Pellet quality control down the tubes!

[Franklink]

Jsb mostly. 18gn and 25gn .22 cal recently. Both jsb and fx varieties have been just as bad. got them from Utah, local store, and AOA.

Those two are the varieties I have also seen the most problems with.

Accuracy from batches purchased any time over the last 10 years from just about all other types of pellets has been similar, whether in the last year or from almost ten years ago.

Lots of talk about pellet quality going down hill, but seems that those two are frequent culprits. I've seen it in my own shooting and have heard it repeated by others here on AGN.

 

[bckyrdsnpr52]

I just got a tin of JSB .22 18 grain, and I would say 20-30% of the pellets all have deformed skirts. And they are not just a little bit deformed, and then I open a tin of CPHP $6.43 at Walmart and every pellet is in good shape. Guess for the time I’ll have to stick with Crosman

I'm fortunate to own a couple of guns that shoot the cheap xmans as well as JSB's @ 1/4 the price.

 

[Larcat]

I got a new JSB tester set recently that I tossed because the pellets were so terrible.

My tins of H&N have all been pretty on point.

Shaking out a new gun soon, and while I'm going to test JSB, I kinda suspect the H&Ns will win the day.

 

[iAMzehTOASTY1]

I got a new JSB tester set recently that I tossed because the pellets were so terrible.

My tins of H&N have all been pretty on point.

Shaking out a new gun soon, and while I'm going to test JSB, I kinda suspect the H&Ns will win the day.

My JSBs LOOK better but my H&Ns seem too fly a little better

 

[silvershooter589]

JSBs are a softer lead than H&N and seem to get damaged more easily.

Luckily in 30 cal or shooting 25 cal MK2s this isn't really an issue.

 

[SDellinger]

I still have 2 cases of 25.4 gn 25cal JSB pellets I bought from Bori in AZ in 2011 when they had too many to store. $8.00 a tin. They are the grey lable tins. Can't bring myself to shoot them. They are in great shape.

 

[Harv24]

While everyone else was buying the $25 tins of JSB, I just kept ordering the 14.3 gr hp's from Crossman, for $6.

And they still shoot great. I would venture Crossman is more consistent then the more expensive brands from across the pond.

 

[jfvhpilot]

Try the new JST pellets. They are very clean and uniform. The 25.39 shot very well in my FX impact.

 

[madeintheuk]

While everyone else was buying the $25 tins of JSB, I just kept ordering the 14.3 gr hp's from Crossman, for $6.

And they still shoot great. I would venture Crossman is more consistent then the more expensive brands from across the pond.

It’s no secret the crosman pellets are super hard, and difficult to deform, but their consistency in manufacture is impressive for the price!

 

[Stan’s boy John]

It’s no secret the crosman pellets are super hard, and difficult to deform, but their consistency in manufacture is impressive for the price!

Do we know that for sure? Has anyone ever tested pellets using a Hardness Tester? It would be an interesting endeavor.
It seems to me that more important than the hardness (quantity of antimony in the lead) is the weight, concentricity and roundness of the pellet. In those parameters is where you'll more than likely find your "flyers."

 

[Hateful McNasty]

While everyone else was buying the $25 tins of JSB, I just kept ordering the 14.3 gr hp's from Crossman, for $6.

And they still shoot great. I would venture Crossman is more consistent then the more expensive brands from across the pond.

Exactly. Lol..

 

[madeintheuk]

Do we know that for sure? Has anyone ever tested pellets using a Hardness Tester? It would be an interesting endeavor.
It seems to me that more important than the hardness (quantity of antimony in the lead) is the weight, concentricity and roundness of the pellet. In those parameters is where you'll more than likely find your "flyers."

Have you ever had both side by side? There’s no need for a hardness tester. I can squash a jsb with my fingers. I can’t do that to a crosman pellet. Proof in the pudding

 

[nervoustrig]

Gotta say I’m jealous of all you guys getting results from Crosman pellets that rival JSB and H&N. Unfortunately it hasn’t been my experience at all, at least not in the 30 – 50yd bracket where I do most of my shooting. Group sizes seem to scale pretty closely with price…Crosman pellets producing groups around 3x larger on average, whether from a bargain basement FD-PCP or Diana Chaser, or a pricey Daystate or FX or Thomas. Ten years ago they performed above their price point. In recent years the pleasant surprises have been from Norma, RWS, and most unexpectedly, Daisy.

 

[AirShot]

Have you ever had both side by side? There’s no need for a hardness tester. I can squash a jsb with my fingers. I can’t do that to a crosman pellet. Proof in the pudding

Using a harder/ tougher lead is what made Crossman Premier pellets famous. I can remember when they hit the market, all the naysayers complaining about how they would damage your barrel...then they quickly became the hottest pellet on the market!! My 12 ft lb TX shot over 60,000 of them and was a tack driver when I sold it, my newer MK3 likes the JSB better, but still performs very well with the old cp lites...I still have a couple boxes of cp lites from the old days, with my expanded skirt tool, they are still an extremely accurate pellet in my TX.

 

[madeintheuk]

Gotta say I’m jealous of all you guys getting results from Crosman pellets that rival JSB and H&N. Unfortunately it hasn’t been my experience at all, at least not in the 30 – 50yd bracket where I do most of my shooting. Group sizes seem to scale pretty closely with price…Crosman pellets producing groups around 3x larger on average, whether from a bargain basement FD-PCP or Diana Chaser, or a pricey Daystate or FX or Thomas. Ten years ago they performed above their price point. In recent years the pleasant surprises have been from Norma, RWS, and most unexpectedly, Daisy.

I wouldn’t say they beat jsb for group sizing, but they do on lack of damage. I know it’s due to the harder lead, and not quality control, but spending $6 a tin for a full useable tin compared to $18+ a tin for half a useable tin is worth the slightly larger groups. They’re still minute of chipmunk for me out to 50yds.

 

[DesertSilver]

Nope! All of my cast pellets are perfect. But of course I'm QC and I just throw the bad castings back in the lead pot and try again.

 

[elwoodblues]

Gotta agree with nervoustrig on the daisy HP .22 these shoot so well out of all my .22's I went and bought 18000 of em when Daisy was selling for 6.40 tin

 

[BSJ]

Two Steve Scialli Youtube videos offer a tour of both the JSB and H&N pellet factories. Note the antiquated manufacturing tooling and rudimentary quality control methods inside the JSB factory. Links below.
Then watch the H&N Factory Tour and note all the new Ovens, Tooling and Facilities
Side note: My 40+ years in Aerospace Quality Control and Test left me with the opinion that the inspection process at JSB is crude and ineffective. The finished product should be inspected and performed by automation.
JSB Factory Tour
H&N Factory Tour

Those videos are pre-COVID as well.

Pretty obvious that the final inspectors/packers are no longer working in their former roles at JSB. Just pump and dump now...

 

[Larcat]

Have people found that the single die rebrands on jsb are still up to stuff, or same problems?

 

[EliteAirCustoms]

Absolutely super surprised at my last order from Pyramid Air. Ordered 8 tins of 25 cal Hades and all 8 tins had 3x as many damaged skirts as I'm used to. I love Pyramid Air and the care they take shipping their pellets. I also love anything JSB. Amazing pellets. But, like I said, I was shocked at my last order. I praying it was just a fluke. We'll see