Barrel "Conditioning".

[10-ring]

I don't think there is any set in concrete rules as every barrel is different. My TX200 .177 doesn't show any problem with changing brands apart from the P.O.A. in most cases. A Pro Sport I once owned took at least a dozen shots to settle down after a pellet change. I've owned FWB .22LR match rifles that were similar.

The other day I changed from Accupell to JSB Express, no change apart from the P.O.A. The Express grouped as well as ever from the first shot. Same in reverse and same with AA Fields and Edgun 8.4gr. After cleaning the barrel, the rifle groups straight away. Mind you, it's a particularly accurate TX200, although that may have nothing to do with it.

[airgunnut]

I have lost count of the number of times I have seen shooters on a sighting in range with four or five different makes of pellets opened in front of them, taking five or so shots with each type and then saying that their gun is not grouping.

Whenever a brand of pellets is changed (sometimes even different batches of the same pellet) or if the barrel has been cleaned then the barrel has to be "conditioned" to that particular pellet by putting at least ten shots (I do 20 to be on the safe side) through it before trying a group.

Different brands of pellets have different percentages of elements in them which affect hardness, coefficient of friction, B.C's etc which all have an effect.

Just thought a "Heads-Up" on this subject might stop a bit of frustration....

Neil

i agree and it annoys the heck out of me, same as the so-and-so's who say they can zero a scope in, in 5 shots and claim they never have any fliers

[austin870]

I personally don't buy into the barrel conditioning thing on springers. Although I pull a couple of patches through every 250 or so rounds I can't honestly say even cleaning does anything. With that said none of my guns is particularly "finicky" or sensitive. I guess there are pellet guns, like rimfires, that really need to be bedded because they are so sensitive to conditions.

I have 5 springers and I can shoot ten different kinds of ammo for over 100 rounds and then put my guns favorite in and it will group exactly the same.

When accuracy falls off I look to my scope rings/mount first. There are some days I flat cannot hang with the accuracy level of the gun. This is especially true when I jump from gun to gun. With a springer the follow through is absolutely critical and no easy thing to do consistently even from a rest.

I will say it is VERY noticeable with rimfire shooting. I just don't think the pellet lube etc is near as dense and saturating as the greasy stuff they use on rimfires.

[bikerider]

My Tx200 is not two fussy about the pellets used but it does need about 20 shots for it to group.It has been tuned by Steve Pope and has a UK Neil mussel flip compensator fitted,maybe i'm just lucky.

[Matt C.]

Let us not forget.....UKneil speaks to God about guns ("He really makes exceedingly good gun parts")
Top geyser - Again.

Take care, Matt

[pinguisgod]

Does anyone have a recommendation on filters that are slim enough to use on a .177?

[aas510]

airarms and daystate are awsome in my aas510

[stokie99]

Does anyone have a recommendation on filters that are slim enough to use on a .177?

swan extra slim

[ses6jwg]

some really useful information in here thank you

[Parabuteo]

I have lost count of the number of times I have seen shooters on a sighting in range with four or five different makes of pellets opened in front of them, taking five or so shots with each type and then saying that their gun is not grouping.

Whenever a brand of pellets is changed (sometimes even different batches of the same pellet) or if the barrel has been cleaned then the barrel has to be "conditioned" to that particular pellet by putting at least ten shots (I do 20 to be on the safe side) through it before trying a group.

Different brands of pellets have different percentages of elements in them which affect hardness, coefficient of friction, B.C's etc which all have an effect.

Just thought a "Heads-Up" on this subject might stop a bit of frustration....

Neil

To be honest Neil that is sort of what I do.

I tend to shoot 5-10 5 shot groups at zero range with each type without cleaning in between.

I then repeat the operation using those that grouped the best on a clean barrel.

It is interesting just how the hardless etc of a pellet affects the conditioning time.

They adjust much quicker on a dirty barrel, but some pellets just like a clean barrel to start with...it aint astro physics though.

[blind dog]

...Whenever a brand of pellets is changed (sometimes even different batches of the same pellet) or if the barrel has been cleaned then the barrel has to be "conditioned" to that particular pellet by putting at least ten shots (I do 20 to be on the safe side) through it before trying a group...Neil

Thanks, Neil. I noticed this is very true of my springers, but not true for my Benjamin Discovery PCP. It should matter on the Benji, but it seems to not matter, I can't make the silly thing go off zero or not group with the possible exception of RWS Superpoints--with which is never shoots particularly well--and this is the only pellet that's ever given me questionable performance in this rifle.

Does conditioning seem to affect springers more for you guys?

-Rob

[datadave]

I have lost count of the number of times I have seen shooters on a sighting in range with four or five different makes of pellets opened in front of them, taking five or so shots with each type and then saying that their gun is not grouping.

Whenever a brand of pellets is changed (sometimes even different batches of the same pellet) or if the barrel has been cleaned then the barrel has to be "conditioned" to that particular pellet by putting at least ten shots (I do 20 to be on the safe side) through it before trying a group.

Different brands of pellets have different percentages of elements in them which affect hardness, coefficient of friction, B.C's etc which all have an effect.

Just thought a "Heads-Up" on this subject might stop a bit of frustration....

Neil

Thanks for that, Neil. I never thought of this before in relation to pellet changes, although it seems general knowledge that you need to 'condition' after a barrel clean. Might account for the problems I've been experiencing with grouping a BSA Supersport CC - although its a 22 and can't be expected to group as closely as a 177 - or can it?

Cheers - datadave

[foxabilo]

after measuring the pellet skirt of top quality JSB reds in 4.52 skirt I have detected 4.569mm to 4.513mm and the 5.10gram mass from 5.07 to 5.18 gram, I think that is more likely to give bad grouping at 45 yards+ than any barrel issue, wash, weigh and size every pellet if you plan on trying to put them through a keyhole over 25 yards.

[iceni1]

I posted a simular thread on the Daystate owners site a while back, I have been shooting air guns for 50 years and have never used a pull thru on any of them.
On my fire arms and shotguns yes but never on a air gun, Because of the cordite etc that can not be left in the barrel.

Barrels are simular to cylinder bores in car engines they have to be run in and once you have found a pellet brand that works stick with it .
Barrels are formed in different ways, Hammer forged, Button drawn or die cut and none of them leave a really smooth finish under the m/scope more like the Alps in fact.

I found the much praised JSB pellets are made from a very soft materel and would take a fair thru to run a barrel in.
Where as Crossmans alot harder and run in very quickly.

[ken moran]

Its a bugger swapping about with ammo, considering the variables that come into it, Iv settled on one pellet for the air gun, one subsonic for the .22rf and one type for the HMR, less mucking about and 'stuff' going on.