Pellet Sizers?

[mjr1983]

Hi guys.

Having shot air rifles now for many years but mainly for pest control, I've occasionally seen pellet sizers on different forums being mentioned and coming up for sale, so I was just wondering If they are really necessary or even improve accuracy at all?
Personally speaking, I have never owned or tried out a pellet sizer so any opinions both negative or positive will be greatly appreciated.

Cheers lads

[eyebull]

More for very fussy barrels or vintage guns tbh. Or if you think you can outshoot quality factory ammo in a modern barrel and feel you need that extra Edge.
Other than that the old adage about fishing tackle shops comes to mind - all those fancy gadgets are for catching fishermen, not fish!

[angrybear]

Two slightly different uses,
older BSA .25 calibre was actually .243" so a sizer is needed to take a 6.35mm pellet down to around 6.2mm to fit the barrels.
or
just to slightly finesse a *.53 pellet down to *.52, *.51 etc just gain accuracy from better conformity.

[mjr1983]

Thanks for the replies guys 👍

[les allam]

Two slightly different uses,
older BSA .25 calibre was actually .243" so a sizer is needed to take a 6.35mm pellet down to around 6.2mm to fit the barrels.
or
just to slightly finesse a *.53 pellet down to *.52, *.51 etc just gain accuracy from better conformity.

I have a U.K Neil sizer made for my bsa Lightning in .25 cal.
Once the Hn ftt pellets were sized it made loading easier, and improved power by 1.5fp.
A great bit of kit and nicely made.
Les..

[steptoe1966]

As some one who loves tackle shops and has been fishing over 50 years hmmm and also someone who has been shooting around 50 years , pellet sizers yup they improve things greatly once you find a pellet that loves you barrel sizing it makes the fit better but if you have a 5.52 barrel nice fit and you put a 5.54 in you might find it throws the shot of a touch might be a very small amount but when it comes to getting it right i would rather have a nice fitting pellet thn one i have to push in with a hammer ,

My point when loading the wifes AA S200 we found if you use a pellet bigger than 5.51 you have to force the bolt forward where as a 5.52 soft push and in she goes

[tinbum]

Personally I don't bother, they make a difference of mm and I miss by inches! My pellet prep is pulling the twigs and fluff off before loading them.

Having said that, I have a long list of emails with photos showing the benefits, mainly from US bench rest shooters.

[ChrisC]

Tis a strange one as some trusted and very good comp shooters i know swear by sizing, i have tried it a few times over the years with proven batches and found (for my barrels) that it didn't make any difference. For me pellet weighing makes for tighter long range groups,.....even more so recently as i'm finding that my preferred pellet supplier is starting to have wide weight variations compared to 5 years ago.

As with anything you would need a good quality set of scales to weigh and if sizing a good quality sizer.

Sometimes it may just be the placebo effect that when i get to a comp i know that my pellets are as good as they will be and we all know the positivity of sporting psychology.

[derekm]

More for very fussy barrels or vintage guns tbh. Or if you think you can outshoot quality factory ammo in a modern barrel and feel you need that extra Edge.
Other than that the old adage about fishing tackle shops comes to mind - all those fancy gadgets are for catching fishermen, not fish!

If you put a mike onto "quality factory ammo", you may well be surprised at the variations in dimensions from what it says on the tin. How much those differences make to accuracy, I'll leave to others to speculate.

[eyebull]

If you put a mike onto "quality factory ammo", you may well be surprised at the variations in dimensions from what it says on the tin. How much those differences make to accuracy, I'll leave to others to speculate.

I've no doubt top flight shooters can reach the point where their group sizes are being held back by weight and gauge inconsistencies, but realistically most of us plebs won't see any tangible benefit in weighing and sizing pellets.

If someone thinks the vital missing link preventing them from reaching the podium is a pellet sizer, then have at it!
But I'd venture to suggest that for 99% of shooters there are dozens of variables in technique best addressed first.

[gsxrman]

Tis a strange one as some trusted and very good comp shooters i know swear by sizing, i have tried it a few times over the years with proven batches and found (for my barrels) that it didn't make any difference. For me pellet weighing makes for tighter long range groups,.....even more so recently as i'm finding that my preferred pellet supplier is starting to have wide weight variations compared to 5 years ago.

As with anything you would need a good quality set of scales to weigh and if sizing a good quality sizer.

Sometimes it may just be the placebo effect that when i get to a comp i know that my pellets are as good as they will be and we all know the positivity of sporting psychology.

Pretty much agree with everything said here.
There are so many variables to consider here not just the diameter of the pellet, but the weight, length and shape plus the coating on the pellet. Then there is the rifles power plant and barrel/choke etc.
I have been there, washed pellets in a seive, weighed and sized them then lubricated them myself with alsorts from big brand stuff to beeswax furniture polish.
I can say categorically that it does work to tighten your groups, but after a couple of seasons and applying Vulcan logic, the gains were just not enough, at the end of the day the shooter is the weakest link and you can make far better gains from understanding this and enhancing your technique, your ability to read the wind and field craft.
I assume Chris will agree that in still conditions targets dont get missed, but drop a breeze in the mix and watch them elite polished pellet shooters miss.
I came to the conclusion that my rigs were accurate enough to drop 40mm kills at 55 if I did my bit so I spent more time practicing.

[zephyr]

I came to the conclusion that my rigs were accurate enough to drop 40mm kills at 55 if I did my bit so I spent more time practicing.

Amen.

But if the rig/pellet can’t hold a 40mm group, no matter how much you practise, there will be misses.