JSB Monster (Redesigned) .22

Not all pellets over 900 become unstable. The 25 grain JSB in 25 cal shoot out of the cricket or Vulcan or any other guns between 900-950 FPS. The redesigned 22’s should have as high a BC as the 25 cal JSB’s making them as good as the 25 cal. 

From experience I can give a very favorable impression of the redesigned Monsters compared to the originals, even at much lower velocities than I would normally prefer

https://www.gatewaytoairguns.org/GTA/index.php?topic=136347

Indeed for long range work, the problem that arises is velocity decays much, much faster than the spin rate (RPM), so there is a greater opportunity for the pellet to become unstable at a distance. That’s a topic that gets touched on in the link above.

Ultimately it’s something that just has to be tried. At a minimum, it is dependent on the barrel’s twist rate and the pellets’ uniformity.

My .22 Sumatra rifle shoots great to 100 yards with 18.1 grain JSBs at 988 FPS / 39.3 foot-pounds. Matter of fact it co-holds the record of 33/40 in our 60-100 yard Bench-rest Silhouette competitions (we shoot 1/10 scale, airgun-sized silhouettes). The Sumatra did not shoot heavier JSBs well (at 850-900 FPS), and the 18.1s were tried as a last resort without dialing the power down. It averages 1.2 - 1.4" six-shot groups at 100 yards with the 18.1s at 988 FPS. As excerpted from Airgun Chronicles- Thirty Years of Airgun Testing and Competition-

6/4/2017- As tuned above with 18.1’s it won the 60-100 yard BR silhouette match with a 33/40.  

6/8/2017- Eleven consecutive 6 shot groups at 50 yards with 18.1’s averaged .62” c-t-c (gusty).

6/8/2017- Five consecutive 6 shot groups at 50 yards with 18.1’s averaged .58” c-t-c. (still winds)

7/12/2017- Five consecutive 6 shot groups at 50 yards with 18.1 JSBs averaged .51” c-t-c.

2/1/8/2018- Six consecutive 6 shot groups at 50 yards with 18.1 JSBs averaged .54” c-t-c.

The reason some guns keep the pellet stable over 900 fps is usually because it has a poly barrel. My RedWolf hp .22 will shoot them at 1000 and still be stable.

Is the Bantam a direct swap with a RW barrel then? or does it require machining?

It would require machining. It's not even the same company. You don't need a Red Wolf barrel. You need a LW barrel blank machined to drop into your rifle. Order the barrel length & thickness you want from LW. Take it to a gunsmith. He'll machine it to match your reciever. If your rifle can push heavy .22's over 900fps a polygonal can show better groups.

All the science. I've seen 2 Ruger Air Magnums shoot 1" groups at 50 yards with Crosman 10.5's & they had to be going between 1000 & 1100fps as every 7.9 cracked as loud as high velocity .22LR's. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. Competitions are a bang my head against a wall game I'd never want to enter. With the weighing, the sorting, the sizing, the rolling, the UGHRGHGHR. I shoot to relax, not compete. 

I want to try these heavy .22's out of my 60ftlb Rainstorm. I'll let you know if it likes em or not. 33% improvement over JSB 18.1's is something that caught my interest.

The difference with getting a LW polygonal rifled blank is that the twist will be 1:17.7 not the Red Wolf’s 1:16 twist.