Recently I found out that for all of you using spring air guns that the heavier the pellet the tighter your group! I went from using 7.4 grain pellets in my 177 and getting roughly an inch and a quarter at 30-40 yards. I now use some 10.5 grain cross man premiers. My groups now are roughly three quarters if an inch. About half an inch of difference is all that it takes. Also bucks the wind a little bit more and packs a bit more of a whollup.
New way to shrink group sizes with spring air rifles
- Thread starter Gshadow177
- Start date
Hi there,
I am looking into picking up a high power air rifle (Benjamin Trail NP2, advertised at1200-1500fps) for target shooting and i am looking for some advice. I want to shoot the .177 but I understand lighter pellets break the sound barrier (1125fps) and have a loud 'snap'. I am wondering if you have had any experience with a rifle that breaks the sound barrier with a light alloy pellet but stays under that barrier with a heavier pellet? also, any heavy pellets you might recommend or is it trial and error with most guns?
thanks - kevin
I am looking into picking up a high power air rifle (Benjamin Trail NP2, advertised at1200-1500fps) for target shooting and i am looking for some advice. I want to shoot the .177 but I understand lighter pellets break the sound barrier (1125fps) and have a loud 'snap'. I am wondering if you have had any experience with a rifle that breaks the sound barrier with a light alloy pellet but stays under that barrier with a heavier pellet? also, any heavy pellets you might recommend or is it trial and error with most guns?
thanks - kevin
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Hey Kevin
I have never shot a pellet gun that breaks the sound barrier. Really the only thing heard is your spring when you pull the trigger. I also gave heard that the Benjamin trail isn't all that accurate with any pellets except for the more spendy ones. I would recommend the Bejamin Titan. It has had great accuracy for a buddy of mine. And for the pellets it is really just trial and error. Some guns shoot heavy pellets better and others shoot light pellets better.I have put about 50$ into finding a pellet that actually works for my gun. If you we're wondering I have the gamo shadow and it works fairly good at long range. My gun also says 1200 fps but really I get roughly 980 at the muzzle. If you need anything else or anything is unclear let me know
I have never shot a pellet gun that breaks the sound barrier. Really the only thing heard is your spring when you pull the trigger. I also gave heard that the Benjamin trail isn't all that accurate with any pellets except for the more spendy ones. I would recommend the Bejamin Titan. It has had great accuracy for a buddy of mine. And for the pellets it is really just trial and error. Some guns shoot heavy pellets better and others shoot light pellets better.I have put about 50$ into finding a pellet that actually works for my gun. If you we're wondering I have the gamo shadow and it works fairly good at long range. My gun also says 1200 fps but really I get roughly 980 at the muzzle. If you need anything else or anything is unclear let me know
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From my experience, I have found that a heavier pellet will better withstand wind deviation resulting in better groups.
As far as breaking the sound barrier - I used to own a Ruger Air Magnum .177 rated at 1400 fps and when I shot it, it was just as loud as my Ruger 10/22 rimfire rifle. It was definitely not backyard friendly. I took it back to the store where I bought it and got a refund. Also there's a ton of articles covering what happens to a pellet and how it starts to wobble as it slows back down below the sound barrier. This will greatly affect accuracy. This isn't a problem for closer shots as the pellet will still be supersonic. But, if you decide you want to try for some longer shots this may become an issue.
I have a Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100 (950 FPS with standard 14.3gr .22) and after some trigger mods it's the most accurate break barrel rifle I've ever shot. Mine is the older version Nitro Piston and they come from the factory with the most god awful triggers. I've heard Crossman has fixed this on their NP2 (Nitro Piston version 2) rifles and now they come with a pretty good trigger.
As far as breaking the sound barrier - I used to own a Ruger Air Magnum .177 rated at 1400 fps and when I shot it, it was just as loud as my Ruger 10/22 rimfire rifle. It was definitely not backyard friendly. I took it back to the store where I bought it and got a refund. Also there's a ton of articles covering what happens to a pellet and how it starts to wobble as it slows back down below the sound barrier. This will greatly affect accuracy. This isn't a problem for closer shots as the pellet will still be supersonic. But, if you decide you want to try for some longer shots this may become an issue.
I have a Benjamin Trail NP XL 1100 (950 FPS with standard 14.3gr .22) and after some trigger mods it's the most accurate break barrel rifle I've ever shot. Mine is the older version Nitro Piston and they come from the factory with the most god awful triggers. I've heard Crossman has fixed this on their NP2 (Nitro Piston version 2) rifles and now they come with a pretty good trigger.
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I have the Benjamin trail NP. I cant seem to get consistent hits, they are every where. At about 25 yard, i'v tried 3 different pellets. I'll start hitting good for a bit, get the scope sighted in and then, it goes crazy again. Im new to air guns so Im not giving the Trail a bad review, but just sharing my experience. Mabey Im doing something wrong. Oh and every time I shoot it seems to get worse...lol. I used loc tight on all the screws to keep them from backing out, that did help a bit
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Hi just.neil. I've tried using the quote button but it doesn't work for me for some reason. LoL.
Anyway, you may have already thought of these things but I thought I'd offer some ideas that may fix the problem with your Benjamin Trail NP.
- Crossman puts pretty cheap scope mount rings on their Benjamin Trial rifles. I forgot to mention in previous posts that on my Benjamin Trail, 2 of the ring cap screws came from Crossman already stripped. I scrapped the aluminum rings that came with my Benjamin and bought a set of Weaver steel scope mount rings.
- Second, if you're not already, try using the artillery hold when you shoot. Many break barrel rifles shoot better with the artillery hold. You may have to adjust you scope POI once you start using it. I would try to explain it but I'm sure I'd screw it up. LoL. So, here's a link to a video that explains it pretty good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOYSU5Lq7oA
Anyway, you may have already thought of these things but I thought I'd offer some ideas that may fix the problem with your Benjamin Trail NP.
- Crossman puts pretty cheap scope mount rings on their Benjamin Trial rifles. I forgot to mention in previous posts that on my Benjamin Trail, 2 of the ring cap screws came from Crossman already stripped. I scrapped the aluminum rings that came with my Benjamin and bought a set of Weaver steel scope mount rings.
- Second, if you're not already, try using the artillery hold when you shoot. Many break barrel rifles shoot better with the artillery hold. You may have to adjust you scope POI once you start using it. I would try to explain it but I'm sure I'd screw it up. LoL. So, here's a link to a video that explains it pretty good.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fOYSU5Lq7oA
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Thanks for the advise! I have been using the artillery hold and it seem to work better than holding the gun tight. I am going to order some different pellets today, maybe I can find the one that my gun loves. I will get some new scope rings too. hopefully the rings will help. thought about buying the gt3 trigger, but I really don't mind the long pull.
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