.25cal 33 grain king heavy speeds for 100yd bench-rest?
- Thread starter Hottdogghands
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I shoot them at 965 fps with a 1in 24 twist liner. Hundred yard hole cutter. Faster does shoot little better but the slightest breeze will catch the skirt and throw them off. From 900 to 965 the bc stays lowest with this pellet.
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Yup, over the past two years there has been a real "speed fetish" for pellets. MOST of the new(er) shooters getting into PCP airguns see these high(er) speeds and never even try lower... It's a shame really since there are so many benefits to shooting at a lower (850 to 890 fps) with the great majority of pellets.
Recent example: shooting AEA 45 grain in .30 caliber from a 700mm FX slow twist 1:40 liner. Shot RMAC at 875 fps and had practiced at that speed for a while prior. Then recently was shooting 900 to 920 fps, then tried higher (some say AEA at 960 fps in .30 is best), and found while accurate, wind stability wasn't good. Adjusted gun for 880 to 885 fps and it was magic (even better than 870 to 875 fps). Just as, if not more accurate than at higher speeds, and wind stability was MUCH better...
Even some of the very best shooters have decided slower is better, like Keith Gibson shooting AEA 50.5 at 907 fps at RMAC, and some others shooting .30 pellets under 900 fps that made the finals. Like I said above, I shot my gun at 870 to 875 fps at RMAC and had the high aggregate qualification score in my relay (20 shooters). Didn't do great in the Finals, but that was me, not the gun or ammo...
My point in this is don't immediately jump on high speeds, as least give slower speeds a try. You might be pleasantly surprised.
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Thank you for the remainder,I can't help ilike shooting flatter trajectory. You right about the pellets being more accurate in the windy conditions. Here in tn,there's not alot of wind late in the afternoon,and at dark most time there's none. I've not made it to a match as of yet,but I'm getting my stuff together. Next year I'll make it. Maybe I'll be a good enough shooter to qualify. I did shoot this target in my yard at 100 yards couple days ago. Not my best one,but inside of the green is close to the 9 ring on the fx targets. I done this in 22 caliber with my crown saying that my panthera and impact m3 are more accurate. I shot this target at 965fps two day ago. It's not close to my best ones either. Maybe I'll get to shoot against you one day. We'll see what speeds work the best. Good day. When I get home I'm gonna slow some 30 caliber down in the 800s and just see. I shoot every afternoon when I have ammo. Waiting now on a shipment of aea 50.5 grain pellets.
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How much "flatter" do you think it is shooting 50 fps difference at 100 yards...? Its much less than you think.
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I'm gonna start some 44.8 grain at 850 this afternoon and go up group by group. I've found they like 930 alot,but I'm gonna see about slower being better. I have 6mph cross wind today. Good shooting conditions. I fell the quicker it can get there the less drift I'll have to judge each shot,less seems like the better choice. Maybe the 800s are better,but at rmac this year people was shooting the aea50 at 950ish. It was a wind storm there and they where still going straight. I got a tin to try slower. I'm shooting a 26in tjs barrel in 30 caliber on my impact m3. It seems to shoot better faster. Maybe I should put the 600mm 1in40 twist barrel on to try this 800s speed.
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I shot three rounds at RMAC this year, the two qualification rounds in Relay 4 (#1), and then the finals. NO ONE'S pellets were flying straight in the wind. NONE. Yes, Relay 1 in 2nd qual round shot in a windstorm - only one Pro shooter of 20 broke 200.
SOME were shooting the AEA 50.5 at 950 ish. SOME were shooting them at 900 ish. SOME were shooting the JSB 44.75 at 880 ish. I was shooting the AEA 45 at 875 ish. All of our pellets were affected by the wind. The AEA 50.5 less than the JSB 44.75 for sure, and slightly better than the AEA 45.
Faster meaning less wind drift is an old wives' tale that many buy into. Kinda like the moon is made of Swiss cheese or the Earth is flat. Use the search feature on AGN and there are MANY posts explaining why faster doesn't mean less wind drift. Look at posts done by a true expert in the field, Miles @Ballisticboy.
What I am NOT saying is that if faster is more accurate you should still shoot slower. Accuracy trumps all else, so whatever speed is most accurate is your number. But all else being equal, slower is usually better for 100Y BR.
SOME were shooting the AEA 50.5 at 950 ish. SOME were shooting them at 900 ish. SOME were shooting the JSB 44.75 at 880 ish. I was shooting the AEA 45 at 875 ish. All of our pellets were affected by the wind. The AEA 50.5 less than the JSB 44.75 for sure, and slightly better than the AEA 45.
Faster meaning less wind drift is an old wives' tale that many buy into. Kinda like the moon is made of Swiss cheese or the Earth is flat. Use the search feature on AGN and there are MANY posts explaining why faster doesn't mean less wind drift. Look at posts done by a true expert in the field, Miles @Ballisticboy.
What I am NOT saying is that if faster is more accurate you should still shoot slower. Accuracy trumps all else, so whatever speed is most accurate is your number. But all else being equal, slower is usually better for 100Y BR.
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When I started shooting a .30 just to see what it was capable of compared to my .25 shooting 33.95’s, I asked a member here who shoots competitively what speed should I shoot them. He said around 875. So I did. But of course the American male in me had to try them all the way up to warp drive. Actually stayed at 920fps for a while with that FX barrel. But wound up back at 870-875fps. Without over scrutiny because I’m mainly a slug guy, I was just better over the course of a full tin at that speed. May have been what Centercut was eluding to. Either way, test, test, test. Then test again.
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You exactly right,yesterday's 850 to 900 fps shooting looked like a buck shot round. My guns seem to like me to shoot them faster. Why change when I'm cutting a tiny hole with 5 shots at hundred. Yesterday was windy also. I shot aea45 grain,fx 44.8 and some jsb 50 grain pellets. The fx at 930 fps done the best. I'm out of aea50 grain,waiting on shipment to come. The 45 grain aea shot ok at 930 to 950 but at 875 they drifted so much that accuracy was scarce. I'm going try the aea50 grain at 875 when they get here. Then gonna jack them up to 950ish. How fast was the Mr. Simmons shooting the 50s at rmac?
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You must be a really good shooter to make it all three rounds. Really you experience is the reason I'm trying new speeds looking for that magic. I feel I already have the tool and settings that good enough to win. I'm gonna shoot a target with these 50 grain aea pellets when they come in. I'll post it. My 30 caliber shooting is alot better than the 22 caliber. I use the 22 to practice with. I don't have very much trigger time trying to look at a flag with one eye and thru the scope with the other eye timing my shots for conditions. I'm getting better ,but not where I want to be at it. The wind indicator I have is not the best either,then I have 3 other flags watching for them all to be the same,while doing all that,my rear bag has to be just exact also. So , if you have any 30 caliber lead your not ever gonna shoot,I'd like to purchase it if it's quality ammo. Next year I'll be able to make a match. Just got my tanks yesterday. Told you I was getting my stuff together,well I am little bit each week.
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I had tried the AEA 50s in my Paradigm at 898fps and they didn't do that great. I don't now what speed works for those yet. Next time I use them I will try around 825fps. Who knows, until you try.
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12 lanes at my 100 M range in my gunclub is surrounded with tall threes, the pulsing wind enters from above and swirls inside that "canyon".
Several times I placed 2 or 3 wind flags along the distance, always all of them shows different direction and pulse.
The 200-300 range is right next to this one, same tall threes, even my 308 pb I can see some offsets.
No wind less days at my place so I gave up with the hassle of learning it, just praying the projectile would do a better job.
The .25 pellets definitely not working well with that my 100 M setup, testing the .22 longer slugs right now if that would improve any better.
Kind a sorry to scrap my 3 barrels + 6 liners to go again trying a new .30 cal pellets, when I recalculate my total costs so far I could do better with an other BR dedicated gun BNIB.
Several times I placed 2 or 3 wind flags along the distance, always all of them shows different direction and pulse.
The 200-300 range is right next to this one, same tall threes, even my 308 pb I can see some offsets.
No wind less days at my place so I gave up with the hassle of learning it, just praying the projectile would do a better job.
The .25 pellets definitely not working well with that my 100 M setup, testing the .22 longer slugs right now if that would improve any better.
Kind a sorry to scrap my 3 barrels + 6 liners to go again trying a new .30 cal pellets, when I recalculate my total costs so far I could do better with an other BR dedicated gun BNIB.
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My crown 600mm 1in22 twist shoots the 45 grain aea at 886. That's the speed I shoot them out that gun cause they go straight in each other's hole time and time again. With my impact m3 it'll not shoot them as accurate at that speed. It likes them above 950. Each gun is different and will shoot best at a certain speed. What I consider accurate the next person may not. I shoot everyday when I have lead,so I don't mind trying different speeds if somebody that is experienced says it's better. Today,I'm talking on here wondering what I'm gonna shoot when I get home from work. Yesterday's test was a bust, but may not be when my aea50 grains get here. Thanks for all the info. Have a good rest of the day. I got elevators to make. Bye.
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I forgot to mention that the twist rate on the 30 cal8ber 600mm liner I shoot is alot slower than 1in 40 twist. Maybe that's why they shoot so much better at faster speeds. Yesterday I shoot some jsb 50.15 grain pellets at 865,875,888,and 900 fps. They didn't do good at any of those speeds in my gun. Don't think the pellet is really made right. I wouldn't recommend those pellets to anybody,but the 44 grain jsb done good at 900fps. At 926 it done better,done so well there's really no reason for me to try any other speeds. Now all I need to do is find 10 tins cheap.
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