One of this week's learning exercises included the testing of .177 Air Arms Diablo Field 8.4 Gr pellets, in both 4.51 and 4.52 diameter sizes.
I did not individually measure or weigh the pellets, taking them straight from the tin as advertised.
Through the years, for whatever reason as most of us believe they are made by JSB, I find the Air Arms pellets much more consistent in terms of form and accuracy. And while they are not always the best performing pellet in all of my .177 collection, they can always be counted on to be consistent and at least good performers. For the purpose of this test, I took two of my rifles, that after extensive testing with no less than seven different "premium" pellets, both showed a strong preference for the AA Diablo Field 8.4 Gr in 4.52, as here-to-fore, I had not purchased any other diameter in this pellet.
One thing that did stand out was how much easier the 4.51 pellets when into the throat than did the 4.52s. They literally dropped in.
The surprise came with the TX200HC, as the 4.51 pellets shot better than the 4.52s. My guess is that if we extended the range out to 50 yards, the difference between the two would be even more evident.
The results can be observed on the target below. Usually, I slip a black piece of paper behind the targets when scanning to make the groups show up better. I forgot to do that this time so you will have to look closely to see the group outlines. Sorry....
An interesting experiment, just proving once again, that to obtain the best results, there is no substitute for actually shooting, and no assumptions as to what will perform best can be made.
I did not individually measure or weigh the pellets, taking them straight from the tin as advertised.
Through the years, for whatever reason as most of us believe they are made by JSB, I find the Air Arms pellets much more consistent in terms of form and accuracy. And while they are not always the best performing pellet in all of my .177 collection, they can always be counted on to be consistent and at least good performers. For the purpose of this test, I took two of my rifles, that after extensive testing with no less than seven different "premium" pellets, both showed a strong preference for the AA Diablo Field 8.4 Gr in 4.52, as here-to-fore, I had not purchased any other diameter in this pellet.
One thing that did stand out was how much easier the 4.51 pellets when into the throat than did the 4.52s. They literally dropped in.
The surprise came with the TX200HC, as the 4.51 pellets shot better than the 4.52s. My guess is that if we extended the range out to 50 yards, the difference between the two would be even more evident.
The results can be observed on the target below. Usually, I slip a black piece of paper behind the targets when scanning to make the groups show up better. I forgot to do that this time so you will have to look closely to see the group outlines. Sorry....
An interesting experiment, just proving once again, that to obtain the best results, there is no substitute for actually shooting, and no assumptions as to what will perform best can be made.
