JSB vs H&N pellets

FAL Shot

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Oct 9, 2010
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289
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Montana Plains
Out of all the pellets I have tried in my BSA Lonestar .25 cal PCP rifle, the JSB Exact King and H&N Baracuda are far and away the best and most accurate for long range hunting. Haven't tried the new Crosman .25 cal, but hope they are in the Premier league and not their standard grade league.

The JSB can states a weight of 25.4 grains. I weighed pellet after pellet with almost no weight variation. I weighed 10 of them, and my digital scale said 254 grains, exactly on the money. I weighed 10 more and this time it said 254.2 grains, for an average of .02 grains high for each pellet.

It's hard to find centerfire bullets that accurate in weight, and these are 4 cent pellets.

The H&N Baracuda (Beeman Kodiak, or Bisley something-or-other in the UK) which is sold all over the world for much longer under many private labels, has been the gold standard in high powered PCP air rifle for a long time. Beeman states 30.7 grains on their tin, I believe. H&N states 31.02 grains on their tin. Could it be that Beeman is buying the peewees???

Rarely do the Baracuda pellets come up to full weight in my experience. I have also seen a grain in weight variation in a single tin. That's a bit over 3% at 31 grains. The strange thing is that the peewees still shoot rather accurately in the Lonestar. PCP air rifles are unique in that heavier pellets result in an increase in power, reverse for lighter pellets. Unlike Springers that have a tuned optimum pellet weight where power is lost on either side of optimum weight.

Now, under no wind conditions (rare in Montana), the JSB Exact King (Quarterbore Special to some) pellets shoot a bit faster and more accurately. That is understandable due to the lighter weight and tighter weight tolerances. However, the greater BC of the longer and heavier Baracuda pellet still allows it to outgroup the JSB pellet at long distance on windy days.

Just my 2 cents, YMMV. Haven't used the Eun Jin 44 grain pellets as they are hard to source. In fact, I have to mailorder the JSB and H&N pellets. Crosman, Benjamin, RWS, and Gamo up to .22 cal are only available locally. Total disregard for the .25 cal air rifle, which is the best for long range Montana type air rifle hunting.

The new Benjamin .25 cal pellets are reputed to be good. They also seem a bit more expensive than JSB and H&N .25 cal. RWS is WAY more expensive and certainly no better. You can't get better than JSB (Czech Republic made, same as CZ rifles) at this time, as far as consistency and precision are concerned. Like a CZ rifle, a lot of bang for the buck in those pellets.

H&N is just as precise as JSB if you weigh them out. I save the peewees for target practice and plinking.

H&N Field Target Trophy is the gold standard for Springer air rifles, so don't buy Baracudas if you have a Springer. You will lose major power if using Baracuda in a Springer. If using FTT in a 50 foot pound energy class PCP like mine, they will go supersonic, make a ballistic crack, and be inaccurate. However, if you hit something at close range, rather devastating for an air rifle as the pellet will break up inside small game like Stinger Segmented. Baracuda will stay together and exit a prairie dog at 100 yards shot though mid body.

FWIW, .25 cal springers are around 25 foot pounds of energy, far below what PCP rifles achieve, and 2 pounds or more heavier to carry.....not to mention far less accurate than PCP. Friends don't let friends buy springers, and least if long range work is in order.

The Lonestar shoots 0.5" groups or better (especially with the silencer attached, around 0.35") at 50 yards on a still day with JSB or H&N pellets per above. Try that with your springer before you call one accurate. Got rid of my gas ram springer (coil spring springers are even worse) and don't want to see another one.
 
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I also have a Lonestar and have found the JSB'S to be very good. Looking forward to hearing more of you tests on other pellets.

Gary
from Indiana
 
Gary,

The Eun Jin 44 grain pellets look interesting. Problem is, my Lonestar will have to be tuned for higher power to get those up to hunting speed. If I did that, then accuracy would suffer with the Baracuda and Exact King pellets. I'm shoving the Exact King pellets at the upper limit of accuracy as it it. 20 grain FTT pellets sound like a .22 rimfire as they are transsonic at 50 fpe setting.

I haven't messed with the factory set power setting, as they seem to have maxed it out for Baracuda and Exact Kings and still maintain max accuracy.

Crow Magnums have horrible accuracy past 50 yards. They are strictly for soft bodied varmints at close range where you try to avoid pass through. Ram Points were even worse. The lighter Beeman Silver Bear hollowpoint is the only thing other than the Baracuda and EK that has any accuracy, and then only to 50 yards because of the horrible BC of hollowpoint pellets.

A soft .25 cal pure lead pistol bullet with driving bands would be a good thing to try in the Lonestar. Haven't found any locally, or I would have tried it already. Big bore airgunners typically use blackpowder and pistol bullets, so should work in the Lonestar as well.

BTW, you should ALWAYS lightly lube pellets used in the Lonestar. It will prevent excess leading and barrel rust. PCP's leave moisture in the barrel, so ALWAYS pull an oiled patch through at the end of each shooting day, and NEVER leave your silencer attached if you use one. I use M-Pro 7 oil for both purposes, and it is safe for airgun seals per the company website. Hoppe's Elite oil is the same exact stuff. The expensive English Napier Power Pro oil is not a bit better. The Lonestar shoots some pellets fast enough that leading can be a problem if not lubed. Just NEVER let any oil get in the air reservoir, as it can detonate there at the very high pressure the Lonestar charges to. Detonation has never happened in my barrel. M-Pro 7 is synthetic and can withstand over 500 degrees Fahrenheit. It's also the slickest gun oil I have ever used, and only oil that I use on firearms. Has superior anti-rust properties on exterior blued surfaces. None of my rifles suffer rust problems from sweaty acids from handling or from rain and condensation.

An oiled barrel bore will shoot low for the first couple of pellets. I blow out the excess oil with a couple of shots, or you can pull a few clean patches through before hunting. Some English users never clean their PCP rifle bores when using oiled pellets as long as leading does not lead to decreased accuracy. That seems OK as long as you are using your rifle almost daily. I oil my bore when setting my rifle up for several days, per the BSA manual.

Oiled pellets seem to lead to a low consistent level of leading. M-Pro 7 is so slick that lead can't get permanently attached and any excess leading seems to get shot out. Can shoot hundreds of pellets in a day with no loss in accuracy.

Phil

WARNING: This info does NOT apply to Springer air rifles. You live in your own world....stuck in time like a scene from The Twilight Zone.....and I don't go there anymore. Time for air rifles to move FORWARD....and PCP rifles will lead the way just as they did 200+ years ago. The original air rifle and still the best. Springers are a bad chapter in the history of air rifles. More like......"I'm too cheap to buy a good air rifle pump so I don't want a PCP rifle, I'm even too cheap to buy a Benjamin or Sheridan multi-pump rifle with the pump built in where I get the whole rifle and pump for less than what what a high pressure pump should cost. What cheap rifle can I buy at the local hardware store for next to nothing that will kill a sparrow at 30 yards? That I can let the kids play with without killing the cat? That can shoot a puny .177 cal pellet that weighs next to nothing at 1200+ fps that is inaccurate and makes a ballistic crack for a few yards that makes people think its "da bomb"? It has to cost less than $100 and the pellets should cost 2 cents for the expensive stuff".

Well, that kind of thinking is why 99+% of air rifles are crap, and air rifles have moved backwards since the Lewis and Clark Expedition where the air rifle was the most important rifle.

Also, nitrogen will probably take the place of air in high power PCP rifles in order to eliminate detonation and oxidation as it is inert. It is widely available at high pressure at low cost, and recent SCBA graphite pressure vessels (ask your local fireman) give a very lightweight gas storage device at relatively affordable cost. PCP, nitrogen and graphite pressure vessels are the future in pneumatic rifles. Not available at your local department store for $99, sorry.
 
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Thanks for the report!

I was going to buy one of the Dave G 25's but he blew me off and never built the rifle.I had a Career 707 in 25 but I was disappointed in it from the getgo.

I liked your humorous opinion on springers!I have one left.A air arms TX200.It's so I can shoot springer division if needed in field target.It is fun to get out and play with once in a while but PCP's are definitely the way to go.

JSB's rule! I won AZ FT champion with the 10.3 in my USFT.

Steve
 
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