Sorting Pellets for precision

[Centercut]

This post is about sorting pellets. I’m sure if someone wanted to start a new post to discuss BC and their opinions of which method works best it would get lots of attention...

 

[JungleShooter]

Wow, now we're getting into a whole new issue, barrel harmonics/ ES ➔ fascinating! — I've got to try that on my next 100 yard cow corral outing!



How large should I make my MV variations for checking for better harmonics? Should I check precision in 30fps-steps, or 20fps, or less? (It's a Skyhawk with LW barrel, .22, 30FPE ME).



Thank you, Mike/ thomasair! Your explanation and that link are great!



Matthias

 

[mmahoney]

Mike....no, not true. You will not generate the same impulse to the barrel with different pellets, power levels, or levels of tune.

Mike

Darn. Was hoping I might of stumbled on a shortcut.

 

[thomasair]

Jungle... the goal is round groups. You can only eliminate vertical stringing. There is no shortcut to the trial and error that I know of. If my gun is vertical stringing...I try different velocities.

 

[Chuck-in-Ohio]

Regardless of the contention over the subject of the OP, thanks to all who have chimed in on the topic..



There is a bundle of good info, insights and thoughts to sort through in deciding what works best FOR ME.

 

[Beginner]

Regardless of the contention over the subject of the OP, thanks to all who have chimed in on the topic..



There is a bundle of good info, insights and thoughts to sort through in deciding what works best FOR ME.

and to be blunt to the op some of the side discussion is VERY RELEVANT as it pertains to whether sorting pellets can contribute to less vertical 

WHICH IS THE WHOLE PURPOSE OF SORTING IS TO GET SMALLER GROUPS, if only vertically it is the one component we might be able to control through sorting



sorting does not much for horizontal that is mostly aim related when compared to vertical

 

[oledawg]

Since you are discussing harmonic tuning you might find this video has useful information, although it is specific to the FX Crown the concept should work for any gun where you can adjust the hammer or flow of air in small increments. 


https://youtu.be/xxrDZmB5egU

 

[thomasair]

I shot 4 100y cards at various times yesterday. 2 of the cards were with pellets weighed to 1/10gr....and 2 using the heaviest and lightest pellets of the bunch mixed together. The lightest pellets were 25.1, and the heaviest 25.6. The sorted were 25.4.


Heavy/Light total score 234 4x, 234 5x = 468 9x

Weighed 25.4 total score. 232 5x, 234 6x = 466 11x

The data is very clear that my gun prefers a mixture of the light and heavy over the consistent 25.4 gr.....lol.

Mike 

 

[Smok3y]

Heavy/Light total score 234 4x, 234 5x = 468 9x

Weighed 25.4 total score. 232 5x, 234 6x = 466 11x

The data is very clear that my gun prefers a mixture of the light and heavy over the consistent 25.4 gr.....lol.

Mike

Thanks for sharing, as that is very interesting with real world data. Also... data is very clear... LOL!!

I’m glad to see all the effort that has been going into these BR threads the last few months by all. Very informative and been seeing some great shooting.

 

[steve123]

Nice cards there Mike! Your HPX and rests are so impressive!

- hands rubbing together 

 

[thomasair]

Thanks

 

[nomojo65]

I have to disagree mike!, it’s obvious that pellet 4 & 10 on The weighed card had dented skirts or you wouldn’t have dropped those 2 points!

 

[thomasair]

You are probably correct. I will add that to my sorting routine. More is better.

 

[NoLimits]

Hello from Germany,

Sorting by looking is good. But the rotation shows the difference.

The hollow of a cheap pellet

The hollow of a JSB pellet 

The hollow of another JSB pellet

Do you see the difference?

NoLimits

 

[JungleShooter]

Cool idea, NoLimits.

Matthias

 

[Beginner]

Checking BC using poi is the least accurate way and fraught with error.


Pellets rise in a left to right wind....and fall in a right to left. I can’t begin to analyze the variances well enough at 100y to predict their exact behavior. When I attempted to use poi to determine BC at 50y....I had wild variances. 100 and further are surely less reliable.

Harmonics are very much a factor that can make a slow shot go high. I made a post about this already....don’t remember if it was in this thread.

Thats how Rimfire barrel tuners work to eliminate or shrink vertical stringing.

Mike

Completely different than a centerfire right hand twist barrel. Correct ?

 

[nomojo65]

Concentricity vs. eccentricity? 

 

[NoLimits]

nomojo65, that is correct. In the second example, the Hollow needs a good look. 

Today, two other extreme examples.

From a very bad pellet and from a very good pellet.



H&N Baracuda:

JSB (AA) Exact

Here, too, rotation shows us the difference.
Many good and bad factors are visible.

NoLimits

 

[thomasair]

Those are nice videos. Pellet heads being cocked in relation to the skirts is very common ....especially if the tin has been roughly handled.

If you drop a tin of good 8.4 gr pellets onto a hard surface from more than about 8”...many will bend slightly at the waist and will be complete garbage.

Mike 

 

[JungleShooter]

Wow, Mike, I had no idea that pellets were THAT sensitive! 8 inches, 20 centimeters!



Sure makes a good case for pellets made from harder lead, like H&N using a higher antimony content. 



Matthias