Good afternoon. What do you mean with a "heavy barrel"? I haven't heard of that...not like I'm some expert though. I don't have a .22 but I do have a .25. When I got the gun everyone recommended JSB's above all else. "Don't even mess with H&N or Polymags, Crosman, etc.", they said. The H&N's shoot great in my Bantam HiLite .22 so I tried them, 4+ different versions plus lots of other brands too. Everyone was right though. Lots of heavy pellets shoot well in the Crown but the JSB's shoot most accurately by far, that's what these guns are designed to shoot the best.
In the .25 caliber, the 25.4gr. and the 33.95 shoot equally well, they are the heaviest JSB's currently available for the .25. I would imagine with the .22 the same would be true and it will shoot the heavier pellets like the 18.13gr., the 25.4gr. or the 33.95gr. better than most. Maybe it will shoot all of the JSB's exceptionally well? Since your question is asking about the heaviest available pellet for the .22, I would have him start with the JSB's in 25.4gr and just go for it. I'm leaving out the Jumbo Beasts because in my opinion, 33.95gr in a .22 is just too heavy(for my liking). I would imagine they're still accurate as can be like the others but I like more velocity than the .22 Crown will be able to push the 33.95 gr. pellets without modification. Again, that's just my preference. I know accuracy is of utmost importance, above all else, but I like some velocity too if all other factors are equal. That will be up to your friend to decide! I have my gun(again, a .25 cal.) set up to shoot the 25.4gr pellets day in and day out at 925fps.and then I just adjust the hammer spring tension wheel to shoot the 33.95 pellets at 835fps. when I'm shooting in the wind, at exceptionally long distances or I need extra energy for large game. Both pellets really are one hole accurate at 40yds and exceptionally well out to 60+ yards. From there the gun is still one hole accurate but me, not so much. When the 33.95gr. pellets hit an animal going 835fps., the sound is like nothing I've heard before. I shot a very large bird the other day at about 50yds and on impact the pellet made a Whooommmp sound. My son and I could really hear the power! Either way, the 25.4gr or the 33.95 in .22 caliber will be accurate and powerful. Your friend will be thrilled!
Of course there is one caveat that I'm sure you're aware of...each and every different gun is different and shoots different pellets differently under different conditions and different circumstances. They're all different! Lol. This is just a starting point, sharing a little information I've been given and things I've figured out for myself since owning a Crown. I took the advise of others but also tried a bunch of different pellets at different reg. pressures, velocities, settings, etc... I would have saved a ton of time if I had started with the JSB 25.4gr and the 33.95gr. as everyone recommended! If your friend does it this way and just starts with the 33.95gr. or the 25.4gr. finds the one he likes the best and then dials the gun in for maximum accuracy/energy from there, he'll have it tuned in and shooting fantastic groups in no time.
I hope this helps at least a little. Have a great day. Stoti
Stoti
