Gamo whisper budget .22: Pellet Choice?

[JEFFPPC]

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

My Tx200 and one of my Diana75s love this pellet in .452. The other Diana does not like this pellet. Today I shot my TX200 for the first time in close a month. In the picture the pink circle to the right of the bottom row of black circles was the first five shot group at 22 yards. Most of the other groups are at 25 yards with several pellets it likes. Oops, that pic is on my phone. But it was 5 pellets virtually in the same single pellet hole. This have proven to be very consistent. Just shooting out of the tin, no sorting except I occasionally sort for matches.

 

[Coyotefurharvester]

The Gamo redfire are very accurate out of my Gamo .22 swarm. I have it sighted in with a Sightmark wraith nightvision for shooting rats. Friday night I put 3 into a medium size skunk at about 30'. It ran off. I may try some domed Diablo next night out.

 

[dusterdave173]

Red Fire for me
Available at walmart cheap and easy have shown to be most accurate of all I have tried
You can almost hit a squirrel in the toe and they will take him out--all joking aside they work better at killing them without all of the drama

 

[chop house]

well, just to get some wear on the rifle i got some crossman premier pointed while a variety of HN are in transit. the results so far are unexciting, but here is my question. i dry patched after maybe <25 shots, and got this... is this normal?



also, the manual for this GAMO says use 'brush, patches, bore cleaner'. like #9 or Butch's? and it does not mention lubing seals. silicone or ?

thanks.... 60 years shooting and i am starting all over it seems.

 

[dgeesaman]

For unwashed Crosman pellets yeah that’s common. I am willing to carefully use a bore brush a few times in the life of an airgun and I don’t think it’s harmful on unhardened steel if that’s all you do it. I don’t agree with Gamo that this is your regular cleaning method.

You might try washing a tin of pellets in hot water with dawn or alcohol. Less dirt on the pellets ends up in the bore.

On springers I rely on dry patches. On PCPs I start with a patch lightly wetted with ballistol. Whenever using a petroleum product on a springer you need to dry patch it well to avoid residue that will diesel.

I don’t have any magic formula for cleaning frequency. On my benchrest airgun I tend to clean every fill which is maybe 60 shots or more often if I’m trying to really maximize performance. On my other airguns it’s every hundred or two.

 

[dgeesaman]

Also Gamo barrels are not high end and they probably hold more dirt than a polished LW or Anschutz barrel.

 

[wildcatter]

Don't get to wrapped up on a clean barrel being good!! In my experience a clean barrel means wasted rounds getting it seasoned again!!! I don't care if it's pellets, cast, or RF projectiles, revolvers, rimfire or centerfire, rifles, or pellet guns, lead is a different animal than jacketed bullets. In many cases, when properly made and sized more forgiving, and as accurate as jackets.

I have 8 different pellet rifles, all spring powered or pump pneumatic. But ever single one of them show a huge preference to either JSB, or Air Arms pellets. Both made in the JSB facility, AA just owns the dies their pellets are made in. JSB does the work, and has invested heavily over the recent years in the technologies to produce a superior pellet.

I don't care if it's .177 or .22, their domed offerings are what my guns shoot best. Depending on the power of the gun, it seems determines which weight will be preferred. My 34 and 36 Diana like the AA 16 grn, the 54 likes the 18 grain JSB. while my HW77 22 cal likes the H&N 14.6 grain. My less powerful 30s in 177 like the JSB 7.4 grain RS while the 50's likes the 8.4 grain H&N FTT and HW77 and the R10 beeman is my fastest shooting 177 and likes the AA 8.4

H&N shoot a tad better in some rifles, But the same weight in JSB or AA will still shoot 10 shots in one tiny hole at 25 yards under 1/4". at 35 yards these pellets all shoot under a dime for 10 shots in calm wind. I have never got those good of groups with any other pellets, including Crossman, they shoot ok, but at 25 yards all my guns have trouble keeping 5 of them inside a nickel!

But DOMES rule for accuracy, and penetration! 25 yards and nothing walks!

 

[JEFFPPC]

The guys above have it nailed. In my 4 spring guns Air Arms and JSB are the most consistent pellets. H&N seem to be internet favorites but none of my guns like them.. I will mention one other, my Diana54 in .22 loves the JTS 16.08. at 25 yards it's almost boring to shoot. At 100 yds I have shot back to back less than 1.5 inch groups of 5 shots each. Pretty good for a Springer. Actually the first time I shot at 100 yds my first shot of a 2 inch group was s bit high so I held down for the last 4 and they are 1 inch. Several times at 100 the first 3 pelts made a very tight small cloverleaf. Lots of fun, no reloading and I run a patch or twp every 500 to 1000 shots. Good pellets do not need cleaned in my experience. Nice 20 shot group by wildcatter, a test of the shooter more than the gun, maintaining focus. So you shoot 4 five shot groups in a row at 20 meters that average say .100 to .150, pretty nice. Now go shot 20.....it isn't going to be .150,lol.

 

[chop house]

Well I have an update. Or two. Kinda liked the idea of a backyard range and already had a bullet trap, sooo... Been getting in some time over a Chrono. And, liked the concept so much I got an even cheaper gamo, lol.

Those cphp are amazing consistent velocity wise, and give good enough accuracy at thirty yards for what I need right now. The rifles are 'rated' 100 fps apart and measure exactly that difference with 14.3 grain pellets.

What puzzles me is: the 1000 fps rifle retains it's energy going all the way up to hn 21.1 grain pellets while the 1100 one loses it's energy with hn over crossman.

The rounded numbers are constant around 15 and 16 for the lighter rifle, while the heavier gun starts at 21 and drops off steadily to 17 with progressively heavier pellets???

 

[dgeesaman]

Most airguns hold essentially consistent power as you change pellet weights.

Springers though aren't as linear - they generate a brief, wickedly high pulse of pressure, and as the pellet snaps forward the piston is similarly stopping and bouncing backward off of that air pressure. The timing of things is important, such that a heavy pellet will take longer to leave the barrel and not absorb as much energy from the pressure spike. It will also be more hold sensitive since the barrel time is longer.

 

[18trapper]

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

I too have seen very good accuracy and performance with the hades pellets in my FX rifle

 

[284winner]

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

Gamo whisper fusion is what I have. It shoots the .22 caliber Crosman Premiers the best hands down. 14.3 grain ultra magnum