Back in May, I bought a new Veteran Long .22 with LW barrel.
At the time of purchase, pellet selection was a no-brainer: it seems like 95% of Veteran users shoot JSB 18.1s, and the other 5% are experimenting with slugs. Because I am hand pumping, there is a premium on shot count, but I still want to be able to reach out to at least 100 yards.
Extensive tuning has shown that my Veteran likes the 18.1s shot at 885 fps. Inside 50 yards, I can literally drive tacks, but from 50-100 yards there appears to be pellet destabilization going on (3" groups @ 100 yards). Also, in any sort of wind event I notice my groups opening significantly, even in the vertical direction. This was disappointing after reading about all the success that other shooters were having at extended range with their Vets.
Thinking that this destabilization may be due to head diameter, I ordered a tin of Air Arms 16 gr to try as they have 5.51mm heads (JSBs have 5.52mm). Interestingly, I noticed that these were not quite as accurate inside 50 yards as the JSB 18.1s, but past 50 they remained more stable, giving better groups at 100 yards (~2.5"). I then tried to order more AA 16s but they were out of stock, so I decided to try the JSB Jumbo 15.9s even though they also have 5.52mm heads.
To my surprise, the 15.9s group just as well as the 18.1s at 50 yards, AND maintain stability past 50 yards! Interestingly, I have also observed that a good velocity to shoot the 15.9s at is 935 fps, which is is obtained with the EXACT same tune as 18.1s @ 885.
TEST #1: EXTENDED DISTANCES
Here is a side by side comparison of the two at the following distances (from top to bottom): 100, 100, 75, 50 yards. 0-2mph wind. I apologize for the bush league targets.
TEST #2: WINDY CONDITIONS
A different day presented windy conditions, probably 5-15mph but constantly changing direction. Part of the reason I was skeptical of the lighter 15.9s at first is because of the lower BC and the implications of the wind on POI. So, I decided to once again put the 15.9s and 18.1s head to head, this time at 50 yards.
In this study, I am not so much concerned with total group size, but rather the VERTICAL SPREAD as the wind was switching so much, and rarely a head/tail wind. Notice how much tighter the vertical spread of the 15.9s are. I think the reason for this is the same reason that the 15.9s are better at 100 yards: The 18.1s are NOT as stable in flight! When a projectile is unstable, a wind from any direction will tend to exaggerate the instability, leading to more spiraling, etc. Note that in general I have found that the 18.1s DO buck the wind better, but at the cost of lessened stability and increased vertical spread at range.
CONCLUSIONS
At least in my gun (and I'm sure mine is not the only one), the JSB 15.9s outperform the 18.1s particularly at extended distances. Also, in windy conditions, the stability of the 15.9s outweighs the higher BC of the 18.1s. Perhaps this is due to the particular tins of 15.9 pellets that I tested with (I hope not), but I have shot multiple tins of 18.1s from different dealers and observed the same patterns.
Finally, I am not claiming that I "discovered" the abilities of 15.9s. I know that a lot of you shoot 15.9s with great success. This post is just to help inform people that the de facto JSB 18.1 is NOT necessarily the best pellet in YOUR Veteran, even at long range or in wind.
At the time of purchase, pellet selection was a no-brainer: it seems like 95% of Veteran users shoot JSB 18.1s, and the other 5% are experimenting with slugs. Because I am hand pumping, there is a premium on shot count, but I still want to be able to reach out to at least 100 yards.
Extensive tuning has shown that my Veteran likes the 18.1s shot at 885 fps. Inside 50 yards, I can literally drive tacks, but from 50-100 yards there appears to be pellet destabilization going on (3" groups @ 100 yards). Also, in any sort of wind event I notice my groups opening significantly, even in the vertical direction. This was disappointing after reading about all the success that other shooters were having at extended range with their Vets.
Thinking that this destabilization may be due to head diameter, I ordered a tin of Air Arms 16 gr to try as they have 5.51mm heads (JSBs have 5.52mm). Interestingly, I noticed that these were not quite as accurate inside 50 yards as the JSB 18.1s, but past 50 they remained more stable, giving better groups at 100 yards (~2.5"). I then tried to order more AA 16s but they were out of stock, so I decided to try the JSB Jumbo 15.9s even though they also have 5.52mm heads.
To my surprise, the 15.9s group just as well as the 18.1s at 50 yards, AND maintain stability past 50 yards! Interestingly, I have also observed that a good velocity to shoot the 15.9s at is 935 fps, which is is obtained with the EXACT same tune as 18.1s @ 885.
TEST #1: EXTENDED DISTANCES
Here is a side by side comparison of the two at the following distances (from top to bottom): 100, 100, 75, 50 yards. 0-2mph wind. I apologize for the bush league targets.
- 100 yds: Notice the vertical dispersion of the 18.1s. The trend is that most 18.1s group well, but 1 or 2 out of 10 spiral and drop 1-2" low. The 15.9s on the other hand do not throw fliers, and group 1.25-2" consistently.
- 75 yds: On this day, both the 18.1s and 15.9s grouped reasonably well, about 1". Small sample size shown, I know, but this is representative of what I've seen.
- 50 yards: Both pellets are capable 0.5-0.75" groups consistently.
TEST #2: WINDY CONDITIONS
A different day presented windy conditions, probably 5-15mph but constantly changing direction. Part of the reason I was skeptical of the lighter 15.9s at first is because of the lower BC and the implications of the wind on POI. So, I decided to once again put the 15.9s and 18.1s head to head, this time at 50 yards.
In this study, I am not so much concerned with total group size, but rather the VERTICAL SPREAD as the wind was switching so much, and rarely a head/tail wind. Notice how much tighter the vertical spread of the 15.9s are. I think the reason for this is the same reason that the 15.9s are better at 100 yards: The 18.1s are NOT as stable in flight! When a projectile is unstable, a wind from any direction will tend to exaggerate the instability, leading to more spiraling, etc. Note that in general I have found that the 18.1s DO buck the wind better, but at the cost of lessened stability and increased vertical spread at range.
CONCLUSIONS
At least in my gun (and I'm sure mine is not the only one), the JSB 15.9s outperform the 18.1s particularly at extended distances. Also, in windy conditions, the stability of the 15.9s outweighs the higher BC of the 18.1s. Perhaps this is due to the particular tins of 15.9 pellets that I tested with (I hope not), but I have shot multiple tins of 18.1s from different dealers and observed the same patterns.
Finally, I am not claiming that I "discovered" the abilities of 15.9s. I know that a lot of you shoot 15.9s with great success. This post is just to help inform people that the de facto JSB 18.1 is NOT necessarily the best pellet in YOUR Veteran, even at long range or in wind.
