Old pistols- its all about pellets!?

[gingernut]

Mainly shot pistols at the range today.
I learnt a bit.
Firstly my Benjamin Super rocket .177 got a pellet stuck in the breach which was great fun to remove
I will avoid the gory details but conclude
1 Do not use modern soft 4.52 pellets -in this case Air Arms.
2 because ok they jam but
3 the probe then makes a hole in the pellet so you can't shoot it out or push it out
4 when you realise what has happened you put a cleaning pellet behind it and shoot it out- eventually.
5 HW 4.50 hard and short are the ones to use.

Then Webley Senior .22 really not good at 10 yards until I used Falcon Accuracy plus pellets which didnt miss a single can yoghurt pot etc.
Lighter and shorter you see.

As my friend said ' pellets were very different in those days!'

I will remember that.

[flatrajectory]

Patrick,
I think the reason your pellet jammed is this..All the vintage Benjamin air rifles and pistols make good power,and this is because they have very large holes in the gas/air valve and TRANSFER PORT to aid rapid gas flow. The transfer port can be up to 4mm wide in a .177 and 5mm in .22, so you see it is very easy for the nose of a pellet to drop into the transfer port......then when you try to close the bolt on it........well you know the rest.
When I load my Benjamin 352 or 312 rifles I point the muzzle verticaly at the ground, pull back the bolt then drop the pellet into the breech. I then have to give the barrel a tap so that the pellet drops all the way in without snagging on the edge of the gaping TP..
You learnt it here first.
Pete.

[gingernut]

Now you tell me!
Damn good guns when not jammed.

[felix gunner]

I have to say both my .177 Senior and .22 Premier love modern RWS Hobbys.

[gingernut]

Will give them a go.

[junglie]

I found to my surprise the thunderbold non lead pellets shot very well through a .22 webley tempest. They are not diabolo shaped so may be worth a try in your benji?