R1 177 Informal H&N Pellet Test

[Peter M. Eick]

I shot at about 40 yrds, sitting position with the bushnell scope set a 9x and AO adjusted. 10 shot groups for each pellet 3 to 4 groups per pellet, and this was mostly informal testing to just see how things worked so I did not save every target. Next time when I really bench the gun I will do it that way.

Pellets above the rifle shot well, pellets below did poorly.

All H&N Pellets.

Notable points:

Best accuracy was the baracuda hunter extreme. Sub 1/2" groups routinely
Next best was the Crow magnum then Baracuda Hunter
Baracua match was ok but seemed inconsistent.
Silver point did ok, but created a noticeable "twang" during firing and impacted the spring.

Poorest accuracy was the rabbit magnum II which was essentially shotgunning. Actually missed the 12" target occasionally!
Hollow point was poor,
Spitzkugel was really poor accuracy
Match Rifle was marginal. Not good enough to go on the top of the gun but marginal.
Hollow point was marginal to poor.

So there is the first go of pellet testing. I will make another run at it next time and see if I have the same results. I asked my wife for a new Leupold 6.5x20 VXIII EFR AO 40MM for my birthday so I hope to try it next time with better optics. The Bushnell 4.5x14 (I believe) is not bad but it is not as clear as I would have liked about 9 power.

Suggestions or comments?

Oh yeah, I still have not lubed this best other than the cocking hinges and links. Feels weird to shoot and air rifle and not lube the compression chamber.

 

[JohnKSa]

Looks like it has a tendency to like heavier pellets and shoot poorly with the lighter ones.

Odd that it didn't like the Field Target Trophy and the Barracuda. I would have thought those would have shot pretty well. Just goes to show each airgun has its own pellet preferences...

 

[rszwieg]

My R1 likes heavy pellets also, though I haven't tried as many different kinds as you and not all were Beeman/H&N. It does not like any RWS pellets.

Noone seems to get any decent accuracy from Rabbit Magnums in springers. Maybe they were designed for pneumatic guns or different rifling?

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Well, I agree with both of you guys. It is interesting. I tend to buy H&N just because that is what I competed with "back in the day". Amazing how much faith I have in a company to make the same quality product 40 years later.

I will test again under more controlled circumstances over the next few weeks. I bought enough pellets that I can try them in all my air guns but I will keep the Rabbit Magnums out of the target guns. Not enough power to get it out of the barrel!

Do you guys "seat" your pellets with a tool or your thumb? If so what tool?

 

[rszwieg]

I don't use a pellet seater but now that you mention it I wil have to get one. Mostly my gun is a plinker and varmint/small game zapper. It was a revelation as to what a high quality air rifle can do and a seater may tighten up already fine groups.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

I can't find mine. It was a nice black anodized aluminum thing from beeman.

I distinctly remember where I set it down in my house back in 1982. I have not seen it since I went off to college.

Sigh. I guess I need to buy a a new one.

 

[Chevota]

I would say give JSB a try. The 10.34 and 13.43gr. Both round nose and exceptional. Seating pellets isn't a good idea imo, meaning using a tool to press the skirt into the bore a bit. It may help accuracy with low powered guns, but imo a gun of that power needs the resistance of the pellet being forced into the barrel. So I only use my thumb to push the pellet in, and I don't force the skirt into the bore. If you do want to experiment with deeper seating then I'd do it with the 13.43gr. Those are probably the most accurate anyway, but time will tell. Some people also have luck with the Crosman Premier round nose in 10.5gr.
Those Rabbit things suck and are really only for high power pcp, so I'd lose 'em. The H&N Hollow Point suck too. There's really only one hollow point for that gun imo; the Crow Mag. I haven't tried the the Barracuda HP's but I imagine they have potential. I'm not feeling the Hunter, but I think the Hunter Extreme looks good and I plan on getting some to see how well they work. The Barracuda Match usually work great. So my 2 cents is try those JSB's.
I'd tune the gun to get some more power for use with the heavier pellets, but up to you. I'd also lube it well, especially if you don't tune it.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Thanks. I will order some up this weekend on Pyramidair's free shipping deal. Thanks for the tip.

You say lube it well if you don't tune it. I will never tune it but I may send it to someone to do. What lube and where would you recommend?

 

[fpgt72]

I don't use a pellet seater but now that you mention it I wil have to get one. Mostly my gun is a plinker and varmint/small game zapper. It was a revelation as to what a high quality air rifle can do and a seater may tighten up already fine groups.

I use a golf tee....you don't have to buy anything.

As to the pellets....many more goes into it then just the weight....check head size as well.....IIRC PA even lists it on their web site.

 

[tiamat]

I bought a bunch of tins of various pellets that midway had on closeout a while back with the intention of doing some testing of my own. Hopefully this will inspire me to make my own pellet trap and get to testing while there's nothing but snow outside.

 

[Chevota]

The guns need lube on all the moving parts, but the most important is the receiver tube under the scope rail. When cocking it the tail end of the piston is forced up against the tube, so it needs good lube there. Buttons drastically reduce the problem, and they are a must as part of a tune imo, but meanwhile I'd do what I can to keep it lubed. Put grease on the inside of the receiver tube just behind the piston. The spring and part of the piston tail shaft will be in the way, but you can get in there with a stick or needle/syringe. If not, or too much hassle, you can drip motor oil into it. Synthetic is better and the thickest you can find. Drip it in there and let it settle with the gun upside down. Often you can do this with the stock on since you're letting gravity get it in there, and you can even put the oil on the cocking linkage and let it work its way down that. Oil will probably find its way elsewhere and end up on your hands, but that's the price for not taking the stock off and using grease. And if using oil I'd store the gun horizontal and upside down so the oil stays where it's needed. I'd also use an additive if you can, most people use moly but I use tungsten disulfide. I use some good grease and mix the tungsten powder in which is really helpful for harsh metal to metal scraping like this. You can mix it with motor oil too. Grease or oil the barrel pivot, barrel catch, and let oil soak into the pin for the cocking linkage. I also put a drop or two of thin syn motor oil in the chamber to lube the main seal too, but most people believe that's a bad thing. Those people believe silicone oil should be used, which is imo a bad thing. If you choose to use silicone, do not ever put it anywhere else on the gun, especially at the piston skirt area. If anyone pushes silicone, ask them to explain why none of the gun mfg's use it.
I can't say I'd ever spend the money to have a gun tuned, or even the shipping if the tune were free, or the risk of shipping it at all. Tunes and shipping are a huge expense for something you can do yourself. If you want a guide on the basics of what the gun needs you can write me at chevota at hotmail and I'll send it. Just remind me of who you are and what gun. That goes for anyone who wants it, and even if you don't plan on taking the gun apart there's still useful info in it. Pix with arrows and everything

 

[1066]

Here's a little pellet test using my old Walther CP2 target pistol.
5 shot groups, shot at 10 meters with the pistol clamped to a post.

The top group is four shots - one pellet from each sample.