4.49 or 4.50 - what should I use and why?

[zooma]

This thread may be helpful to the new one just launched regarding Geco pellets as there is a lot of good valuable information reported here on these (and other) pellets.

[john_almighty]

Thanks zooma, hadn't noticed this thread. Very useful and very informative. Thanks again for bumping it up.

[zooma]

Thanks zooma, hadn't noticed this thread. Very useful and very informative. Thanks again for bumping it up.

No problem John,

If cost is a serious consideration, I can tell you that since this thread was last "alive" we have had plenty of time to shoot and use several thousand Meisterkugeln pellets in 4.50 and 4.49 and can report they are still as good as when they were used to set all of those world records that were won with them, and at only £6.00 a tin there is no real compromise on performance whilst still making a useful cash saving over all of the other "top spec" pellets.

RWS is perhaps the brand stocked by the most dealers, and so you should be able to find them most good dealers - if you have any problems finding them - send me a PM.

[zooma]

I noticed a new thread today asking for advice about the best flat head pellet for use when shooting air pistol at 6 yards.

There is so much valuable information about match pellets in this thread that I thought I would dig it out and get it back on the front page again as there will be a lot of people that will have joined the BBS since this thread was last seen ( 52 pages ago since the last contribution!) who may find it interesting.

The thread was started when I returned to air weapons shooting after many years away and found the choice of .177 pellets dimensions somewhat bewildering, but as the thread gained momentum some very good contributions regarding match pellet choice was given and it will still be very helpful today.

[zooma]

I think the more recent comments about the cheaper RWS Basic, GECO and RWS CO2 pellets - all available in 4.50 only - more or less prove that as far as target shooting goes at 6 yards or 10 metres there is really no gain in worrying too much about whether or not a pellet is 4.49 or 4.50 - they both shoot the same.

I will be shooting 4.50 from now onwards ( as my supplies of any other types slowly expire) as I see no reason or proof that any other size is worth worrying about.

4.50 also gives more choice as every ".177" flat headed pellet is made in this size in all prices and types.

That is not to say that some pellet types do not work better in some barrels than others - because sometimes certain pellets do work better in barrels that can be "pellet fussy" - but even then the difference between 4.49 and 4.50 is not a factor to worry about - just the type!

Personally I find the RWS Meisterkugeln in 4.50 works well in most air pistols that I shoot, and for those that want a heavier pellet then the rifle version of the Meisterkugeln work well too !

These are not the cheapest pellet but they are significantly less expensive than RWS R10 pellets and offer a similar high quality with a proven world record winning performance and nicely bridge the gap between budget and premium priced pellets.

[RobinC]

My philosophy has always been to buy the best and to use the size as tested in the gun recorded on the test card by the factory, and keeping to that philosophy my wife has always shot RWS R10 in 8.3gn, 4.49 in her Walther LG400 rifle. It was tested last year at MEC in Dortmund using those and shot a perfect 10 shot group on their test rig of 4.50 mm electronically measured, a rare event, so the rifle and pellet combination works.

BUT, she recently ran out of pellets, but had in her bag the tin of RWS Meisterklugen (yellow tin) in 4.50, 8.3gn, that were given out at the British Championships, so she shot those, result, very good. She has continued to use that tin and has shot very well ever since, the most recent being a 381 ex 400 at 10mts with one string of 12 consecutive ten's, not a lot wrong with those pelllets! I think if the gun shoots well it will shoot any good quality pellet, and the argument of size is simple, does it make a difference? In some guns yes, others no! When she gets the next lot of pellets what will they be? I can guarantee they will be RWS R10 4.49, 8.3 gn!

With air pistol the accuracy is similar to a rifle, (test groups are very similar) but the argument often used is the target is massive, ten is 12mm against 0.5 mm of the rifle ten, BUT even that is irrelavent. Shots dead middle OK but If you put a shot that is genuinely 0.1 inside the ten line and the pellet consistency takes it 0.1 out side then the pellet has lost you a point, soon adds up.

Perhaps its because we also shoot 50 metre .22RF where the target is now tighter than even the good ammo, but the ammo is £18 for 100 , and also 300 metre with 6mmBR handloads that are superb but cost the same for 5 shots as a tin of 500 pellets, that my philosophy will remain, buy the best pellet that is matched to the gun, the cost difference from R10 to Geco for shooting air is peanuts, but the results can be varied, but not always!
Have fun and good shooting.
Robin

[Stuart_B]

Still have some serious doubts that manufacturers can make lead pellets down to .1mm. Always thought that was the idea behind many matching the batch number as the differences between one batch to the next of the same pellet run differently through the same gun.