.177 pellet keyhole on target

[Bullseye58]

Can anyone tell me why a .177 pellet (Match grade wadcutter) is keyholing on the target at 21' but when I move up to 16' the pellet does not keyhole on the target. I shoot in my basement where the maximum distance I can fire is 21'. I shoot a new Beeman P1 on max power with about 500 rounds of wadcutter match grade pellets through it. I also shoot the felt pellets through the barrel after 100 rounds or so. Thanks!

[Philadelphia]

Can anyone tell me why a .177 pellet (Match grade wadcutter) is keyholing on the target at 21' but when I move up to 16' the pellet does not keyhole on the target. I shoot in my basement where the maximum distance I can fire is 21'. I shoot a new Beeman P1 on max power with about 500 rounds of wadcutter match grade pellets through it. I also shoot the felt pellets through the barrel after 100 rounds or so. Thanks!

My guess -- pellet is too heavy and/or slow to stabilize properly. What are the pellets (type & weight) you are using. Do you have access to a chrono?

Guess #2 -- the pellets are undersized for your gun and don't reliably engage the rifling in the barrel.

Guess #3 -- the crown on your barrel is toast.

[Bullseye58]

The pellets that I have been using are H&N FINALE MATCH PISTOL PELLETS(4.50) High Speed.

[Philadelphia]

The pellets don't sound like the problem.

Is it possible the gun is a .20 caliber P1?

[Bullseye58]

It is a .177 caliber Beeman P1 (new). The gun is very accurate, and I have not been able to shoot at 10 meters yet. The keyholing occurs at the 21 ft area (my max distance indoors).

[william]

Coloring outside the lines here: is it possible that the pellets aren't keyholing at all? Perhaps what you are getting is the paper being torn and creating an oblong hole. This is something that's been discussed many times on TT, and it's always some combination of low velocity pellet and low cost target.

If you really want to know whether you're seeing what you think you're seeing try shooting into a putty-like medium like Mortite and then noting the orientation of the pellet. Or shoot into a piece of soft wood and observe the shape of the hole (my bet is on perfectly round = no keyholing).

[Bullseye58]

Thanks William; I think you might have hit the nail on the head. The target paper is being torn. I do shoot into a pellet trap that I lined with electricians putty. It looks like the pellets are striking the putty as they should. Maybe I will invest in some new targets. I use the B40 targets, but maybe they are old. Thanks!

[TomAmlie]

Maybe I will invest in some new targets. I use the B40 targets, but maybe they are old. Thanks!

Don't invest in new targets from the same maker. I think you'll find universal agreement that the B40 or B40/4 from US makers will give you the same problems. It's a little painful, but you'll need to pony up for some higher quality targets from Kruger or some similar manufacturer.

[Pnkfldman]

Try cleaning your rifle after every 100 shots or so. Pellets are filthy they
clog up the rifling in a barrel causing the pellet to tumble.

I shoot a Gamo Hornet at 1200 fps w/non lead Crosman Supersonics &
about 800 to 900 w/lead.


Do not use oil to clean your air rifle... use solvent (Hoppes)

The caveat to the tumblers is if you do any varmit /small game that tumbling pellet does major damage on impact.

I would suggest the non-lead pellet much cleaner & they only weigh 3.6 grains compared to 8.4 or 7.6

[Eck]

I have a P1 in .177 that I shoot almost every day at 18 feet. Try shooting at the low power setting; I've gotten best accuracy with the 7.0 gr. RWS Meisterkugeln (sp?) Pellets.

The high power setting shoots considerably higher in my pistol, so make sure you have ample backstop!

[BarryB]

Where do you store your targets? If you keep them in a damp basement, they will be more prone to tear from lower velocity pellets. We have the same problem at our club, shooting in a basement over the winter. You may find that keeping them dryer, solves the problem.

[Rover]

I'm certain william nailed it. It is your crap targets. BTW, I don't know if you're using Beeman targets, but they're the worst I've tried. ANY American target sucks.

I would also recommend you try RWS Basic pellets for cheap + good.

Cleaning your bore is almost never necessary, but breaking the end off a Q-tip and shooting it will work well. Do NOT use any solvent!!!