I am starting to see JSB 13.4gr exact monsters showing up on the list of pellets used in HFT. Are competitors seeing better results? Better stability in the wind over the 10.3gr pellets? It's going to be a little more loopier under 20ftlbs, is better wind stability trumping the requirement for better ranging?
Jerry
Jerry, I have been using them as of the first of the year for probably a different reason than most! I have two Air Arms that prefer 4.52 head size for their best accuracy and the elimination of flyers. I discovered this last winter while bench rest shooting , I began sorting and sizing pellets and discovered that my rifles shot best with the 4.52's but after sorting almost 20,000 10.34's with the head size marked 4.52 on the bottom of the tin from several different vendors I only found a little over 400 that were actually 4.52 with most being 4.50 and some even smaller!! Being totally disgusted and even trying other brands in the 10 grain range with out any success with theirs being the size marked on the tin either I tried a can of 13.34 Monsters and they were almost all the size that was marked on the tin and they shot very well indoors at the bench! I was concerned about using them outside at distance thinking they would drop off in trajectory to much to be any good for field target use but than was not my findings! I started off with the original design which were very good and have sense switched to the NEW Redesigned version that are actually a little better at least for my rifles ( your findings may very) I recently shot the Crosman shoot in New York were the conditions were VERY windy to say the least and I think the heavier pellets were a help in the wind also!! You will have to keep in mind that your speed will have to stay below 818 FPS to stay at the 20 Ft/Lb limit. Good luck! J.L.
That's very interesting. I have also stopped measuring pellets because it's too much work to find the size i want. I am using JSB and AA at 8.4 gr at 11.5ftlbs. They also have the same problem of not having many pellets the size marked on the tin. I do suffer from unexplained misses but shooting FT isn't suppose to be work in my opinion and I'll accept those misses begrudgingly and try and keep the game fun for me
Jerry
Jerry, Last spring I ran a test for 5 days shooting the old JSB 13.43, the new designed 13.43, and JSB 10.4 pellets. Comparing group size at 50 yards I had a hard time deciding what pellet worked the best although the new designed 13.43 groups were not quite as good as the old. Some wind was involved so it was really hard to determine what effect it had on my groups but they all did open up. All these pellets were shot straight out of the tin with no washing, lubing, or weighing. I have always used the JSB 10.34 for HFT but have been using the 13.43 grain this year. It would be logical that the 10.34 would shoot flatter that the 13.43 but my scores haven't changed enough to concern me. I will say that I can follow the 13.43 better because they are slower. 800 vs 885 fps but I can also see some cork screwing that I seldom noticed with the JSB 10.4
I have shot the 13.4 jsb's in one of my guns but only because they were more accurate than the 10.3's. My gun shoots the 10.3's at 910 fps and the 13.4's at 800 fps and the difference in trajectory is about 3/4" at 50 yds so for me no consequence. Like others have said I think inconsistent head size may be the main factor in accuracy as the 13.4 jsb's are noticeably bigger. When I can get a good batch of 10.3's they are great but that is getting harder to do lately.
I also use the 13.43 pellets. My guess is, most who are have polygon barrels(Thomas or RAW) I have a RAW, and wanted the 10.3 to shoot better, but for me the 13.43 were more accurate. Accuracy trumps flat shooting.
My testing was done inside,at 30 yards, off bucket and sticks, over a 5 week 10 target indoor league. 25 shots per target.Shot 2 targets each week, 1 10.3, the second 13.43. Alternated which pellet I shot first. Each week the 13.43 shot better.
In the end, with the 16 power scopes(Hawke 10-50 ED) not having a problem with ranging errors, so the slower speed not a problem.
Phil
I officially switched to the new design monsters earlier this year shooting HFT with a gen 1 Benjamin Marauder with a LW barrel. I only shoot off of sticks- no bench. I tested both the old and new design multiple times and saw a very slight improvement at 55 yds with the new design monsters. Your results may vary. I do not size my pellets or wash them, but I do weigh my match pellets- removing the light and heavy ones.
Update after using the redesigned JSB monsters .177 after one year...
It seems that the redesigned works better for some, and not so much for others.
I'm still a believer in the new design with MY barrel for the record.
Another thing that has given me good results is gauging my match pellets. In the tins I have gauged the pellets are one of two sizes- 4.53 and 4.54. My barrel likes 4.54 the best. Some others report 4.53 groups better for them. Head size seems to matter more than weight, but I still prefer to weigh to cull out some very light ones I find from time to time. And I still prefer to shoot all the same weight and head size in a match.
Washing and lubing has given me poor results in the past, so I skip that.
-Deadeye
The original monsters seem to work better in my guns. I noticed they require less sorting to be dead on compared to the 10.34s and seem to buck the wind better even at the slower speed when both are compared shooting through the same guns given both shoot with the same degree of accuracy.
HA