Pellets are cheap, even the best pellets, in comparison to rim fire ammo. But 4 or 5 times a years I dig this out of my backstop. It’s about 4,000-4,500 pellets (4 or 5 times a year).
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This doesn’t include pellets fired out in the field or against a more distant back stop; it’s probably 75% of the pellets shot. Probably average 300 days of shooting a year, usually just a few shots after work, but often a lot more working out various ideas. Anyway you look at it, that’s a lot of pellets.
Most of my home-practice is at 20 or 25 yards; the farthest SAFE shot I’m offered at home is no more than 30 yards. I can get by with less expensive pellets for at least 75-80% of my shooting with the back-yard-guns.
Back=yard-guns are not the hotrod power house rifles that might get used for hunting or long range, but good accuracy is still a must have. They do NOT have to be expensive. Have to TEST the less expensive pellets. Will give up a little accuracy, but not a lot, so long as the 5-shot groups are under 1/3†at 20 yards.
Because I’m a bit capricious in my caliber selection, have 3 back yard rifles: a .177. .20, and a .22 (and if there wee any really inexpensive .25 pellets, would set up a back yard .25 as well).
They are all co2, all run on 12 gr., and all are on the short/lite side of things. There are reasons for that.
Are springers and higher powered PCP’s in the safe, but usually it takes a few shots to get “in the groove†with a springer, and with many short shooting sessions, find that co2 easier to pick up “cold†and make hits. Other “recoilless†systems work just as well, but considering I want UNDER 12 foot pounds, co2 works just fine. Local cost of 12 gr. is $.38 per cartridge.
#1: .177 shooter: QB 78, carbine barrel, “brakeâ€, 4X scope, C1 style stock (going to put in two pictures of the stock as it is new and kind of pretty):
Not a power house, but a whole lot of work put in to get that many shots per 12 gr. fill up; that’s 90 shots on paper for 24 gr. of co2..
Conclusions:
Are some round nosed pellets that it shoot better, but it’s a pest bird-gun and WC’s seem to work better out to the 25-30 yard max. range. Are a few more accuracy tricks that I need to put in, but as it stands now, will be feeding it RWS Match or Gamo Match WC’s.
JSB Exacts: $19.10 per 1000
RWS Match: $18.98 per 1000
Gamo Match: (local is $2.49 per 250) + $9.96 per 1000.
#2: 5mm shooter. Crosman 2250/ 12†5mm barrel, shroud, 3-9X scope. Bought this one recently from the classifieds.
Conclusions:
This one is set pretty warm for a 12†barrel, only runs on one 12 gr., so those 30 good shots are all it’s going to get.
There aren’t any really cheap 5mm pellets, but the Benj. cylindricals are available locally and shoot fine. CP’s come and go, being offered for sale and then being discontinued, so I’ve learned no to rely on them.
JSB = $25.10 per 1000
Benj. Cyl. (Local price) = $23.90 pr 1000
(Not much to save here, but the Cylinderical pellets shoot just as well as anything else oat these ranges).
#3. .22 shooter. QB 78, carbine barrel, “brakeâ€, 4X scope.
Conclusions:
Going to be fed either RWS Superdomes or RWS Hobby pellets. No real penalty for the light weight WC’s for practice or for back yard shooting out to 30 yards; isn’t big game hunting just pest birds and the occasional tree squirrel.
JSB (14.3) = $41.98 per 1000
Super Dome = $ 25.90 per 1000
Hobby = $ 23.98 per 1000
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Over all, have to consider the range at which you shoot and the targets shot at, but with a bit of looking and experimentation, can usually find a less expensive pellet that can do the job of practice/short range shooting and save the more expensive pellets for when it really counts (yeah...you’ll need to resight in...big deal, that’s like 5 or 6 shots to get back on target).
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Note on co2 useage.
These thre are widely differnt in tuning and shot count, but they work out to be giving between 24.8 and 27.2 foot pounds per gram of co2.
