Introduction to Field Target

Barracuda .268
JSB Exact 5.52 .274
Diabolo Pointed H&N .288
Silver Ace .330
JSB Straton 5.50 .349
JSB Exact 5.51 .368
Silver Jet .377
Crossman Premier Die #1 .410
RWS Superdome .507
RWS H-Point .675
Silver Arrow
The group for this pellet was so
erratic he could not measure it.
Ballistics – a high ballistics coefficient (BC) means that your pellet will still be going
faster downrange than one with a lower BC assuming both left the barrel at the same
speed. This will mean both fewer clicks (or holdover) and less windage (less time in the
wind means less effect from the wind). Published BCs for the above pellets range from
.020 to .035 with the JSB Exact Heavies being as high (or much higher in my experience)
than most other pellets.
Speed (which is really largely a function of weight). Heavier pellets will be slower
assuming a (relatively) constant power. Some people think that heavier pellets will be
less-affected by the wind but the longer a pellet is in flight, the more the wind will push it
sideways. Hence, my money would go to a pellet the will leave the gun at least 800fps.
There is no sense using a heavier than required pellet as long as sufficient energy is
delivered to the target at 55 yards (and most well-designed targets will fall with just a few
foot-pounds – a common test is to use a 10 meter pistol to see if the target will fall and
these put out about 4fpe).
7.2. Pellet Cleaning
Pellet washing is usually only needed for Crosman pellets. They are very dirty at least
when you buy in bulk (1250 pellet boxes). You can clean them by washing with a
detergent or solvent. The residue is at least partially lead dust – dispose of the debris with
used pellets.
If you use a solvent, you can recycle the lead and the solvent just by pouring all the guck
and solvent back into the original container. The guck will sink to the bottom and the
clean (enough) solvent can be reused. This will clean a lot of pellets until you have to
worry about getting rid of the guck (lead dust) safely.
You can spread the pellets out on paper towels if you use water to wash. If you use a
solvent (paint thinner, whatever), they will quickly dry in the can if you leave the lid off.
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