What effect does pellet weight and design have on trajectory? I changed pellet brands and weights trying to see what my break barrel likes best. was doing well with some domed Crosman 10.5gr. domed. Got tighter groups with RWS superdomed 8.3gr. Then got some Barra 10.03 domed (more like a pointed dome) and they are shooting high. I mean like missing the paper . I am shooting 25 yards , not far . Do heaver pellets hit high at that distance ? Or are these pellets just not for my rifle ? Thanks for your reply's.
Trajectory effected by pellet weight and design?
- Thread starter Twiceshy
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Changes in design effect the Ballistic Coefficient.
What you are asking about is called Ballistics. The science of how projectiles move through the air.
You can use the Ballistic Coefficient to calculate how various factors effect the trajectory.
Every variable effect the trajectory in different ways. There is no simple single answer...
Except, if your sights can't adjust to the trajectory of the heavier pellets, then no, they aren't for that gun.
What you are asking about is called Ballistics. The science of how projectiles move through the air.
You can use the Ballistic Coefficient to calculate how various factors effect the trajectory.
Every variable effect the trajectory in different ways. There is no simple single answer...
Except, if your sights can't adjust to the trajectory of the heavier pellets, then no, they aren't for that gun.
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I'm still pretty new with all of this but it's my understanding that different brands of pellets interact with your barrel in their own unique way. Add to that the possible variations of weights in the same tin of pellets. Having said that I have recently been shooting with gamo tomahawk 7.65 to plink with. Between 8-900 they tend to drift around. But as soon as I turned it up to 950-990 I was able to get even these inexpensive pellets to give acceptable results. So I would say that there are pellets that will match up with your barrel like hand and glove.But you can also brute force some of them, maybe not stacking them on top of each other but good enough to hit inch or bigger targets.
This is my take with all of my 5 months of experience.
Agnutty
This is my take with all of my 5 months of experience.
Agnutty Upvote 0
Oops didn't see OP is posing question with break barrel. See newb member doing newb mistakes.
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Lots of variables involved in answering. YES, weight, shape, tightness of fit in barrel, temperature of equipment, state of cleanliness in barrel and on and on and on. MANY things will affect flight of projectiles, including consistency of shooting technique.
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Thanks for the replies, I may need to rephrase my question. I am of the understanding that the trajectory (path to the target) is not a straight line but more of an arch. I may be wrong about that and will gladly take correction. With that being said, does the weight and style of the pellet change that arch (shorter, longer, flatter, etc.) Thanks for answering my silly questions.
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I think part of the reason for this place is to help folks you are learning to get started so I wouldn't worry about asking basic questions. And Google just turns up garbage these days it seems…
Yes, all else being equal, changing the weight of a pellet will affect the way it is accelerated in the barrel: it will come out at a different velocity and follow a different arc.
Changing the shape of a pellet can influence how well it engages with the rifling in the barrel and it can also influence the amount of air resistance which will also change the shape of the path that it follows and its impact point.
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Think of it as throwing a baseball vs a football. Totally different weights and shapes.
Does it take as much effort to throw a baseball as it does a football? It does not.
When throwing a baseball, do you need to throw it in a high arc in order to get it out to 50 yards, not a high arc, but likely much less than a football.
Throwing a football 50 yards isn't as easy. it's much heavier, so it must have a higher arc in order to make that same 50 yard trip.
Make sense?
mike
Does it take as much effort to throw a baseball as it does a football? It does not.
When throwing a baseball, do you need to throw it in a high arc in order to get it out to 50 yards, not a high arc, but likely much less than a football.
Throwing a football 50 yards isn't as easy. it's much heavier, so it must have a higher arc in order to make that same 50 yard trip.
Make sense?
mike
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Answer :yes
Prepare for a master class from the forum.
My addition will be that even lead alloy composition and the amount of lead (bearing surface) is touching your bore can have an effect on performance.
While on paper every difference makes a change mathematically, those variables in practice are usually hard to detect. My best advice is see what people are talking about shooting well in that model gun or a similar gun and start with those choices and see what your gun actually likes. Speed is not always your friend, pellets seem to like to stay 900fps and slower (usually) . If your groups are wide open and accuracy is sporadic, try a heavier pellet.
Welcome to the addiction. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do. Don't sweat the mintutia in the beginning, walk into the water at your own pace as you absorb each principle as you go, they'll all add up and make sense at some point and don't be bothered too much by forum posts. They're all opinions, just like this one.
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I find that with changing pellets in springers the POI moves around a lot more than PCPs, and it makes sense considering how much less vibration happens in a PCP.
Generally a heavy pellet hits lower but if the harmonics are significant it can override that.
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When I help my springer friends who aren't obsessed with airguns, the problem is usually huge groups or sporatic trajectories. They never own a chronograph and usually it's high power springer pushing them close to transonic, which is why i recommend heavier and re zero to enjoy the stabilization the diabolo shape has to offer by making your power plant actually work to send that weight out at a more appropriate speed.
If zeroing a scope scares somebody, fear not. You can put it back if you take notes. My life has become zeroing/confirming something every week,
you should see some of their faces when I dial my pcp scope and they think I just wrecked my zero. Upvote 0
Thank you for that input. As I am still trying to get my scope on zero. Have yet to find that perfect fit of pellet to rifle. A tighter group would be helpful.When I help my springer friends who aren't obsessed with airguns, the problem is usually huge groups or sporatic trajectories. They never own a chronograph and usually it's high power springer pushing them close to transonic, which is why i recommend heavier and re zero to enjoy the stabilization the diabolo shape has to offer by making your power plant actually work to send that weight out at a more appropriate speed.
If zeroing a scope scares somebody, fear not. You can put it back if you take notes. My life has become zeroing/confirming something every week,
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I highly recommend removing 1 baffle and trying those pellets again on the same tune. That was the difference for my impact between precision with slugs or force me to put It back to stock power levels.
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