I'm new here and to 10m air rifle shooting. I picked up a used FWB 601 in good shape to play with 10m air rifle shooting a bit. I mainly shoot SB informally and a little bit of high power as well, but again informally, both of these mostly prone. After looking around for a bit it seemed a FWB 601 would put me in a very accurate rifle that didn't require a scuba setup on fairly little money.
So now the test for the perfect pellet comes out. I went to the nearest store that carried more than daisy pellets and picked up a tin of RWS Meisterkugeln, RWS Hobby, H&N Match, and a Crossman Premier Super Match. I was hoping to pick up some R10 and Finale Match but those weren't carried. So far I've only tested the RWS Meisterkugeln. I shoot from a front rest/rear sand bag that I use for all the firearms.
The only targets the local shop had in were 50' US Army smallbore targets looking like this:
If I shoot a string I can get a handful of pellets into the same hole (from the rest) but one or two out of 10 take off shooting a middle to weak 9. When I look at the pellets they all look the same. Inserting them into the chamber feels the same. Off the rest I'm getting a good sight picture and I do my best to place the rifle consistently on the rest and to hold consistent. When I look at the last 5 bulls I have 3 that are within .5mm of being exactly on center or less, one that is 1-1.5mm off but still a 10, and one that is a middle of the road 9. The deviation is all around the bull, not just one direction making the zero look decent.
I won't say the one 10 that is a little off centered wasn't me. But the 9 out as far as it is was more than me. It seems I get 1 or 2 shots every 10 that are on the verge of or out in the 9 range.
Now to my question. What is acceptable grouping from a rest? The pellets I bought are the only ones available within driving distance. Some R10 and Finale Match and JSB are on the next internet order as well. But how much more should I expect? I fear what my scores are going to look like from a sling if I can't shoot a clean card from a bench. In terms of pure accuracy, is a C-T-C group of half a pellet diameter acceptable? More? Less? With the way these have grouped I am looking at the bulk falling within 1/4 of a pellet group C-T-C with 1-2/10 about 3/4-1 pellet diameter out from center. As is I'm looking at about a 590/600 60 shot score. It seems many do better from position than this which has me a bit discouraged.
Is this typical of the grade of pellet? I know in the firearm world the expensive ammo buys you consistency. Are these results something typical of a mid but not top grade pellet? Short of the individually sorted R10 pellets, even the top tier is cheap compared to SB and practically free compared to centerfire so buying quality pellets isn't an issue. I know more testing is the only way to know what my personal rifle will or won't do but I guess I am looking for a little insight into what should be capable of with the grade pellet I'm using and what it should be capable of with a better pellet.
Thanks,
Matt
Oh, I think this is going to be very addictive after a single weekend with the rifle. With match ammo costing as little as it does and having the ability to shoot 10m indoors at both the local range and at home I have a feeling it is going to be what takes over my free time.