase of a new springer, and Diana guns are high on my list. I was going to go for a 340 N-TEC, but am now considering a 48. Am having fun with the research. Gives me motivation to read more of B.B.’s reports…which is fun anyway.
I don’t have any guidance for you except to keep at it. It took me 3 months to become consistent with my only spring rifle, a Stoeger X-20S.
Have a great weekend!
Walt
Walt
My first springer was a Crosman Nitro Venom in .22 caliber. It’s a gas piston like the 340 N-tec. The gas piston has some advantages, and some cons too. The gas piston is smoother shooting than the springers and they have tremendous power. I wasn’t able to get good groups with mine and that was the reasoning behind the RWS 34P purchase. The Crosman had a horrific trigger and I swapped that out for a great GRT-III trigger. One thing I really like about the springers is that I can de-cock them. You can’t do that with a gas piston gun and you have to shoot the pellet out. I will say that Nitro piston is strong though. It shoots through 1″ of OSB. If you go with a RWS 48 make sure to check out the required force to cock the side lever. I can shoot my RWS 34 for hours with a 30 lb cocking force.
My problem is I can’t hit that 1/2″ bull at 25 yards consistently with either. The RWS is much higher quality airgun for sure. I don’t fault the gun because I can’t hit with it.
BB
Absalutly love this report. What I have come to find when I test stuff and not only airguns. Is to expect the unexpected. I can’t count how many times I thought something was going to turn out one way and it turned out completely another way.
I have to laugh at times. You hear talk about how something is figured out and should end up with this result or that. Then comes the surprise when things get put in action.
There’s no way to say one pellet shape is better than another. Look how many combinations of pellets and different guns there are. It all boils down to picking some pellets and trying them in the gun you choose. Just like your doing on this test.
Like I said above. I love today’s subject and can’t wait to see how the 25 and 50 yard test goes. I want to see if I get a surprise on how the results turn out. 🙂
BB, Chris, Siraniko thanks for the help on airgun designs.
Chris, can’t thank you enough man. The import laws and gifting laws from abroad are simple, but like someone said ,the world is not run by law written on paper. I suppose Indian officials think a scope makes anyone using it a sniper!!My uncle who is a software engineer, was bringing back a a airsoft m4 for me from US in his check in baggage but was stopped by customs. Long story short, he was sent to police custody, and paid fines to get released, else would have remained there for 2 weeks while police conducted ” forensic & ballistic” tests with it. That doesn’t mean you can’t import ,but a very tough nut to crack for an average person.
There is a reason why every youth in this world aspires to go to the USA, apart from lots of opportunities, you get so much freedom there.
Riki,
“forensic and ballistic” test huh? That sounds like an “official” excuse to “play” with cool stuff that comes through customs. 😉 We are all glad that you are here,.. and ask questions,.. and participate in the comments. With all the readers we have,… it would be nice if more would do the same.
OK, no one has mentioned it? I will. “Slot car racing”. Now that was funny!
TEH,
That was good. I used to glue coins in the bodies on mine and “grip” up the tires. My little brother was dumbfounded that his car would fly off the track and made would stay put on the curves. 😉 Fun times. I did show him eventually and then the real races were on as we could both really ramp up the speed of the entire race.
Combine air guns and slot car and I see a potential for some fun target practice
Walt
Are you referring to domes or hollow points?
Decksniper
Decksniper,
Hollowpoints, as they are offered at cut-rate prices at the big box store. Am about to go through a few tins of domes purchased from PA, and we’ll see about those, too.
Walt
BB—The Diana Mauser 98K air rifles have arrived, and are being shipped to customers. Prepare yourself for the questions that are sure to be sent in. My question is—–I want to use qd scope rings.. I want to be able to use the open sight as soon as I remove the scope, without the ( drooper ? ) mount blocking the open rear sight. What qd rings and mount should I get for my 98 k ? Ed
Ed,
Call Ruth at Pyramyd AIR. She will have to check with the tech department. But QD rings? I don’t know.
B.B.
I’ve always found that in addition to what Chris has said above about accurizing a rifle, re-doing the crown pays big dividends. I did a “red-neck” crown job on a Crosman nitro that I learned from MidwayUSA’s youtube tips. It did tighten up my groups dramatically. Here is the link to that blog –
/blog/2011/03/recrowning-the-benjamin-nitro-piston-air-rifle/
I also had a professional gunsmith re-crown my High Standard Victor target pistol and that increased my scores by over 20 points in 25 yard bulls-eye competition.
The countdown is on, guys. I close on my house in NJ on the 16th and take possession of my house in Cumming, GA on the 19th. Good bye and good luck to NJ. Lots of fond memories here but it’s just gotten too nuts. I’ll miss my shooting league and my bicycle riding club but am sure the Peachtree state will have substitutes.
Wishing all USA citizens on this blog a wonderful Thanksgiving.
Fred DPRoNJ (maybe for the last time)
Fred
Crowning does make a difference.
Howdy Mr. BB, tomorrow when I’m asked, reluctantly, while sitting at the kids table (Ms. Edith never did release me) what I’m thankful for, You & the gang here will be in the top 10. Sorry, My sled, beer & the future ex, Mrs. Beaz are at the top. Happy Thanksgiving to you, sir & The Gang. Shoot/ride safe, ya’ll.
Beaz
Big differences even in the same type, also. I love Superdome, but they aren’t much better than wadcutters over 25 yards or so. Crosman field hunting pointers do well at 50 if you sort them someway, as they aren’t very consistent in size…one of the better long range plinkers… Same with the cphps, which make nice holes in paper also. I guess they are a type of dome. Hard to tell by looking at a pellet how it will do, though!
I love these type of articles, more about shooting and less about new products, though I realize there is a need for all types of articles!
I guess I’m inclined to say that the difference at 10 yards is insignificant, as expected. It will get more interesting quick!
BB,
Have you ever played with chairgun? I know you hate us armchair shooters, but I’ve found it has uncanny power to help sort out what pellets will work at various ranges!
BG_Farmer,
I have used Chairgun. It is good for predicting what a pellet will do (trajectory, fps at range, hold over at range, drop, etc.),…. but I have never heard anyone say that it helps to sort out what “works” at various yardages. To me,…. that would be a matter of how tight the group will be at a given yardage. I do not know of another way to know that other than shooting yourself or having some good data of other people shooting that same combo of pellet and rifle.
Right, it helps determine what pellets are worth trying at range you’re interested in. You still have to do the shooting. I believe, however, that a pellet with better aerodynamics is also likely to be more accurate at longer ranges under typical conditions, since it is less prone to drift sideways or up and down.
Of course, I’m not a real experienced shooter when it comes to accuracy:).
BG Farmer,
No, I haven’t. I’m such a troglodyte that my computer runs on kerosene.
B.B.
Mine runs on coal :).
You two should convert to peddle power.
http://www.los-gatos.ca.us/davidbu/pedgen.html
Jim
I’m too lazy :).
BG
I had a couple .177 Discovery’s in the past and they did real well with Superdomes past 25 yards. Well even out past 50 yards.
Pellets and air guns. They each have their own character.
No doubt, the discovery runs hotter than my springers and/or in good conditions even a wadcutter can be accurate at long ranges! Most all of my air rifle shooting is offhand, open sights and not for groups and at a variety of ranges whenever I feel like it, so I like a flatter trajectory and less drift.
Take my opinions with a grain of salt, though, as I doubt I’ll ever shoot a scoped rifle for groups off a bench again! It simply bores me to tears after a short while…
BG
Same applies for me with a scope as you with open sights. I don’t shoot for groups all the time either.
And yes I have got good results with wadcutters out at farther distances than people say is possible.
Don’t get me wrong. I love advise. But I also like to put that advise to action. What’s that saying?
“Every picture tells a story don’t it.”
I firmly believe that it is a necessary process to bench rest your rifle to confirm the groups and poi. I have shot a lot of groups from my RWS 34P to ascertain that I am using the most accurate pellet in my rifle and that the poi is correct for the range I want to shoot. After this I have a high confidence level that I can hit what I am shooting at…which is a sparrow most often from my blue bird nesting boxes. If I can’t shoot a 1″ group at 25 yards I may as well being throwing rocks at them. Problem is, I still have more misses than hits 🙁
Theoretically, I agree:). Just not that enthusiastic about shooting that way…though it comes and goes. With most stuff I just test it the way it will get used anymore.
BB,
Nice test. I’m looking for the rest of the test.
A while back, I ordered a JSB 177 pellet sampler. One of the pellets included in the sampler was the pointed Straton pellet. It proved to be the most accurate in the two CO2 rifles that I was using at both 10 and 20 yards.
I wish that PA would stock the Stratons. (Hint. Hint)
Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.
Jim
Jim
I use to believe pointed pellets were not good. But I have found that they do work in certain guns.
Can’t wait to see what BB finds out at 25 and 50 yards with the specific pellets and gun he is using for the test. He mentioned that he wants to try them on his AirForce gun.
That will tell a story I bet.
Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
I still have partially used old boxes of the original “beeman” Silver Jet pellets in 20 and 177. I remember getting those as a kid from ARH back in the 70s in the old orange styro-lined boxes! Then Beeman picked them up, branded them as theirs, but eventually these became unavailable. They were the best shooting ammo in my F124 and BSF 55N. Im just now getting back into airgunning after ~20 years and am trying to find the best replacement for these. Im thinking that miking the heads, weighing them, and then getting the closest H&N pellet I can gives me the best chances without spending a fortune with the trial and error approach (though to an extent that is unavoidable). Do you have any recommendations? And what ever happened to that beautifully crafted ammo? ( IMHO the current silver jets are a sorry imitation…).
check: meant current SilverArrow not current siver jet