Pellet head size

Interesting. I generally feel the same but how much the larger pellets are swaged would seem to be a possible problem. Say that in a large volume of pellets, the smallest are just right and then they range upwards from that diameter. The very largest heads would not be "exactly" the same shape as those just slightly larger than the perfect ones. They would be swaged more (more "smeared lead")? that might change accuracy and/or POI, especially if the smearing is enough to cause any flaking. Certainly not sure of this, just speculating.

But seemingly, the one factor no one wants to address, is the shooter!

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Exactly. It is the shooter that is the most crucial variable as I've always said.

Head size doesn't matter if the pellets fit snuggly--not loose--in the barrel. I wonder if shooters even think that regardless of pellet head size, whether some are a couple tenths larger or smaller than the rest, the pellets are still going to lose some of their material anyway when they are shot out of the barrel because before exit they will have gone through serious friction being dragged against the bore's internal surface, thus scrubbing off some lead (decreasing its weight) and then getting resized in the process.

My Cricket has been powered down to shoot at only 8 FPE (or 502 FPS with 16-grain pellets) and, with no intention of being arrogant, I can hit the tip of a palm leaf at 40 yards repeatedly--yes, regardless of pellet head size! (Again, as long as they are not loose-fitting.) But this is possible only because I had to spend an enormous amount of time practicing and learning in the process. And having said this, I state the above with confidence because a long time ago I too used to think that this phenomenon was a reality. But after much training, I've seen the light. 

I know there will be others who will disagree with me. To them I say I trust instead the experience I've gained from the years-long training (and continue to go through) to reveal to me the truth. There's the adage that expresses something like "time does things to a person and can change him or her." You know, experience does so too.



With genuine respect to all shooters, novice and professional,

Spinj

Let me just add this to the post above: There is training and practicing to discover the abilities and the limitations of the equipment. And then there is training and practicing to unlock what one is truly capable of. In between the two lies one very HUGE difference.



Cheers!

I was bored shooting in my basement ( off a decent rest / rear bag “Farley-bald eagle” ) with my RAW, and this is what I “know” and proven to myself HEAD SIZE DOES MATTER!

I was bored shooting in my basement ( off a decent rest / rear bag “Farley-bald eagle” ) with my RAW, and this is what I “know” and proven to myself HEAD SIZE DOES MATTER!

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Agree. But then maybe those who believe this are only on the "novice" end of the spectrum.

if you want to find out how good a shooter you are ?

or if you want to know how good your gun is with your pellets ?

i suggest you contact a club close to you on this list https://www.usairriflebenchrest.com/clubs/

and go shoot a match

i'm sure you will find it interesting and meet some new friends

Here’s something else to add to the mix that never gets brought up... there’s concentricity (which you can control to some degree) and then there’s eccentricity which you have no control over ( in the manufactured projectile) now if your perfectly concentric and perfectly eccentric projectile is still placed into lead of barrel canted or not perfectly aligned you will have deviation and inconsistency in flight which is detrimental to pure accuracy, now I know that the spin rate( mostly drag stabilized) pellet is not as influenced by this, also most pellets length to Dia. Ratio is low? I would believe that all this is even more crucial with the trend for heavier/longer projectiles for a given caliber? My 2-cents, FWIW.

In some barrels the Head / Skirtsize makes a huge different.

Best to trie with barrels that not groupe well with standart head skirt sizes.

After sizing is like a laser wih maybe 1 or 2 flyers each 10 shots