HW97K .177 Pellet Recommendations

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My HW97 "Stella" does cloverleafs at 25 yards with H&N FTT 4.52, Norma FT Heavies, JSB Hades, and Crosman 7.9. The most accurate pellet I have found for indoors is the JSB Express 7.87 gr. All tests were done at 25 indoors, but its capable of tight groups at 50 yds. Since adding a new seal and short-stroke spacer I have not had the opportunity to test it at longer ranges.

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Vincent10 said:
My HW97 "Stella" does cloverleafs at 25 yards with H&N FTT 4.52, Norma FT Heavies, JSB Hades, and Crosman 7.9. The most accurate pellet I have found for indoors is the JSB Express 7.87 gr. All tests were done at 25 indoors, but its capable of tight groups at 50 yds. Since adding a new seal and short-stroke spacer I have not had the opportunity to test it at longer ranges.

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Thank you sir! Seems everyone has great luck with H&N FTT!
 
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Mycapt65 said:
JSB Exact 8.44, their AA 8.4 clone and 4.52 H&N FTT. Don't waste your time with cheap pellets.
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I totally agree. I wish I would have done this sooner. I do suppose it depends what your expectations and purposes for your HW97K are but...chances are that if you bought the HW97K instead of the HW95 or HW80 your expectations and purposes are the same as mine...precision.

The HW97(particularly the .177) is no powerhouse; it is a mid power springer at best. But what it lacks in brute force in makes up for in...1)elite level springer accuracy 2) generally minimal levels of hold sensitivity; particularly for a springer 3) reliability, consistency, quality build 4) "suave".

For example, my HW97 has been modded with a Vortek PG4 HO kit to push the power up into the 15 fpe range. Several thousand shots later it has settled into a very consistent 13.5-15 fpe depending on the projectile. That's very near to factory output and despite people saying "they shoot so well at around 12 fpe" I'm glad it's at that level. Currently, I'm pushing the JSB 8.44 @ 880 fps which is right around 14.5 fpe. Incidentally, 900 fps is a general ceiling at which diabolo pellets fly accurately and so I'm really happy with the pellet speed.

Factors that I believe can have a profound impact on springer accuracy...

1) trigger quality and trigger time(did I mention the HW97 has a sweet trigger)
2) projectile
-weight
-consistency/quality
-shape
-trial and error...occasionally a certain barrel really only likes a few types of pellets; in my experience my HW97 was not one of those although it does have preferences
3) consistent hold; related to #1 but this is only achieved by lots of one on one time
4) clean barrel

As you can see, the projectile choice has a large impact on the accuracy and therefore should be chosen wisely.

Projectile weight...as mentioned earlier its diabolo pellets are generally happiest under 900 fps, sometimes a bit less. That means we rule out sub 7.5 grain pellets for the factory .177 HW97. However, I've also found that if your projectile is going too slow that can also hinder max accuracy potential. Heavier and slower projectiles(especially slugs unfortunately) equal increased dwell time in a springers barrel and increased dwell time can lead to increased hold sensitivity. Does a longer barrel also increase hold sensitivity? Probably. That's another reason the HW97K shines(imo) as it has that shorter 11.8" barrel. We are talking very minute margins here...but isn't that what achieving the max potential precision is all about?
I've personally found the 8 grain pellets to consistently outshoot the 10 grain pellets in my 14 fpe HW97 and I attribute it to the slightly shorter dwell time in the barrel.
So, not too light and not too heavy. This will vary according to your guns power output but for a factory HW97 at 14ish fpe that would mean an 8-10 grain pellet. This should generally give you the max potential accuracy. Yes, there is always going to be an exception.

Consistency/Quality...if I could do it again it would be H&N, JSB, and RWS made pellets only. There is plenty of variety within each make to find an excellent choice for your barrel but more importantly...the quality and consistency are going to be near the top of the totem pole. Yes, a couple cents per shot more than the cheap ones...but life is too short for cheap pellets.(IMO)

Shape...it isn't rocket science but 9/10 times a diabolo style(dome shaped head) pellet is going to the best accuracy and BC results.

Summary: if I was starting over and knew what I know now it would be JSB Exact 8.44 and H&N Field Target Trophy 8.64 both in 4.50-4.52 head sizes. I'd bet good money that in the majority of 97's one of these 6 options will produce very near to the best accuracy potential. Want to be sure or experiment a bit than the H&N Barracuda FT 9.57 and JSB Exact Heavy 10.34 would be good alternatives.

Hey, this is just my take but sometimes less is more and more is less. K.I.S.S.
 
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My HW97 is about 1.5 years old.

It likes H&N 10.65g as its favorite pellet - at 30, 35 and 40 yards. It likes these better than JSB/AA/FX 10.3 and 8.4g.

Here is the stunning part… I‘ve gotten amazing results with Crosman 7.9g hollow points at 25, 30 and 35 yards. Outstanding 10 shot groups.

So, you really can’t base it on weight or “quality“ (price) of the pellet. The Crosman 7.9s chrono at well over 900fps, but still maintain accuracy. I could not believe it from the very 1st groups that I shot with them.

My advice is to try a lot of different pellets, you may get a surprise like I did.

-Ed
 
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EPG said:
My HW97 is about 1.5 years old.

It likes H&N 10.65g as its favorite pellet - at 30, 35 and 40 yards. It likes these better than JSB/AA/FX 10.3 and 8.4g.

Here is the stunning part… I‘ve gotten amazing results with Crosman 7.9g hollow points at 25, 30 and 35 yards. Outstanding 10 shot groups.

So, you really can’t base it on weight or “quality“ (price) of the pellet. The Crosman 7.9s chrono at well over 900fps, but still maintain accuracy. I could not believe it from the very 1st groups that I shot with them.

My advice is to try a lot of different pellets, you may get a surprise like I did.

-Ed
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It’s hard to argue with that…however…I’ll just say that while the Crosman 7.9’s do perform well from your gun I’d venture that the credit should go more to the gun than the pellet.

Also, while your particular barrel liked the Crosmans I’d venture that the next barrel from the maker won’t. I’m only sharing from personal experience here but I’ve found that while occasionally the inexpensive Crosmans performed splendidly it was usually the exception rather than the norm.

I don't mean to come across as a anti-Crosman guy but in light of the OP's question I still maintain that they should be pretty far down the line as far as choice goes. I've generally found them to be larger in diameter than it's peers with the idea that the barrel of your gun effectively "sizes" the pellet by the time it reaches the muzzle. This results in inconsistent results...really good barrels can do this and do this well but as soon as you have a barrel that has some anomaly things can go south. It also creates a lot more friction that limits full power potential. Why is it that 7.9 grain Crosmans leave the muzzle of my HW50 more slowly than 8.44 grain JSBs? Hmmmmm....

We are dealing with the odds here...what pellet(s) give me the best odds for the best accuracy?

We are also dealing with the pursuit of excellence here...what will give me the very best accuracy and precision?

I quote...'so, you really can't base it on weight or "quality" (price) of the pellet.'.

Actually, what you just did here is validate my earlier points that certain weights and more expensive makes/"quality" of pellets will tend to perform better. You said yourself..."It likes H&N 10.65g as its favorite pellet"

Weight=10 grains....Quality=H&N

I rest my case.
 
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My experience with HW barrels is Crosman hard lead fouling screws with accuracy of good soft lead pellets. Crosman high antimony content can lead to excessive barrel fouling. This depends on the individual barrel. Some barrels will need a good brushing after a few tins of Crosman pellets. Some will stay shooting Crossman fine forever without cleaning. Neither will get the best accuracy from a soft lead pellet until you aggressively brush out the hard lead.

After switching to soft lead brands I haven't needed to clean a barrel in any of my personal guns for years and tens of thousands of shots. Quality soft lead pellets seem to perpetually clear old soft lead. Only real rough crap barrels might have excessive fouling from quality soft lead pellets. In that case you've got bigger problems.

If Crosmans meet your standards, go ahead shoot the Crosman. Just don't rave that you get better accuracy from Crosman than JSB or H&N if you're switching back and forth between hard and soft lead. In order to do a fair comparison. You'd have to brush out the hard lead from the barrel and season the bore for 50 shots or more with same pellets you're testing for accuracy. Proper fouling or seasoning is very critical for squeezing out your best accuracy. Fwiw when switching between soft lead pellets no brushing is necessary. Depending on soft lead brands and the individual barrel it will likely group true within 25 or 30 shots.

I've explained this a hundred times and every time I catch crap from people who refuse to believe their beloved 6 dollar Crosman pellets aren't the best. Sure some guns will shoot some Crosmans great. Unless they've changed in the last three years Crosman QC is terrible and there's no way to get consistent accuracy from inconsistently made pellets. Even if they were consistent like the great old Brown box Crosmans you still have the hard lead fouling to deal with. I don't understand running six dollar pellets through a five or six hundred dollar fine piece of German machinery. It's like when I was master BMW tech and people would complain they weren't get the same performance from their car as the one they road tested. Only to scan the car to find out the cheapskates running 87 octane when the cap is clearly labeled 91.
 
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