Amusing Plink.

[laverdabru]

As my neighbours weren't about decided to give the recently acquired Kral K a work out. I'd been recommended to try JSB Exact Jumbo RS. They were fine, put 4 mags (48 pellets) through at 15 yards, ragged single hole. Quite happy, not been doing much shooting for a while, still getting my eye back in. Wasn't overly pleased with the QC of the 'carefully selected' pellets, lots of crushed skirts, hate to see what the rejected ones were like...
Neighbours arrive back, put the Kral away.
Later, they went out from their garden, decided to have a play with the SMK B19. Last time I used it, the groups weren't a lot bigger than the Kral. As I'd left the tin of JSB's on the patio table, used them.
Talk about shotgun...Put 30 odd shots through it with the JSB's. All over the place. Thought it was down to shooting a springer after the PCP. Went into get a drink, noticed a tin of H&N FTT 5.53 on the kitchen table. Hmm, was that what I sighted it in with? Gave them a try. It was a real effort to push them into the breech, but the groups closed right up.
I know that guns are pellet fussy, even at the short ranges I use them at. But was surprised at the difference.

Bru

[TonyL]

Sounds like you had quite an enjoyable and eye-opening session there then, Bru'. Luckily, I don't think that any of my guns are particularly pellet fussy, but your experience really demonstrates how fussy some can be and that using expensive / potentially good pellets doesn't always guarantee good accuracy and that pellet testing is so important.

[MartynB]

Maybe clean barrel and try again ?

[TonyL]

Cleaning the barrel might work. I've heard it said on many an occasion that the softer lead mix of the JSBs doesn't particularly take well to a barrel conditioned to pellets with a harder mix, like the H&Ns. So a good clean followed by some leading-in shots might work wonders.

Or if might be that the barrel simply doesn't like those pellets. Or even that a different batch might work totally differently and work so much better?

Or you could just stick with the FTTs and save a little money to boot!

[laverdabru]

Cleaning the barrel might work. I've heard it said on many an occasion that the softer lead mix of the JSBs doesn't particularly take well to a barrel conditioned to pellets with a harder mix, like the H&Ns. So a good clean followed by some leading-in shots might work wonders.

Or if might be that the barrel simply doesn't like those pellets. Or even that a different batch might work totally differently and work so much better?

Or you could just stick with the FTTs and save a little money to boot!

I'll probably just stick with the FTTs, they seem to work well in most of my .22's. I'll have a sore thumb using them in the SMK, they really are a tight fit in the bore.
Only other air rifle that I've got that is pellet fussy is an HW35 in .177 - that likes Falcon Accuracy Plus, think they're called. Must dust it off & give it a run out.
You mentioned the JSBs have a softer lead mix. Guess that would account for the amount with damaged skirts.

ATB

Bru

[Bellycrawler]

I don't collect rifles now. The problem I had was every rfd visit I had to buy a tin of my favourite pellets if I was running low & a tin of any I hadn't got. Yep I became a pellet collected as well. No matter how good or bad the pellets were every new rifle I had a good selection to test. I'm down sizing my rifle collection but I keep finding new pellets to try. The curse of many local rfd's I pass on my travels. As my rifle collection shrinks the so called bad pellets will be used for fun plinking so non will be wasted. Oh, that reminds me, I also have a spinner / knock down target collection.

[laverdabru]

I don't collect rifles now. The problem I had was every rfd visit I had to buy a tin of my favourite pellets if I was running low & a tin of any I hadn't got. Yep I became a pellet collected as well. No matter how good or bad the pellets were every new rifle I had a good selection to test. I'm down sizing my rifle collection but I keep finding new pellets to try. The curse of many local rfd's I pass on my travels. As my rifle collection shrinks the so called bad pellets will be used for fun plinking so non will be wasted. Oh, that reminds me, I also have a spinner / knock down target collection.

It's certainly nice to have the choice nowadays. When I started out (1970's) the local gunshop in Shepton Mallet had Beatall, Webley Specials (a birthday or Xmas treat to myself!) Markman, maybe BSA Plyarm(?), that was about it. Anything more exotic you had to travel to Bristol for.

Bru

[angrybear]

It still surprises me how much difference pellet choice can make in some guns, while another doesn't seem to care what you feed it.

My Scorpion SE seems to be happy with pretty much anything as does one of my .22 Rapid barrels,
then I've got two .20 Rapids one loves FTT's the other is much better JSB's,
but fussiest of all is the FAC .25 which is rubbish with anything other than the JSB kings & their badged clones, but superb with them.