wolfmangreg
HAM Ranger
Was getting so-so accuracy with pellets from my new .177 Vet II. Pulled the barrel & gave it a deep clean, then pushed a pellet down the bore checking for tight spots. Didn't feel anything significant, maybe one short stretch was a tiny bit tight. Proceeded with a polish, then applied paste wax to the bore- first time doing that.
Pellet accuracy did improve, so was happy with the results. A few days before the polishing, had dug out a box of Zan 13 grain slugs while looking for my .177 jag & mops. Box was unopened, & can't for the life of me remember when or why I bought them. Probably tacked it onto an order to get free shipping or some such.
Decided to give them a go for grins & giggles. First group after adjusting the scope made me sit up straight. Intended to stop at 10 shots, but ended up at 15 because the group wasn't getting any bigger. Isn't terribly impressive by benchrest standards, but considering my lack of benchrest skills/equipment, and that the Vet II in two piece stock is a real bear to shoot benched... that dog will hunt. 15 shots at 65 yards, 1" 10-ring:
Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while, so tried to repeat. First though, ordered another box of the Zans. Aware of their reputation for changing designs on the fly, and wanted to see if they'd been "updated" since my original box of unknown age. One flier on this group; coulda been me, coulda been the gun, coulda been a slug with the hollow point stuffed with debris (more on that later), still pretty good though. Again, 15 at 65:
Both of these groups were shot at 900 fps average. Messed about with different speeds yesterday before the rain set in, from ~890 to 950. 890 to 910 is the goldilocks zone for this particular barrel. Above that it got progressively worse. By 950, the rifle's manners had changed from happy & docile to a bit irritated as well. Dialing back to 900 fps was an easy call, & she was once again a pleasant lass.
Ended the session by ditching the bags & shooting my favorite way, from bucket & sticks. Right pleased with how it went:
Can't help but fill out my reports with philosophical ramblings & anecdotes, so here goes.
Shooting an air rifle is always fun for me, regardless of the gun or style of shooting, Have to say though, sending these tiny lil bullets is an especially enjoyable experience. Have come to favor lower-ish power rigs, say 45 fpe or less. At just over 23 fpe, the shot cycle is sweet as the honey @pan60 donated as a Pumpkin Carve prize, and it sips air. At 13 grains they aren't exactly wind proof, but are a far sight better than .177 pellets... good enough to give a feller with mediocre wind reading skills a fighting chance past 40ish yards in a swirling breeze.
Probably going to keep shooting slugs from this rifle, but not 100% sure it'll be Zan 13. Will try a few alternatives in that weight class, for a couple of reasons.
One is the aforementioned proclivity of Zan to change designs, even successful ones. They're hardly alone in that (JSB .22 Monster Redesigned & AEA .30 pellets, anyone?), but it's a real pet peeve of mine. Maddening to have success with a projectile for some time, then one day a big order shows up with the same product name & packaging, but the projectiles are NOT the same. Maybe much ado about nothing, as the new box I bought were the same as the older one, and there's no guarantee that wouldn't happen with another brand of slug.
Second reason is all the detritus mixed in with the slugs. It appears to be some kind of tumbling media, not sure what kind (to be fair, there is no lead swarf at all). Tends to stick on the slugs, and some in each box had hollow points completely plugged with it. Easy enough to pick it out of the hollow points, and the rest came off quickly by spritzing with Pledge & rolling about on a clean cloth. This isn't a deal breaker if the Zans outperform others in the weight class, but still... would rather not have to check each slug.
Gonna wrap this up with a photo of Pumpkin. So named because my 3 year old granddaughter handed me a sheet of jack-o-lantern stickers with explicit instructions to "put them on your favorite toys". Done & done! Guess I know what rifle to use for this year's Pumpkin Carve
Pellet accuracy did improve, so was happy with the results. A few days before the polishing, had dug out a box of Zan 13 grain slugs while looking for my .177 jag & mops. Box was unopened, & can't for the life of me remember when or why I bought them. Probably tacked it onto an order to get free shipping or some such.
Decided to give them a go for grins & giggles. First group after adjusting the scope made me sit up straight. Intended to stop at 10 shots, but ended up at 15 because the group wasn't getting any bigger. Isn't terribly impressive by benchrest standards, but considering my lack of benchrest skills/equipment, and that the Vet II in two piece stock is a real bear to shoot benched... that dog will hunt. 15 shots at 65 yards, 1" 10-ring:
Even a blind hog finds an acorn once in a while, so tried to repeat. First though, ordered another box of the Zans. Aware of their reputation for changing designs on the fly, and wanted to see if they'd been "updated" since my original box of unknown age. One flier on this group; coulda been me, coulda been the gun, coulda been a slug with the hollow point stuffed with debris (more on that later), still pretty good though. Again, 15 at 65:
Both of these groups were shot at 900 fps average. Messed about with different speeds yesterday before the rain set in, from ~890 to 950. 890 to 910 is the goldilocks zone for this particular barrel. Above that it got progressively worse. By 950, the rifle's manners had changed from happy & docile to a bit irritated as well. Dialing back to 900 fps was an easy call, & she was once again a pleasant lass.
Ended the session by ditching the bags & shooting my favorite way, from bucket & sticks. Right pleased with how it went:
Can't help but fill out my reports with philosophical ramblings & anecdotes, so here goes.
Shooting an air rifle is always fun for me, regardless of the gun or style of shooting, Have to say though, sending these tiny lil bullets is an especially enjoyable experience. Have come to favor lower-ish power rigs, say 45 fpe or less. At just over 23 fpe, the shot cycle is sweet as the honey @pan60 donated as a Pumpkin Carve prize, and it sips air. At 13 grains they aren't exactly wind proof, but are a far sight better than .177 pellets... good enough to give a feller with mediocre wind reading skills a fighting chance past 40ish yards in a swirling breeze.
Probably going to keep shooting slugs from this rifle, but not 100% sure it'll be Zan 13. Will try a few alternatives in that weight class, for a couple of reasons.
One is the aforementioned proclivity of Zan to change designs, even successful ones. They're hardly alone in that (JSB .22 Monster Redesigned & AEA .30 pellets, anyone?), but it's a real pet peeve of mine. Maddening to have success with a projectile for some time, then one day a big order shows up with the same product name & packaging, but the projectiles are NOT the same. Maybe much ado about nothing, as the new box I bought were the same as the older one, and there's no guarantee that wouldn't happen with another brand of slug.
Second reason is all the detritus mixed in with the slugs. It appears to be some kind of tumbling media, not sure what kind (to be fair, there is no lead swarf at all). Tends to stick on the slugs, and some in each box had hollow points completely plugged with it. Easy enough to pick it out of the hollow points, and the rest came off quickly by spritzing with Pledge & rolling about on a clean cloth. This isn't a deal breaker if the Zans outperform others in the weight class, but still... would rather not have to check each slug.
Gonna wrap this up with a photo of Pumpkin. So named because my 3 year old granddaughter handed me a sheet of jack-o-lantern stickers with explicit instructions to "put them on your favorite toys". Done & done! Guess I know what rifle to use for this year's Pumpkin Carve
