H&N Baracuda Green .22 Cal, 12.96 Grains, Domed, Lead-Free, 200ct

These non-lead pellets are uniform and of high quality. I have yet to find a deformed pellet with a damaged skirt. Of course the thing I like most about them is that there's no lead in them, which means I don't have to worry about handling them, cleaning lead dust out of my barrel or LDC (a Sumo from DonnyFL), breathing lead dust, or leaving lead in my back yard. I use my .22 Avenger to shoot rats (34 kills in the past year) and I don't want lead out there where a scavenger or bird might eat it. The hardness of these pellets makes them blow completely through a rat and I understand why some hunters prefer a hollow-point soft lead pellet or slug which deforms and dissipates energy inside the target, but the incredible accuracy of these pellets allows me to hit vermin right between their beady little eyes every time. One shot, one kill. Can't ask for more. I took advantage of the 4th of July sale PLUS the 4 for the price of 3 deal on ammo, so I'm happy! The rats... not so much.

Okay, everyone says it but yes, they're much more expensive than lead pellets. That's a minor complaint for me as I'm willing to pay the extra price for these clean, accurate, high-quality pellets. Another minor consideration is they're lighter than lead, of course. Shooting a 13 grain pellet at 900 fps hits with around 23 FPE whereas a 20 grain lead pellet at the same speed hits for 36 FPE. The rats are dead either way, and with the lighter pellets I can adjust my regulator pressure down around 1500 psi and end up with more shots per fill. Going higher on the reg they go supersonic, which I don't want. For my use they are just as deadly as lead but without the potentially adverse environmental impact and health risks to myself. If they were heavier and cheaper I wouldn't complain but they are simply terrific as they are.

I have been using the Predator GTO pellets and wanted to order more; they were out of stock so I ordered these H&N Greens. Shape-wise, the H&N pellets are pointier and taller than the GTOs which have a rounder domed head. Both fit easily into my mags. The H&Ns are heavier, at 12.96gr while the GTOs are 11.75gr. Without changing my Avenger's reg or HS settings, there was only about a 10+ FPS difference in velocity over my chrono. I shoot targets at 50 feet or less (not 50 yards!) and with a bipod I can get 10 rounds into a target with 3/8" CTC deviation... almost putting them all in one ragged hole, which is not bad for an old dude like me. I've shot four tins of GTOs and half a tin of the H&Ns and they both have the same accuracy. I do wonder how they would differ at 100 yards and if the pellet shape and weight would make a difference but I haven't done any long range tests. They're both excellent for exterminating vermin. And oh, yeah... PA rocks!!!

I like that these were very accurate and repeatable at the 20 yard range I have available in my yard. I like that they were very consistent in size and shape and easy magazine loading. I shot these from a Walther Reign .22 which is expected to launch an alloy pellet at 1070 fps. This rifle is not regulated. I used a chronograph to determine that at a pressure of 200 bar I got a 10 shot group averaging 1005 fps and at 20 meters I got a group size of .73". My next 10 shots started at 180 Bar and averaged 1066 fps and a group size of .8". My next 10 shots started at 160 Bar and averaged 1086 fps and a group size of .58" As my basic rifle marksmanship skills leave something to be desired, I figure that these groups could have been smaller. At the muzzle these three groups ranged from 29 to 33 FPE.

A lower price would be good, but I have chickens and don't like shooting lead in the yard.

At 20 yards it is easy to engage black walnuts that have dropped from the tree and simply explode them with this lead free pellet and my Walther Reign UXT. It also does a great job of pulping tomatoes and strawberries.

In lead free ammo, these get close to the perfect weight needed for the "Eco Tune" I use on my AirVenturi Avenger. They fly in the high 800's (fps) at 1400 lbs regulated (Eco Tune pressures).

I'm willing to pay more for lead free, but the price in on the high side.

These fit the Avenger magazines just fine.