Official 2025 Pyramyd AIR Cup thread!

[Franklink]

Aren't most 30 cal shooters using the 66 grain AEA's by now? Those will be producing @ 125 FPE.

I don't really understand how limiting FPE to 100 helps. Hell, people have been shooting 100+ FPE in 50 yard BR for quite a while now. But then, I enjoy the direction that these longer range competitions have been pushing the market (mowa powah!).

If I recall correctly, Nicolay was putting up winning performances a couple years ago with .22. Certainly can't blame him for following the crowd into higher calibers, wights, and BCs.

I get the whole 'unobtainum' argument, and agree the rules should better address that. But, if they are commercially available in Russia (or any one country), then they are mass produced and commercially available.

Yes he did well with a .22 a few years ago, back when .22 MRDs were a very common projectile. Ie, BEFORE the BC bar got raised by the .30 AEAs. Nikolai's new/self-produced .30s raise the BC bar yet again, which is fine and dandy. The argument becomes the fact that no other US shooter has access to what he's shooting. And last I checked, Ohio was in the US. I'd hazard a guess that US shooters were about 97-98% of all participants.

 

[Reg Creep]

Yes he did well with a .22 a few years ago, back when .22 MRDs were a very common projectile. Ie, BEFORE the BC bar got raised by the .30 AEAs. Nikolai's new/self-produced .30s raise the BC bar yet again, which is fine and dandy. The argument becomes the fact that no other US shooter has access to what he's shooting. And last I checked, Ohio was in the US. I'd hazard a guess that US shooters were about 97-98% of all participants.

Time to get on the horn with AEA and get them knocking out 70 grains! ;-)

As an aside, I think you typo'd, but your previous post noted a BC of .9 for the 70 grain. Where as the images showed .09.
...Still a long ways from the .055 you're getting with your projectile.

And my point on the rules is just that mass produced and commercially available, is well, mass produced and commercially available. If you allow shooters to come from other nations, you may just have to allow them to shoot what they can obtain in their nation. ... Or are foreign shooters expected to recalibrate to domestically available ammo and guns in order to participate?

 

[Trucker3573]

I would say if his pellets are available to the citizens of Russia then he falls under the rules as written. If not, and they are his and only his he should be disqualified. I can certainly see the problem if his case falls into the first scenario at which point the only solution is to rewrite the rule.

 

[zx10wall]

I would say if his pellets are available to the citizens of Russia then he falls under the rules as written. If not, and they are his and only his he should be disqualified. I can certainly see the problem if his case falls into the first scenario at which point the only solution is to rewrite the rule.

What’s interesting about this, there are readily available videos on Nikolay’s YouTube channel which have plenty of footage during his local Russian competitions. I’ve seen no others competitor using his pellets. I may be wrong but I do see a lot of JSB tins on their benches.

 

[zx10wall]

Aren't most 30 cal shooters using the 66 grain AEA's by now? Those will be producing @ 125 FPE.

I don't really understand how limiting FPE to 100 helps. Hell, people have been shooting 100+ FPE in 50 yard BR for quite a while now. But then, I enjoy the direction that these longer range competitions have been pushing the market (mowa powah!).

If I recall correctly, Nicolay was putting up winning performances a couple years ago with .22. Certainly can't blame him for following the crowd into higher calibers, wights, and BCs.

I get the whole 'unobtainum' argument, and agree the rules should better address that. But, if they are commercially available in Russia (or any one country), then they are mass produced and commercially available.

No, most are using 45gr AEA or 50.5gr AEA.

 

[zx10wall]

This is not the company fault it is politics .

Are you sure? I'd be surprised if there are commercially available RBT 71gr pellets available anywhere. Just show me the site or store that sells them. Give me some Russian shooters names, apart from the PAC FX sponsored champion, that also shoot them.

 

[Franklink]

Time to get on the horn with AEA and get them knocking out 70 grains! ;-)

As an aside, I think you typo'd, but your previous post noted a BC of .9 for the 70 grain. Where as the images showed .09.
...Still a long ways from the .055 you're getting with your projectile.

And my point on the rules is just that mass produced and commercially available, is well, mass produced and commercially available. If you allow shooters to come from other nations, you may just have to allow them to shoot what they can obtain in their nation. ... Or are foreign shooters expected to recalibrate to domestically available ammo and guns in order to participate?

Yes, typo.

I was trying to say that a projectile with a BC of 0.09 is MUCH easier to shoot than one of 0.055. And I've shot tens of thousands of shots doing exactly that comparison.

He found a loophole. Typically loopholes are closed by adjustments to the rules. Which I foresee as the end-result here.

Regardless, this and any future wins from him while using a projectile that no one else has access to will have an asterisk for anyone who follows airgun competitions.

 

[tibor]

a bit disappointing...to read the post.
cheating and getting caught..is the normal.
no action taken...is the real deal.
as simple as it may seem..its a sad world

 

[zx10wall]

Aren't most 30 cal shooters using the 66 grain AEA's by now? Those will be producing @ 125 FPE.

I don't really understand how limiting FPE to 100 helps. Hell, people have been shooting 100+ FPE in 50 yard BR for quite a while now. But then, I enjoy the direction that these longer range competitions have been pushing the market (mowa powah!).

If I recall correctly, Nicolay was putting up winning performances a couple years ago with .22. Certainly can't blame him for following the crowd into higher calibers, wights, and BCs.

I get the whole 'unobtainum' argument, and agree the rules should better address that. But, if they are commercially available in Russia (or any one country), then they are mass produced and commercially available.

Certainly .30 pellets are the way to go. Commercially available to all and we'd have no issue. Making a pellet that has a slug BC in which only you can shoot, well, here in lies the issue at hand!

 

[Centercut]

Aren't most 30 cal shooters using the 66 grain AEA's by now? Those will be producing @ 125 FPE.

I don't really understand how limiting FPE to 100 helps. Hell, people have been shooting 100+ FPE in 50 yard BR for quite a while now. But then, I enjoy the direction that these longer range competitions have been pushing the market (mowa powah!).

If I recall correctly, Nicolay was putting up winning performances a couple years ago with .22. Certainly can't blame him for following the crowd into higher calibers, wights, and BCs.

I get the whole 'unobtainum' argument, and agree the rules should better address that. But, if they are commercially available in Russia (or any one country), then they are mass produced and commercially available.

The AEA 66 grain are JUNK. No one I know shoots them. I tried them and they were mediocre at best from a 700mm FX 1:40 liner. Plus the BC was no better than the AEA 50.5 pellets.

 

[Smok3y]

But did anyone else notice that the only card he would have Won with is the last card? None of his other cards in qualifying or the finals was the highest until that card… Multiple cards was big…

Pretty darn good shooters all around!

 

[Centercut]

Certainly .30 pellets are the way to go. Commercially available to all and we'd have no issue. Making a pellet that has a slug BC in which only you can shoot, well, here in lies the issue at hand!

We’ve all seen over the past year and a half the wind drift benefits of the AEA 50.5 pellets compared to JSB 44.75 or 50.15. A BC difference of 0.02 to 0.025 (.046 to .070). Almost all competitive shooters see the benefit of that 50% improvement in wind drift. Now up that from 0.070 with AEA 50.5 compared to the Unobtanium RBT 71 grain at 0.092. That’s another significant 31% improvement in wind drift. But are they available?