Interrogatory: Pellet morphology, ballistic coefficients, reference?

[TCups]

Along with a number of nice air rifles, I find I am accumulating a larger number of various pellets.  Acquisition has been on a purely empiric basis -- buy some pellets, shoot them, and see if they seem to work in this gun or that, else based on word of mouth -- "hey these seem to work well . . ."

I hear references to ballistic coefficients, but have little more than a vague idea what this really means technically.  I know some weigh their pellets, but I don't know what brands are most likely to be more consistent and better overall quality (except perhaps for Vogels).

Morphologically, I read about wad cutters, diablos, domed pellets, hollow points, pointed pellets, etc.  But I don't read anything much about differences between pellets with serrated or pleated skirts (RWS Hobby, RWS Superdomes and Super-H-Points) and smooth skirts (RWS basics, CP's, Beeman Trophy's, Vogels), skirt thickness, depth of holes in the underside of the skirt, and probably other examples of things about pellet design I haven't taken sufficient notice of.

The library has some superficial info on pellet weights (more accurately, mass) by caliber.  But is there any tabular reference or good general source of review of pellet design (as above), ballistic coefficients, and how to rationally understand what might be expected of the many various pellets out there?

[Bhawanna]

tommy, check this site out for some cool calculators...  http://www.airgunexpo.com/calc/index.cfm

[Progun]

Tommy, you already know about Straight Shooters site(Our Take) where various guns are tested with various pellets. That is a prety fair site with info on a lot of the more common pellets.The BC they list will give you a fair idea of what to expect in a given velocity range with a given pellet.BC refers to the aerodynamic efficiency of a given projectile at a given velocity.How fast it slows down and how well or poorly it retains energy.All diabolo pellets are ballistically inferior to more streamlined bullet designs that can have BC's in the 400 or better range.  That's why you can't shoot a pellet from a 1000 fps rifle for a mile or more.Our low energy guns don't need a very high BC to shoot accurately but for hunters a little higher BC will deliver more energy at the target.At or near the end of our effective range is where this comes in handy.As for that other stuff, differences in skirts, depth of holes, etc., a lot of that is MARKETING in my opinion of course. If you are selling pellets and you want to tout the quality of your pellet, it might be beneficial to look a little different than your competition.Nothing else that I can think of would explain some of the odd-ball shapes and gimmicks some pellets have.Recent designs might include PBA Raptors, psuedo hollow point pellets, and other gimmicky jobs that have appeared and dissapeared in the last 10 years.When a new design comes along that is superior to current designs,it won't be kept a secret.

[PeakChick]

Tommy, I just have to comment..........Only an physician would apply morphological study to an analysis of projectiles............LOL! (Although, strictiy speaking the term is used correctly as it can apply to the study of structure or form.)

Now an engineer might apply terms like structral analysis, design criteria application, quantitative and qualitative analysis, perfomance analysis, etc.

Sorry, I couldn't resist taking a jab at you............  

None the less, I'm sure that the engineers involved in pellet design do apply some BC study to the general shape of the design and do allow for material tollerance to determine at what pressure range the skirt design will open at and to what degree. However, as mentioned I'll bet a lot more has to do with marketing and what the front office clan thinks will sell and what the cost of production is vs. expected profit margin.