AA Field 0.177 pellet tin fo please

[bozzer]

More pellet nonsense I'm afraid ...

I've had this old 77k for many years now.

I've tried most pellets through it.

The best pellet I found in this barrel to be AA Fields 8.4gr so I've stuck with those for a few years now. Starting off in the pinkish tins and then onto the black/yellow tins.

I always buy from a local shop. Last winter I went through a month where I couldn't seem to miss. The group tests were excellent and I was getting good scores on courses ( there's the poi shift that happens but let's forget about that for this thread ).

Then I bought a tin and couldn't hit a bear's ar5e with them. It was at this point that I became convinced about the batch/die story re pellets. I also became convinced that the size mentioned on the tin was basically b0ll0x. You found the right batch and then stuck with that.

So here's the problem. Someone had posted on STB about batch numbers and interpreting the numbers on the tins of JSB's. I can't find any similar info on the AA's.

Just to digress for a moment ... I have been told many times to drop the AA's and use JSB's. I tried several tins of different size/different batch JSBs and none compared to my best AA's. So I stuck with the AA's.

Now I noticed that AA tins marked underneath S0 00 or S1 00 or S3 00 had a very similar inside profile and all shot well through the 77k.

These pellet would do rested under 1/2 inch at 35 yards and very good groups would be under 10mm ctc. At 45 yards they would do under 18mm.

The tin that threw me that started all this was a tin marked S2 00 that had a different inside profile and just wouldn't group.

The local shop knew that I always wanted S0 00 or S1 00 or S3 00 but definitely not S2 00.

So a couple of weeks ago I went in to get some new pellets. The guy opened some new boxes and we looked at the numbers. There were tins marked S1 and S5 ( I'd not seen S5 before ). However, neither were marked 00 ... the S1's were marked S1 41.

Now because the previous tins I'd seen were S0,1,2,3 but all marked 00 and the S2 00 had different profiles than the others I'd presumed it was the first 2 digits ... S0,1,2,3 that made the difference.

So I bought a couple of tins of S1 41. We opened the tins in the shop and I looked at the profiles and they looked very similar to the 'good' S0,S1 and S3 that I'd had good results with.

I took these down the woods to test and results weren't great but it was windy. I then shot a comp with these on the 13th April and I was hitting some tricky targets at decent range but missed several 'gimme' targets ... 40mm at 25y, 40mm at 35y. Shots seemed to get off ok and I was baffled why I would miss 'easy' targets.

Yesterday it was reasonably calm and the light wind on the range was straight in your face. So I tried these S1 41 AA at 35 yards. Shooting rested and seemingly getting the shots off well results weren't good.

2 or 3 pellets touching and then 1 or 2 all over the place ... like 20 or 30mm off in any direction.

Checked all usual stuff ... stock pins, mounts ... all solid. Cleaned barrel. Put plenty of pellets through to lead up but same results.

None of old pellets left to check.

So I'm presuming/hoping it's these S1 41 AA's ???

I looked at the pellets and the edges of the tails don't look great. Not totally deformed like I've seen in a tin of awful AA's ... but sort of not perfectly round and a bit untidy looking. So maybe this is just not a good batch or it doesn't suit my barrel?

The thing that has confused me now is the numbers. What's with the S0,1,2,3 and then the 2 other digits 00, 41?

If the last 2 digits are the batch/die then why on the earlier pellets were there different inner profiles when all last 2 digits were 00? So I'd presumed the important bit was the first 2 digits S0,1,2,3 etc.

Any help please?

[DannyMondos]

Could you not get in touch with the manufacturer. Maybe if they knew about the issues with different batch numbers they could sort the problem.
I use AA and have found some tins are better quality than others but never thought of checking the numbers. Guys at my local gunsmiths are gonna love me being an awkward bugger checking through boxes for pellet tin numbers now!!

[Jesim1]

I believe the first number - S0, S1 etc. is the actual di number, so it is the mould used to make the pellet and could be in any country. The second number 00, 01, 02 etc. is the number of times that di has created a batch.

So batch - S0 00 - is di no. S0 batch 1, S0 41 is batch 42 from the same di, and something like S3 12 would be a different di altogether and batch 13 from it. Typically the higher the second number the more worn the di will be, but that pellet may be better for your gun?

Bear in mind the di will no doubt be patented and used in different countries, and I would not be surprised if the physical properties of the lead in each location was slightly different also. The bottom line is only identical di and batch numbers will work the same in your gun, that's why FT shooters find a batch that works well for them and buy 50 tins a go - it's all about consistency.

James

[bozzer]

Many thanks James

There are other numbers on the labels.

There is a date ... the earlier tins had dates @ mid 2013. The latest tins have Jan 2014 dates.

There is also another seperate 2 digit number at the top left. The early tins have 21 but these latest ones have 18.

I've had a closer look at these latest tins. The tails are poor on probably 3 out 10. The very familiar very deformed tails.

I'll filter out the bad ones and try the good ones to see if removes the fliers.

I gave up putting glasses on and off whilst loading the pellets as it took so long. The previous tins that I'd had were much better re tails so I gave up on the glasses and inspection prior to loading each pellet and just loaded out of pouch.

[HarryPotter]

As I haven't bought a tin of pellets for many years do you still get the stickers on the bottom telling you the skirt size 4.51, 4.52, 4.53 etc?

[Jesim1]

As I haven't bought a tin of pellets for many years do you still get the stickers on the bottom telling you the skirt size 4.51, 4.52, 4.53 etc?

Hit and miss, more normal for it to be printed on the lid I think. I've never done a side by side test, but I do wonder if this is just rubbish, as I don't believe for a second they manufacture these to a one hundredth of an inch, every pellet in the tin will distort more than that in transit as they are made of lead, it's more likely the wear on the di as they get older and it changes their flight characteristics.

James

[HarryPotter]

Hit and miss, more normal for it to be printed on the lid I think. I've never done a side by side test, but I do wonder if this is just rubbish, as I don't believe for a second they manufacture these to a one hundredth of an inch, every pellet in the tin will distort more than that in transit as they are made of lead, it's more likely the wear on the di as they get older and it changes their flight characteristics.

James

I only know that my guns favour different skirt sizes (ooh err missus).

And this was across several tins / batches.

Its a strange old world eh?

[brucegill]

More pellet nonsense I'm afraid ...

I've had this old 77k for many years now.

I've tried most pellets through it.

The best pellet I found in this barrel to be AA Fields 8.4gr so I've stuck with those for a few years now. Starting off in the pinkish tins and then onto the black/yellow tins.

I always buy from a local shop. Last winter I went through a month where I couldn't seem to miss. The group tests were excellent and I was getting good scores on courses ( there's the poi shift that happens but let's forget about that for this thread ).

Then I bought a tin and couldn't hit a bear's ar5e with them. It was at this point that I became convinced about the batch/die story re pellets. I also became convinced that the size mentioned on the tin was basically b0ll0x. You found the right batch and then stuck with that.

So here's the problem. Someone had posted on STB about batch numbers and interpreting the numbers on the tins of JSB's. I can't find any similar info on the AA's.

Just to digress for a moment ... I have been told many times to drop the AA's and use JSB's. I tried several tins of different size/different batch JSBs and none compared to my best AA's. So I stuck with the AA's.

Now I noticed that AA tins marked underneath S0 00 or S1 00 or S3 00 had a very similar inside profile and all shot well through the 77k.

These pellet would do rested under 1/2 inch at 35 yards and very good groups would be under 10mm ctc. At 45 yards they would do under 18mm.

The tin that threw me that started all this was a tin marked S2 00 that had a different inside profile and just wouldn't group.

The local shop knew that I always wanted S0 00 or S1 00 or S3 00 but definitely not S2 00.

So a couple of weeks ago I went in to get some new pellets. The guy opened some new boxes and we looked at the numbers. There were tins marked S1 and S5 ( I'd not seen S5 before ). However, neither were marked 00 ... the S1's were marked S1 41.

Now because the previous tins I'd seen were S0,1,2,3 but all marked 00 and the S2 00 had different profiles than the others I'd presumed it was the first 2 digits ... S0,1,2,3 that made the difference.

So I bought a couple of tins of S1 41. We opened the tins in the shop and I looked at the profiles and they looked very similar to the 'good' S0,S1 and S3 that I'd had good results with.

I took these down the woods to test and results weren't great but it was windy. I then shot a comp with these on the 13th April and I was hitting some tricky targets at decent range but missed several 'gimme' targets ... 40mm at 25y, 40mm at 35y. Shots seemed to get off ok and I was baffled why I would miss 'easy' targets.

Yesterday it was reasonably calm and the light wind on the range was straight in your face. So I tried these S1 41 AA at 35 yards. Shooting rested and seemingly getting the shots off well results weren't good.

2 or 3 pellets touching and then 1 or 2 all over the place ... like 20 or 30mm off in any direction.

Checked all usual stuff ... stock pins, mounts ... all solid. Cleaned barrel. Put plenty of pellets through to lead up but same results.

None of old pellets left to check.

So I'm presuming/hoping it's these S1 41 AA's ???

I looked at the pellets and the edges of the tails don't look great. Not totally deformed like I've seen in a tin of awful AA's ... but sort of not perfectly round and a bit untidy looking. So maybe this is just not a good batch or it doesn't suit my barrel?

The thing that has confused me now is the numbers. What's with the S0,1,2,3 and then the 2 other digits 00, 41?

If the last 2 digits are the batch/die then why on the earlier pellets were there different inner profiles when all last 2 digits were 00? So I'd presumed the important bit was the first 2 digits S0,1,2,3 etc.

Any help please?

hi mate. Contact Air Arms. One of the guys from AA was at the Worlds and he was talking about this. One of the numbers was also the machine it was made on..... Wish I'd off paid a little more attention lol. I haven't got a tin here so can't even guess.

[bozzer]

Cheers Bruce

[angrybear]

You say in the OP that you have seen the info for JSB's on another site, As JSB make AA pellets surely the info will transfer from one to the other ?

Another point for you, I've just looked on the bottom of a tin of AA .25 pellets to find "S1 00" To me it would seem unlikely that they would use the same code on die's of different cals so as someone else said possibly it refers to a machine on a production line or production run, rather than a die.

[brucegill]

Just been chatting to the mate (Harry, current World HFT Recoiling Champ ). He asked AA at the worlds.... from memory:

if a tin read:

21 26.9.2013
4,52 S5 00

Its batch 21, made on the 26/9/2013, 4.52, on machine S5, Die 00

So in theory, yo want the same batch, rough date (at least year), same machine AND Die!

So this one I've linked to:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/25/t...l/aja2a6ez.jpg

Is Batch 14, machine S0, Die 00, made 24/02/2012

Would be worth confirming with AA though.

[Rapidnick]

This is becoming like the search for the Holy Grail.It used to be Crosman Premier in .20 where the die number was regarded as so vital that pellets made from a particular die actually sold at a premium to the already outrageously high prices of 'other' Crosman Premier pellets. The reason given is that the 'dies wear out' and the replacement dies aren't as good. If true this is an absolute disgrace.
If JSB are going the same way then the major beneficiary will be H & N so best to switch now and buy a lifetime's supply!

[richardscar]

Just been chatting to the mate (Harry, current World HFT Recoiling Champ ). He asked AA at the worlds.... from memory:

if a tin read:

21 26.9.2013
4,52 S5 00

Its batch 21, made on the 26/9/2013, 4.52, on machine S5, Die 00

So in theory, yo want the same batch, rough date (at least year), same machine AND Die!

So this one I've linked to:
http://img.tapatalk.com/d/14/02/25/t...l/aja2a6ez.jpg

Is Batch 14, machine S0, Die 00, made 24/02/2012

Would be worth confirming with AA though.

Hi Bruce, I am sure may people appreciate you explaining this , myself included , but I have 4.52 with S0 00
and 4.51 with S2 00 so maybe the die is the so maybe the die number is the S2 and S0 bit ? and the 00 bit the machine ?
hth, rich.