TargetTalk

I find it really strange to write this. I simply do not understand how they make their pellets especially when it comes to quality control.

We all know that Gamo is one of the cheapest pellets out there.

The Gamo pellets shoot the tightest group on my LP10.

Naturally one would say, my LP10 loves Gamo. The problem is, every one out of 7 or 8 pellets out of the tin can is defective, and sometimes you do not even see it unless you closely examine it. So those that are "perfect" make it to the target and form a tight group, the rest of them range from flyers, to not even reaching the target distance at all. Some of the deflects are so obvious that even with a seater you cannot shape the skirt.

Does anybody experience the same thing like I do?

I don't find your experience unusual.

Back in 1992, when CO2 LP-1C's where the latest rage, in our local team three of us shooters were ranked into the national top 15, so we thought it would be worth to try it, especially when one of them was still using a FWB-65. A fourth fellow shooter entered the pool, and I was the one who received the parcel with four new, identical, consecutively numbered LP-1C's.

I reasoned that it was the opportunity I'd always expected to do a comprehensive side-by-side comparison of gun and pellets in one, so I set a vise with an custom made insert of aluminum, gripping the pistols from the cylinder,and started shooting.

I don't remember which of them did what, but I perfectly recall that in mine, the best groups (20-shot) were made with hand-sorted common Hobby pellets, beating by a considerable margin other match stuff like Lapua, RWS and H&N. As you experienced yourself, all I got to do was discard the evidently damaged pellets, and the groups (of which I shot many, as to confirm what appeared to be an odd test result) were so small as to be confined their outer limits (not center to center) in the 10-ring.

By the way, one of my pal's, the next-numbered pistol, couldn't group the same pellets to guarantee the 20 shots to be in the 10-ring even scratching the line, while Eley Match's were a one-holder.

As they say, you must try every pellet you lay your hands on in your pistols, you are in for more than a few surprises!!!

seems to be one of those cases of you get what you pay for. It is too bad that QC is not better to avoids bad pellets from being shipped.

Did you contact Gamo?

conradin wrote:I find it really strange to write this. I simply do not understand how they make their pellets especially when it comes to quality control.

This is what Gamo has to say about their pellets:

* The most accurate pellets available
* Strict quality control
* Random lot sampling

As the world's top manufacturer of airgun ammunition, GAMO produces the most accurate pellets available, through strict quality control and random lot sampling. If a lot groups outside 7/8" at either 10 or 25 meters, the entire lot is discarded-so you can shoot with confidence!

kevinweiho wrote:

conradin wrote:I find it really strange to write this. I simply do not understand how they make their pellets especially when it comes to quality control.

This is what Gamo has to say about their pellets:

* The most accurate pellets available
* Strict quality control
* Random lot sampling

As the world's top manufacturer of airgun ammunition, GAMO produces the most accurate pellets available, through strict quality control and random lot sampling. If a lot groups outside 7/8" at either 10 or 25 meters, the entire lot is discarded-so you can shoot with confidence!

Almost an inch is one big group, even at 25M, never mind 10M. That said cheap pellets often shoot very well and even the damaged ones don't normally result in a noticeable flier.

Rob.

There are two types of failed ones, one is having a bad skirt, in which I find out that using a seater and shaper will not solve the problem. The other one is a head that is not totally flat, or have some bent on it. There is nothing one can do about it. The latter one is sometimes hard to spot. Since I use a pellet box, it is easier to spot the former.

In fact, I find the bad pellet shot WORSE than I expected when I seat it and shape it. I think there is too much material (lead) on the pellet, so no matter how you shape it, it is impossible to make it balance.

conradin wrote:In fact, I find the bad pellet shot WORSE than I expected when I seat it and shape it. I think there is too much material (lead) on the pellet, so no matter how you shape it, it is impossible to make it balance.

I'm sure I can't be the only one who is wondering why you find this confusing.

The difference between cheap rubbish pellets and expensive quality pellets is normally consistency.

Your batch of pellets obviously fall into the first category.

Some people say the Beeman Wadcutter coated pellets have better consistency than the Gamo match. They are also a tad cheaper...

I bought some Gamo pellets at Dicks once (and they weren't cheap there) while waiting for my RWS Basics/Hobby shipment to be delivered. My fingertips were black with lead dust after a few minutes. I didn't like the experience and I assumed it couldn't be the best thing for my barrel. I always wash my hands when I finish shooting but I had to scrub them after the Gamos.

Oops! My bad; it was in fact Crossman pellets I bought in a pinch that were so dirty.

This thread is why I shoot Vogels.....

My Zhuhai Qiang Yuan just came in, it is the lowest grade ones, in plastic cans. I will let you all know the experience after I have gotten the chance to try it. Just by browsing around the can it seems to have inconsistency, being able to be spotted by naked eye. We shall see..

I have a feeling that Yi Siling's lot must be hand picked by the factory pellet by pellet. Somehow I doubt, just by the look of them in the can right now, that they can be world beaters. Yi's pellets definitely have to be VERY different compare with the ones that I get right now. For the record she, like most world class women competitors, use FWB (700 or 800).

conradin wrote:I have a feeling that Yi Siling's lot must be hand picked by the factory pellet by pellet. Somehow I doubt, just by the look of them in the can right now, that they can be world beaters. Yi's pellets definitely have to be VERY different compare with the ones that I get right now.

How likely do you think it is that she would be using pellets from the cheap end of their line.

Really? Most world class women air pistol shooters use FWB hardware? I haven't taken notes, but from memory of the past couple of years' world cup matches it seems I've seen a lot of Steyr and Morini pistols, with the odd Pardini and FWB.

Gerard wrote:Really? Most world class women air pistol shooters use FWB hardware?

Yi Siling is a world class rifle shooter, the current World and Olympic champion. And yes, many, many world class air rifle shooters, both male and female, use FWB kit.

Tim S wrote:

Gerard wrote:Really? Most world class women air pistol shooters use FWB hardware?

Yi Siling is a world class rifle shooter, the current World and Olympic champion. And yes, many, many world class air rifle shooters, both male and female, use FWB kit.

Ah, sorry, had no clue. I've tried to watch air rifle competition but just can't do it. I've watched paint dry and it's admittedly slightly more dull to do that... okay, I guess that's not fair, as I'm sure air rifle competition is exciting for those who compete in it. But after all, THIS IS THE OLYMPIC PISTOL FORUM! I had no expectation of someone saying something like 'most world class air rifle competitors use FWB equipment' in an air pistol pellet discussion. My bad. I guess.

I had heard that some pellets have graphite coating which may explain black coating on fingers.
I have purchased pellets which have think were deformed by being dropped, as evidenced by damage to the tin- check before you buy. Nevertheless I think they must be partly corrected by "swaging" from the air pressure. I am surprised that these often shoot ok but have not compared these over a fixed rest.

Gerard wrote: Ah, sorry, had no clue. I've tried to watch air rifle competition but just can't do it. I've watched paint dry and it's admittedly slightly more dull to do that... okay, I guess that's not fair, as I'm sure air rifle competition is exciting for those who compete in it. But after all, THIS IS THE OLYMPIC PISTOL FORUM! I had no expectation of someone saying something like 'most world class air rifle competitors use FWB equipment' in an air pistol pellet discussion. My bad. I guess.

Sorry I should have bring up that she is a rifle shooter. I just could not recall which pistol shooter uses this Chinese brand at the time of writing the post, and Yi Siling is very famous and popular. An example of a pistol shooter that uses this brand is PANG Wei, again using the red pellet box ones, he was Olympics champion in 2008 and World Champion in 2006. Mine is the match training grade in a typical pellet can (but plastic) with 500 pellets; Pang, like Yi, uses the Olympic grade, which comes in red match boxes (2 trays of 100 pellets each).

I guess going back to your original question, Conradin, regarding the Gamo pellets inconsistency... it seems to me that the logical choice is to use another pellet where the groups are almost as good in your LP10, perhaps 1 or 2mm larger but still a good group, but where every 7th or 8th pellet isn't horribly deformed. Having to pick through one's pellets can only be distracting during a match, or even during training. As Rover continues to state regarding his extensive pellet testing, RWS Basic or Hobby pellets group very well compared to the top grade match pellets which are individually packed in trays and cost several times as much. I've just used about 7,000 Hobby pellets in a row through my Pardini K10, all from the same batch, and have yet to find a single pellet with a deformed skirt or other obvious defect. They all shoot about the same. I like my results a bit better with Basic, but so far can't find a consistent supplier locally. And shipping through the mail is just self-defeating. Canada Post usually drops the boxes and damages the skirts, and that's after I've paid extortionate postage rates. A local shop seems, again, the rational choice. Why use Gamo pellets, or these Chinese pellets, especially the low-grade ones with defects? Just because some superstar or other uses the Olympic grade version? I'm not seeing the relevance.

Just because I enjoy throwing a monkey wrench into the works: did you notice in all my tests the JSB Pistol (Green) was the most accurate (two different lots) in the three pistols I tested them in. Also, the heavy and the extra heavy (not shown in the tests) performed nearly as well.

Too bad I don't have any left, especially with the importer here in Scottsdale. He hand delivered the pellets to me and shared a Czech beer on my patio.

Heh, heh, heh.

It is all about uniformity, consistency of the pellets.
When I first started in AP I tested different brands.
I settled on R10 match about the cheapest higher end pellet, so to speak.
IMHO pellets are cheap.
A sleeve of 5K. R10 pellets is about $105.
Compared to decent .22 ammo at $800 and up for 5K.
Pick a good, not cheap pellet that groups well and shoot them.
Trust me, if it does not hit the 10 ring, it was not the pellet.

JMHO

Clarence