I would like to hear from guys who have had first hand experience with air gauges that you use to size pellets. Does this work better or faster than using a pellet gage? Did you put your air gauge together yourself or did you buy it from someone?
Who here has experience with air gauges to size pellets?
- Thread starter DrippinLead
- Start date
I haven't used the air gauge, but I've seen it used (example the youtube video linked above) and I have a pellet gauge that I use. I talked to one of the guys that invented the air gauge and know its very accurate, I won't speak for him, but its higher than we need. Of the two, they are likely about the same as far as speed goes. The air gauge is going to be way more accurate.
One of the things I've found with the pellet gauge is that you will often find pellets that are not exactly in a step size. So for example lets say I have a these steps... 7.65mm, 7.64mm, 7.63mm and 7.62mm. The pellet drops easily into the 7.65mm hole, the pellet drops into the 7.64mm hole with a very light tap on the skirt (mostly to align it), and the pellet will drop through the 7.63mm hole but with a strong tap, and requires exact alignment to push back through the hole, and will not completely pass through the 7.62mm hole, but it goes most of the way on the head...
The pellet gauge is a "go, no go" tool. Ideally the pellet should just fall through the hole without having to "tap" it. So using the ideal, in the above example the pellet is a 7.64mm, but... the reality is its really somewhere between 7.64mm and 7.63mm, but now that you've forced it through the 7.63mm hole you likely "trimmed" a high spot off the head, so now its a more or less 7.63mm head size. With the air gauge you not going to get the "hmmm" factor. You're not going to jiggle it around and get a different PSI reading. Using the pellet gauge is more of a art than a science. Used carefully with no bias in your use its pretty darn close. But if you want mindless fast and accurate get the air gauge.
Personally I'm leaning towards just resizing pellets to a size that works best for my guns. IDK if it will work or not yet, will be putting a bunch of resized pellets to the test tomorrow. One of the big motivations for me was sorting (10) 150 count tins of JSB 50gr 30cal pellets only to have ~85% of them too large for my gun. Literally I ended up with a hand full of pellets out of (1500) pellets that would work well in my gun. Total waste of money! So I invested a couple hundred in a press, dies and a table. If its a failure on resizing, I can still use the press and table with a air gauge lol.
One of the things I've found with the pellet gauge is that you will often find pellets that are not exactly in a step size. So for example lets say I have a these steps... 7.65mm, 7.64mm, 7.63mm and 7.62mm. The pellet drops easily into the 7.65mm hole, the pellet drops into the 7.64mm hole with a very light tap on the skirt (mostly to align it), and the pellet will drop through the 7.63mm hole but with a strong tap, and requires exact alignment to push back through the hole, and will not completely pass through the 7.62mm hole, but it goes most of the way on the head...
The pellet gauge is a "go, no go" tool. Ideally the pellet should just fall through the hole without having to "tap" it. So using the ideal, in the above example the pellet is a 7.64mm, but... the reality is its really somewhere between 7.64mm and 7.63mm, but now that you've forced it through the 7.63mm hole you likely "trimmed" a high spot off the head, so now its a more or less 7.63mm head size. With the air gauge you not going to get the "hmmm" factor. You're not going to jiggle it around and get a different PSI reading. Using the pellet gauge is more of a art than a science. Used carefully with no bias in your use its pretty darn close. But if you want mindless fast and accurate get the air gauge.
Personally I'm leaning towards just resizing pellets to a size that works best for my guns. IDK if it will work or not yet, will be putting a bunch of resized pellets to the test tomorrow. One of the big motivations for me was sorting (10) 150 count tins of JSB 50gr 30cal pellets only to have ~85% of them too large for my gun. Literally I ended up with a hand full of pellets out of (1500) pellets that would work well in my gun. Total waste of money! So I invested a couple hundred in a press, dies and a table. If its a failure on resizing, I can still use the press and table with a air gauge lol.
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Percale, You summed it up for me. I am also looking at the press. Maybe just getting a few dye's and seeing how they work. Please keep me posted. I am afraid to invest too much into the air gauge only to find that a press works better. Thanks!
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I had the opportunity to buy one and by using it, it provides by far, the biggest difference in accuracy if you shoot long range and want one hole, not a ragged hole, literally one pellet hole sized groups at 50 yards as though you are shooting at only 10 yards with your gun. Using this device sorting pellets and by weighing in batches to at least a tenth of a grain, there will simply be no excuses not to hit your long range mark if you have the gun that is capable of it. Consistent 100 yard sub MOA groups are very much possible using this device as compared to shooting straight out of the tin. This is only for the precision accuracy fanatics who only want the tiniest little groups at the farthest possible distance and for people who don't trust the pellet manufacturers to produce a consistent pellet time and time again. IMO it resembles a simulation of the firing of the pellet in a gun. This is not necessary if you are a casual back yard plinker or if you don't have the top of the range air guns that are up to the task. With this device, along with weighing and sorting pellets, I am able to easily shoot sub 3/4 inch groups at 50 yards and more often than not sub 5/8-1/2 inch with an untuned out of the box Crosman 1701p only with upgraded TP with an AR stock on it as well as with a very old FWB 300s unmodified and both using Crosman Copperhead 7.9gr pointed pellets and mind you the Copperhead Pointed pellets are not match grade ammo by any means. Shooting them straight out of the tins yielded an inch and a quarter to inch and a half on average at 50 yards. I have an AZ custom 22 FWB P70 ARZ Sniper that literally does one hole groups at 50 by using this device and weighing and sorting pellets.
AJ
AJ
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I'm 5 years late coming to the party to comment on your post but I just recently got into 25m & 50 yd bench-rest competition. I shoot at Open Grove in Oxnard CA with a super guy who uses an air gauge consistently and his shooting shows it. I just got one yesterday and my re-loader will arrive tomorrow. The theory behind air gauges makes sense to me. I'm going to gauge my .177's JSB's and .22 JSB's and then test the pellets with different gauge pressures(which equates to head size) to see which one my rifles (RAW bm500 and RAW 1000tm) likes the most. I decided to take another variable out so I bought a really good grain scale and I'm going to shoot the same weight pellets for all the gauges pressures (heads sizes). Once I find the best group by head size I'll gauge a bunch more and test the different pellet weights using that head size (how's that for anal). I'm not done - after I narrow down to head size and pellet weight I'm going to test out a harmonic tuner/dampener to see if that improves anything more. Bob
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Are you SURE that thing is safe?
LOL The thread is interesting though. Not trolling just trying to keep the thread alive. Maybe some other folks will chime in.
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It's custom made, I think. Was a big hit on the Yellow a while back. The method/theory behind it seems solid. But if I recall correctly, the price was close to $1,000.
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G
Guest
Guest
Wouldn 't it be nice if there was a free alternative even if it was only half as precise?
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Wouldn 't it be nice if there was a free alternative even if it was only half as precise?
Laser or microwave measurement is the answer but requires some know-how and some investment, albeit parts costs dropped dramatically in the last few years.
The problem is that we are a niche industry and most of the innovation comes from individual hobbyists that become (small scale) manufacturers by chance later on if their ideas get picked up by the rest of us. Crosman has the capacity and funds for larger scale innovation but they are playing it safe by staying away from high-end stuff and rather focusing on the consumer crowd and some lower/middle-level PCPs. FX and some Eastern-Europeans/Russians are innovating, but their innovation is driven by their own (excellent) vision and not necessarily by the demands from the users.
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My opinions, plus this is what I do to size pellets (will say I do not do this anymore)
First my opinion, I haven’t seen conclusion results from sizing pellets? I do shoot 25m Br and have tried just about anything to improve my scores!
Second the air gauge is very expensive and to many variables to be positively measure true head size with this device.
This is a device that I have used and customized for the purpose of sizing only. First the main component is a Beeman pellsize that unfortunately is no longer made, but a machine shop could easily make one. To size the pellets I simply use center fire neck sizing bushing from Redding, Harrell, custom bushings etc. and and you can purchase these in any dia. To thousands of a inch!
I want to add that the air gauge is for the measurement of head size based on psi. Sizing is physically changing or reducing the dia. of the pellet head. I have found it more beneficial to have a larger head size not smaller! Especially in a poly barrel.
First my opinion, I haven’t seen conclusion results from sizing pellets? I do shoot 25m Br and have tried just about anything to improve my scores!
This is a device that I have used and customized for the purpose of sizing only. First the main component is a Beeman pellsize that unfortunately is no longer made, but a machine shop could easily make one. To size the pellets I simply use center fire neck sizing bushing from Redding, Harrell, custom bushings etc. and and you can purchase these in any dia. To thousands of a inch!
I want to add that the air gauge is for the measurement of head size based on psi. Sizing is physically changing or reducing the dia. of the pellet head. I have found it more beneficial to have a larger head size not smaller! Especially in a poly barrel.
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