Snowpeak Boy, am I relieved

[JimD]

I just finished shooting 10 5 shot groups at 30 yards with my P35-22. I shot my first 200 on the 30 yard challenge two years ago with this gun using H&N 21 grain "Match" pellets. I shot a couple 198s earlier this year with it. But the last 3 targets were 189s. I cleaned the barrel (wasn't dirty) and checked the screws and found the stock screws loose but it didn't get better when I tightened them. I was pretty bummed. I like this gun. Tonight I started shooting groups with mainly 18 grain pellets to see if maybe it had just decided it liked them better or something. FX and JSB 18.1s were pretty good and H&N 18s were not bad (but the point of impact was much higher for some reason). Then I shot a group with the Match pellets and the velocity was only about 800 fps. It normally shoots these about 820 fps. It doesn't have enough power to shoot them much faster. The group at 800 was poor, consistent with the 189s. So I gave it half a turn on the Hammer Spring. Velocity went up to 820 or a little more and the group was probably the smallest I shot. Not much bigger than the 9 ring diameter. Then I tried the JSBs at that setting and I think they got better too.

I did not turn the hammer spring down but the gun wanted it turned up. I remain unsure that the accuracy difference is due to the velocity or a harmonic thing with the gun liking more hammer spring. But I don't care. One of my favorite, perhaps my favorite, airgun seems to be back to shooting quite accurately. If the weather cooperates tomorrow hopefully I will shoot another 195+ target with it.

 

[rdtricks]

Have you tried JTS or AEA pellets? I think you might be suprised as to how good they really are.

 

[JimD]

I ordered some more AEA pellets this morning. My Bullshark likes the 18.3s but I've shot almost all the 250 tin I bought to try them. So I ordered two more big tins. Plus I ordered a little tin of 21.9s for the P35-22 to try.

When I say the Bullshark likes the 18.3 I mean it REALLY likes them. I think it was the fourth or fifth target I shot with it was a 200. Then I shot a 194 and 195, normally good for me but not with these pellets in this gun. So I cleaned the barrel and shot a 199 Masters target. Best I have done on the Masters target. The Bullshark shot a 198 with JSB 18.1s and a 194 with Crosman domed so it is not picky but the AEAs shoot noticably better. It would be lovely if the P35-22 likes either the 18.3s or the 21.9s this well. But even if it does not, it shoots H&N 21 grain well again now and they are pretty reasonably priced. One of my 198s with them was with the plain sub $10 a tin 21 grain Baracudas. The Match are a little better I think but the plain ones shoot well enough for most purposes.