Crosman Mark I Target.
Testing new pellets
Webley Senior spring-piston air pistol
S&W 78G air pistol with new pellets
This report covers:
- The test
- H&N Baracuda 18
- H&N Baracuda 15
- H&N Hunter Extreme
- JTS Dead Center
- H&N 0.218-inch Slug
- Summary
Today I test the .22-caliber Crosman Mark I Target pistol with new .22-caliber pellets it’s never seen. This series is a lot of fun to do and I hope you are getting something out of it, as well.
This pistol has always been a performer. The trigger is adjusted to perfection and after a reseal by Precision Pellet it holds perfectly.
The test
I shot 5-shot groups from 10 meters off a sandbag rest. The butt of the pistol was rested on the bag. I wore my reading glasses that have a +1.25 correction and held the top of the front sight at the bottom of the black bullseye.
I want you to watch something as this test progresses. I didn’t touch the sights, but look how far some of the pellets move, compared to the rest. Okay, let’s start shooting.
H&N Baracuda 18
First to be tested was the H&N Baracuda 18. Sometimes these domes are surprisingly accurate. Today the Mark I put five of them into 1.404-inches at 10 meters. The group is well-centered but it’s also the largest group of the test.
The Crosman Mark I put five H&N Baracuda 18 pellets into a 1.404-inch group at 10 meters.
H&N Baracuda 15
Like the Baracuda 18, H&N Baracuda 15s are also sometimes surprisingly accurate. This was one of those times. The Mark I put five pellets into 0.763-inches, center-to-center with four in 0.254-inches.
Five H&N Baracuda 15s went into 0.763-inches at 10 meters. Four are in 0.254-inches. If this was a 10-meter pistol match target, the score would be 49.
H&N Hunter Extreme
H&N Hunter Extremes aren’t that new. I just don’t trust hollowpoints to be accurate so I don’t include them in accuracy tests that often. But these have tested quite well so far. Today the Mark I put five of them into 0.945-inches at 10 meters, and look how well-centered they are!
Five H&N Hunter Extremes made a 0.945-inch group at 10 meters.
JTS Dead Center
Next to be tested were the 18.1-grain JTS Dead Center domes. Five of them went into 0.321-inches at ten meters. This isn’t just the smallest group of today’s test, it’s probably the smallest five-shot group this pistol has ever shot at this distance.
Five JTS Dead Center pellets went into 0.321-inches at 10 meters. This is also a score of 49 out of 50.
H&N 0.218-inch Slug
The last pellet I tested was the 23-grain H&N 0.218-inch Slug. I didn’t expect much because the Mark I can’t launch these bullets fast enough to stabilize their flight. But they weren’t the least accurate. Five went into 1.19-inches at 10 meters. But notice how far they moved from where the last three pellets have been impacting.
The Mark I pistol put five H&N 0.218-inch diameter slugs into 1.19-inches at 10 meters.
Summary
Today’s blog was a sheer delight. I got to shoot an accurate pistol that has a great trigger and some of the pellets poved exceedingly accurate. It’s so nice when a test comes together like this one!
“JTS Dead Center”
B.B.,
All I can say is, “Holy cheeseballs!”
That’s an impressively small group.
I guess this gun is one of your “keepers,” for sure. 😉
Blessings to you,
dave
dave,
Yes, I do think I’ll keep this one. 🙂
BB
B.B.
Do you use a full moon or a half moon sight picture? I was shooting my D 10M using the half moon sight picture. All my shots were about 2 inches high. I could not figure out how to raise/lower the rear notch enough…
Please also shoot this fine pistol single handed.
-Y
Yogi,
I hope BB will step in and correct me, but he will often use a “six o’clock hold” when shooting open sights, which I understand to mean he is sighting at the very bottom of the black “dot”. He then adjusts his sights so that the pellets strike the center.
What do you mean by the “half moon” sight picture? Are you sighting on the center of the dot?
I do not compete, therefore when I adjust my open sights, the pellet strikes at the very top of my sight.
RR,
Thank you for that answer. That’s exactly what I would have said.
BB
BB,
It does not much like those H&Ns, but it sure does like the JTS pellets. How does this pistol do with JSBs? It has been my experience that H&Ns tend to be like RWSs, sometimes one type will work very well in an airgun and nothing else will. Often, the JSBs do well. If they are not the “first” choice, they are usually the “second” choice.
Throughout your testing, these JTS pellets have done surprisingly well. Their air rifles have been doing pretty well also.
Someone has been paying attention.
RR,
This was just a test of pellets that haven’t been tested in these airguns by me — until now.
BB
One of the few occasions where a product lives up to it’s name. The ‘Dead center’ were exactly that!
Nice shooting; going to order a couple tins of the Dead Centers in .177 and .22 – can’t have too much ammunition, specially the kind that may help an average shooter do a little better. Definitely got something out of this report. And out of all the others you’ve written as well.
BB,
I’ve found that the .22 caliber, 15.89g JSB Hades shoots the same as their domed pellet – both are very accurate in several of my airguns.
As my primary pesting/hunting airgun I’ve tuned my Crown to the 15.89 g JSB pellets and am getting 1/4″ to 3/8″ groups at 40 yards with them.
Per the Shot show, JSB is planning to release the .22 caliber, 25.39g Monster Redesign in a Hades configuration this summer which will be great for the higher power PCPs.
Hank
B.B.,
I know it is a Casual Friday and I almost brought myself to let this slide…but: “If this was a 10-meter pistol match target, the score would be 49.” Since it looks like at least one pellet touched the X ring you forgot the X in your dreaming!
Sadly for Tom’s Dreamworld if that score posted i’m certain B.B.’s wonderful dream would have turned into a NIGHTMARE. There would have been Protests written up by Coaches in the moments after the Range went HOT and the shooting started!
OFF A SANDBAG? REALLY!
Shoot that bad boy legally and see how it goes.
shootski
shootski,
There are no Xs in 10-meter pistol. That inner ring is a fractional ring for the final 10 shots of the highest-ranked match shooters.
As for shooting offhand, it’s coming along.
BB
B.B.,
Well it was my Casual Friday dream and I only shot rifle…what do my dreams know! Lol!
Glad the Regulation Shooting is continuing to improve.
Can’t beat a rising trajectory to build Self Image of a shooter.
I always liked how Don Nygord broke Visualization into two the parts; the Strategic and the Tactical.
Shoot better than you think you can!
shootski
B.B.
Great shooting. Wow on the JTS. Does is say where those pellets are made? Also does JTS make them or does someone do it for them. Just curious.
Doc
Doc,
I am told JTS makes their own pellets in China.
BB
B.B. I can’t recall if anyone has pulled out a few sample JTS pellets out of the tin to test them for consistency in weight and head size. If they perform so well in a variety of airguns, and are competitively priced, the other manufacturers will need to take note. Perhaps there is a competitive advantage in China regarding selecting consistent pellets.
I randomly pulled 10 pellets and all measured 5.54 mm diameter. No plus or minus .01 mm. While not a first occurrence not many can match that.
Deck
Deck,
I would think that JTS bought new pellet equipment and dies so these first pellets should be high quality and seem to be so. I hope they will keep up the good work and replace warn dies as needed.
Mike
It’s fun to bring out the guns that have not received much trigger time lately. I did that recently too. I brought out about 8 guns and put about 10 shots each through them in one evening plinking session.
Airgun nation classifieds have a HW30 stock only listed, BB project material?
MMCM13,
Thanks but no thanks. I have already made my decision to go with Steve Corcoran.
BB
BB: I’ve been noticing a couple of new players in the pellet world. Maybe it’s just packaging, but who are these folks at Olympia, JTS, and so on. Jus how many pellet manufacturers are there really? I use H&N and JSB a lot with a few Crosmans thrown in. Could there be an expose on the pellet manufacturers; maybe a family history of who begat whom and who is really someone else in different guise? Inquiring minds want to know.
LFranke,
/blog/2015/08/how-does-jsb-make-pellets/
/blog/2015/09/how-does-hn-make-pellets/
BB
Tom: Thanks for the links to the H&N and JSB stories. I did watch a video of the JSB plant from their website some time ago. I think I misled you in my comment in an earlier post inadvertently. My interest is in what the matrix is of producers of the different pellet lines. In other words, the “family tree” of pellets.
I know that Hatsan and H&N have a corporate link. I discovered this in my search for an oversized .25 pellet that would work in my 135 rifle’s quite oversized barrel. It turned out that the H&N Barracuda was re-engineered to increase size and the pellets made after 2015 would accommodate the Hatsan bore problem. I know this “in spades” because I ordered a few tins from PA with the specific instruction for them to have the mfg code AFTER ’15 and they promptly filled it, contrary to instruction, with old lots – making them useless to me. Then, PA wouldn’t exchange them. My one bad experience with PA in a couple of decades.
I see some new pellet lines on the PA website. My inquiring mind wondered who was REALLY making them. My pellet stocks are, as I noted before primarily H&N and JSB. I buy some Crosmans for my Benjamin pumper and the Nitro Venom Dusk, but that is about it. Gamos and Daisys are not in my arms locker; although I did have some limited success with some Gamo pointed pellets in .22.
To sum up: What’s the “family tree” of the pellets now days. Who makes Olympic and Rifle, for example? Who are, if any, the boutique makers that have potential? This column deals with the arms in great detail. It would be interesting to me, at the least, to know something more about the projectiles that we send down all our barrels.
LFranke,
I think you know as much as I do about who makes what. If JTS really makes their own line then they are a new addition for a very small family of pellet makers.
You know, it’s strange, but to make PCPs requires very little tooling. Making springers requires much more. And making simple pellets requires the most of all.
BB
LFranke,
Here is a short list.
FX is made by JSB. So is Air Arms.
Rifle is made in Brazil.
Olympia Shot is made in Poland.
Seneca is made in Korea (Evanix).
JTS and Qiang Yuan are made in China.
RWS is made in Germany.
I can only guess about the others.
Bye.
Where are you going, Fish?
For Sale: Diana 34
I will never, ever attempt to shoot it again, so it needs to find a new home. It is not staying at RidgeRunner’s Home For Wayward Airguns.
RR
Sorry to hear it didn’t meet expectations. But I did want to know and thanks for the follow up. Mine would be the last to go because it is too accurate.
Deck
Deck,
Yesterday I wore a leather glove to give my hand a better chance. After trying to zero the scope, which I had to reinstall because it was sliding backwards, I slapped the barrel about five times but could not open it. I quit. I was not enjoying shooting that air rifle. It has to go.
I am glad you enjoy yours. In someone else’s hands, this may be an extraordinary air rifle. I do not like it though. It is not fun for me to shoot. I will no longer waste my time and energy on it. It is a real shame, as I find the quality to be exceptional. Well, it is not the first airgun to leave RRHFWA. I will do my best to see it finds a good home.
RR,
Before you let her go, have you considered a detune?
Tomorrow’s report is based on your problem.
BB
RR,
Better yet, send her to me and I will tame her for you!
BB
That sounds like an offer too good to refuse, RR.
RR
My Diana 34 bought new from PA was also quite stiff when I got it. Over time it got easier. Now the barrel releases without slapping it. TIAT changed the shooting cycle to my satisfaction.
Hoping you take BB up on his wonderful offer. Best to you and hope this ends really well.
Deck
Ridgerunner, I shamelessly offer ROmin GREco’s House for Airguns Needing Attention, or ROGREHANA. Might even consider a trade….perhaps after B.B. works his magic?
BB – Have you ever extended your tests to prove even to the most cynical, the quality of your identified best pellets? A simple test comes to mind to help to verify that it is the pellets, not the shooter, or random selection that makes a pellet so much better than another…
Instead of just five good shots, shoot groups of five or ten on successive days of only the best pellet. Can you repeat an exceptional performance with the ‘good’ pellet? Maybe five or ten iterations of exceptional shot groups would be proof positive, but to leave it to five shots alone, on a stand alone day, seems a weak reason to go buy hundreds or thousands of a brand of pellets. In other words, does using a particular brand of pellet increase your potential significantly over time?
I got to tell you, I shoot Crosman Premier pellets (because they were available during COVID) with a smattering of the rest (wadcutters all) with dedicated 10 m pistols and rifles, using legal holds. Sure, at 10m, there may be a 2 or 3 mm difference in spread day to day, and from pellet to pellet (which is important to competitors) but I believe that could be just as much variation in my concentration, or technique, as it is in pellet performance.
Extend the range out to beyond 15 – 20 m and ballistic effects due to pellet differences probably show up much more dramatically than at 10m, or so it seems to me and comparative pellet performance becomes increasingly relevant.
JE, reporting from the Cascadia Subduction Zone
JE,
You sound like a man on a mission. Perhaps you could document such a test and report the results to us in a guest blog?
BB