Today reader Dean Speidel, whose blog handle is Motorman, tells us about the accuracy of his Anschutz 335 breakbarrel air rifle. He says there is one more part to come — the 25-yards test. Today we look at the accuracy at 10 meters.
If you’d like to write a guest post for this blog, please email me at blogger@pyramydair.com.
Take it away, Motorman
Anschutz 335 Rebuild: Part Five
Motorman / Dean Speidel
Anschutz 335.
This report covers:
- Re-review Part Four?
- Preparation
- The field of pellet contenders
- Winnowing thru them all
- Setting up a 10 meter range
- Let’s pull the trigger a few times!
- Which one(s) to shoot at 25 yards?
It seems like everyone has been looking forward to the accuracy testing…including me, because it means I’m almost done! LOL!
Review Part Four?
For those that have been interested in this series, may I suggest that you go back and re-read the comments from Part Four? They went on into Sunday! I was pleasantly surprised by the interest and a fair amount of additional information surfaced in the process.
One of the key details that I should have mentioned earlier, but that came up in these comments, was that the Anschutz 335’s breech is small. It’s very small, perhaps the smallest of any airgun that I’ve owned. That will eliminate larger pellets from consideration, because forcing them into that small breech distorts them and accuracy suffers.
Preparation
After I install a scope I make it a habit to go back and re-check the torque on the scope saddle and scope mount screws. I have done this for some time. In fact, I put a piece of painter’s tape on the scope with the edge of the tape right up against the mount (left side in the photo below). If the scope moves in the mount the tape will start to wrinkle and I’ll know that the devil is afoot!
If the tape wrinkles, the scope has moved.
Before starting this round of accuracy testing I went thru and checked stock and scope screws to make sure they are tight. As mentioned earlier, I use a Fat Wrench screwdriver-type torque wrench for this to make sure I’m consistent.
The field of pellet contenders
I listed all of the suggested pellets plus the five that I originally proposed. I went thru my pellet collection and looked for any other potential choices. Here are the 20 candidates (yes, 20!) I came up with!
The 20 potential pellets.
After I took this photo I found a tin of Anschutz Premium Match pellets and I’ve included them, too. So, now there are 21 candidates! And, yes, I put a clean towel on my work bench!
Note the little tool on the right side of the photo. It’s source has long since evaporated from my memory. Maybe it’s a Beeman tool? [Editor — yes, that is a Beeman Pell Seat.]
In any event, I use the round end (uppermost in photo) to seat pellets in the breech. It doesn’t push them down into the barrel, although the lower end of the tool will do that if desired. It just assures that the pellet skirt is flush with the breech so it isn’t damaged when the barrel is closed.
Some brands of breakbarrel air guns are worse than others about clipping off or distorting part of the pellet skirt when the barrel is closed. Sometimes there’s an audible click when this tool pushes the pellet home. Either way, it may also help seal the skirt against the walls of the barrel, too.
I went thru all the 21 pellet candidates and measured five pellets from each tin with my PelletGage. By the way, the PelletGage is a really handy little item. Obsessive-compulsive types like me delight in being able to measure and analyze anything and this tool is perfect for us. Last I checked the PelletGage came in .177, .22 and .25 caliber. They are highly recommended.
Anyway, I’ve listed the candidate pellets for you, in order of weight with the pellet type (domed or wadcutter) and measured pellet size. Here’s the pellet candidate list:
H&N Baracuda 10.65 gr……………………Domed………………4.52 / 4.51 mm
Crosman Premier 10.5 gr………………….Domed………………4.54 mm
Benjamin Match 10.5 gr……………………Domed……………….4.52 mm
JSB Hades 10.34 gr…………………………Domed……………….4.48 mm*
RWS Supermag 9.3 gr……………………..Wadcutter…………..4.50 mm*
Norma Golden Trophy FT 9.1 gr………..Domed……………….4.48 mm*
H&N Field Target Trophy 8.64 gr………Domed……………….4.52 mm
Beeman Field target Special 8.64 gr…Domed……………….4.52 mm
JSB Exact 8.44 gr……………………………Domed……………….4.52 / 4.53 mm
Air Arms Diabolo Field 8.4 gr……………Domed……………….4.48 mm*
RWS Superdome 8.3 gr…………………..Domed………………..4.51 mm*
RWS R10 Match Heavy 8.2 gr………….Wadcutter……………4.51 mm*
RWS Meisterkugeln 8.2 gr……………….Wadcutter……………4.51 mm*
Anschutz Premium Match 8.2 gr………Wadcutter……………4.51 mm*
Norma S-Target Match 8.2 gr…………..Wadcutter……………4.49 mm*
H&N Match 8.18 gr………………………….Wadcutter……………4.51 mm*
Qiang Yuan 8.18 gr…………………………..Wadcutter…………..4.49 mm*
Crosman Premier 7.9 gr……………………Domed ………………4.53 mm
JSB Exact Express 7.87 gr. ………………Domed ………………4.50 mm*
Ely Target 7.5 gr. ……………………………..Wadcutter ………….4.54 / 4.55+ mm
Excite Econ II 7.4 gr. ………………………..Wadcutter ………….4.50 mm*
*Pellets that were tested after winnowing.
Winnowing thru them all
Since the 335’s breech is so small, I’m going to eliminate the larger pellets (4.52 mm and greater). Selecting those pellets measuring 4.51 mm or less I came up with thirteen pellets representing a range of weights from 10.34 down to 7.4 (see asterisked line items above). Domed versus wadcutter? There’s some of both in the group. Dare I try to shoot five shot groups with all 13 pellets? Sure. Why not?
Setting up a 10 meter range
I normally only shoot at a distance of about 20 feet (just over six meters) in my indoor, downstairs, “man cave” (also loosely referred to as my office).
Since I still live in an urban environment, shooting outside at home is out of the question. We’ve been working on changing this, but fate hasn’t yet smiled upon our efforts to find a new home a little farther out of town.
So, if I want to shoot longer distances than 33’ (ten meters) I can drive ten miles to a friend’s house, go to an outdoor State of Missouri range that gets me out to 100 yards, or go to one of several indoor ranges that offer 25 yard options. Because firearms produce combustion byproducts and lead dust, those ranges have pretty aggressive ventilation systems that may adversely affect pellet accuracy. Outdoors in MO can be pretty windy in the Spring. I’m going to have to choose my option (and what the weather is like that day) carefully.
The only way I can arrange 33’ (10 meters) indoors at home is to shoot from my office, thru a short hallway, and out into the garage. This necessitates backing the car and truck out into the driveway, moving the motorcycles off to the side, hauling the rubber mulch pellet trap out to the garage, setting up my shooting table, and blocking the dogs and wife out so they don’t walk in front of me at the most inopportune time. Point being, yeah, it’s a hassle, which is why I don’t often do it. Here’s what it looks like:
Setting up my 10-meter range is a hassle, but what else can I do? It’s not impossible, just highly inconvenient.
Let’s pull the trigger a few times!
I’ve heard a number of writers on the internet say that you should shoot a few pellets of a given type thru the gun to give the barrel a chance to become accustomed to that pellet. Not sure what the scientific basis of this is other than perhaps leaving a residue of the new pellet type in the bore, but I’ll accommodate that point of view without necessarily trying to defend or analyze it.
So, the plan is to shoot two of a given pellet off to the side of the targets and then shoot five at a target and see what kind of results I get. Seven pellets times thirteen types equals 91 shots. Doesn’t sound so bad???
Yeah, well, I started losing my concentration about eight pellet types into the exercise. When I threw a shot while testing the Anschutz Premium Match pellets I quit and put everything away.
Other life events then tore me from the task for a couple days before I got a chance to set everything back up. [Welcome to my world — BB]
I started with the point of impact (POI) being roughly in the middle of the targets, but it started to wander over time. Was this just a natural affect of progressively lighter pellets? Were the internals of the scope moving? I know the outside of the scope didn’t move. Since I was more interested in group sizes, I didn’t worry about it, but I’d still like to know what was happening.
Here are the targets:
Target one.
Target two.
Target three.
Here are the group sizes I measured (center to center):
Pellet………………………………..Group in inches
JSB Hades ………………………………0.408
RWS Supermag………………………..0.272
Norma Golden Trophy FT………….0.410
Air Arms Diabolo Field………………0.307
RWS Superdome………………………0.305
RWS R10 Heavy.……………………….0.227
RWS Meisterkugeln…………………..0.271
Anschutz Premium Match …………0.161
Norma S-Target…………………………0.201 / 0.615
H&N Match……………………………….0.240
Qiang Yuan……………………………….0.173 / 0.380
JSB Exact Express…………………….0.113
Excite Econ II ……………………………0.213 / 0.462
While there were certainly differences in how each pellet performed thru the 335, with a couple of exceptions I was impressed that the gun didn’t have any extreme problem with just about anything that I fed it. I just don’t think its terribly pellet-picky.
I threw one of the Anschutz Premium Match shots and one of the JSB Exact Express shots. It’s tough to find good help these days. I didn’t include either of these shots in the results.
I don’t know WHAT happened with that one stray Norma S-Target shot nor the stray Excite Econ II shot. Subsequent to the above, I’ve been shooting the Norma S-Targets and they seem to be excellent in this gun. Maybe is was just one bad pellet in the tin?
The JSB Hades didn’t seem suited to this gun. The 335 wasn’t much impressed by the Norma Golden pellets either. Both gave groups over 0.400-inches.
The middle of the pack included the RWS Supermags, Air Arms Diabolo Fields, the RWS Superdomes, RWS R10 Heavy’s, RWS Meisterkugeln, Norma S-Targets, H&N Match, and Excite Econ II’s. They were all between .201” and .310”
The best results seemed to come from the Anschutz Premium Match, Qiang Yuan, and JSB Exact Express. While the first two are wadcutters, the JSB Exact Express is a domed pellet.
Which one(s) to shoot at 25 yards?
Given that domed pellets seem to do better over distances than wadcutters, I’ll try the JSB Exact Express at 25 yards, but you’ll have to wait for one more installment. The above got a lot longer than I thought it would and I still need to make arrangements at my friend’s house for a backstop and shooting bench. So, yeah, they’ll be an “Anschutz 335 Rebuild – Part Six”.
Motorman
Eastern MO
Motorman,
I was VERY surprised to find that in Europe both JSB and H&N domed pellets are available in 4.47 and 4.48 head sizes. Also, as you know, many wadcutters are 4.49 or less.
Nice rifle!!
-Yogi
Motorman,
you can shoot !
I had to chuckle when I read, “I just don’t think its terribly pellet-picky.” because, if that Anschütz 335 could talk, I’m sure it would say something similar about it’s owner… 🙂
Wouldn’t painter’s tape also work on the other side of the scope ring?
I agree about the pellet weight having an influence on the point of impact. To my mind it alters their flight path spiral.
By the way, who does the ironing in the “man cave”, eh?!
For your interest, I have observed that most ironing boards will safely stand vertically with their (heavy) board facing whatever they’re leaning against, eg in our case, behind the inward opening laundry room door, against the wall. 🙂
For living in town, you appear to have a good size driveway. And a huge double garage. And this is directly connected to your house. Very nice! 🙂
Motorcycles? Care to share more about them, now that we’re here, in the topic-free comments area?
Thanks for another thorough and interesting instalment of your Anschütz 335 review. 🙂
HI3:
Yeah, any kind of tape will work to detect scope movement. If it’ll wrinkle, it’ll work.
Ironing: That board is probably 40 years old and probably has only been used two or three times. We got an iron for a wedding present 49 years ago. It MIGHT have been plugged in a half dozen times. My wife just isn’t into ironing! Long live permanent pressed!
Motorcycles: I’ve had 15 or 20 over the last 55 years. Currently I have a 2006 Kawasaki 650R that I’ve had since 2007. Of all the bikes I’ve ever owned, it’s my favorite. Other one is a 2005 Honda ST1300. Also a great bike, but big and heavy is mostly nice on trips, not around town. It’s been to California, northeastern Ohio (Cleveland), North Carolina, Virginia, and more. I’ve enjoyed it, but this may be the year that I winnow the motorcycle collection down to just the 650R.
If I’m ever tempted to do another multi-part air gun review I need to call a psychologist first!
Motorman
Eastern MO
Kawasaki 650R:
Motorman,
what a nice bike ! Thanks for the picture. 🙂
I think that’s the Goldilocks engine size for legal road riding fun and Ninjas are gorgeous too. If only they fit me better… 🙂
Do you ride with others (bluetooth module on helmet)?
——–
I meant, placing the masking tape on the other side of the scope ring so, instead of wrinkles, a gap would show scope movement. 🙂
Motorman
Excellent report. The JSB Express 7.87 grain domes are often go to pellets for me. Also it’s AA counterpart made by JSB. Now that you have narrowed down the list I suggest you consider 10 shot groups. I have seen too many 5 shot groups open up unexpectedly. An even better test is to use the 5 target, 5 shots each military test Vana uses but that could prove too time consuming given your range choices.
I very much endorse your decision to shoot a couple of break in pellets when switching. I do it and observe their POI. As often as not one of them will be a flier. This is most obvious at 25 yards.
Your patience is admirable. Hoping part 6 is in the near future.
Deck
Motorman,
Nice little sproinger you got there. Not a bad way with words you have there also. It was a joy to read your latest installment for this air rifle.
I do wish Mrs. RR would let me set up an indoor range, but that ain’t gonna happen. Because my dog gets all upset, I am lucky to be able to shoot at my outdoor range. On more than one occasion Mrs. RR walked out to the range and told me I had to quit.
I also have to take weather into consideration when I shoot. My range is along a small ridgetop and I frequently have crosswinds from left to right on my range. So far this Spring we have had geegobs of rain and bunches of high winds. Not really good weather for shooting airguns.
Don’t sweat 3hi’s comments about the ironing board. He is just jealous. I am jealous of your Beeman Pell Seat.
RidgeRunner,
I’m rarely serious about stuff, but ironing, isn’t that an extreme sport?
3hi,
I personally would consider it quite extreme, but if my rememberer is working correctly, most women have learned to do such at some point in their lives.
I could see where with just a little reshaping an ironing board would make a good sled though.
RR I think RAW makes a version of the pellset. Check out their accessories page.
RG,
I ain’t never seen that before!
I did not know of that site myself. I have a couple of pellet pens that are dispensers and seaters, but did not know someone was making these things again. I may have to get one and try it out.
Indeed RAW does produce a clone of the original Beeman Pell Seat Tool! I had occasion to order one for myself some time ago because I flat-out WORE out my original Beeman tool. It has the same hard anodized black finish to the aluminum alloy. What makes it actually better than the Beeman original is the fact that the RAW version comes with a lanyard – which is great is one is out in the field pesting; it doesn’t get lost.
I seat all most all my pellets in my assortment of break barrel pistols and rifles. As Tom noted above, it helps seat the skirts of the pellets for a better air seal and does so with concentricity every time. It is far easier on thumb joints and flesh.
I rarely use the conical end as it tends to seat pellets far too deeply in the bore. I have used it but prefer the ball end almost completely.
As a springer devotee, I find the pellet seat tool indispensable to accuracy. It produces an audible soft “click” when most pellets are fully breech seated, as Tom inferred. For me, loading my breech loading springers automatically includes the use of the tool. After decades of use, on can fell there is a “flier” in the lot when the pellet seating is too easy. One can also tell if a pellet is too tight for the breech if the seat tool takes too much force – then it’s time for my pellet sizer and Craftsman Phillips screw drive’s plastic handle used as a mallet on the sizer driving rod. Indeed, my Beeman P-1 Pistol in .177 REQUIRES the sizer to prevent breech seal blow out.
RR, do get in touch with RAW. They still make these and, as noted above, are a bit better than the original. I paid by card and they simply mailed me a tool in an envelope. Good folks down there in Tennessee…
I like the “pellet pen,” too, but mine came in a bundle with my very first P.A. purchase. It had a tool on the back with an adjustable pellet seater and a lanyard. They still make the pellet pens, but the lanyard and the seater are what I would like to see, but I have not seen them sold for a long time. I would like a set in .22.
Roamin Greco,
you of all people must have heard of the one-size-fits-all, Roamin Greco Pellet Pusher, no?
I have yet to see one for myself, but I think it might look like something in the picture below… 🙂
3hi,
Mrs. RR might have something to say if I was to commandeer one of her crotchet hooks.
RidgeRunner,
oh no! That, I had not foreseen. 🙁
Well, until you find a small brass dome nut, ball headed head pin, swizzle stick or whatever, you will just have to continue using your Mark I pellet seating fingers, eh. 🙂
3hi,
LOL! Since they are already attached and in use, I will likely do such until I find something more appropriate. 😉
RG,
I have pellet pens in .177 and .22, neither of which I at present utilize. The “new” one that is sold by RAW may be of more use to me.
Excellent report! I do much the same with my airguns and somehow I find it relaxing and enjoyable. Sometimes I find a pellet that shoots best and it is usually one of the more expensive ones, but every once in a while, the cheaper ones do almost as well. So I like to find a cheap brand to do well for basement target shooting and then another one for serious shooting. Here, you have the Excite Econ IIs for the basement range at about a penny or two per shot, and two potential choices for critters and feral soda cans at distance for a few pennies more.
Nice shooting! I can’t wait for the 25 yard results.
Well done! You put a lotta effort into this and it shows. Your target-shooting venue challenges are a reminder to FM he is blessed to have a decent-sized semi-urban yard. Hope you are able to make your goal of having more ample space to shoot more and farther.
Last Sunday took out the .177 HW30 for some 10m exercising and shot five different kinds of pellets – did best with JSB Hades 10.34 gr Diabolo and JSB Match Diabolo, same weight – JSBs seem to do pretty well with your Anschutz; have found the home “sproingers” seem to enjoy the RWS-series pellets as well.
As for ironing, have tried it; for some reason Mrs. FM wants her WH (that’s Worser Half, hihihi) to keep his hands off the iron, shootin’ irons excepted.
Motorman,
Gut gemacht!
(BRAVO ZULU hoist)
Can’t wait to see your 25 results and report.
shootski
Shootski:
Danke sehr!
Motorman
Eastern MO
German guns like German pellets. seems like crosman guns like crosman pellets
Motorman,
Good shooting!
And that’s an impressive amount of work you’ve put into this report; thank you. 🙂
I look forward to your 25-yard testing.
Blessings to you,
dave