Lead Free Pellets - Your experience?

[Solvo]

Has anyone had a good experience with any of these?
Edit: All of this is for .177
I've been testing some in my guns and have yet to find any that reliably compare to lead.

Using my Steyr and Mk4 the results are appalling with only one exception; H&N FTT Green have both outperformed lead on one test and given average results on another.

I've tried these bench rested at 15M in calm conditions

Tested so far:
H&N FTT Green - Mixed results. Sample tube shot a single hole group but the tin i bought after that gave 1/2"
Skenco Golden Rod - 5"+(Mk4 Only, too long for Steyr)
Skenco Blue Arrow - 4"+
Coal PSP - 3" ish - (I think these are also sold as Skenco now)
Proton Zinc - Too few hit the target to get a grouping

I've picked up some RWS Hyperdome too but not had a chance to test.

I don't NEED lead free, I just like exploring whats out there. Would be interested to know if anyone has positive experiences with the leadfree & composite pellets.

[eyebull]

Not so much a positive experience, but I did find that H+N FTT Greens chronoed a *whole foot pound* more than an average lead pellet in at least two different guns. From what I recall grouping was...ok, but I mainly keep them around just for chrony tests now.

[bighit]

tried these before .http://www.photosbykev.com/wordpress...nt-tac-2-0-22/

defiant tac 2 . .22 I used in a hw80k. they were poop. good at penetration on metal as they hardly deformed but accuracy was bad

[rabbitwrecker]

Only tried the H&N FTT Green in .177 (and RWS Hyperdome in .22). Reasonably - acceptably(?) - accurate to 20 yards, horrible by 30 yards. Couldn't match a good lead pellet at any distance though. Chrono'd around 1 ft/lb lower than JSB RS in three different springers, (2xHW, 1xHatsan). Silly money too...

[NeilMac]

I've written a comparison review of a number of lead free pellets, it's already been published in Shooting Sports and should be in the next edition of Gun Mart.

I used a TM1000 and a BSA Gold Star SE and found most of the pellets would hold a group out to 25 or 30 yards, but I was only able to get acceptable groups using H&N Baracuda greens beyond 40 yards.

I have to say that none of them were as bad as the old Defiant's (is that what they were called?) they were just dreadful and only good for running in barrels.

[Jonjon79]

I recently tried H&N FTT Green In my .22 Superten. I only tested them at 30yrds indoors but, they actually did quite well.

10 shots grouped within 15mm. They gave me around 700fps.
When I fired a couple at a pallet, they give a loud 'knock' on impact and, they penetrate well.

My old .177 HW100 gave similar results at the same distance but, they've been useless in any other rifle that I tried them in.

I haven't yet found anything better than a soft lead diablo.

[Waisted]

I have only ever used these lead free pellets indoors, accuracy okay out to 30 yds but they opened up more than lead pellets at 50 yds. I believe that they have improved every barrel that I have fired them through so they have their good points. I have also tried them in a couple of pistols without success pistols haven't a enough power to launch the pellets. I don't think that these pellets will be forced on us by the Heath & Saftey brigade especially as we are leaving the EU.

[angrybear]

Tried quite a few, mostly in .25 all have been utter, utter, utter c**p.

[distantcamera]

I tried those pointy plastic things with a metal tip in my HW77 once. Total, utter garbage. With Accupels the HW77 shoots pellet on pellet. With those I was lucky to group on a single sheet of A4.

[Artfull-Bodger]

Always wondered if using Tin pellets could be a method of deburring your rifling on a new barrel??

[Gunfun]

I've written a comparison review of a number of lead free pellets, it's already been published in Shooting Sports and should be in the next edition of Gun Mart.

I used a TM1000 and a BSA Gold Star SE and found most of the pellets would hold a group out to 25 or 30 yards, but I was only able to get acceptable groups using H&N Baracuda greens beyond 40 yards.

I have to say that none of them were as bad as the old Defiant's (is that what they were called?) they were just dreadful and only good for running in barrels.

Yes very informative article with good meaningful measured info, and well worth a read. I know which lead free pellets I'll be trying.

[SuffolkRifle]

Tried some in a couple of springers a while ago, then, after having to replace both springs (both snapped about an inch from the end), vowed never to use any in any spring gun

[big rob]

Tried some in garden at 30yards at a target on the side of the shed but had to stop as they were ricocheted past me hitting the fence behind me no problem with lead pellets So I won't be using any again

[Geezer]

I'm going to hazard a guess here that we could in time see really good non-lead pellets.

Reason 1: things like Barnes bullets for firearms. They definitely work.

Reason 2: if the industry has to invest in new tech, they will. E.g. Hybrid/electric cars. We've gone in about a decade from glorified milk float to Tesla.

But that may involve making new styles of pellet rather than copying lead ones in other materials. And making modifications to current airgun designs to use them to best effect. Things like mag length for repeaters, actions modified for different start pressures, changes to the twist rates and hardening of barrels.

Airguns are low power and need efficient (I.e. dense) material to perform well. Has anyone in the industry experimented with pellets made from bismuth, iron (so-called steel shot in shot guns), tungsten-polymer?

Overall, though, we should all be clear with the authorities that lead from airgun pellets is not a health/environmental hazard.

Unless someone shoots you with one.

[TonyL]

I have no personal experience of any lead-free pellets and would always stick to quality lead diablo ones.

And I've never read an article that would tempt me to change that view.

I think Bruce Potts did quite a detailed test of quite a range of lead-free pellets a year or two ago in Shooting Sports?