Frustrating!

[Greenarrow]

I was down to my last 2 partial tins of 8.4 JSBs. I added 4 tins to my last order. I emptied one of those partial tins so now I only have 1 partial left. I grabbed a new tin and started shooting. They weren't grouping consistently and they were hitting 5-6" higher than the others at 80 yards. I moved the target in closer at 40 yards and started with a fresh target. The groups are terrible.

I shot two magazines (8 shots) with the new pellets and two with the old. Then I shot one last magazine with the new just in case I had warmed up threw the groups off while shooting the first ones with the new pellets.

Big difference. Really a bummer because now I have 4 tins of pellets that I'm not satisfied with their performance. I wish there was some better consistency in making these pellets so things like this wouldn't happen. At least I didn't make a HUGE pellet order like I was going to and get stuck with 20 tins.

I have had this happen before and it was just as disappointing then as it is now.

How do you guys deal with this?

Attempt a return or exchange? Just shoot them? Any other ideas?

It feels like I am stuck with an inaccurate gun. Now my second most accurate pellets have just jumped to first.

I know that this isn't the end of the world but it still bothers me knowing that I can't shoot as well as I had and I have no control over it.

Top and right are the new pellets. Bottom and left are the old.

 

[Tominco]

Sell them and try again. Just because your rifle does not like them does not mean they are bad pellets or that another rifle wouldn't like them. That is a significant difference! If you can, check the head sizes between the two tins. I wonder if the old ones are mostly 4.53. 

You could also save them for crony work and general plinking. 

 

[biohazardman]

That just sucks. I have had the same thing happen but with the Crosman Brown box pellets. Shooting oh so well then open another box and shooting not so well. I kept my two boxes and many years later have just about 100 left to shoot up. There should be a some kind of law against ending our shooting fun like that.

 

[boscoebrea]

In my rifle AA pellets shot great,so then I use the "same' weight grain JSB pellets,,after all they are the same,so I am told,anyhow there is a noticeable difference in my group size.....weather they are the same or not I am sticking to the AA......oh the head size is the same to.....

I am having the same problem,what I will do is practice with the OFF pellets,like shot offhand,also try them on a different or new air gun

Yea try shooting offhand,or some Annie Oakley trick shots....

 

[Guest]

In my rifle AA pellets shot great,so then I use the "same' weight grain JSB pellets,,after all they are the same,so I am told,anyhow there is a noticeable difference in my group size.....weather they are the same or not I am sticking to the AA......oh the head size is the same to.....

I am having the same problem,what I will do is practice with the OFF pellets,like shot offhand,also try them on a different or new air gun

Yea try shooting offhand,or some Annie Oakley trick shots....

AA and JSB are made in the same factory. AA use proprietary dies and different lead. If you look at a die 11 AA 8.4 and die 11 JSB 8.4 side by side they will be different in head shape, skirt shape and skirt depth. You'll also be hard pressed to find die lots of each brand run on the same day.

 

[Guest]

As for the Op as Tom said sell then or save for when you have a different gun. Returning them because your gun doesn't like then is abuse of any return policy in my eyes.

 

[bubblerboy64]

This is life with an air rifle or for that matter any rifle that you can’t hand load for and even then the components change too.

Think of iit this way. If every thing was entirely predictable and you never missed and all groups were one holers would there be any fun in it.

Im 72 years old. I’m just glad I can enjoy the game and sometimes being frustrated leads to better understanding. I’m frustrated when I can’t figure out why . Some times it’s the pellet sometimes it’s a very minor change in conditions . Sometimes it’s the gun or the scope. More often then not it’s the guy pulling the trigger

When irs not gong well I take a nap.

Feel better now

 

[Greenarrow]

Thanks for the help guys!

I'll get over it.... I hope.

I just needed to say something about it. It's a significant enough difference that others may notice the same thing. If I was doing initial pellet testing, I don't think that these pellets would make the cut. I'm spoiled, I know. Only accurate guns are fun.

I have two rifles that shoot these pellets well. I was going to place a large order so I would have plenty on hand. I'm still in amazement at the difference in performance. I am a little leary about ordering a large quantity now.

I will try these new ones in the other rifle that likes them and see how they do. Hopefully their performance will be unchanged in that rifle. 

If I get motivated I'll compare head sizes and weights. When I have time, I like to shoot, not tinker.

 

[Dairyboy]

I too have had problems when I first got into airgunning a few years back. Had a .22 Mrod. Was a laser with the first tin of JSB 18gr pellets I bought. Ordered 4 more. They shotgunned everywhere. Tried all kinds of different pellets, cleaned the barrel checked everything. Couldn't get it to perform as it did with that first tin. Ended up replacing the barrel and all was good. Ended up being a bad barrel but with one magic tin of pellets. But that was a .22 Mrod so those were known for issues

 

[jps2486]

Welcome to the airgunning club!

 

[boscoebrea]

Thanks John,good to know......btw a lot of different brand optics are made in the same plant to.....Learn so much here.

 

[cavedweller]

The Pellet Thief,

At age 11, some 52 years ago, me and my brothers were given a Benjamin Blue Streak Pump pellet gun to share. We were too poor to buy more than one of those toy guns in those days but my Dad figured we needed to learn how to shoot a gun if we were going to grow up proper. It was love at first pump for me...until the pellets ran out. Ace harware sold the pellets I/We needed but money was tight and hard to come by but that didn't stop me and that's when I stole my first and last can of pellets. I was certain at age 11 I could filch a can without getting caught, problem was the store owner also knew my Father and knew I was poor as dirt so he was watching me like a hawk. When i tried to exit his store in a casual way, the owner stepped in front of the door and stared me down. I almost pee'd. Well the owner was also a farmer and asked me "Son would you rather steal them pellets or pay for them"? My eyes got big, my shoulders went up and I remained silent. "Tell you what, I'll give you all the pellets you can shoot if you shoot them on my farm killing rats and pidgeons and other pests." Did I hear that right? Ya'll know my answer and now the point of the story - there was a certain bliss to shooting back then: Load, Pump, Aim, Shoot, Repeat. I didn't know a thing about air pressure, pellet weight, wind speed, humidity, barametric pressure changes or old eyes. Fact is i didn't know what a scope was - just iron sights. Nowadays we know all that other stuff and it does take some of the fun and mystery out of shooting. But as far as bad pellets go - ain't no such a thing, if you can shoot it and it makes you smile it's a bullseye.

Try buying 10 tins of your most favorite pellets or 100, weigh and sort them carefully into 10 piles. Then take one shot from each pile and see which pile you should shoot a second one from. If it hits home again, put all those pellets in your keeper tin for when the shot counts and give the other pellets to the big mouths on the range that brag about what a great shot they are... or find some kid whose about to steal a tin.

 

[Greenarrow]

The Pellet Thief,

At age 11, some 52 years ago, me and my brothers were given a Benjamin Blue Streak Pump pellet gun to share. We were too poor to buy more than one of those toy guns in those days but my Dad figured we needed to learn how to shoot a gun if we were going to grow up proper. It was love at first pump for me...until the pellets ran out. Ace harware sold the pellets I/We needed but money was tight and hard to come by but that didn't stop me and that's when I stole my first and last can of pellets. I was certain at age 11 I could filch a can without getting caught, problem was the store owner also knew my Father and knew I was poor as dirt so he was watching me like a hawk. When i tried to exit his store in a casual way, the owner stepped in front of the door and stared me down. I almost pee'd. Well the owner was also a farmer and asked me "Son would you rather steal them pellets or pay for them"? My eyes got big, my shoulders went up and I remained silent. "Tell you what, I'll give you all the pellets you can shoot if you shoot them on my farm killing rats and pidgeons and other pests." Did I hear that right? Ya'll know my answer and now the point of the story - there was a certain bliss to shooting back then: Load, Pump, Aim, Shoot, Repeat. I didn't know a thing about air pressure, pellet weight, wind speed, humidity, barametric pressure changes or old eyes. Fact is i didn't know what a scope was - just iron sights. Nowadays we know all that other stuff and it does take some of the fun and mystery out of shooting. But as far as bad pellets go - ain't no such a thing, if you can shoot it and it makes you smile it's a bullseye.

Try buying 10 tins of your most favorite pellets or 100, weigh and sort them carefully into 10 piles. Then take one shot from each pile and see which pile you should shoot a second one from. If it hits home again, put all those pellets in your keeper tin for when the shot counts and give the other pellets to the big mouths on the range that brag about what a great shot they are... or find some kid whose about to steal a tin.

Great story! I’m glad that you learned your lesson, at least I hope that you did.



You are correct, ain’t no such thing as bad pellets, only good, better and best. It’s tough to shoot the better and best and have them change up on ya and only be good. Ha ha! Thanks for your insight Rudy, I appreciate it!