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.22 pellet choice for HFT

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Aimright

Aimright

Member
Jan 28, 2019
609
175
AZ, United States
I attended a local FT club shoot last month to observe and decided I want to give it a try. I have a chronograph on order and plan to get my .22 Marauder set up and self tuned to the best I can for HFT. I understand the .22 handicaps you somewhat in FT due to diameter of the pellet and more loopy trajectory, but for now I just wish to run with what I have to give HFT a try as a beginner.

My thought to reduce the loopy trajectory to some extent is to go with some lighter pellets and get my Mrod shooting just under 20 FPE. I have some JSB 13.43 gr and 14.3 gr jumbos coming with my chronograph order. Good choices? Anything else you think I should try? I also see some really light no lead .22 options out there - JSB 11.75 gr and H&N Green at 12.35 and 9.56 grains. Are they worth trying?
 
Being your aware of the TWO primary deficits of using .22 cal in Field target .... Bigger diameter = more splits / More weight = Loopier Trajectory.



We now need to address ( as we do with all AG's ) WHAT PELLET IS ACCURATE ?

This is where your really at a disadvantage because of the ABOVE known reasons ... KNOWING that the lightest pellet you can shoot will be faster and flatter shooting and what you really need in .22. If your really lucky the JSB RS pellet will shoot very accurately and you can push em near 800 fps and be under >20 fpe. If they simply don't shoot well and you find 15.9's or any other heavier weight pellet to be the ACCURATE ONE .... your going to be slower and loopier making the FT game that much harder !!

In the game of FT .... ACCURACY of the gun is paramount !! ... Shooters ability and having EXCELLENT D.O.P.E. increases exponentially as speeds slow down.





Sorry for the long winded ... being at the FT game enough years, these are things you really need to grasp so you have a fighting chance at the game.



Scott S
 
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I used 15.9g JSB as that was by far the best grouping in the barrel I was using. Shot my best even open class score at the GOB with the .22 .

Trajectory is rather similar to "12fpe" .177 so sort of bonus practice for your future there(knowing you never need another airgun he say's).

What groups best at 50 in your rig? Use that.



John
 
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Being your aware of the TWO primary deficits of using .22 cal in Field target .... Bigger diameter = more splits / More weight = Loopier Trajectory.



We now need to address ( as we do with all AG's ) WHAT PELLET IS ACCURATE ?

This is where your really at a disadvantage because of the ABOVE known reasons ... KNOWING that the lightest pellet you can shoot will be faster and flatter shooting and what you really need in .22. If your really lucky the JSB RS pellet will shoot very accurately and you can push em near 800 fps and be under >20 fpe. If they simply don't shoot well and you find 15.9's or any other heavier weight pellet to be the ACCURATE ONE .... your going to be slower and loopier making the FT game that much harder !!

In the game of FT .... ACCURACY of the gun is paramount !! ... Shooters ability and having EXCELLENT D.O.P.E. increases exponentially as speeds slow down.





Sorry for the long winded ... being at the FT game enough years, these are things you really need to grasp so you have a fighting chance at the game.



Scott S
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Thanks Scott, I like long winded replies! Any thoughts about the no lead pellets, should I expect something as light as the 9.56 gn HN to have a high probability of inaccuracy or is it worth a try?







 
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Pick the most accurate pellet. Smallest groups. You can compensate for trajectory - but not for inaccuracy. Make sure to test at 55 yds. Pellets that group well at 25yds - may not group well at long range. You might want to try H&N FTT.

FWIW, a 14.3 gr. pellet at 20 fpe = 798 fps


JW652
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Thanks JW, that is one area I need to work on as at home I only have 25 yards of space.
 
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Pick the most accurate pellet. Smallest groups. You can compensate for trajectory - but not for inaccuracy. Make sure to test at 55 yds. Pellets that group well at 25yds - may not group well at long range. You might want to try H&N FTT.

FWIW, a 14.3 gr. pellet at 20 fpe = 798 fps


JW652
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Thanks JW, that is one area I need to work on as at home I only have 25 yards of space.
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That is a MAXIMUM ALLOWED ... 20fpe So with a Crosman 14.3 ideally @ 780's

I shoot a .20 cal with 13.7's and set up at 795/800 fps making @ 19.7 ft lbs.
 
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I shot a full HFT match with 11.75 gr GTO's and did really well with them. In fact I hit most of my 40~55 yd shots. In my case I would only have scored better by not rushing some of my 15 yd shots that I missed. Knowing what I learned that day, I would shoot the GTO's again if the wind is 8 mph or less and I would shoot 14.3 or 13.4 gr if the wind was over 8 mph. The BC on the .22 GTO is nearly the same as an 8.4 in .177 at around .023 BC. The one and only place the alloy will screw you is an edge hit that would often split a JSB and still bump the paddle. The GTO will absolutely NOT shear when shot at 20 FPE.

The way I choose between the GTO and the H&N is that the GTO groups and fits the barrel exactly the same as the JSB 15.89 and the JSB 15.89 is by far the best lead pellet for my Buccaneer, although it groups 14.3 CPHP well enough that I use them for plinking with friends. If your gun shoots H&N better, try their green version.

I was a little overwhelmed trying to do the holdover math in my head. I ended up taking the simple route at the last minute by having my Zero at 20 yds giving me a nearly flat string from 17~40 yds. The only math I used from there was to aim in the lower 1/3rd of the paddle at 30 and the top 1/3rd at 40~42 yds. I forget my longer holdovers now but they might have been 2 mils @50 and 2.4mils @55. Make sure to shoot a poi card from 10~16yds the way EDNC does it at every 2 yds increment. Make sure to write those on the gun, I tried to remember and the next day I didn't.
 
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I shot a full HFT match with 11.75 gr GTO's and did really well with them. In fact I hit most of my 40~55 yd shots. In my case I would only have scored better by not rushing some of my 15 yd shots that I missed. Knowing what I learned that day, I would shoot the GTO's again if the wind is 8 mph or less and I would shoot 14.3 or 13.4 gr if the wind was over 8 mph. The BC on the .22 GTO is nearly the same as an 8.4 in .177 at around .023 BC. The one and only place the alloy will screw you is an edge hit that would often split a JSB and still bump the paddle. The GTO will absolutely NOT shear when shot at 20 FPE.

The way I choose between the GTO and the H&N is that the GTO groups and fits the barrel exactly the same as the JSB 15.89 and the JSB 15.89 is by far the best lead pellet for my Buccaneer, although it groups 14.3 CPHP well enough that I use them for plinking with friends. If your gun shoots H&N better, try their green version.

I was a little overwhelmed trying to do the holdover math in my head. I ended up taking the simple route at the last minute by having my Zero at 20 yds giving me a nearly flat string from 17~40 yds. The only math I used from there was to aim in the lower 1/3rd of the paddle at 30 and the top 1/3rd at 40~42 yds. I forget my longer holdovers now but they might have been 2 mils @50 and 2.4mils @55. Make sure to shoot a poi card from 10~16yds the way EDNC does it at every 2 yds increment. Make sure to write those on the gun, I tried to remember and the next day I didn't.
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Thanks Eddie, that is good to hear on those GTO’s, I was just looking at those earlier when I was researching no lead pellets. Interesting on the edge hits, that hadn’t occurred to me.


 
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I shot with Eddy that day and he did very well for his first match. I was impressed with the tin pellets as well. If they have a consistent/predictable wind drift I would stick with then.
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which lead-free pellets did he shoot? I'll be trying out the 11.75gr GTO's at the next FT match. They shoot within a dime at 50 yards WHEN THERE IS NO WIND. However, the wind has a significant effect on these pellets.
 
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I shot with Eddy that day and he did very well for his first match. I was impressed with the tin pellets as well. If they have a consistent/predictable wind drift I would stick with then.
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which lead-free pellets did he shoot? I'll be trying out the 11.75gr GTO's at the next FT match. They shoot within a dime at 50 yards WHEN THERE IS NO WIND. However, the wind has a significant effect on these pellets.
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I shot a full HFT match with 11.75 gr GTO's and did really well with them. In fact I hit most of my 40~55 yd shots. In my case I would only have scored better by not rushing some of my 15 yd shots that I missed. Knowing what I learned that day, I would shoot the GTO's again if the wind is 8 mph or less and I would shoot 14.3 or 13.4 gr if the wind was over 8 mph. The BC on the .22 GTO is nearly the same as an 8.4 in .177 at around .023 BC. The one and only place the alloy will screw you is an edge hit that would often split a JSB and still bump the paddle. The GTO will absolutely NOT shear when shot at 20 FPE.

The way I choose between the GTO and the H&N is that the GTO groups and fits the barrel exactly the same as the JSB 15.89 and the JSB 15.89 is by far the best lead pellet for my Buccaneer, although it groups 14.3 CPHP well enough that I use them for plinking with friends. If your gun shoots H&N better, try their green version.

I was a little overwhelmed trying to do the holdover math in my head. I ended up taking the simple route at the last minute by having my Zero at 20 yds giving me a nearly flat string from 17~40 yds. The only math I used from there was to aim in the lower 1/3rd of the paddle at 30 and the top 1/3rd at 40~42 yds. I forget my longer holdovers now but they might have been 2 mils @50 and 2.4mils @55. Make sure to shoot a poi card from 10~16yds the way EDNC does it at every 2 yds increment. Make sure to write those on the gun, I tried to remember and the next day I didn't.
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How much does a 10 shot group open up in a +/- 5mph wind at 55yd? If it's inside 3/4" when compensating for wind it should work well. 

I think Eddies issues were lack of a complete range card and inexperience. If we ever get to it he should do well with a few more matches under his belt.
 
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How much does a 10 shot group open up in a +/- 5mph wind at 55yd? If it's inside 3/4" when compensating for wind it should work well. 

I think Eddies issues were lack of a complete range card and inexperience. If we ever get to it he should do well with a few more matches under his belt.
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I would say a 5mph wind was throwing the 50yd shots off by about 2 - 3 inches. You could no longer aim just inside the kill zone and hope for the best if the wind quickly dies.
 
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How much does a 10 shot group open up in a +/- 5mph wind at 55yd? If it's inside 3/4" when compensating for wind it should work well. 

I think Eddies issues were lack of a complete range card and inexperience. If we ever get to it he should do well with a few more matches under his belt.
Click to expand...

I would say a 5mph wind was throwing the 50yd shots off by about 2 - 3 inches. You could no longer aim just inside the kill zone and hope for the best if the wind quickly dies.
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That's not terrible. The wind dieing after the pellet leaves the barrel is simply the luck of the draw. Learning a few wind calls, and more importantly learning the lulls in the wind for the conditions you're shooting will result in more X's than O's.
 
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Just noticed today that there was some new activity on this post - thought I would update. My very first match I went with the JSB 13.43s and I think my score was 18/48. Not great but to be honest I was just thrilled that I wasn’t totally skunked. After that match I tried several other pellets for accuracy and found the JSB 14.35s be the best and that was what I have stayed with, and those are shooting at about 785 fps out of my Mrod 22 for just under 20 fpe. I am continuing to improve, still learning, with nothing to write home about yet (my last match, my 3rd, I scored 30/48), but I have found I really enjoy the challenge of FT and plan to stick with my .22 for awhile. Hope this COVID19 doesn’t sideline things too long. 
 
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Have you thought about trying a slug? Wander how they would work in .22.

Keith
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No I haven’t Keith, not even sure slugs are legal for FT. A few folks have posted about experimenting with slugs in Mrods, but I don’t recall anybody with real accuracy success. Another issue, maybe, is I think the lightest slug for a .22 is about 18 grains, so to keep the fpe down under 20 I would have to throttle my speed down further causing a more loopy trajectory. Maybe the better ballistic coefficient of the slugs would make up for that to some extent, not sure.
 
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