.30 Caliber Air Rifle and Round Lead Balls

[FredSG]

Hello all,

Does anyone have experience shooting .283 round lead balls in their .30 caliber air rifle . . . just wondering if they could be shot with some degree of accuracy and at what distance instead of the standard .30 caliber JSB pellets.

FredSG 

 

[blackdiesel]

I doubt it. RBs need to be larger than the barrel to form a good seal in the rifling.

 

[FredSG]

OK, blackdiesel, how about the next size up on round lead balls - .300 round lead balls in a .30 caliber air rifle? FredSG

 

[blackdiesel]

You need to make sure the barrel is .300. In my 357 cal the barrel is actually .358 and I use .360 RBs in it. I was talking to some of the really experienced airgunners and the consensus is that unless you are shooting in a .308 or larger firearms barrel RBs and cast bullets are pretty much useless. I'm pretty sure all .30 cal airgun barrels are choked and that makes it hard to shoot RBs. 

 

[ajshoots]

My TJ .30 barrel is unchoked and .300 groove. Might have to try some round ball for fun?

 

[blackdiesel]

"ajshoots"My TJ .30 barrel is unchoked and .300 groove. Might have to try some round ball for fun?

Yes the TJ barrels are unchoked. maybe I should qualify that most OEM barrels on 30 cal guns are choked.

 

[ajshoots]

Sorry if I created confusion. A blank from tj is the only unchoked .30 I am aware of. I believe WAR is choking the flex barrel as well. It is also a tj.

 

[ztirffritz]

Ok, my ignorance is begging to be set free...what is a 'TJ' barrel? I've seen people write 'ST' I assume meaning smooth twist. 

 

[ajshoots]

TJ Barrel Liners. Mike Sayers is the owner and is located in Kentucky. These are hammer forged blanks that can be machined to fit nearly any airgun. He has all sorts of custom airgun mandrels and produces a very high quality barrel that can rival all the top brands. The barrel on the gun that won the 2014 EBR was a TJ .30 barrel.

 

[ztirffritz]

Ignorant no more...thank you.