New baracudas

[TonyL]

Awesome, so far.

I haven't actually bought any yet as I need to have a chat with the Mrs as I don't do PayPal but she does, and I can get her to do the necessaries in order to get some from our fine hosts.

BUT.......that very good and generous chap, Sportsmatch, sent me a selection of some of the test FTs a couple of weeks ago. I had an extra day off today, as we had a couple of appointments re kids' hospital and school. But we had a few hours spare in the afternoon and the wife needed to go to Meadowhall with one of my daughters to sort a dress. Conveniently, this is located only a few minutes' drive away from the indoor range at South Yorkshire Shooting Club, so the Mrs dropped me off and collected me. Still dying to try Brian Samson's fine facility, which I'm determined to one day.

Anyways, previous testing had revealed that my V-Mach kitted .177 HW95's favourite diet was FTTs, it preferring these to boxed 7.9 Premiers (the previous favourite) with three flavours of Exacts, AAFs and Superdomes all on a par but slightly behind the Prems.

I'd just finished a tin of FTTs, so took along a fresh tin. And today's groups with those were not, admittedly, quite as tight as those previously attained with the FTTs. The best group measuring about 15mm edge to edge. So, not its favourite batch of FTT?

The Baracuda FT.......as many have said, they're tighter in the breech than the FTT. And that goes for both stated head sizes. I haven't tested velocity, and some say that they seem to rob power in some guns. Impact point about 15mm lower than the FTT at 34 yards. But accuracy with random samples of both sizes was simply stunning, with many groups easily coming under 10mm edge to edge. One group was particularly spectacular, a nice 5mm hole with four shots, but that last one about 3mm away. I put that down to pilot error.

As I say, range was 34 yards, Boinger rested on a range bag, with a 4x32 Nikko Air King. I wonder how much I could have tightened some of those groups with more mag?

Now, I'd said all along that if accuracy was good in still conditions, I'm going to guess that they should really excel in the breeze, knowing how good the old Silhouettes were years ago and JSB Heavies more recently (yawn, Tone, think we've said that a few times). Even if it turns out that they rob power a little, it doesn't matter to me as I don't hunt or shoot comps and I can see these becoming my "go to" pellet other than for back garden / hallway use.

So, must get some bought and we'll also see how they behave in the Quigley Hollow breeze this weekend.

And thank you once again, Mr Sportsmatch, for your most generous gesture. You're a star.

[TonyL]

No worries; enjoy.

Bumpy.

Mods.....maybe merge threads?

[TonyL]

Bumpy.

Mods.....maybe merge threads?

Thank you. Which nice mod did that so quickly, then?

[bozzer]

The Baracuda FT.......as many have said, they're tighter in the breech than the FTT. And that goes for both stated head sizes. I haven't tested velocity, and some say that they seem to rob power in some guns. Impact point about 15mm lower than the FTT at 34 yards.

Warning ... Manic rambling alert from myself!

This has been another thing on my 'I must test that' list.

Due to the frustrations of having to find a good batch of JSB I started trying different pellets from other makers. Amongst other pellets I tried was a tin from a local shop of Crosman made pellets. These were clearly from the Premier/Accupell family. However they were quite small and an easy/loose fit in my 77. The muzzle velocity was crazy ... they were doing mid 800s. I tried some proper Prems ( boxed 0.177 7.9gr ). These were huge and a tight push into the barrel. They shot well in that 77 and a BSA S10 ( which wouldn't tolerate anything usually other than Barracuda 10.6gr ). The head sizes of the Prems measured larger than every other pellet I tried. The tight fitting did drop the power by about 1fp ( from other pellets ... not the high velocity small Crosman ones ).

So I thought ... If ALL of these Prems are larger than my barrel probably needs them to be, but all give good accuracy once they are 'in practice' sized to that barrel as they are pushed in and then the air starts them moving, but the tightness robs 1fp ... then what if I took a sizer and sized samples down a tad at a time. Each reduction I test a number of them for accuracy. Would I reach a point where the barrel spoke and said " Now that one is too small "? If so then I just go back up a size to the size that gives good accuracy. I know pellet fit in breech affects power but I'm presuming that a size would be found where the accuracy is still good but power is back up because they aren't so tight.

Looking at that another way ... When I was testing batches of JSB the head sizes were all over the place and certainly had nowt to do with the head size it stated on the tins. The general head sizes were small and all pellets were smaller than the stated head sizes. So 4.52 tins would be in the head size 4.48 to 4.50. So I wondered if, using them out of the tins, I was struggling to find a batch that suited my barrel because there were always pellets that were just too small. Some would literally fall into the barrel and in comps I would discharge them into the ground. So if I took a pellet type where ALL the pellets started off too big ... then could I find the size that best suited my barrel and then size them all down to that size?

I thought that was an option with the huge Prems as they were ALL huge and tight. So I'm wondering if the same could be done with these Barracuda FT if they are coming out oversize and tight in most barrels? Has anyone measured the head sizes yet?

I warned you it was manic ramblings.

[bozzer]

Just taking this off on another tangent ...

H&N have decided to start producing these pellets.

They have decided to name them Barracuda FT. It says on the tins ... "For FT Competitions".

So that's quite specifically aimed at FT.

So where has the market research come from? The FT World Championships is a 12fp comp ... yes? Virtually every decent 12fp FT shooter is using JSB at 8.44gr. H&N have a pellet in that bracket at 8.64gr. It clearly isn't competing with JSB in 12fp FT. So if H&N have spoken to successful FT shooters ... then who has said ... " What will be a good idea is for you to set up making 9.5gr pellets and market them as FT pellets "?

So am I being a bit naïve here and there is a world of FT shooting beyond 12fp that is big enough to warrant, and has been crying out for, a pellet in this weight? The USA FT scene?

( I may have had beer last night )

[bozzer]

From H&N ...

"The Baracuda FT is a competition pellet optimized for Field Target and Hunter Field Target. The best results are shown in precision airguns with a muzzle energy of 16 joules / 12 ft.lbs. Each production lot is qualified on our electronic 50m test range. After 5 shots it has to reach a shot grouping of maximum 12 mm diameter (C-T-C) and after 20 shots of 20 mm."

So it is aimed at 12fp FT and HFT.

So, again, in a world where virtually every top shooter has settled on 12fp rifles doing @ 770-780fps with JSB 8.44gr pellets ... Who told H&N that they should make a 9.57gr pellet and loads of FT and HFT guys are going to use them?

[bozzer]

Can't edit ...

Have H&N maybe tried to get there 8.64gr FTT pellets to compete with 8.44gr JSB and they can't. So they have tested pellets and found that to get good consistency and accuracy they need to settle on a pellet that is 9.57gr ... and they hope that the FT and HFT world will welcome this new pellet, due to it's consistency and accuracy and will live with any drop in POI, maybe seeing as that may be outweighed by an advantage in wind drift?

[Geezer]

Can't edit ...

Have H&N maybe tried to get there 8.64gr FTT pellets to compete with 8.44gr JSB and they can't. So they have tested pellets and found that to get good consistency and accuracy they need to settle on a pellet that is 9.57gr ... and they hope that the FT and HFT world will welcome this new pellet, due to it's consistency and accuracy and will live with any drop in POI, maybe seeing as that may be outweighed by an advantage in wind drift?

Or maybe it’s mostly marketing spiel?

Look at Gamo’s claims for their rubbish pellets....

[Shed tuner]

To be fair, I think 9.5 grain could be excellent for a hunting pellet out to 45 yards. I also figure that they might not want to complete head-to-head against the JSBs, and their existing FTTs. at 8.5 ish

So in terms of differentiation, without venturing into bisley magnum / JSB heavy territory (10.4 grains ?) I think it makes sense. I used to use 9.5 grain Pax Exterminators in my rapid and they were awesome. The trajectory penalty is tiny out to 45 yards (I'm sure it's far more of an issue at FT 55 yard ranges though ), and the energy retention was great.

So why are they not marketing it as a hunting pellet then

[bozzer]

So why are they not marketing it as a hunting pellet then

Exactly

[TonyL]

Thank you for your most excellent ramble, Boz.

Jon.....agreed.

[bozzer]

I also figure that they might not want to complete head-to-head against the JSBs, and their existing FTTs. at 8.5 ish.

That's also my point ...

If they can produce pellets that are hand selected and give groups that they are claiming at 50m, then why not do that with their 8.64gr pellet ( Field Target Trophy ) and give JSB a real challenge? They already have a Field Target pellet ... FTT. So just make that a better pellet. They must have done BC trials or at least drop testing compared to other pellets. They must have seen that these 9.57gr Barracuda FT are dropping more than JSB 10.3gr Heavies or even their own Barracuda 10.6gr. Their sales pitch says that they consulted with target shooters from all over the world. So who has told them they need a 9.57gr pellet that drops more than their 10.6gr pellets? FT shooters can dial out drop with their elevation turrets ... but if that's the argument then they can use the 10.6gr Barracudas that seem to have a better BC and drop less ... or JSB Heavies at 10.3gr which seem to drop less than 10.6gr Barracudas.

I don't know how many 8.64gr FTT they sell. I'm presuming they sell more of those to the non Field Target world than within the Field Target world. They've sold them for a very long time.

So maybe ... the use of the labelling stating FTT or FT isn't really aimed at those people that actually shoot targets. It's a selling ploy to the hunting and plinking world where shooters may think ... " Ooh ... If these are actually designed for world championship target shooting then they must be good ... I'll get some to splat rabbits or the tin cans up my garden ".

[PCPShooter]

Does it matter what it says on the tin/ what the blurb is ??
Sounds like a good idea 9.5
Potentially shoot in springers and PCPs well - and if you have both and the barrels like the pellet, with the same trajectory potentially which is a rare treat !!

[MartinJG]

I have some and they are amazing in my R10. Even more accurate than its favourite Bisley Magnums. I’ll be buying these going forward, the most accurate pellet I’ve ever shot. Two other guys at my range tried them and are now buying them, one with an R10 and the other a HW100

[TonyL]

Tried them in the Quigley Hollow breeze yesterday.....superb!

We didn't have the usual right to left crosswind, but left to right. Grouping nice and tight and getting pushed about 1/2" to the right. Borrowed some 8.44 Exacts for comparison, grouping slightly larger and definitely taking a little more wind, in the region of 7/8".