Today I discovered how much pellet is too much for my HW30

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horkybamf

horkybamf

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Jul 8, 2020
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California, United States
Been working my way through the JSB pellet sampler and while some are better than others, honestly they were all pretty OK until I got to the Diabolo Exact Monster 13.43 gr. First shot was about 5" low at 17 yards. I thought I'd try seating the pellet further and see if that helps. Nope, completely off my target ~8" low. I didn't see the point in continuing any further with those.

Interestingly, the Diabolo Exact Heavy 10.34 gr was a decent performer and makes a nice group (at least at this distance). So that probably represents the ceiling for pellet weight in this particular rifle.


 
Lucky it didn't get stuck in the barrel. Talk about constipation. I wouldnt personally use anything heavier than 10.5 grain in that gun.

Actually! I would personally just stick to 7.33 to 8.44 grain JSB, Air Arms and Crosman brands specifically except for the crappy Pirhanas and 7.9 grain Premier Superpoints that REALLY SUCK! The regular 7.4 grain Crosman pointed are fine though.
 
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On the other end of the spectrum, the .22 cal JSB lead free pellets (11.75 grain) clock in at ~585 fps from my .22 HW30S. That's 9 foot pounds, or a 28% increase in power!

To give some perspective, with Crosman 14.3's, it typically hits ~470 fps (7 foot pounds). At first I thought the gun might be dieseling, but 20 consistent shots later showed that was not the case. Still quite accurate too. No immediate adverse effects, either (harsh recoil, odd shot cycle, bad sounds, etc.).

My guess is that the lightweight pellet accelerates faster with the high-pressure, short duration pulse from the spring. 

The lead free JSBs could be another interesting experiment for ya to try!
 
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Yep, my HW30 choked on the JSB MonsterJumbo 25.39 grain pellet. Velocity was around 320 fps, which is really getting down there. It was unpredictable, missing the target by up to six inches, even going sideways at times. At one point a pellet totally missed the backstop and hit my garage door. That was a no-no so I put them away. 

The HW30 shoots most .22 pellets well, including stout ones like the Crow Magnum and JSB Heavy Jumbo 18 grains. The best pellet seems to be the H&N FTT Green 9.56 grain. It scoots along at 670 fps at 9.5 foot pounds and retains downrange energy fairly well. (this is with a Vortek PG2 kit which adds about 1.5 foot pounds).

At the lower end, I tried the ultra light H&N Prometheus 9 grain. Surprisingly it had LESS muzzle velocity than the heavier FTT Green. In other words, it dropped about a foot pound going to from 9.56 to 9 grains. I noticed the same effect in my HW95 and HW100. Nine grains may be the reasonable lower limit for .22 pellets. The Prometheus is an accurate pellet and a good choice for lead-sensitive areas. We have chickens and my wife doesn't want them eating lead bits in the garden.

The question is why do .177 guns choke on pellet weights that .22 guns handle with aplomb? Assume equal weight pellets and identical guns. The .177 and .22 pellets have significantly different cross sectional areas. Due to the smaller base area, the .177 needs more air pressure to achieve the same velocity (and the same energy level). But springers have fixed air pressure. To get the same energy in a .177 your only option is to lower the pellet weight which allows it to accelerate to a higher velocity than the .22. The higher velocity has significant benefits, but may cause higher friction, which may explain why .177 PCPs can have lower shot counts. (maybe...)

Not that I'm any expert.






 
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