VALUE FOR MONEY
At 2.5 Cents each, H&N Baracuda 8 pellet price is very attractive for .177 caliber domed-head ammo in the current (late 2024) market. In fact – for quality pellets like this – it’s actually very cheap!
That’s just $12.49 for a tin of 500 at Pyramyd. If you factor-in Pyramyd’s “buy three, get four” offer, then they drop to just 1.9 Cents each. HAM’s recommendation is to stock-up now!
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
H&N Baracuda 8, .177 cal., 8.44 Grains, Round Nose, 500ct 0.177
TEST DATA SUMMARY
| Price per Pellet | 2.50 cents |
| Most Common Weight | 8.46 Grains |
| Pellets at That Common Weight | 32% |
| Variation in Pellet Weight (Smallest to Largest) | 1.3% |
| Most Common Head Diameter | 4.53 mm |
| Pellets at That Common Diameter | 78% |
| Variation in Diameter (Smallest to Largest) | 0.44% |
| Most Common Length | 6.38 mm |
| Pellets at That Common Length | 30% |
| Variation in Length (Smallest to Largest) | 1.90% |
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The contents of the H&N Baracuda 8 pellet tin tested by HAM came very close to the manufacturer’s specifications.
First, H&N says that the tin contains 500 pellets. We actually counted 516 in the test tin. Thanks H&N!
The second claim is head size. As the photograph below shows, the H&N specification is 4.51 mm head diameter.
In HAM testing by Doug Wall – our highly-experiences tester – and using our standard PelletGage, the most common head diameter was actually 4.53 mm.
Putting that into perspective – it’s less than 1 Thousandth of an Inch (actually 0.000787) more than the manufacturer’s spec. The head diameter of the sample was also very consistent, as we will see below.
Compared to the weight specification of 8.44 Grains, the average H&N Baracuda 8 pellet tested by HAM weighed 8.45 Grains – a difference of 0.1%. In our sample, 28% of the tested pellets weighed 8.44 Grains.
CONSISTENCY
Manufacturing consistency is critically important for downrange accuracy. That’s why HAM Tester Doug Wall spends so much time weighing and measuring each individual pellet!
We need to be explicit that good manufacturing consistency does NOT guarantee that a particular barrel will “like” a certain pellet. However, it does mean that – if compatible with the barrel – the shot-to-shot accuracy on target will be better with consistently-manufactured pellets than those with less consistency.
As the chart below shows, the H&N Baracuda 8 pellet results show excellent consistency of head size. No less than 78% of the tested pellets had a head size of 4.53 mm. This is excellent manufacturing quality!
As usual, weight was somewhat more variable. The most common weight per pellet was 8.46 Grains, with 32% of the pellets tested having that weight.
The variation between the lightest and heaviest Baracuda 8 pellets tested was just 1.30%. This is well above average manufacturing consistency, based on HAM’s highly standardized, precise test protocol.
As always, all weights are measured using on Hard Air Magazine’s incredibly-precise, laboratory-grade milligram balance. This is so sensitive that it even registers a person’s breath! That’s where HAM tester Doug Wall’s many years of research laboratory experience is vital for achieving such accurate measurements…
Length variation was again better than average pellet production. The statistical average H&N Baracuda 8 pellet length of 6.38 mm was also the most common, as can be seen from the chart.
The variation in length between the shortest and longest pellets tested was 1.9%. That’s a low (good) figure.
No malformed or damaged pellets were found among the Baracuda 8s tested by HAM.
DIRTINESS
Some residual dirt and dust is an inevitable part of manufacturing any lead pellets and a certain amount of it inevitably finds its way into the tin. The photograph below shows the amount of this “junk” which resulted from carefully washing Baracuda 8 pellets.
This dirt weighed a total of 0.525 Grains. That’s just 0.105 Grains per 100 pellets. It’s a very low figure that justifies the H&N Baracuda 8 pellet score in this area.
DOWNRANGE PERFORMANCE
During HAM Ballistic Coefficient testing, H&N Baracuda 8 pellets achieved a BC of 0.020. This is a strong figure for .177 caliber domed pellets, comparing well with other BCs in HAM’s extensive BC database.
As the Chairgun graph above shows, if sighted-in at 40 Yards with our test gun shooting at 872/4 FPS, the shot curve is effectively flat all the way from 11 to 45 yards. This would be a very useful characteristic for hunting where a “target of opportunity” may appear at any range.
In addition, Muzzle Energy holds-up to nearly 53% at around around 50 Yards downrange.
HUNTING USE
Penetration into HAM’s standard ballistic soap block was a long 61 mm using the standard Beeman 1074 test air rifle. HAM test data clearly shows a close relationship between increasing BC and longer penetration in soap for conventional domed pellets, so this was not a surprise.
The diameter of the entry hole was 9.0 mm.
The photograph below shows the fired pellet after extraction from the soap – right. As we can see compared to an un-fired pellet (left), the head diameter increased from 4.52 mm to 4.62 mm. At the same time, the length shortened from 6.41 mm before firing to 5.81 mm.
This performance means that the Baracuda 8s have a place for hunting small game and birds, within its power level and out to, say, 40 or 50 yards.
BUYING AND OWNING
H&N pellets are widely available from all the major online retailers.
As always, H&N Baracuda 8 pellets are packed in a convenient screw-topped tin.
In fact, H&N tins are without doubt the best that the HAM team have found. They are not too loose or too tight. And they’re easy to open.
This is a not insignificant benefit, as it much reduces the chances of dropping – and therefore losing – the contents of a tin of pellets. Nothing is worse than fumbling with an unsatisfactory pellet tin lid, then dumping the whole lot on the ground by mistake when trying to open the lid. Been there, done that!
There’s no padding in the tin, however no shipping damage was found in the H&N Baracuda 8 pellets tested by HAM.
TEST DATA
For background details on HAM’s Pellet Test Review methodology, check out this link.
Chairgun is a product of Hawke Sports Optics LLC and is used with permission. Check out http://www.hawkeoptics.com
BUY FROM PYRAMYD
H&N Baracuda 8, .177 cal., 8.44 Grains, Round Nose, 500ct 0.177
Understanding HAM Pellet Awards
HAM Pellet Awards come from the most rigorous, professional and comprehensive pellet testing by any independent publication. They are the result of much precise measurement and analysis using high precision measuring devices and highly-experienced testers.
Note that accuracy is a product of the complete “system” of airgun, scope, atmospheric conditions and shooter ability – not the pellet alone.
This means that no pellet test review can predict the accuracy of a particular pellet with YOUR individual air rifle. That’s why we do not measure accuracy in these pellet tests.
What HAM Pellet Awards do recognize is manufacturing consistency. Inconsistent pellets definitely will be inaccurate, consistent pellets are much more likely to be accurate.
HAM Awards also recognize value. There’s considerable variation in the price of airgun pellets. This means that an 8 cent pellet needs to score higher than a 2 cent pellet to achieve an award.
For full details of the HAM Pellet Award scoring methodology, please check out our Pellet Testing page.
For a full listing of HAM-tested Ballistic Coefficients, please see our Ballistic Coefficients page.
This entire article including scoring, data etc is Copyright Hard Air Magazine and may NOT in part or in whole be reproduced in any electronic or printed medium without prior permission from the publisher.
The post H&N Baracuda 8 Pellet Test Review .177 Caliber 8.44 Grain appeared first on Hard Air Magazine.
Let us know how they shoot for sure! My TX prefers tight over loose any ol day. If these truly measured thicker in the review that's probably good! 
Guessing H&N plans to go head to head/steal some of the market vs Jsb on these as they are the EXACT same grain weight.
