Hey, just saw that pyramydair.com has a promo today only 10% off PCPs (promo code pcp10). So I thought I might punch the ticket and get a beeman chief 2 plus in .22. Seems to have good reviews and don’t think I can pick up a 3000 psi repeater for anywhere close to $161.99 in any other model or vendor. Anyway, most of my other guns like the 14.3 Crossman premier HPs, but wanted to know if anyone had experience with this gun… Does it like them as well, if not I would like to save on shipping and grab some pellets when I check out as well. If anyone has any experience with the chief two in .22 caliber please let me know what pellets and/or slugs it likes the best. Thanks!
Beeman chief 2 plus - .22 best pellets
- Thread starter duerksenlu
- Start date
What kind of groups at what distance are you getting with your current rifles? Kinda need to know what you consider a barrel that likes the .22 cal Crosman hollow points.
Most QB pedigree barrels I’ve worked with are usually delivering at best 3/4” 5-shot groups with CPHP at 25-30 yards. Some batches are worse, more like 1” to 1.25”. Contemporary production CPHP, that is. Older ones were quite a bit better.
Bughole groups that flirt with MoA are almost exclusively the domain of JSB 15.9gr or 18.1gr.
Most QB pedigree barrels I’ve worked with are usually delivering at best 3/4” 5-shot groups with CPHP at 25-30 yards. Some batches are worse, more like 1” to 1.25”. Contemporary production CPHP, that is. Older ones were quite a bit better.
Bughole groups that flirt with MoA are almost exclusively the domain of JSB 15.9gr or 18.1gr.
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Granted, our gauntlet has a regulator, but the CPHPs can shoot darn near MOA at 100yards (it was really surprising that those cheap pellets, on a calm day, will hold tighter groups than my mkII 34 gr .25 cal out of my Hatsan at-44 long - but maybe that’s just regulated vs unregulated).
we prefer headshots on squirrels so a consistent 1” or less group out to 40 yards is ideal, knowing that we likely won’t have a shot over 30, which allows some wiggle room to compensate for field condition factors that generally hamper performance (ie - operator error, bracing off a tree rather than a bench, etc).
we prefer headshots on squirrels so a consistent 1” or less group out to 40 yards is ideal, knowing that we likely won’t have a shot over 30, which allows some wiggle room to compensate for field condition factors that generally hamper performance (ie - operator error, bracing off a tree rather than a bench, etc).
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So the QBs tend to like a heavier pellet? Or just pickier and need the higher quality/consistency of tha JSBs?
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The Gauntlet you have is a unicorn of a gun. Never get rid of that one!
You might get lucky with the Chief 2 and get squirrel brain shot accuracy at 40 yards with CPHP but 30 yards is probably a more realistic expectation. To be clear I am making a distinction between brain shot and head shot, and applying the standard that 10 trigger pulls should result in not 9 but 10 dead squirrels.
You might get lucky with the Chief 2 and get squirrel brain shot accuracy at 40 yards with CPHP but 30 yards is probably a more realistic expectation. To be clear I am making a distinction between brain shot and head shot, and applying the standard that 10 trigger pulls should result in not 9 but 10 dead squirrels.
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Just pickier I would say. Even a good Lothar Walther barrel with choke is no guarantee for 10/10 brain shots on squirrels at 40 yards with CPHP. With most batches, there will be at least one or two that will veer off and maim rather than kill. Some truly superb barrels will minimize the frequency of these apparent fliers but I’m doing my best to represent the averages to help convey a realistic expectation.
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Thanks!
Yes….QC on the cheaper mass production pellets is duly noted. And the reality is, I don’t even recall the last time we took a shot over 30…almost always in the 3 to 20 yd range where the hardest part can be nailing the distance and fighting the voice in your head that says “a 4 mildot holdover is crazy….that squirrel is so close”.
Any personal preference/experience on the JSBs (15 vs 18 gr) out of a QB type setup?
Yes….QC on the cheaper mass production pellets is duly noted. And the reality is, I don’t even recall the last time we took a shot over 30…almost always in the 3 to 20 yd range where the hardest part can be nailing the distance and fighting the voice in your head that says “a 4 mildot holdover is crazy….that squirrel is so close”.
Any personal preference/experience on the JSBs (15 vs 18 gr) out of a QB type setup?
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The 18.1gr and 15.9gr, whether JSB- or Air Arms-branded, have had about an equal chance of being the best pellet in not just QB platforms but from in pretty much any airgun in the 20 - 35fpe range. All things being equal, I usually let the energy level dictate the choice. I do a fair amount of small pest control in t 40 - 60 yard range. That’s not super far but a chipmunk or house sparrow doesn’t leave much margin if the trajectory is too loopy and I misjudge the range by 5 yards or can’t get a good reading with the rangefinder. Throw in subtle breeze and things get worse still. So I like the heavier 18.1gr if the gun can push them at 850fps or more, or the 15.9gr if the gun is less powerful. There’s some overlap between them but that’s generally how I look at it.
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Not trying to scare you but I had 2 Beeman chief 2 Rifles in a row that wouldn’t hold air. I bought them from pyramid air and it took me a long time to get my money back even after I told them that I wanted to Pay extra and buy a Benjamin fortitude gen 2 .So I had to go ahead and pay for the Benjamin and wait for a refund.Had to go through PayPal to get my money back. I don’t know why because after back-and-forth with so many emails and promises it just didn’t happen until PayPal took care of me. But even after all that said, I’m still not bashing Pyramid air and still buy from them. It was just a fluke of a bad situation. Never had a problem with pyramid air before or after that time.And also I would like to say that the Beeman was actually more accurate than my fortitude. But even expensive air guns can leak. I just had a run of bad luck for a while Because I bought a new PCP rifle off of eBay that leaked also just two months before the two from pyramid air did. But the Beeman shot the 18.1 JSB pellets accurately.
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Well, great info/feedback on the pellets.Thank you both a bunch!!!
I guess, now I need to figure out if I should take a chance on this deal or wait a few months for a Black Friday deal on another model of for QA/QC measures at Beeman to improve….
Thanks a bunch!
I guess, now I need to figure out if I should take a chance on this deal or wait a few months for a Black Friday deal on another model of for QA/QC measures at Beeman to improve….
Thanks a bunch!
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If you don’t mind spending a little more money you could look at the Benjamin Rifles that Come with a five year warranty and good customer service. If I had to do it all over again I would check out the Dar Air rifles. I’ve heard a lot of good reviews on those.
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Just got mine. Long story short. Beeman Chief 2 in any caliber with a wood stock get ready for a long wait. I settled for a Beeman Chief 2 in synthetic stock .22 cal and got it from pyramid in 3 days. Much to my surprise It comes in 3000psi and has 2 rotary mags plus 2 single shot trays. I will take the extra 1000 psi and extra rotary clip over the wood stock version any day. I like wood but I like PSI Capacity more. I took a good once over right out of the box and found that the barrel band was loose. The trigger safety sucks and it sucks more if you cock the the rifle and try to move it. I think it is somehow linked to the hammer spring. It is almost impossible to move by hand after the hammer is charged. Best to leave it off safe and treat it like a striker fired with no safety (Glock). Mags fit good as well as the single shot trays. I have not tried to pump it up yet, but I will let you know exactly how may pumps it takes to get it to 3000psi (206 bar) with a $79.00 pump I got from amazon. If you want pics or more info about this pcp air rifle let me know
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