Seating pellets

[Sprocket]

I read, watched a video, or dreamed that one is supposed to load pellets in a breakbarrel to the same depth. I tried a wooden golf tee today to seat the pellets in my Trail 1500 to a consistent depth. The point centers nicely on the inside of the pellet skirt and the taper stops the pellet to the same depth each time. I noticed on the first (and the next 10) shots were somewhat quieter. Also, the grouping became worse.
I cut off about 1/2 of the pointed taper so the pellet didn't seat as deep. My grouping tightened up to even better than before I started using the tee. Has anyone else ever done this and seen these kind of results?

 

[MattChastain]

I always just use my thumb and press them as far as I can. I think it is pretty consistent but I might have to try and make a tool like that and see what it does for me. 

 

[Rioshooter]

Im testing on my hatsan striker h& n hammers and i just have to push them a little harder with the flat side of my finger nail, but after a while ill better try to do some tool.

 

[Mentolio]

I use a pellet pen with seating tool, and try to set the seating depth so that the pellet skirt is flush with the breech face (the tool's "probe" is adjustable). I believe that seating does increase accuracy and consistency, though I can't produce any scientific data, other than to say: my guns seem to group better when the pellet skirt isn't hanging out of the breech (as some pellets do, slightly). If you hunt with a break barrel, get the pen. They hold plenty of pellets, are easy to handle, and you don't have to dig in the bottom of a pocket when you need a pellet fast. 

 

[R1Nut]

When I got my rifle from Beeman in 1989, the salesman told me about seating the pellet. I have been using a golf tee for many years. About 2 years ago I got a pellet pen from PA with a pellet seater. After reading Tom Galord's blog, he talked about seating pellets in low powered springers to improve accuracy, he also said with a high powered gun it did not help much or at all.
So I so I experimented and found in my rifle it made no difference, to look at all the years I spent seating pellets for no reason makes me feel just a bit stupid.
That is why having a place like this is so great, also having Tom Galord and Ted, and every body to help is just great.

 

[hasenpfeffer]

Another advantage of the pellet pen for hunters: you don't have to handle lead in the field where you can't easily wash your hands.

 

[JamesD.]

I've been using old brass archery ball end tips. You can thread to any depth you like & lock that depth in..

In my Thomas tuned R1 I seat them all o.oo2". In the 6-7 ftlb Thomas tuned El Gamo 300, I seat to 0.005"

Seating would definitely make a difference in any PCP rifle you can get the skirt consistently seated at 0.001"-0.003" beyond TP so skirt blows out concentrically.

 

[r1lover]

Yup. I use an old Beeman Pell Seat. One end is shaped something like a golf tee and seats the pellet quite deep. The other is cylindrical and barely seats the pellet beyond the breach, just enough to true up the skirt and avoid damage when closing the barrel. Better accuracy and more velocity with the pellet seated this way. A must for the HW55 with its tapered breach block. Also beneficial when loading HW97...I find it difficult to seat a pellet all the way in the 97 with my thumb and noticed tiny flecks of lead in the loading port. Using the Pell Seat after pushing the pellet in as far as I can with my thumb I can feel the pellet move slightly and align with the bore and no more lead flecks.

 

[Skillet]

I’ve found that some guns benefit from seating, and others don’t. Takes some experimenting to know for sure.

 

[GoldenStateAIRGUNer]

I made these. I like the larger diameter one best.

 

[Twiceshy]

going to try a golf T . My break barrel is hard to get the same pellet seat each time .

 

[Treefrog]

Good topic. Not everyone knows that seating pellets a bit deeper can have a positive effect on accuracy. Even with co2 and pump rifles.

This extended probe cut the group size by an eighth-inch or so.

Cheers,

J~

 

[Twiceshy]

so would you recommend setting the pellet a bit past the breach as i have been putting them just flush .

 

[.20calguy]

Yup. I use an old Beeman Pell Seat. One end is shaped something like a golf tee and seats the pellet quite deep. The other is cylindrical and barely seats the pellet beyond the breach, just enough to true up the skirt and avoid damage when closing the barrel. Better accuracy and more velocity with the pellet seated this way. A must for the HW55 with its tapered breach block. Also beneficial when loading HW97...I find it difficult to seat a pellet all the way in the 97 with my thumb and noticed tiny flecks of lead in the loading port. Using the Pell Seat after pushing the pellet in as far as I can with my thumb I can feel the pellet move slightly and align with the bore and no more lead flecks.

I shoot a 97K, .20 cal, but I had only been using JSB 13.73's, seating them just past flush with my thumb. I finally tried the JSB Heavy's and they were similar to insert. Yesterday I shot about 50 13.5 Barracuda's and they were longer and hard to insert, also inaccurate. After 50 or so the pain in my thumb peaked so I switched to 11.?? Grain TFTarget's, which were easy to load. My accuracy also came back.

My Beeman Pelpen is still packed around hear someplace along with my folding leather pellet pouches which are still probably loaded with early 90's Beeman Pellets.

 

[Can whacker]

When I got my rifle from Beeman in 1989, the salesman told me about seating the pellet. I have been using a golf tee for many years. About 2 years ago I got a pellet pen from PA with a pellet seater. After reading Tom Galord's blog, he talked about seating pellets in low powered springers to improve accuracy, he also said with a high powered gun it did not help much or at all.
So I so I experimented and found in my rifle it made no difference, to look at all the years I spent seating pellets for no reason makes me feel just a bit stupid.
That is why having a place like this is so great, also having Tom Galord and Ted, and every body to help is just great.

I too have found that deep seating on lower powered springers, my HW25 in particular, improves the shot. I get increased velocity from about 420 to 490 with the HW 25.
Has anyone else heard of or owned the HW25? Thanks

 

[drsquall]

I shoot a 97K, .20 cal, but I had only been using JSB 13.73's, seating them just past flush with my thumb. I finally tried the JSB Heavy's and they were similar to insert. Yesterday I shot about 50 13.5 Barracuda's and they were longer and hard to insert, also inaccurate. After 50 or so the pain in my thumb peaked so I switched to 11.?? Grain TFTarget's, which were easy to load. My accuracy also came back.

My Beeman Pelpen is still packed around hear someplace along with my folding leather pellet pouches which are still probably loaded with early 90's Beeman Pellets.

My 97 in 20 loves the 11.42 FTT. Mines right about 16fpe

 

[Bedrock Bob]

When loading the D34 with an angled pivot block I found it difficult to seat the pellets completely. The skirt stuck out at the bottom and would fold over when you closed the action.

I made a little seater tool from a dowel with a finish nail in it. I experimented with various seating depths.

It improved accuracy when the pellet was seated deep enough to clear the breech face. But any deeper didn't help.

I polished up the "chamber" so pellets seated completely with no skirt damage. Then did some tests again. No appreciable difference. The pellets seat completely at about the same depth now and seating them does not seem to help anything at all.

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

Find a 1/4’ RCA plug.
Push the pellet is as far as it will go.

 

[Frank in Fairfield]

Find a 1/4’ RCA plug.
Push the pellet is as far as it will go.

View attachment 508050

Or one of these if you can find one:

 

[Bedrock Bob]

The cone or ball works dandy. It expands the skirt a little. It might affect velocity in some pellets?

The ball design would work for sliding breech guns too.

My finish nail fit inside the pellet. It didn't bear on the skirt. A cone or spherical seater might be different. It could repair bent skirts nicely.