Well, are they just as good as the originals? Anybody tried them yet? I'm looking to use them in my .22 synrod for squirrels and other critters this season. Anything else I should know about them?
Predator Polymag Shorts
- Thread starter thehunter
- Start date
Whoops, should've posted this in the projectiles section, but maybe I'll get a few replies here. Sorry.
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In my experience, no they don't. If your gun will take the "regular" Polymags use them instead. Having said that, this opinion is based strictly on a single tin of .22 Polymag shorts that I bought to try. I've got a problem with the poly point falling out of the pellets (which I haven't had happen with any other tin in .177, .22 or .25) so results may be different if I tried a different tin. I also haven't tried them in .177 yet.
Another point to note is that even the regular Polymag pellets seem to be very gun sensitive. The regular Polymags shoot fantastic out of my PRod, MRod in .25, NP .22, NP2 .22, Bone Collector .22, and Big Cat .177 but I don't have the same results with the "shorts" or the Metalmags out of these guns. For my Daystate Regal XL in .22, the regulars don't fit from the magazine and the "shorts" can't group worth anything. On my Air Arms S400 in .177 it seems less than 20 yards is the magic number. Again, unlike the regular Polymags where I've shot multiple tins, I've only shot from single tins with the "shorts" in .22 and have yet to try them in .177 (problem with my new Discovery right out of the box that needs fixed so I can do this test) as well as the Metalmags. I just got a Discovery in .22 to try them with, but it's still sitting the box due to time limitations on my end. I have a theory that they shoot better at slower velocities, but again I haven't had time to really put that to the test. It's just based on my Daystate making the target look like a .410 at 25 yards pushing 963 fps compared to the PRod having a 1 inch group at 25 yards pushing 637 fps. I also shake worse than a chihuahua with Parkinson, so that needs to be taken into account as well.
When using them for hunting or dispatching animals, you need to know when they are good for a skull shot vs a body shot. For chipmunks and squirrels, a side brain shot will drop them in their tracks without having a pass-through at most distances. I'm sure the same is true with rabbits but I'm waiting on hunting season here to open to verify it. The same can be said for most heart/lung body shots at 15+ yards. In my experience, the heart/lung shot with the Polymags drops smaller animals (1 lb and under) similar to a brain shot out to 25 yards with the PRod but if you're slightly off they may drop originally but after 15 seconds or so suddenly run off and become unrecoverable. Also, Polymags can be "messy" on close range shots or shots too far back (which may be true of other flat or hollow point designs as well) as they can tear the body cavity open. When it comes to opossum, groundhog or raccoon, don't do a front on head shot with Polymags without having a gun that shoots at least 15 fpe at the point of impact for consistent results. Hands down, the best head shot on these species is either from behind at the back of the skull or from the side. If you take a head on shot on larger animals, only do it with a diabolo pellet. A good rule of thumb for large game head shots is to use a diabolo pellet regardless of placement to ensure a quick dispatch.
The following is from data I collected for an article in WCT Magazine comparing .177, .22 and .25 calibers shooting standard Polymags to show how each pellet performed. When shooting into a 5 lb clay block at 22 yards, the 16 g .22 Polymag at 718 fps gave a wound channel that was 0.450" wide (then tapers down creating a funnel look) and 1.293" deep and at 637 fps the wound channel was 0.320" wide and 0.937 inches deep. The most damage that occurred with the pellet, aside from the poly point being removed, was the rim of the head being peeled down the pellet about half way. Now compare that penetration data to a diabolo pellet at 722 fps that creates a straight wound channel that is 0.243" wide and 1.92" deep with no deforming of the pellet and you can see that the Polymag releases a lot more of its energy into the target than the diabolo pellet does (I used a .25 JSB diabolo pellet in the article and not the .22 JSB diabolo I just referenced here).
So if you need penetration through the harder bone (i.e., brain shots) that larger animals will have, choose the diabolo whereas if you do a body shot (i.e., heart/lung) and need the energy released into the animal to prevent pass-through choose the Polymag. Of course, to paraphrase Jim Chapman none of this matters if you can't hit your target in the first place so accuracy needs to be number one on the list. Also, I find it easier to double lung a raccoon in a tree as I have a much bigger target than the brain shot. To date, their behavior is to grab the tree tighter for about 15 - 30 seconds before relaxing their grip as they expire and fall to the ground. Groundhogs on the other hand will run to their burrow, so they are a head shot only animal.
Another point to note is that even the regular Polymag pellets seem to be very gun sensitive. The regular Polymags shoot fantastic out of my PRod, MRod in .25, NP .22, NP2 .22, Bone Collector .22, and Big Cat .177 but I don't have the same results with the "shorts" or the Metalmags out of these guns. For my Daystate Regal XL in .22, the regulars don't fit from the magazine and the "shorts" can't group worth anything. On my Air Arms S400 in .177 it seems less than 20 yards is the magic number. Again, unlike the regular Polymags where I've shot multiple tins, I've only shot from single tins with the "shorts" in .22 and have yet to try them in .177 (problem with my new Discovery right out of the box that needs fixed so I can do this test) as well as the Metalmags. I just got a Discovery in .22 to try them with, but it's still sitting the box due to time limitations on my end. I have a theory that they shoot better at slower velocities, but again I haven't had time to really put that to the test. It's just based on my Daystate making the target look like a .410 at 25 yards pushing 963 fps compared to the PRod having a 1 inch group at 25 yards pushing 637 fps. I also shake worse than a chihuahua with Parkinson, so that needs to be taken into account as well.
When using them for hunting or dispatching animals, you need to know when they are good for a skull shot vs a body shot. For chipmunks and squirrels, a side brain shot will drop them in their tracks without having a pass-through at most distances. I'm sure the same is true with rabbits but I'm waiting on hunting season here to open to verify it. The same can be said for most heart/lung body shots at 15+ yards. In my experience, the heart/lung shot with the Polymags drops smaller animals (1 lb and under) similar to a brain shot out to 25 yards with the PRod but if you're slightly off they may drop originally but after 15 seconds or so suddenly run off and become unrecoverable. Also, Polymags can be "messy" on close range shots or shots too far back (which may be true of other flat or hollow point designs as well) as they can tear the body cavity open. When it comes to opossum, groundhog or raccoon, don't do a front on head shot with Polymags without having a gun that shoots at least 15 fpe at the point of impact for consistent results. Hands down, the best head shot on these species is either from behind at the back of the skull or from the side. If you take a head on shot on larger animals, only do it with a diabolo pellet. A good rule of thumb for large game head shots is to use a diabolo pellet regardless of placement to ensure a quick dispatch.
The following is from data I collected for an article in WCT Magazine comparing .177, .22 and .25 calibers shooting standard Polymags to show how each pellet performed. When shooting into a 5 lb clay block at 22 yards, the 16 g .22 Polymag at 718 fps gave a wound channel that was 0.450" wide (then tapers down creating a funnel look) and 1.293" deep and at 637 fps the wound channel was 0.320" wide and 0.937 inches deep. The most damage that occurred with the pellet, aside from the poly point being removed, was the rim of the head being peeled down the pellet about half way. Now compare that penetration data to a diabolo pellet at 722 fps that creates a straight wound channel that is 0.243" wide and 1.92" deep with no deforming of the pellet and you can see that the Polymag releases a lot more of its energy into the target than the diabolo pellet does (I used a .25 JSB diabolo pellet in the article and not the .22 JSB diabolo I just referenced here).
So if you need penetration through the harder bone (i.e., brain shots) that larger animals will have, choose the diabolo whereas if you do a body shot (i.e., heart/lung) and need the energy released into the animal to prevent pass-through choose the Polymag. Of course, to paraphrase Jim Chapman none of this matters if you can't hit your target in the first place so accuracy needs to be number one on the list. Also, I find it easier to double lung a raccoon in a tree as I have a much bigger target than the brain shot. To date, their behavior is to grab the tree tighter for about 15 - 30 seconds before relaxing their grip as they expire and fall to the ground. Groundhogs on the other hand will run to their burrow, so they are a head shot only animal.
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I was just wondering about the quality and ballistics. It sounds like I should just stick with single loading the originals by hand. Thanks!
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