Pellet Sizer
Following on from the pellet string has anyone tried sizing their pellets with a wait for it “pellet sizer”.
We have an engineer over here whose makes a device that you put a pellet into push it through and it comes out at a measured size i.e. 4.52 to 4.51. I have a 4.51 and it gives consistant sizes plus it straightens out the skirts.
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Hi DKOwen, I was half playing with words when I said the choke is a pellet sizer but in simplistic terms, they actually perform the same function i.e. deforming the pellet. Nothing more, nothing less. I knew they work at different ends of the barrel but I don’t agree that the choke is inferior in principle or function (for airguns) just because it’s at the muzzle end.
However, the choke of a shot gun works differently if we are talking about bird shots. Deformation of shots happens at the forcing cone already and along the barrel but that’s another story.
I’m not a BR shooter but I do shoot next to them once in a while so I know how meticulous they are in terms of details because they all have portable “loading benches” sitting next to them. Accuracy for one hole groups (nothing else would suffic) definitely does not start with the rifle. But their barrels do not have chokes either so they try to make every part of the cartridge perfect. Chop off one inch from the muzzle of their barrel and it may lose 30fps but it won’t hurt its capability to shoot one hole group. Chop off 1 inch of your Condor/Talon’s barrel (mz end) and you can forget about shooting half inch group at even 30 yd. Can that accuracy loss be recovered by sizing pellets? I don’t know for sure because I have never tried it. I have measured head size of JSB’s and Kodiak’s and they do vary quite a bit. On the other hand, I have just shot a dime size group of 9 JSB at 36 yd. recently in spite of all that size and weight variations.
In sizing a pellet, be it by a choke or a pellet-sizer, we are trying to create uniformity in diameter. (We may end up with more variation in length of the pellets because the mass has to go somewhere). How would that affect its travel down the barrel? Perhaps more uniform resistance hence less velocity variation? Looking at the flight of the pellet after it has left the muzzle, what factors will impact on its trajetory the most? I belive it’s still resistance (by air), which is a function of the frontal area (hence diameter) plus drag (mostly from the skirt). I believe pellet diameter would play a major role in the trajectory or grouping of the pellets.
As far as which is the right end of the barrel for the sizing to take place, I happen to believe in the muzzle end for 3 reasons :
1. Pellets are soft by nature. You can size them all you want but a strong blast of air will blow them out to what ever shape they happen to go against i.e. they will change shape as they travel vs any hard surfaces anyway. (I suspect that’s why pellet sizers don’t work)
2. The choke i.e. muzzle end is the pellets’ last place of contact against any non-giving surface hence they will not change shape again after leaving the barrel. That’s when the benefit of uniformity of diameter can really come into place.
3. I would rather spend my time shooting than frigging around with passing one pellet at a time through a pellet-sizer. 😀
Regards
PS Almost forgot the disclaimer : The above are all speculations, not based on facts.
Eun Jin pellets have large heads compared to others. I’ve had 28g/22 cal EJs that won’t fit/load into the breech of my TSS. I mostly shot Kodiaks and they have large skirts, but no problem with the fit. Found this chart that’s shows sizes:
http://www.straightshooters.com/documents/pelletcomparison.html
That’s why you don’t see pellet sizer in the market any more.
If they make a sizer for 42EJ’sn that sizes to whatever is appropriate for my .250 choke, I would like one. Those EJ’s are WAY to big for my barrel. I don’t think Korean barrels are choked, are they?.
Using the choke to size down really over-sized pellets seems to waste air/cost velocity.
Choked barrels are not a substitue for proper pellet size any more than shotgun chokes fiix poor shell fit. It’s at the wrong end of the gun to do any good. It doesn’t matter what size the pellet is (within reason) *after* it leaves, it’s the trip up the bore that counts. Breech fit being most important of all.
Pellet sizers have ‘disappeared’ becuase they didn’t work. Choked barrels existed before they did, and afterwards.
Doug Owen
All the AirForce airguns have pellet sizer built in. It’s called a choke 😉
That’s why you don’t see pellet sizer in the market any more.
Beeman used to sell a pellet sizer with dies for cals and sizes (ten or so total IIRC). I tried one as did a lot of guys. I could never prove any difference.
I think the important fit is the head to bore, which is not sized. The skirts tend to get blown out on firing.
In fact there’s a fellow selling a full set on ‘the Yellow Classifieds’ right now.
Doug Owen
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Thing is I am needing real heavy pellets, and the heaviest ones (EJ’s) are way to big for a choke to size them efficiently. To much bearing surface, and far to much diameter to choke-down easily, which will cost a lot of air and velocity.