Heads Up On RWS Basic Pellets (USA)

[Gwhite]

The collegiate team I help coach shoots about 120,000 pellets a year, and we have been happily using RWS Basics for over a decade. If you search through various posts on "what pellet should I shoot?", Basics are a perennial favorite for a high quality but inexpensive option.

I tried to order our usual two 60K pellet cases of RWS "Basic" about a month ago. At that time, the US importer was out of stock and they were suppose to get new stock "sometime in October."

I just called the dealer to double check on things. It turns out that the US importer has pulled a fast one. They are now only importing RWS Basic in 300 pellets per tin. They are using the same size tin, with no padding, so the pellets will rattle around & are very likely to get damaged in shipment. For this added feature, they have also jacked up the price per pellet by about 25%.

My dealer is NOT happy with this change, and I agree with him. He is working on importing the 500 pellet tins of RWS Basic directly from Germany, but it may be a couple months before they come in. Another plus is that they will come without the extra cardboard & plastic we have to strip off from the current version. The final price of the direct imports is still TBD, but I suspect it will be less than the new price for the 300 pellet/tin version.

So, if you are in the US, I suggest you be VERY careful buying RWS Basics in the future. Check the pellet count carefully, and if they are selling the 300 count tins, please let the dealer know that is unacceptable. Maybe there will be enough pushback that the importer will reverse course.

We've ordered one case of RWS "Hobby", which is more expensive, but it will tide us over until we can get 500 pellet/tin Basics again. In my opinion, the "Hobby" pellets are OK, but they tend to be slightly larger than the Basics & are harder to seat in many air pistol bores.

[nglitz]

A certain dealer in Ohio has them for $7.29 in the 500 count tins. Buy three get the forth free.
But probably not what you're looking for in your quantity.

Some clown on Amazon is trying to sell them at $12 per tin.

[10M_Stan]

Airguns of Arizona claims to have the RWS Diablo Basics for $5.50/500 tin; http://www.airgunsofarizona.com/pellets ... 7-pellets/

I'm one of those who hasn't had the best of luck with AoA, but it seems plenty of others have. Good luck!

[Rover]

I like Champion Shooters Supply, but my buddy Neal Stepp at ISS filled my last order for RWS Basic due to our cordial relationship.

The RWS Basics have NEVER used padded tins (like H&N).

I noticed there was an outfit in Europe selling rebranded RWS pellets for unbelievably low prices.

[Gwhite]

The padding isn't as important when the can is so full they can't rattle around. Put 300 in a 500 pellet tin, and give it a good shake to imitate trans-atlantic shipping, and I bet they look a bit distressed.

We could hunt around to find the occasional sleeve of 500 pellet/tin Basics, but Pyramyd Air is sold out, and most of the smaller dealers won't have anywhere near the quantities we need. We'll do OK with the Hobby pellets we have on order, but the whole thing is unnecessary & annoying.

Champion's Choice doesn't sell the cheaper RWS pellets at all, and Champion Shooters is selling the 300 count tins...

[william]

Are there any deals on JSB these days? I bought a case of the green label (lighter weight) pellets for a really nice price from Bori when he was still 'Da Man' at Top Gun.

[m1963]

Perhaps Champions Choice would give you a bulk price on their in-house H&N pellet. They certainly have a large stock:
http://www.champchoice.com/store/Main.a ... y&c=APPECH

The only place we have been able to find JSB pellets in the US, over the past few years, is Podium Pellets. They are not inexpensive, however Blake is easy to deal with and provides bulk pricing and free shipping if you call or email him:
https://podiumpellets.com/jsb-pellets.html

[Gwhite]

We were paying under $5 a tin for Basics in case quantities a year ago. It's really hard to come close to that for anything of equivalent quality. Heck, it's hard to buy junk pellets that cheap.

[kevinweiho]

Heck, it's hard to buy junk pellets that cheap.

Well, you can try the "Beeman" wadcutter coated pellets. They don't have the same quality as Qiang Yuan match pellets, but if your pistol/rifle likes them, they are a bargain.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product-all- ... 626/page_2


Have you also considered H&N Excite Econ pellets?

https://www.pyramydair.com/product-all- ... 500ct/1059

[northpaw]

Well, you can try the "Beeman" wadcutter coated pellets. They don't have the same quality as Qiang Yuan match pellets, but if your pistol/rifle likes them, they are a bargain.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product-all- ... 626/page_2

Rebranded chinese "Industry Brand (black)" wadcutter coated pellets?
4https://www.google.no/search?q=Industry+Brand+p ... qEerZOJ5TM:

[Gwhite]

If you look through the various pellet tests folks have done, RWS Basics are as cheap as you can go and still get decent groups with a wide range of pistols. I've got a team shooting Benellis, Steyrs, Morinis, Tau-7's & Hammerlis. Matching pellets to pistols is a non-starter. Admittedly, the scores aren't spectacular on an absolute basis (540 to 560), but the team has won multiple National Collegiate Championships using Basics for everything but the Championships. Then we give them R10 for a little psychological boost. The scores they shoot with R10 are not noticeably different than what they shoot with Basics.

The Hobby pellets are OK for now, although several testers have found that they are no better (& sometimes slightly worse) than Basics. I don't know what anyone has reported tests on the Beeman coated pellets, but the Excite tests I remember were noticeably worse than Basics.

[Wynne G Oldman]

If you can buy RWS Geco's in the USA, I think that you'll find that there's no noticeable difference between those and Basics.

[Gwhite]

I looked around, and Geco's are scarce over here. The only thing I could find was an old eBay post selling them for over $10 a tin. 99.9% of the Google hits were in the UK or India.

in the US, RWS's primary importer is Umarex. If they decided not to carry something (like Basics in 500 pellet tins) the only way to get them in direct import. I suspect Umarex doesn't want to bother with Geco's for some reason, so they are non-existent over here.

[Wynne G Oldman]

I looked around, and Geco's are scarce over here. The only one's I could find were selling for over $10 a tin.

It seems to be the opposite of over here then. Basic's are very hard to come by and Geco's sell for around £4.00 a tin.

[kevinweiho]

Well, you can try the "Beeman" wadcutter coated pellets. They don't have the same quality as Qiang Yuan match pellets, but if your pistol/rifle likes them, they are a bargain.

https://www.pyramydair.com/product-all- ... 626/page_2

Rebranded chinese "Industry Brand (black)" wadcutter coated pellets?
4https://www.google.no/search?q=Industry+Brand+p ... qEerZOJ5TM:

I don't think they're "Industry Brand" pellets. I've seen a tin of the Beeman coated pellets and they have better head and skirt consistency.

[kevinweiho]

Here's a short pellet comment from "The Villages Air Gun Club" and shows them preferring the RWS Basics as their club pellet:

http://www.airgunclub.org/club-tests---pellets.html

[Rover]

Now, if you guys REALLY want cheap and good, I'm gonna make you work for it!

Scroll down through this post, opening every little hint from each poster and you will find unbelievably low pellet prices. If you're too lazy to pursue it, that's OK with me.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=54575&hilit=cheap+pellets

Hey, William! Besuchste?

[Joe58]

Now, if you guys REALLY want cheap and good, I'm gonna make you work for it!

Scroll down through this post, opening every little hint from each poster and you will find unbelievably low pellet prices. If you're too lazy to pursue it, that's OK with me.

viewtopic.php?f=6&t=54575&hilit=cheap+pellets

Hey, William! Besuchste?

Thanks for the link to that thread Rover. I enjoyed reading it, and about your testing. I know you guys are much better shooters than I do I try to take in as much data as I can.

I do like the debate between shooting the less expensive pellets over the premium priced ones but perhaps I’m too biased from shooting .22 for so many years, where for me, there has always been a noticeable difference between cheap to match grade ammo. And usually from rifle to rifle as well. It just seems to me that the premium pellets should be better.

Have you tested between RWS 7.0 gr and the RWS 8.2gr in your pistol?

So to drift off topic......so maybe this needs not to be in this thread.

[Rover]

"Have you tested between RWS 7.0 gr and the RWS 8.2gr in your pistol?"

Yes.

[GaryN]

Have you contacted Scott to see what kind of pricing you can get on Vogel Sport in the LARGE quantity you want?
When I was shooting, I bought a couple sleeves at a time, and I've been happy with them.