Are 5.6 mm pellets necessary for a 1923 BSA Standard?

[45flint]

Reading that these barrels were larger in diameter and need larger pellets? Problem in US they are not available? Guest I could take off the loading tap and pass pellets through from the tip of the barrel to see if I am getting any resistance to various pellets? H&N seem very accurate, Crosman not so much.

[averageplinker]

Reading that these barrels were larger in diameter and need larger pellets? Problem in US they are not available? Guest I could take off the loading tap and pass pellets through from the tip of the barrel to see if I am getting any resistance to various pellets? H&N seem very accurate, Crosman not so much.

If H&N are accurate in your rifle why worry about it?
Rich

[45flint]

If H&N are accurate in your rifle why worry about it?
Rich

That's just too simple an answer but true. Lol. But accuracy was tested at pretty short distances.

[isobar]

the bigger pellets work better in mine,not necessarily the ones most recommended.i have tried the old eley wasp now discontinued but fairly universally favoured and they are not as good in my barrel as cheapo milbro select.the milbros are stated as 5.5 but are bigger,they don't fit my german 5.5 barrel without a bloody good squeeze.i find the rifle shoot harsh with small pellets,not surprising really with them rattling down the barrel.hobby and superdomes seemed ok IIRC. others will have their own preferences.i might have to take the general advice and clean the barrel,looked ok when i stripped it but to my knowledge has not been done for many years. ATB

[Shed tuner]

yeah, it's all about harsh shooting - if the pellets are too small, and either don't seal well, or leave a load of lost volume behind them as they fall down into the tap, it's not shoot nicely.

Superdomes are a great cheap "larger" pellet, even though they are not actually advertised as 5.6
Vintage defiant are also excellent

[averageplinker]

That's just too simple an answer but true. Lol. But accuracy was tested at pretty short distances.

Time for a longer range test superdomes get a good write up here, if the USA is the same as the UK they are usually good value too.

[Geezer]

Usual recommendations: Superdomes, Superpoints, Milbro, Marksman, Defiant Vintage. I have had good results in some older British .22"s with Superfields, but I am not sure that is a common experience.

I also think RWS Hobbys work at least adequately in most guns.

But, basically, try a lot. Sometimes cheap ones (Milbro, Marksman) work as well or better than the pricier stuff.

[45flint]

Time for a longer range test superdomes get a good write up here, if the USA is the same as the UK they are usually good value too.

Superdomes are an easy get here, I also have a tin of Milbro Sellect. The Milbros were perfect to feed into my old Crosman 102 cause they are pretty short. But they are gone now too.

[andrewM]

This is an interesting discussion, 45flint, as was your other post about the excellence of the pre-war BSA Standard.

I hope the following is helpful. Earlier this year, I bought a 1922 BSA Standard. The gunsmith tested a number of pellets on his chrono and here are the velocities:

Defiant Vintage: 589 fps 11.17 ft/lb (I gather these pellets are no longer in production)
BSA Elite: 575fps 11.32ft/lb
Milbro: 573fps 9.34ft/lbs (which either suggests this is a very light pellet - not sure which variety of Milbro but perhaps Caledonian - or I mistakenly recorded the velocity as 573fps instead of 473fps)
Superdome: 592fps 11.31ft/lbs

I have tested the above pellets (except Milbro) at different ranges out to approx. 30 yds in the field, on targets during a still day. The Elites were the least accurate but Defiants and Superdomes produced good groupings of approx. 1inch and less at 30yds.

I also had velocity tests carried out on a Standard BSA 1939. I have not tested the accuracy of the pellets but can report on the chrono results:

Defiant Vintage: 566fps 10.40 ft/lbs
Superdomes: 568fps 10.43ft/lbs
Eley Wasps: 538fps 9.38ft/lbs
BSA Elites: 557fps 10.61ft/lbs
Superfield Bisley 499fps -

Note the poor velocity for the Eley Wasps (original Eley Wasps - not the new substandard variety). It would be interesting to see what Wasps record on the 1922 Standard but this would entail another visit to the gunsmith.

In both instances, note the performance of the Superdomes. These are modern, 5.5mm pellets. There is little difference between them and the Defiant Vintage .22. I am not certain if the BSA Elites are .22 or 5.5mm. In any event, these tests appear to demonstrate that the .22 Standard is acceptable to 5.5mm pellets without any noticeable decrease in power or accuracy. This assumes that there is consistency between the rifles over the years and various models of production, which might not be the case.

Kind regards
Andrew.

[micky2]

Usual recommendations: Superdomes, Superpoints, Milbro, Marksman, Defiant Vintage. I have had good results in some older British .22"s with Superfields, but I am not sure that is a common experience.

I also think RWS Hobbys work at least adequately in most guns.

But, basically, try a lot. Sometimes cheap ones (Milbro, Marksman) work as well or better than the pricier stuff.

l have to agree with the Milbro, Marksman. good for the old BSAs and cheap as well.

[averageplinker]

I wonder if these pellets which work well have thinner skirts and/or softer lead making them deform to fit the barrels well?
Rich

[slug-gun]

This is an interesting discussion, 45flint, as was your other post about the excellence of the pre-war BSA Standard.

I hope the following is helpful. Earlier this year, I bought a 1922 BSA Standard. The gunsmith tested a number of pellets on his chrono and here are the velocities:

Defiant Vintage: 589 fps 11.17 ft/lb (I gather these pellets are no longer in production)
BSA Elite: 575fps 11.32ft/lb
Milbro: 573fps 9.34ft/lbs (which either suggests this is a very light pellet - not sure which variety of Milbro but perhaps Caledonian - or I mistakenly recorded the velocity as 573fps instead of 473fps)
Superdome: 592fps 11.31ft/lbs

I have tested the above pellets (except Milbro) at different ranges out to approx. 30 yds in the field, on targets during a still day. The Elites were the least accurate but Defiants and Superdomes produced good groupings of approx. 1inch and less at 30yds.

I also had velocity tests carried out on a Standard BSA 1939. I have not tested the accuracy of the pellets but can report on the chrono results:

Defiant Vintage: 566fps 10.40 ft/lbs
Superdomes: 568fps 10.43ft/lbs
Eley Wasps: 538fps 9.38ft/lbs
BSA Elites: 557fps 10.61ft/lbs
Superfield Bisley 499fps -

Note the poor velocity for the Eley Wasps (original Eley Wasps - not the new substandard variety). It would be interesting to see what Wasps record on the 1922 Standard but this would entail another visit to the gunsmith.

In both instances, note the performance of the Superdomes. These are modern, 5.5mm pellets. There is little difference between them and the Defiant Vintage .22. I am not certain if the BSA Elites are .22 or 5.5mm. In any event, these tests appear to demonstrate that the .22 Standard is acceptable to 5.5mm pellets without any noticeable decrease in power or accuracy. This assumes that there is consistency between the rifles over the years and various models of production, which might not be the case.

Kind regards
Andrew.

The DEFIANT VINTAGE 5.60mm still available on E**Y and will be for some time yet.