Time to test new Pellets !!

Thank you for this test and write-up WM! You have found exactly what we have found of our cast .25 bullets. Speed and twist. Exactly why we use a 1 in 14 twist for most of them. and go t a 1 in 10 twist for even heavier, (Longer) bullets. 😉

Cant help but wonder how a TJ barrel would do in your ED at the 1 in 14 Twist for the .25! 😀

Knife

Im not so sure they will continue to shoot well out to 100 yards unless they carry the velocity to keep them stable.. In past tests Ive done through the high speed scope cam with the .25 Daystate Rangemasters I have noticed an unusual wobble more like the fishtail of an unstable powder burner bullet that progressive gets worse past about 80 yards.. I think it is directly related to the “lack of” a high drag self stabilizing shuttlecock type skirt design on these pellets.. I’m starting to think more and more that they should be treated like cast bullets and shot just under the sound barrier to get maximum accuracy and range from them.. Although these pellets are shorter and lighter than the Rangemasters I am already seeing some familiar characteristics in these early tests..

Well now…. that took much longer than I thought it would!
First of all Id like to say a big thanks to Tobbe at Hurrican Luftvapen for these samples to review and thank you Sir Ville for sorting it all out!
I always enjoy reviewing new air guns and related products and endeavour do so without bias regardless of whether I decide to retail a product or not.

The hours just ticked away as I switched between barrels and adjusted HST’s all afternoon but I think my results measured up to what I though they would be and slinging lead down range was a nice way to spend the sunny afternoon… (sorry to those awaiting My P12 Review… but this one has my undivided attention for today at least) 😀

While this pellet design is nothing new, the weight range and material is.. that is what got my attention,
Logun have made pellets like these called “the penetrator” which I think is fitting for this fallace like design… 😉
Daystate make the Rangemasters and Dynamic make their Terminators all are variations of this design but some are lead free..
They are generally marketed as high power and penetration pellets which may be gimmicky advertising but one thing I do know about this design is it requires more velocity to stabilize as in some cases it verges on the border of becoming a cast lead projectile design as it has a very small stabilizing skirt meaning less drag.
Something else Ive learned with this pellet design through loads of testing is that it has a very good wind bucking ability compared to the traditional pellet design.

Ill start with the .22cal:

The Swedish made Hurricane pellets look great and the .22cal heads measure mostly 5.54mm with a few 5.53mm which is on the larger side but in general Id call the heads consistent.
Weight wise they ranged from 18.0gr to 18.4gr with the majority being 18.1gr. here’s a pic of the Hurricane along side the 18.1gr JSB:

The are very similar in hight and the distance between the head and the skirt where they would contact the rifling is almost identical..
This had me hopeful that my first rifle on the test bench would do well with them..
My Edgun Matador R3 .22cal.

The pellet causes a little more resistance when closing the bolt on the R3 if compared with a JSB pellet but nothing alarming..

The bulls eye is 1/2″ and I shot all targets from 50 yards.
I started by backing my HST right off and slowly brought it up to its max velocity (without having to adjust the reg), shooting the groups top to bottom left to right, here’s how they went..
The first two 5 shot groups were around 1 1/2″ but the third was easily 1/2 inch so I decided to shoot 10 shots to be sure.. the group opened up considerably on the second 5..
On the last groups I held under a touch, my rifle was shooting high as it is zeroed for about 65 Yards
Creeping the HST up another notch improved a little but my rifle maxed out at 955fps for my last group.. The first 3 shots were hole on hole but the 4th was a flyer, I have no explanation for that little guy 😯 the 5th hit home with its buddies..
Again these pellets show the like speed and Im sure if I was to lift my reg pressure a touch I could get these pellets to stack at this range. Maybe another day as Ive spent many hours getting my R3 just where I want it with the JSBs and I’m a little reluctant to change it..

On to my second test platform, my Steyr Lg110 Hunting HP custom fitted with a match Lothar Walther 1-17.5 twist, choked barrel.. I have shortened this barrel back to the same length as the factory .177 barrel to keep this rifle carbine length.. It is tuned to shoot the 16gr JSBs at 900fps and it is as accurate as my R3 out to 50 yards.. after that the Edgun leaves it in the dust..

Unfortunately the Steyr lacked the velocity needed even at full power so I was unable to push the 18gr Hurricane pellets any faster than about 860fps so I only shot the one group with it. See the top right target for results.

On to my next rifle, The AirArms S300 custom bullpup. Now this Rifle is unregged but it shoots tighter strings and groups that many regged rifles Ive handled.. it is an absolute gem and yet another tac driver at 50m with 18.1gr JSBs. It is fitted with the same barrel as the Steyr only its a couple of inches longer. The barrel is new and has only seen about 150 pellets through it so it is still breaking in..

My Black beauty has no issues with pushing a 18.1gr JSB to 930fps max with a extreme spread of 6fps over 25 shots. Its normally tuned to 900fps with the 18gr JSBs.
To say this rifle likes these pellets would be and understatement.. the Edgun should be able to do the same but it is limited by its barrel twist which is exclusive to the 18.1gr JSB diet.

Something I did notice was when these pellets were shooting fast enough to be stable the point of impact is nearly identical to the JSB at the same range.. unfortunately the JSBs don’t cope as well with the higher velocities so switching between the two without retuning would not be very successful.
My conclusion on this 18gr Hurricane Exterminator pellet would be this.. IF you have a PCP that has the ability to push them above 930fps with a mid to fast twist rate they will be a very accurate hard hitting (35-40ftlbs!) hunting or target pellets.. I think it would be safe to say that these pellet should be used in high powered PCPs only, I think to be fair, maybe they should be marketed that way too.
I would love to see how they stack up at 1000fps but unfortunately other than my Edgun (which lacks in the twist rate department) my other PCPs wont achieve that. A.22 might be good test platform for that one. I will have one to tune for some one in the next month or so Ill chat to the owner about the use of his rifle in this experiment. The new P12 may venture down that road too if I get time..
On the next windless day I will also push these out to 100 yards with the S300 bullpup and study the pellets stability with the scope cam and post the results..

If anyone is interested in giving these new pellets a go you can contact Tobbe here http://www.luftvapen.se/
The pellets are very reasonably priced but beware, the cost of freighting lead around the globe is not! A group buy might be a better idea..

Next up the .25 calibre Hurricane Exterminator.

Hi wingman,
In the planet of France.
In the planet where every time we failed with all blacks rugbyman…
In the planet where it’s impossible to find moly paste 70.
Rgds

Merou

Not trying to shit in your cereal but 30 yards/meters doesn’t mean anything but the group size at that distance.

Some of the bad tins of JSB/AA 177 pellets stack at 30 yards (zero to less than 0.125″ ctc) but then spread out to 1.5″ or larger groups at 45-50 yards indoors… :2cents: