Wolverine .177 calI

I have picked up a new tin of pellets today in the Sportsman's Warehouse.
It's a  WOLVERINE .177 cal. made in Czech Republic.
Even though I did not need any, I was sort of curious about the quality having the the JSB's in mind.
The tin of 500 cost $9.99, which is exactly what I paid last time for the Crow Magnum.
The weight on the sticker states 8.44 grain, which could be an ideal weight for a lot of medium  springers.
I love the Crow Magnums since it slows me down a bit and retains bit more of energy. It also groups well in this gun.
The Wolverine pellet is domed which could probably rival the aerodynamics of the Crow Magnums 8.8 grain hollow point.
It is shooting 1/2" group at 13 yards in Mendoza 600 fairly consistently, a very good pellet probably to a 40 yard, maybe more.
If anyone of you tried this pellet,  I sure would like to hear how it hunts, since I so far hunt the bulls eye only.

[leftcoast1]

That pellet is actually built by JSB for BSA or some other company. They have the same quailty control as th JSB exacts. Good luck with them.

[PeakChick]

Yep, these are JSB exacts. I use them in both .177 and .22. I am very impressed with them. They are the pellet that my HW 30 and CFX shoot best in .177, and it is "the pellet" in my B26, .22.

I have used them for dropping grackles at ranges of 10-25 yds. their terminal performance has always been good.

Thanks for the info, it explains the consistency of the pellet.
I have been looking for Exacts heavy locally since I can't justify to waist money for shipping - so far no luck.
But you are right, the tin has a BSA logo, I assumed it was just a promo or a sponsor.
I am little smarter tonight, he he.
Now I am getting the itch to get a good .22 cal springer in a 800 fps range.
Is RWS model 34 a keeper? Natchez would have the best price?

[PeakChick]

I have an RWS Panther 34, .22. (also have a model 36 in .177, just a high grade 34, fancy wood, better iron sights and a lot more money). The 34s are typical DianaWerk quality, which means better than average. The 34, whether wood or synthetic is a very good, mid powered gun. They are definitely a bargain for a German made airgun.

A caveat with RWS break barrel rifles, they are commonly droop barrels. They are built that way on purpose because many Europeans prefer to use receiver mount peep sights, and droop built into the barrel allows peep sight users to be able to dial in enough elevation at longer ranges. That said, droop barrel rifles can be a challenge when used with a scope. The droop barrel works against you for elevation when using a scope. You may often find you can't dial in enough positive elevation in your scope. The answer is simple, but a little pricey, you need to use a droop compensated scope mount. BKL, B-Square, Beeman and RWS all make good droop compensating scope mounts and they are all in the $60.00 price range.

I have seen that a few of our members have gotten lucky and been able to use a standard, non-compensated mount with no issues. But you should be aware that you are likely going to get an RWS droop barrel gun.

Price wise, Natchez does have the wood stock 34 for $182.95, that's one of the best I've seen. But, Pyramid has the wood 34 for $199.96 and the Panther for 189.95, use the 10% discount code and you do the math. yo are going to pay about the same in shipping at either site.

Another gun you might want to look at for a moderate price, accurate, mid-powered gun is the Xisico B26. It is a clone of the HW95, Beeman R9. While it's not a Weihrauch quality wise, I would say that it is 75-80% of what an R9 is. I have one in .22 and it is probably my second favorite gun, next to my HW30. You can get a B26, sporter stock from SportsmanTarget for $139.95 shipped.

OK, there's my two cents...........

[leftcoast1]

Some would say yes some would say no. I've read a ton of mixed reviews. Seems to be a good gun not sure it will reach the 800 fps but it may. Ask on the airgun gate maybe someone has one that could give you real time numbers. I wanted a 800+ fps .22 springer so I saved my money and bought a Patriot. Now I have a gun that will reach 900fps but its a tank. Good luck with your .22 search I love mine.

Jason

[PeakChick]

I agree speed wise..........You have to have a very strong springer or a PCP gun to get a real 800fps + from a .22. the Kodiak/Patriot he mentioned is a beast of a gun with a near 60lb. cocking force. The 34s are not whimpy though.....It may be possible to get 800fps out of one tuned for max speed, not always the best choice. Real world you can expect 500-700 fps from a 34 in .22, depending on pellet choice. Bear in mind that those kind of speeds are a hard hitting .22 in anybody's book, real world.

[leftcoast1]

Hey Peak,

      Yep I would agree. 700 to 750 with a 15gr pellet is deadly to about 40 yards on small game. Speed is nothing without accuracy so slower is sometimes better. I'm having my AR tuned to around 680 it will keep it from eating to much gas and still hit hard. I will say my beast hasn't let anything slip away yet at 28fpe but it is nothing short of beasty.

[PeakChick]

I'm with you. Speed, hard hitting performance is appealing, intriguing, and for some applications you need it, ie. knocking down a big raccoon, fox, maybe a coyote. Those big Patriots and Kodiaks are very well made, certainly upper end springers.. I think I'm too whimpy to cock one more than once or twice though, LOL. I also don't want to lug around 12 lbs. of gun, scope, mounts.  

Is your Patriot an English or Turkish Webley?

But, like you mentioned, speed doesn't always get the pellet on target. I find that I enjoy mid-powered, really accurate guns so much more.

[JMG]

Stay tuned for a long term project I will be starting soon.A somewhat light weight pumper .22 boasting 26 fpe in 20 pumps or less. Should be an interesting project. In fact it should be arriving in the mail here in the next week.

John

[PeakChick]

Very interesting John. We'll look forward to results a review and pics!

PeakChick,
Thanks for so much info, read it several times and do really appreciate the time you spent.
I just hope this .22 cal will be the last one.
I am a whitetail guy for Good's sake!
But seriously I am leaning to the B 26, would not mind to have thumbhole version with a raised scope.
It may be a bit heavier but not that cumbersome. And extra weight may absorb bit more recoil I guess.
Guessing here about lot of stuff, being a greenhorn in this air gun stuff. But I have all the heads up just finger stroke away on this forum!!
My thanks to all of you!!!

On the happy note, I went out early this morning, hoping for some squirrels to be in the pecans, but none showed up.
Instead large flock of grackles were moving in and out!
What a nice way to start of a day! Sure beats that Beeman bulls eye on the timber board.
This little Mendoza was taking them down, of hand on 20 yards like there was tomorrow.
The beauty of it all is, they circle and keep coming back!
Now it's back to work again, pool need backwash and super shock.
It's not that easy to be retired, but let me tell you, I wish someone told me sooner that work is highly overrated!!

[PeakChick]

No problem Ivan, happy to help a little, if I can.

If you decide on a B26 I don't think you will be disappointed. They offer both the thumbhole stock B-26-2 and the sporter stock B26. Same action, powerplant in both. One thing you may want to consider with the thumbhole stock B26, I am of the understanding that it has a very high cheek piece on the Monte Carlo stock. It is so high that you need either high scope mounts or to shave down, reshape the cheek piece.

I know a lot of the members here own the B26-2. Maybe a few of them can chime in.

[longislandhunter]

Ivan,

Stephanie is absolutely correct about the high comb on the B26-2.  I have 2 of em, one in .177 and 1 in .22

Absolutely great shooters, use em all the time to take small game and pests, but that stock does require either a very high mount or you must cut the stock down.  

I have a Beeman 5039 high mount adjustable one piece scope mount on my .22   It was the only scope mount that would work well with that stock comb.  Works wonderfully.

As for the .177 I put an Accushot one piece high  mount on it and it works well,,,, not as well as the Beeman mount, but it work well enough for me that I don't have a problem with it and I didn't have to spend $60 bucks on another Beeman mount.  (they are worth the money, I was just counting pennies).

Ed (Shadow) used another method, he used a one piece mount but installed 2 scope rail risers, available from straightshooters.com for $16.00 bucks between the dovetail and the scope.  

Anyway, great shootin guns, you'll like em if you buy one.

Jeff

[JMG]

And then going on what Jeff said I used a hack saw and cut my B26-2 stock cheek down. And it works great and looks decent. I use a normal accushot medium 1 piece with a Tasco GA on mine. The reason I cut mine down was that I like the look of a scope as close to the action as possible. The 4x4 look has never been in my interest in trucks or guns hehe.

John