Gamo whisper budget .22: Pellet Choice?

[chop house]

for chasing furred critters off of feeders. what .22 pellets have you found most accurate and effective?

 

[Bill K]

I get my best accuracy with the Camo 'Red FIre" 22 cal pellet.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Those crossman premier from Walmart do pretty good.

 

[JEFFPPC]

for chasing furred critters off of feeders. what .22 pellets have you found most accurate and effective?

It's about accuracy!. Airguns are just like centerfires. It is up to your barrel.From my shooting I believe a good accurate rifle, probably tuned, combined with a good shooter, will show the weak link is pellets. Premium brands thru budgets brands are annoyingly inconsistent. I have weighed 500 round tins and found less than 5% that are the weight or diameter listed on the lid. Today I shot probably the overall best brand I have found working in 3 guns. Shooting at 25 yards one tin offered multiple 5 shot groups you could cover with the base of a .222. The other produced groups from a bit under a dime to a quarter might cover it. Moreover the POI changed by over an inch at a 45 degree sngle.I have shot a lot of squirrels most with a .177. They are all dead. But, headshots preferred because as happens with those cutters, one shot thru the shoulders is dead instantly but another goes to the top of a tall tree, hangs on for several minutes, then eventually falls off. So, dome pellets offer the best accuracy especially over 20 yards thus my advice is find what your gun likes. If you find a lot your gun likes, just as with .22 rim fire, go buy all can afford. Good luck.

 

[Ron IA]

Also wash them in lighter fluid you will be surprised how much stuff comes off of them

 

[5spd]

Crossman flat head .22cal, in my .177, pointed daisy both from wallymart

 

[JEFFPPC]

Also wash them in lighter fluid you will be surprised how much stuff comes off of them

If you buy quality pellets that is not needed. JSB, JST, Air Arms are a couple that require no cleaning. No lighter fluid going in my springers.

 

[Fast14riot]

If you buy quality pellets that is not needed. JSB, JST, Air Arms are a couple that require no cleaning. No lighter fluid going in my springers.

Lol, dieseling is a big surprise when it happens! Terrible for the gun though.

Crosman Premier hollow points were always my standard baseline pellet for evaluating any new air gun. I’ve taken cotton tails at 50+ yards with them, too.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Lol, dieseling is a big surprise when it happens! Terrible for the gun though.

Crosman Premier hollow points were always my standard baseline pellet for evaluating any new air gun. I’ve taken cotton tails at 50+ yards with them, too.

Yes. Petroleum products , not good.

 

[chop house]

Also wash them in lighter fluid you will be surprised how much stuff comes off of them

What is the contamination? And what does it do?

 

[chop house]

Lol, dieseling is a big surprise when it happens! Terrible for the gun though.

I understand no oil in the bore. Are you meaning some pellets need to be cleaned of oil?

 

[chop house]

This thread is a great example of ' don't know what you don't know'.

So which are typically more accurate, domed or hp? Lead or alloy? What about the polymer tipped? Heavy or light? Faster for less barrel time? Does target range affect pellet style? Is it unreasonable to expect an inch or two at 50 yds with this inexpensive break barrel?

Sheesh, I had no idea how fast I could get into the weeds ..

 

[Fast14riot]

I understand no oil in the bore. Are you meaning some pellets need to be cleaned of oil?

I have never cleaned good quality pellets, no need to for hunting.

Even using incorrect lube for o-rings or trigger group, not just on the pellets can get in the bore and can cause detonation. Especially on hot days.

Flat nose pellets I like for lower velocity on smaller game, like pneumatic pistols and rats or starlings. HP for rifles and tougher game like squirrels and bigger. Polymer tipped I never had great luck with on game. Alloy just was never as consistent as lead. RWS or Crossman Premier HP is what I would start with. CPHP can usually be found at retail stores for cheap.

 

[JEFFPPC]

Petroleum products are hard on seal in addition to causing detonation which is really hard on seal. Dome pellets are most accurate. In my limited experience with hollow points they lose accuracy badly after 20to 25 yards. I have killed multiple groundhogs with regular dome pellets with my D54 in .22. Not all head shots. I have shot several through the neck not hitting the spine. They go 20 feet and are dead, bled out. Less barrel time is good for accuracy, at least in theory. It will depend on your shooting skills.

 

[brokeasajoke]

Flat point/wad cutters suck in my PCP. I'm not much with a Springer so I can't really tell the difference in it.

 

[dgeesaman]

This thread is a great example of ' don't know what you don't know'.

So which are typically more accurate, domed or hp? Lead or alloy? What about the polymer tipped? Heavy or light? Faster for less barrel time? Does target range affect pellet style? Is it unreasonable to expect an inch or two at 50 yds with this inexpensive break barrel?

Sheesh, I had no idea how fast I could get into the weeds ..

I've owned easily a dozen airguns and dozens of types of pellets. There's just no telling which pellet will shoot best from any one airgun except to try some. Five pellets in and you'll know.

Domed/diabolo are basically your only option for longer range (>20y). Flathead/wadcutters can do well inside 20y. For squirrels just use the most accurate pellet for that range and hit them with headshots. I've found a pointed pellet that shot well once and did a better job of punching into hide than a standard diabolo but I consider that a task for higher power air rifles.

I disagree that some pellets never need cleaning - and you don't need anything punchy like lighter fluid - plain old 90% alcohol works fine. Clean pellets foul the barrel less. A fouled barrel seems to drop in more flyers.

2" at 50y is pretty good for a springer. 1" at 50y is fantastic. Gamos don't have a reputation of achieving that but a few of them are good shooters.

How you hold a springer affects POI and accuracy. It can be maddening at times, but I like working out a hold where I can see my crosshair not move against the target as I watch through the scope. Use the same firmness of hold every time. I know there is a lot of talk about a soft 'artillery hold' but that's only one option and not all guns shoot best that way. Whatever you do, be smooth with your trigger pull and follow through completely on every shot.

 

[Capt. Oblivious]

This thread is a great example of ' don't know what you don't know'.

So which are typically more accurate, domed or hp? Lead or alloy? What about the polymer tipped? Heavy or light? Faster for less barrel time? Does target range affect pellet style? Is it unreasonable to expect an inch or two at 50 yds with this inexpensive break barrel?

Sheesh, I had no idea how fast I could get into the weeds ..

Every top end airgun I have ever shot or owned shot these the best followed by Air Arms Diablo field

All the tipped and HP pellets (not slugs) are like most bass lures, designed to catch more anglers then fish.
Generally heavier and slower is where you want to be with "normal" airguns, when you get into specialized rifles you can shoot heavy pieces of lead at great speeds.

The really light copper alloy pellets designed for speed is also just a gimmick

 

[7315br]

My favorite .22 calber pellet in the Notos is the JSB Hades 15.89 gr. Very accurate.

 

[snert]

I've owned easily a dozen airguns and dozens of types of pellets. There's just no telling which pellet will shoot best from any one airgun except to try some. Five pellets in and you'll know.

Domed/diabolo are basically your only option for longer range (>20y). Flathead/wadcutters can do well inside 20y. For squirrels just use the most accurate pellet for that range and hit them with headshots. I've found a pointed pellet that shot well once and did a better job of punching into hide than a standard diabolo but I consider that a task for higher power air rifles.

I disagree that some pellets never need cleaning - and you don't need anything punchy like lighter fluid - plain old 90% alcohol works fine. Clean pellets foul the barrel less. A fouled barrel seems to drop in more flyers.

2" at 50y is pretty good for a springer. 1" at 50y is fantastic. Gamos don't have a reputation of achieving that but a few of them are good shooters.

How you hold a springer affects POI and accuracy. It can be maddening at times, but I like working out a hold where I can see my crosshair not move against the target as I watch through the scope. Use the same firmness of hold every time. I know there is a lot of talk about a soft 'artillery hold' but that's only one option and not all guns shoot best that way. Whatever you do, be smooth with your trigger pull and follow through completely on every shot.

YEARS of shooting springers. Still own my Diana/Winchester 450 from 1967. Shot RWS 48's and now shoot a PCP.

The above is great advice. Gamo break barrels are not known for accuracy. When the advertisement says SPEED, it generally means a light little pellet and an overpowerful spring. It is made to sell guns, not necessarily satisfy "accurate shooters".

I found in my 700 FPS rated 177 cal 450 that pointed pellets shot well despite the reputation they have for innacurracy. Target FP shot great to about 20 yards, but sucked for killing anything but sparrows.
Eventually I had to have it resprung. It came back with a more powerful spring because that's all the rebuilding company said was available for a gun that old. I do not shoot it much now because they also must have used about a quart of grease or something in it...it diesels a bit. Now it shoots domed heavier pellets better. I don't recall the make, but they are in a fancy printed silver tin. I should shoot it more.

My M48's all shot the standard 22 cal Crosman domed pellet with exceptional hunting accuracy and were death to starlings and pigeons in the dairy barns of CNY.

I shoot domed 25 cal now from the Marauder. It is not finicky at all.

Hold is the big issue. If you are resting the gun you may find lousy accuracy. Springers require a finess that comes from lots of shooting. I found a light hold, and if necessary, a hand against a rest for "offhand shooting" to be best for consistent POI. Keep shooting it and as it wears in it may shoot better. There is some wisdom in making sure the gun isn't full of lube. Gamo, again, isn't known for close tolerance and little lube.

 

[DGP4]

As others have said, the 14.3 grain Crosman Premiers that you can find at most Walmarts are the best low-cost option. I would also try the 18.21 grain H&N Barracuda Hunter pellets as some springers will like the heavier pellets. Both of these seem to shoot well in all my air rifles. Keep in mind that most budget springers will need at least 1000 rounds down the barrel for the rifle to settle in. Most springers prefer the "artillery hold" where you lay the fore end on your open hand without gripping it.