Original smooth twist barrel shooters.

[Trucker3573]

No one probably cares anymore or maybe everyone knows but I thought I would throw this out there. I have always heard that the ST barrel really only likes JSB. Well that isn’t true. At full power shooting 18’s the jsb are the best but H&N barracuda 18 gr are negligibly worse. They shoot pretty awesome. Today I also found that my streamline will shoot crosman 14 gr pellets if you shoot them at like 750 fps. I was super pleased. Below is a photo of my crosman squirrel target. I shot 3 mags at 42.2 yards. I did have one flyer that missed the yellow paddle but all others were right there. I guess I was pretty surprised. A good lower power shooter with these crappy pellets out to 45 anyway.

 

[Gerry52]

From what I understood the Original Smooth Twist barrels were designed around JSB pellets but I've shot other brand of pellets quite accurately out of mine.

 

[Trucker3573]

From what I understood the Original Smooth Twist barrels were designed around JSB pellets but I've shot other brand of pellets quite accurately out of mine.

The crosmans seem no good once you get much above 800 fps. Below that makes all the difference though . Works for me as all I have to do is turn the transfer port wheel to medium power on my streamline and the 14 gr are 750 fps.

 

[Gerry52]

The crosmans seem no good once you get much above 800 fps. Below that makes all the difference though . Works for me as all I have to do is turn the transfer port wheel to medium power on my streamline and the 14 gr are 750 fps.

Crosman pellets are a harder alloy. OST barrels seem to prefer softer pellets that are more readily "shaped" when fired. Believe it or not, I've NEVER used the power knob on anything but HIGH on any of my guns (.22 Bobcat,.25 Royale & .30 Boss). I don’t mess with perfection!

 

[Privateer]

Got a friends Streamline .25 here that I've Resealed and now fixing other issues. (Stuck Hammer weight)
It shoots the Benjamin's just fine.

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

What exactly is a "Smooth Twist Barrel?" Are you talking about true Polygonal Rifling.? Never heard of an Airgun with that kind of Barrel?

Randy

 

[Privateer]

The Original ST barrel only had rifling the last few inches of the barrel.
So basically was a smooth bore until the last few inches.

 

[Gerry52]

Original Smooth Twist barrels, not to be confused with Smooth Twist or Smooth Twist X, were an FX innovation. Some of the best pellet barrels ever made! They're on the Bobcat, Boss & Royale guns. As said, only the last 3.5 or 4 inches are rifled so the pellet picks up speed til the twist.

 

[Trucker3573]

Crosman pellets are a harder alloy. OST barrels seem to prefer softer pellets that are more readily "shaped" when fired. Believe it or not, I've NEVER used the power knob on anything but HIGH on any of my guns (.22 Bobcat,.25 Royale & .30 Boss). I don’t mess with perfection!

I envy you having a boss. Utah airguns has a beautiful black pepper stocked one up for sale right now but it’s like 17 or 18 hundred. Out of my price range at the moment and I think I’d have a hard time giving that for it anyway. Sweet looking guns though.

 

[SDellinger]

Love my smooth twist barrels. Two FX500's and a 400. I only shoot 25.4 gn JSB's in the 500's. My 400 shoots JSB 18 gn great but I think the H&N 18 gn pellets shoot better. Crosman 14.3 gn pellets shoot good too. Not good with any slug I've tried.

 

[Trucker3573]

Love my smooth twist barrels. Two FX500's and a 400. I only shoot 25.4 gn JSB's in the 500's. My 400 shoots JSB 18 gn great but I think the H&N 18 gn pellets shoot better. Crosman 14.3 gn pellets shoot good too. Not good with any slug I've tried.

Those barracuda 18’s shoot really well. I have yet to try the 16 gr. Have you shot any of those ?

 

[RM100GUY]

FX Bobcat Mk2

.25 600mm smooth twist barrel has been stacking JSB 25 and 33 gr pellets since 2018.

 

[Bobr]

i have good luck shooting the 18 grain h/nout of a fx gladiator I picked up ,just about or as good as the jsb
the 14.3 crossman shoot excellent out of my zbroia at 980 fps as good or better than jsb at $6.24 a tin of 500
is hard to beat The smooth twist barrels are the best pellets shooting ones of fx
my boss ,gladiator and first gen impact shot pellets great

 

[W.R.Buchanan]

The Original ST barrel only had rifling the last few inches of the barrel.
So basically was a smooth bore until the last few inches.

OK that type of barrel is called a "Paradox" which dates back to the 8 and 12 bore Elephant Guns that were made by Holland and Holland and other British Gun Makers in the late 1890's

Also known as Ball and Shot Guns they were the kind of gun you took to Africa if you could only take one gun.(Economy Class?)
You could shoot Shotgun Shells or Slugs or Round Balls.

Interesting that this technology has come to the surface again in Airguns. But it would probably make for a significant increase in Velocity.

I have a Shotgun with a Smooth Bore and I can put a Rifled Choke Tube in it and it will put 1 oz. slugs into about 1.5" at 50 yards. The Slugs look like big H&N Wadcutter Pellets
.

These are .73 cal Pellets!
Randy