Pellet Testing?

[J.C.]

Ok I have been out of the air gun game for a while but have gotten back into it and have a question about testing pellets to find the best one your gun likes. The reason I ask if I have a XM1 Scout and a Notos that I trying to find a pellet combo that works the best so I can finally zero the scope for hunting season.
1) Do you clean your barrels between each brand of pellets if you are testing with different brands?
2) Do you clean when testing different weights?
3) Or do you shoot 3-4 pellets to foul the bore and then do your group testing?
Any thoughts or input on this would be great appreciated.

 

[Kgphotos]

No, I do not clean between each different pellet. When you clean your barrel you will likely not see your best accuracy/ precision return until you‘ve shot X number of pellets to “re-lead” your barrel. I just expect that when I switch pellets during my testing that it will take several shots of the new pellet before I see the best accuracy. It would be a good idea to test pellets made by the same manufacturer one after the other. I have found the different pellets made by the same company are likely to be the exact same as far as “leading in” is concerned. Hope you find this helpful,
Kenny

 

[Melo]

1) Do you clean the barrels between each brand of shot if you test with different brands?
Absolutely yes, different brands, different lead.
2) Do you clean them when testing with different weights?
If they're the same brand, no, different brands, yes.
3) Or do you fire 3 or 4 shot to foul the bore and then do the group test?
Absolutely yes, the barrel must be leaded.

 

[Hateful McNasty]

All that just goes to what each gun needs i got one that likes a clean barrel and starts pulling left telling me to pull a patch. Then it straightens back up another dont care one likes flat head vs domed none like Daisy pointed ....lol you just go shoot a lot and learn there character. Try this and that and youll start to see whats what .

Enjoy.

 

[JimD]

I do not clean the barrel of my rifles until accuracy falls off. I certainly do not clean between brands or weights of pellets.

I do shoot more than one 5 shot group of pellets I am testing. Usually 2. If the second looks better than the first I may shoot a third. To me that takes care of the potential effect of switching brands. Usually I do not see a significant difference between the first and second 5 shot group. I sometimes shoot less than 2 five shot groups if it seems pretty obvious the gun doesn't like a pellet. Bad groups do not get better with more shots.

My "fouling shots" go into a group and whether it is a good group help me to know if that gun likes fouling shots. Usually mine don't seem to care.

I will also say that I have cleaned between brands of pellets before but I never saw it make a discernable difference.

 

[maxtrouble]

Ok I have been out of the air gun game for a while but have gotten back into it and have a question about testing pellets to find the best one your gun likes. The reason I ask if I have a XM1 Scout and a Notos that I trying to find a pellet combo that works the best so I can finally zero the scope for hunting season.
1) Do you clean your barrels between each brand of pellets if you are testing with different brands?
2) Do you clean when testing different weights?
3) Or do you shoot 3-4 pellets to foul the bore and then do your group testing?
Any thoughts or input on this would be great appreciated.

1) No. I only clean the barrel when accuracy goes to hell.
2) No.
3) Yes. I will usually shoot a couple of five shot groups and see if the groups get tighter.

I try and use my "tried and true" pellets when testing.

Example. I will try JSB 8.4's, H&N 8.64's and Baracuda 8's because they all have previously returned good results in previous rifles. I try and stay away from unknown pellets.

 

[J.C.]

Thanks for the feedback. 20 plus years ago when I got into PCP airguns BAM 50 that started life as a 177 and the got rebarreled to 25 and I shot H&N pellets from it with decent accuracy. I don't remember there being a very large selection of pellet brands as compared to today's air gun world. So far what I have been doing is shooting about 3-4 pellets to foul the bore for that brand of pellet and then shooting for accuracy.

 

[Ballisticboy]

The problem with cleaning the barrel, then leading it up etc. is that by the time you have done that, the atmospheric conditions will have changed, and you will not be comparing like for like. If you are testing indoors then there is no problem, but outdoors the wind speed and direction variability will be one of your main error sources.

This video looked at the method used in military ballistic testing.

 

[Melo]

In a perfect environment, where everything is under control, everything would be idyllic. The reality is very different. We don't all have a laboratory where we can test our ammunition. Personally, I believe that testing and rehearsing should be done in an environment as similar as possible to where we will use our weapon and ammunition.
From these tests, we can draw up grades, where we'll note down all the parameters of the results obtained. From there, you can draw a bullet for everything, which may be more precise in some circumstances and not as precise in others, but which, in any case, is still good enough for what you're trying to achieve.

Or get several pellets for different purposes according to your needs. The fun part is the work of finding a good pellet with a good configuration, the precision in the union of a job well done with the shooting technique, that translates into satisfaction.

 

[Revoman]

While shooting in the environment that you plan on shooting is a good tact in general, it can't give a solid baseline.
In order to have a solid baseline, one must shoot under solid conditions. If trying to cope with wind, atmospheric conditions such as humidity and temperature, it can spoil the baseline.
How would you know if it's those conditions, poor pellets, or poor shooting methods?
Under controlled conditions much of the 'outdoor' conditions are at least mitigated to some degree in order to enhance the overall goal.
Once you have that baseline and are assured that everything is solid, then yes, by all means go and shoot under the intended conditions and adjust from that point.

mike

 

[biednick]

I clean when I'm swapping brands, but not weights from the same brand. After cleaning I shoot 10-15 rounds of the next brand I plan on testing before recording amy data. I'm not sure it's necessary to clean when changing brands, but it's a habit I got into with rimfire rifles and have continued to do with air guns.

 

[Basher]

I’m not shooting benchrest or anything, so I’m not nearly as regimented or strict in my testing. For me:

1) No, I don’t clean between brands, but I generally will shoot a good ~20 or so pellets of the new brand/type before I really trust the results I get with each one.
2) Same brand: no. Different brand: also no lol (see #1 above).
3) See #1 above lol.

I don’t like cleaning, so whether it be powder burners or pellets, I avoid it where I can. Like a few others, I clean when I notice a drop off in accuracy. Some folks get SUPER anal about cleaning, and honestly you can greatly accelerate wear on your guns by cleaning too often/too vigorously. Keep them lubed and wiped down so they function properly and to prevent fingerprints/rust, but otherwise let the gun tell you what it needs.

 

[johnwoitalla]

I have never cleaned the barrel of any airgun I have. My AA S410 is about 24 years old and shoots as good as the day I got it(at 25yds it stacks 10 shots with JSB's and Crosman Premiers into a dime sized hole with no flyers). My FX King has a new liner and I do not plan on cleaning it either. Since I don't shoot competition, the minute improvement cleaning might(I say might because I am skeptical that it makes enough of a difference to make a difference) impart upon the precision of pellet/slug placement isn't worth the trouble.