Best and Worst Cheap Pellets
- Thread starter Sawney Bean
- Start date
Only JTS I have tried are the 18.8gr wadcutters and they are fantastic out of the notos. Going about 670-680fps
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I still have a few thousand of the brown box CP pellets. The results are from average to excellent in different rifles. The JSB pellets shoot very well in every rifle of mine. I shoot them straight from the tin, whereas the Crosman Premier pellets are packed with so much lead dust that you really need to wash and lube them. I've tried only a couple of the cheap stuff found in most retail stores, and they were garbage. It's been so long that I can't remember what they were.
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The Wal Mart Crosman domes used to be different. They were shinier. They shot like crap. Just like the Wal Mart CPHP's. When you ordered the Premeir Ultra Magnums from PA They were a dull color by comparison and shot much better.
A few months back something changed. They are all shiny. The "Ultra Magnums" didn't shoot quite as good. And the domes at Wal Mart disappeared. Only hollow points.
Now there is very little difference between them. The Wal Mart CPHP's seem to shoot better. And the domes are exactly the same as CPHP.
The price at Wal Mart is $6.99 for a tin of 500. You can't get the domes in the store or on the internet from Wal Mart. And the Crosman Domes from Pyramid are different than they used to be. Almost twice the price as Wal Mart. As far as I can tell they both shoot pretty good. The CPHP a little better than before. The premium domes a little worse.
I still buy the "premium Ultra magnum domes" from Pyramid. But in my rifles I can't see much difference between them and the Wal Mart pellets.
The lead dust in the tin has been no problem for me. The graphene coating is a mess on fingers and in the bore. But they are still the best value IMHO whether you buy the CPHP from Wal Mart @ $7 a tin or from Pyramid at 11.59 a tin. They all seem to shoot about the same.
A few months back something changed. They are all shiny. The "Ultra Magnums" didn't shoot quite as good. And the domes at Wal Mart disappeared. Only hollow points.
Now there is very little difference between them. The Wal Mart CPHP's seem to shoot better. And the domes are exactly the same as CPHP.
The price at Wal Mart is $6.99 for a tin of 500. You can't get the domes in the store or on the internet from Wal Mart. And the Crosman Domes from Pyramid are different than they used to be. Almost twice the price as Wal Mart. As far as I can tell they both shoot pretty good. The CPHP a little better than before. The premium domes a little worse.
I still buy the "premium Ultra magnum domes" from Pyramid. But in my rifles I can't see much difference between them and the Wal Mart pellets.
The lead dust in the tin has been no problem for me. The graphene coating is a mess on fingers and in the bore. But they are still the best value IMHO whether you buy the CPHP from Wal Mart @ $7 a tin or from Pyramid at 11.59 a tin. They all seem to shoot about the same.
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I wonder if that's a state or region thing. Because, in every Walmart that I have down here in Florida that I have been to there has been CPHP pellets in stock
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I know what you mean. I did not have good luck with the Crosman pointed pellets either. Fortunately I tried the CPHPs first and knew they were good. Definitely give them a try.
Yes those P17s are great shooters and not pellet picky.
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The CPHP's are always available. It's the domes that they don't have. And the domes are different now from the old "premiums". At least in this area...
They don't even have the domes on the website. At least they didn't as of a few days ago.
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What happened to the dies that Beeman sold years ago. I used them in 177 and they made so-so pellets decent shooters. Be Well Brothers, Bandito.
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My shooting buddy is a man of many faults. One of them is being a tightwad. A gouger. A good old fashioned cheapskate.
He only shoots Wal Mart CPHP pellets. He will buy one tin at a time and gripe about having to make a trip to Wal Mart. Then gripe because he had to ask them to open the locked display case. Then he gripes that 10 years ago they were only $4.99.
Once in a while I'll finish a tin of pellets and grab one of his for another shot. You can tell he is putting that pellet on my tab he keeps in his thrifty little mind.
Sometimes I grab a handfull when he isn't looking. He thinks Crosman is shorting him pellets. He's mad as hell if his "count" is off. He ponders litigation often.
I've stolen enough of those cheap pellets to know they shoot pretty good. I can't tell them from the domes. I haven't patterned them on paper. But they seem to be as accurate as the domes. And I get a kick out of pilfering them just to see him get upset.
So the CPHP from Wal Mart are cheap, fairly accurate and fun to steal. They cause suspicion and doubt. Sometimes outright anger.
They are truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Though I have never purchased them I can say that Wal Mart CPHP pellets are the very best value on the market today!
He only shoots Wal Mart CPHP pellets. He will buy one tin at a time and gripe about having to make a trip to Wal Mart. Then gripe because he had to ask them to open the locked display case. Then he gripes that 10 years ago they were only $4.99.
Once in a while I'll finish a tin of pellets and grab one of his for another shot. You can tell he is putting that pellet on my tab he keeps in his thrifty little mind.
Sometimes I grab a handfull when he isn't looking. He thinks Crosman is shorting him pellets. He's mad as hell if his "count" is off. He ponders litigation often.
I've stolen enough of those cheap pellets to know they shoot pretty good. I can't tell them from the domes. I haven't patterned them on paper. But they seem to be as accurate as the domes. And I get a kick out of pilfering them just to see him get upset.
So the CPHP from Wal Mart are cheap, fairly accurate and fun to steal. They cause suspicion and doubt. Sometimes outright anger.
They are truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Though I have never purchased them I can say that Wal Mart CPHP pellets are the very best value on the market today!
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It's all dependent on your gun. My Notos and my Airacuda Max do not like CPHP. When I "cheez out" on price H&N is what I usually buy. The 2 dollar difference is meager and they shoot pretty well.
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I used to think h&n was cheaper, but in reality you're getting less memo for a "cheaper" price. But in reality they're even more expensive than the FX is, and just barely edge out JSB, at least in .22
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I’ve got two Notos, one with C88 gear, the other stock. They both shoot CPHPs well, though not as good as the 15.9 Atomics. The CPHPs shoot like a champ out of the DAR and Airacuda too… but again, the Atomics are better in both.
In all cases, they seem to shoot to the same POI at 50’… so that’s about all the kids and I shoot in the house. I ran across an old stash of the brown box premiers last week when I dug out stuff to rebuild the .22 Disco. I couldn’t tell the difference between those and the Walmart CPHPs out to 25-30 yards.
The 18 grain Baracudas have been very solid across the board in all my .22 cal rifles, but the best has been the 18 grain JTS.
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I would agree, Daisy is the worst, although I've had no luck whatsoever with RWS pointed either.
The best, that's easy, I have 4 .22's that all love JSB/FX/AA 18.1 gr.
The best, that's easy, I have 4 .22's that all love JSB/FX/AA 18.1 gr.
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With the HW97k I like to shoot long strings at paper to check consistency. Sometimes 25-30 shots on the same dot @ 25 yards.
The CP domes will print a darn good pattern but with many fliers going into the weeds. The good ones are really good. The bad ones are bad.
The H&N FTT 14.3 will all go into the same ragged hole. No flyers. But the group isn't as tight as the "good" Crosmans. They are just all very close together.
The JSB 15.89 shoot good for me. The patterns are tiny. But you get a couple fliers. And there are often a lot of bent skirts. My "fliers" may be damaged pellets I just didn't see. Once in a while the flyers are really wild. But the JSB's that land on the dot are really close. The best potential pellet I've shot so far.
I got a tin of FX. I was told they were rebranded JSB. I haven't shot many. I don't see any bent skirts (so far). I'm hoping they will all be "good JSB's".
Now lets talk plinking...
The JSB seem to hold together at range better than Crosman or H&N. They are a longer pellet. It makes sense they may hold stability longer. But you pay a bunch more for that.
At range the Crosmans start getting wild about 45-50. H&N about 55-60 and the JSB about 65-70.
You could probably sort and weigh them all and get great results with any of them. I shoot the H&N in my scoped rifles because of the consistency. But past 60 yards you can hit more shotgun shells with the JSB. You just have to cull the bent skirts in some tins.
When I run out I shoot crosmans. You can hit shotgun shells out to 50 yards nicely. Hardly ever a miss. Past that the pattern opens up and misses get more frequent.
I get about the same results in the Hatsan. It's certainly not as accurate as the HW but the results are about the same at range. The crosmans open up at a shorter range and the JSBs go out a little farther.
Still a Crosman pellet in the Hatsan will hit a beer can at 80 yards almost every time. And a shotgun shell at 40. So even with a budget rifle and Wal Mart pellets the accuracy is not bad.
The CP domes will print a darn good pattern but with many fliers going into the weeds. The good ones are really good. The bad ones are bad.
The H&N FTT 14.3 will all go into the same ragged hole. No flyers. But the group isn't as tight as the "good" Crosmans. They are just all very close together.
The JSB 15.89 shoot good for me. The patterns are tiny. But you get a couple fliers. And there are often a lot of bent skirts. My "fliers" may be damaged pellets I just didn't see. Once in a while the flyers are really wild. But the JSB's that land on the dot are really close. The best potential pellet I've shot so far.
I got a tin of FX. I was told they were rebranded JSB. I haven't shot many. I don't see any bent skirts (so far). I'm hoping they will all be "good JSB's".
Now lets talk plinking...
The JSB seem to hold together at range better than Crosman or H&N. They are a longer pellet. It makes sense they may hold stability longer. But you pay a bunch more for that.
At range the Crosmans start getting wild about 45-50. H&N about 55-60 and the JSB about 65-70.
You could probably sort and weigh them all and get great results with any of them. I shoot the H&N in my scoped rifles because of the consistency. But past 60 yards you can hit more shotgun shells with the JSB. You just have to cull the bent skirts in some tins.
When I run out I shoot crosmans. You can hit shotgun shells out to 50 yards nicely. Hardly ever a miss. Past that the pattern opens up and misses get more frequent.
I get about the same results in the Hatsan. It's certainly not as accurate as the HW but the results are about the same at range. The crosmans open up at a shorter range and the JSBs go out a little farther.
Still a Crosman pellet in the Hatsan will hit a beer can at 80 yards almost every time. And a shotgun shell at 40. So even with a budget rifle and Wal Mart pellets the accuracy is not bad.
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I’ll be reporting in. I bought every model of Apolo pellets they make in 22. I’ll be testing them with my Atomic.
They are the dirtiest pellets I’ve ever washed. They use a heavy release agent also.
I’m starting with those two. I also have the hollow points (14.3gr and 18gr) they have been washed and are drying. I should be tumbling those tomorrow.
They are the dirtiest pellets I’ve ever washed. They use a heavy release agent also.
I’m starting with those two. I also have the hollow points (14.3gr and 18gr) they have been washed and are drying. I should be tumbling those tomorrow.
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What's your tumbling process? What media do you use? Do you dress the pellets with wax or chain lube? Lemon pledge?
One night I dreamed of a place where $h!tty pellets turned to gold if you tumbled them in Bore Butter. When I woke I wondered if this place really existed. I've been wondering since.
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I hand tumble in a microfiber towel like @hatefulmcnasty
It really helps get all the dust and debris out of them. Any rag will do, darker color is more useful to see all the junk that comes out.
I just started experimenting with lubricant. I have bike chain wax on my CPD’s. I’m going to try pledge next.
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