Best and Worst Cheap Pellets

[Just Zack 2]

What's your tumbling process? What media do you use? Do you dress the pellets with wax or chain lube? Lemon pledge?

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.

Don't use Bore Butter... Crisco! Slap a handful in yer cast iron skillet and bring up to temp. Toss in a handful of pellys, give a quick swirl and a dash of seasoning. Once brown scoop 'em up, damp off and serve with buttermilk ranch

Kidding aside, H&N FTT's (4.52mm) can be found for under $.02 a shot if searched around for. For their consistency, they're hard to beat when you need to make a shout count and you count your shots. Don't get me wrong, I've got bunches of cheaper pellets and some much more expensive pellets... I often plink with the cheap stuff and do "business" with the more expensive. It's all cheaper than shooting the pb's

 

[Chief Ten-Beers]

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.

I keep tellin Ya'll, NORMA $5.99 per 250.

 

[Vana2]

Interesting read with people having different experiences with the same products. Think that there's other factors at play.

I have a variety of airguns with different performance capabilities. Some very accurate at the ranges that I shoot at and some not so good. I test to find the best pellet and shot to determine what the maximum effective range (sub-1 inch groups) is. To keep things simple I've standardized on JSBs and test other brands against them.

With unsorted, straight from the tin shooting the JSBs do well in most of my airguns with a couple preferring other brands (H&N, JTS, AA) and Crosman usually doing the worst. That being said, Crosman pellets that shot terribly straight from the tin shoot quite well when sorted.

Something is strange with Crosman pellets, some calibers/styles/weights are good others are sinker larva. Used to be that the Crosmans were a good deal for casual shooting, now the prices are close the more premium pellets but the quality hasn't followed the price increase. I don't buy them anymore.

IMHO, for general plinking, pesting and hunting at sub 30 yards, most reasonable quality pellets will shoot adequately without any fuss.

If you punch paper for scoring or are into shooting for small groups then you are talking about sorting and pellet choice (along with tune) becomes more critical.

Found that once you go beyond 30-35 yards, guns, tunes and pellets that shot good groups at closer range start to fall apart fast. Think that this is why some people are getting good results (at 25 yards) with a particular pellet but others who shot at over 35 yards are seeing poor groups.

Cheers!

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Most handgun bullets perform well at 25. Few will fly into the same spot at 50. The premium handgun bullets fly true past 100.

Most rifle bullets today are crap. A good bullet flies 150. A top of the line flies 500.

I see the same pattern with pellets. Most will shoot pretty close at 25. Some at 50. Only the best fly true past that point.

Cast lead is difficult. In an automated process with good control you can get fairly good projectiles. It's easy to screw up. It's both an art and a science. It's also not the best way to make accurate projectiles.

Cold swaged copper plated projectiles are better than lead. They fly truer. They leave no lead in the barrel. The ideal airgun pellet would be a swaged slug copper plated. If we had that type of projectile they would all fly 150 yards just like a cheap rifle bullet.

I think this is the future of airgun ammo. Cast projectiles just don't fill the bill at today's PCP speeds and ranges.

Sooner or later the premium pellets will be longer, copper plated and be drawn from a cold swaged wire. Then we will be griping about the cheap ones going wacko at 150 yards instead of 50.

 

[Coinwa]

Most rifle bullets today are crap. A good bullet flies 150. A top of the line flies 500.

Another doozie…..

 

[bustachip]

Benjamin 750 count tin 7.9 gn hollow points shot pretty good from my 97K, I think these are available at walmart. Cheapest from years ago were crosman copperheads shaped like a trash can and hard as a brick..lol. They came in a plastic box that you could clip on your belt.
RWS Hobbies shot pretty good from my guns, but the superdomes were all shotgun patterns.
My goto pellets are QYS and JSB in my 97K and prosport, nothing has bested them yet. I haven't bought any Walmart pellets lately so I can't say other than those Benjamins.

 

[JBHC]

Favorites..Turman, Cubex (Can't get them anymore), Barefoot and Okies.

Least Favorite(Actually, I have a passionate HATE for)......New England, Maine Wood Pellets and Inferno!

 

[Caliber 22]

If you really want to shoot big shotgun patterns with an air rifle at 25 meter use Marksman pellets from UK, it will not disappoint. They are so cheerful they dance all over the target.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

The QYS are a pellet mentioned a lot. I've never shot them. I see they are only available in .177?

With so many different brands coming out it reminds me of pb projectiles. Some may be fine for short range. Most just aren't constructed to remain stable at long distance. The market is largely geared to guys plinking and shooting fast at close range rather than for top accuracy at distance.

For most shooters they never really know the difference at the ranges they shoot. Farther out the quality and balance becomes obvious.

It's the same with bargain pellets. For a projectile that shines at range it simply cost more to produce. That's unimportant to most guys shooting most guns. For many of us that shoot rifles with a good potential for accuracy it matters a lot. You can really see the difference between a quality pellet and one that is cheaply constructed.

We are all looking for the one that costs less and flies true. Again, like rifle bullets, we may find that for top accuracy we are going to have to buy the good stuff. For plinking or shooting at 25 yards some cheap pellets may be just fine.

 

[Coinwa]

With so many different brands coming out it reminds me of pb projectiles. Some may be fine for short range. Most just aren't constructed to remain stable at long distance. The market is largely geared to guys plinking and shooting fast at close range rather than for top accuracy at distance.

You have absolutely NO idea what you’re talking about…. but by all means, please keep doubling-down.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

You have absolutely NO idea what you’re talking about…. but by all means, please keep doubling-down.

Exactly what do you disagree with?

Can you make a point that refutes anything ive posted?

You are simply trolling for a conflict again. That's a child's game. I don't argue with children.

 

[Coinwa]

Exactly what do you disagree with?

Can you make a point that refutes anything ive posted?

You are simply trolling for a conflict again. That's a child's game. I don't argue with children.

With so many different brands coming out it reminds me of pb projectiles. Some may be fine for short range. Most just aren't constructed to remain stable at long distance. The market is largely geared to guys plinking and shooting fast at close range rather than for top accuracy at distance.

For most shooters they never really know the difference at the ranges they shoot. Farther out the quality and balance becomes obvious.

Well, since you asked….

Your statement about PB projectiles is WAY off base, and it carries over into the Airgun slug world… and even pellets.

Nearly everything developed over the past 20 years for PB (and air guns) is designed around more stable long range projectiles. Slugs in the Airgun world, and VLD bullets in the pb world.

Heck… Berger has built an entire business around VLD projectiles. Hornady’s Amax and ELD lines are their most popular pills. Look at the slug industry, it’s designed 100% around projectiles that are designed to be “stable at longer ranges”.

The 6.5 Creed… the world’s hottest selling round for the past decade, is built around efficient projectiles that stay stable well beyond sane ranges. That’s where the current “market is largely geared to”. Almost every caliber from .223 to .300’s is now made with a faster twist barrel to stabilize longer, slicker, more efficient projectiles.

Why do we have all the FX slug liners? So you can shoot longer slicker slugs that buck wind better and retain energy better.

Seriously man, if you don’t know how off base you are… take 10 minutes and look it up.

It’s not trolling to point out something so egregiously erroneous.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Well, since you asked….

Your statement about PB projectiles is WAY off base, and it carries over into the Airgun slug world… and even pellets.

Nearly everything developed over the past 20 years for PB (and air guns) is designed around more stable long range projectiles. Slugs in the Airgun world, and VLD billets in the pb world.

Heck… Berger has built an entire business around VLD projectiles. Hornady’s Amax and ELD lines are their most popular pills. Look at the slug industry, it’s designed 100% around projectiles that are designed to be “stable at longer ranges”.

The 6.5 Creed… the world’s hottest selling round for the past decade, is built around efficient projectiles that stay stable well beyond sane ranges. That’s where the current “market is largely geared to”. Almost every caliber from .223 to .300’s is now made with a faster twist barrel to stabilize longer, slicker, more efficient projectiles.

Why do we have all the FX slug liners? So you can shoot longer slicker slugs that buck wind better and retain energy better.

Seriously man, if you don’t know how off base you are… take 10 minutes and look it up.

It’s not trolling to point out something so egregiously erroneous.

All factual. But just not my point. Nor does it refute any point that I made.

Context "Coinwa". That seems to be something that evades you.

Thanks!

 

[Coinwa]

In what context were you correct?

 

[Bedrock Bob]

In what context were you correct?

The "I don't argue with children" part.

 

[Moderator3]

Gentlemen, stop the bickering. Troll behavior is not permitted on AGN.

 

[bustachip]

The QYS are a pellet mentioned a lot. I've never shot them. I see they are only available in .177?

With so many different brands coming out it reminds me of pb projectiles. Some may be fine for short range. Most just aren't constructed to remain stable at long distance. The market is largely geared to guys plinking and shooting fast at close range rather than for top accuracy at distance.

For most shooters they never really know the difference at the ranges they shoot. Farther out the quality and balance becomes obvious.

It's the same with bargain pellets. For a projectile that shines at range it simply cost more to produce. That's unimportant to most guys shooting most guns. For many of us that shoot rifles with a good potential for accuracy it matters a lot. You can really see the difference between a quality pellet and one that is cheaply constructed.

We are all looking for the one that costs less and flies true. Again, like rifle bullets, we may find that for top accuracy we are going to have to buy the good stuff. For plinking or shooting at 25 yards some cheap pellets may be just fine.

I think I'm the only one that mentions QYS..lol. A lot of people don't want them because they're Chinese made and I get it. But these just happen to fit my bores perfect and fly true, so I'm going to shoot what shoots best in my rifles. I don't have a problem with Chinese people, I know some that are awesome. The communist party is what I don't like. Love the QYS though. So go ahead and grill me..lol.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

I think I'm the only one that mentions QYS..lol. A lot of people don't want them because they're Chinese made and I get it. But these just happen to fit my bores perfect and fly true, so I'm going to shoot what shoots best in my rifles. I don't have a problem with Chinese people, I know some that are awesome. The communist party is what I don't like. Love the QYS though. So go ahead and grill me..lol.

Whatever spices up your egg roll! I wouldn't care if they were marketed by the Sinaloa Cartel if they shot well in my rifle.

There are no communist pellets. Only communist governments.

I was having trouble with my HW95 a few days ago. Couldn't hit a thing. I figured I'd scrambled another scope. I took it out and put it on paper. 30 shots 30 yards off a camera tripod. H&N FTT's.

I chronographed every shot. I am getting lots of variance in velocity. The low shot only 609 fps. The left shot was a rogue gust of wind. The rest were all over the map from 640-609. I think I'm having seal/spring issues again. Still the pellets fly pretty close together. And the scope seems to be holding zero....

....the pellets couldn't be too lopsided.

 

[TN_Yankee]

I think I'm the only one that mentions QYS..lol. A lot of people don't want them because they're Chinese made and I get it.

Considering the rising popularity of AEA & JTS pellets, a lot of people are going to have to change their minds.

 

[Bedrock Bob]

Considering the rising popularity of AEA & JTS pellets, a lot of people are going to have to change their minds.

Let them fret over politics when selecting a pellet if they want to. Politics seem to be a factor in many decisions guys make.

If it hits the dot and is competitively priced it's a winner. Unless they engrave political propaganda on the skirts or cast them in the likeness of Mao I'll shoot them until my fingers are black.