Umarex scored a “one, two” win in the listing of 2018 best selling airguns, just published by Airgun Depot.
According to Airgun Depot, the Umarex Legends MP40 was their best selling air rifle of 2018. The Beretta M92A1 pistol – also distributed by Umarex USA – took first place among pistol sales.
It was second year in the top spot for the M92A1. This air pistol also took first place in Airgun Depot’s list of top selling air pistols for 2017!
In their 2017 listing, Airgun Depot showed the Legends MP40 as the second-placed PISTOL. This year it’s graduated to being a rifle! (It’s not the only one, as you can see below).
HAM understands the issue, we weren’t sure whether to test the MP40 as a pistol or rifle in our comprehensive review. Either way, the Legends MP40 achieved a coveted HAM Gold Award in our testing. It’s a great airgun and deserving of its inclusion in Airgun Depot’s 2018 best selling airguns list!
All told, Umarex scooped 8 out of the top 20 places in this 2018 best selling airguns list. That’s a great performance for the Arkansas company!
It’s very noticeable that all except one of the top-selling pistols were fast-firing “firearms replicas” – mostly shooting BBs. Only the Benjamin Marauder Woods Walker PCP represented a “traditional” type of air pistol. It appears at number 6 in the list.
Perhaps more tellingly, 5 out of the top 6 air rifles in Airgun Depot’s 2018 best selling airguns list were also fast-firing BB guns. Again, the top four were firearms replicas. Only five were “traditional” airguns of one sort or another.
While not necessarily representative of the whole airgun market, it’s clear from Airgun Depot’s list that there’s a huge demand for fast-firing firearms replica airguns firing BBs.
To compare the changes from last year to this, HAM has assembled these tables showing Airgun Depot’s 2018 best selling airguns with those from 2017. Enjoy!
For some years after their introduction, many manufacturers promoted gas ram air rifles as being unaffected by changes in temperature. The FPS would be pretty-well the same at any temperature, they said.
Is that true? Well, on the basis of some testing undertaken by Hard Air Magazine, the answer is definitely “no”.
There is definitely a change in FPS for gas ram air rifles at different temperatures. And it’s more than you may have thought!
To find out what the change in FPS can be with gas ram air rifles shooting at different temperatures, the HAM Team used a new .177 caliber SIG ASP20.
We shot the ASP20 at a temperatures of both 20 degrees F and at 63 degrees F. In each case, the gun was allowed to “season” at the ambient temperature for several hours before shooting. This meant that gun and ambient temperature were definitely at the same.
Also, we shot the gun slowly – about every 30 seconds – for each test. This was to avoid any effects from the ASP20 heating-up as it was fired. We took 10 shots at both temperatures for each of the six types of pellets. Total 120 shots.
So what did we find?
The answer that – taking the SIG ASP20 as a representative of gas ram air rifles – the gun shot faster, on average, by 1.28 FPS per degree F. And it shot faster at the higher temperature.
Here’s the data…
Muzzle Velocity at 20 degrees F
Muzzle Velocity at 63 degrees F
Difference in FPS Due To 43 degrees temperature change
H&N Field Target Trophy Green pellets
1235 FPS
1294 FPS
59 FPS
RWS Hobby pellets
1086 FPS
1150 FPS
64 FPS
Crosman Premier Hollow Point pellets
1023 FPS
1073 FPS
50 FPS
JSB Exact Diabolo pellets
987 FPS
1053 FPS
66 FPS
H&N Field Target Trophy pellets
990 FPS
1035 FPS
45 FPS
H&N Baracuda Match pellets
881 FPS
926 FPS
45 FPS
On average, that means approximately 55 FPS difference when the gun was shot at 20 degrees F and 63 degrees F. That is very definitely enough to make the point of impact on the target very different at most ranges.
Here’s some charts showing how the Muzzle Velocities changed with temperature (obviously the heavier pellets shoot slower):
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And here’s the overall average:
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So if you’re shooting gas ram air rifles, either on the range or hunting, make sure that your gun is sighted-in at approximately the same temperature as for that critical shot.
If not, you could miss the target just due to the change in temperature!
JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo 15.89 Grain .22 caliber pellets are priced exactly (pun intended!) at the median cost of .22 airgun pellets. That’s 4.00 cents each for the 250-count tin. They’re also available in 500-count tins, where the price per pellet falls to 3.8 cents.
This makes them good value for money from such a prestigious pellet-manufacturing name.
Even though the pellets tested by HAM were not the most consistent we’ve found from JSB, they still represent good value for money.
The weight specification for JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo 15.89 Grain .22 caliber pellets is – duhhh – 15.89 Grains. The average weight of the pellets tested by HAM was 15.93 Grains. That’s pretty close.
However – as we can see in the Consistency section below – none of the pellets tested by HAM actually weighed 15.89 Grains.
JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets are listed by the factory in multiple different head sizes. The test pellets are 5.52 mm diameter, as we can see from the label on the base of the tin.
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This did not match-up with the head diameters measured by the HAM Team using our standard Pelletgage “go/no go”gauge.
As we can see below, the most common head diameter of the JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets tested by HAM was 5.54 mm. There were no pellets with the 5.52 mm head diameter.
Precisely 250 pellets were contained in the tin tested by HAM. None of these was damaged in any way, so that aspect of the specification was met exactly.
CONSISTENCY
Head diameter of the JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets tested by HAM showed better than average consistency. The average head diameter was 5.54 mm and this was also the most common diameter. It was shared by 70% of the pellets in the test sample.
The variation between the smallest and largest head diameters was also well controlled at just 0.36%. This is well above average consistency.
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Unfortunately, weight consistency was not so good. In fact it was rather below par compared to the usually excellent consistency shown by the JSB factory.
As mentioned, the average weight of the JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets tested by HAM was 15.93 Grains. But the variation in length of 3.96% between the shortest and longest pellets tested was below average. We also – unusually – do not see a very clear Normal Distribution, or “hump in the middle” to the weight chart (as we do with the head diameter and length charts, for the same pellets).
This spread of weights was a large reason why the JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets tested by HAM rated “only” a Bronze Award.
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Length consistency was considerably better among the JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets tested by HAM – with just the single pellet exception you can see below.
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The average pellet length was 7.44 mm. This was also the average length of the pellets measured by HAM pellet tester Doug Wall.
DIRTINESS
The JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets tested by HAM secured good marks for cleanliness on manufacture.
Of course, there’s inevitably some dust, shavings and other “junk” present from the manufacturing process in tins of lead pellets. However, this amounted to just 0.352 Grains of dirt per 100 pellets in the tin tested by HAM.
Mainly that “junk” consisted of lead dust and some very small shavings, as can be seen from the photograph below.
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DOWNRANGE PERFORMANCE
JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets have a higher than average Ballistic Coefficient of 0.031 – as determined in HAM testing. This gives an effectively “flat” trajectory from 9 to 34 Yards, when fired from the HAM standard test rifle, a Beeman 1074.
Of course this would be even longer for a higher-powered air rifle…
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HUNTING USE
Chairgun shows that JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets retain as much as 70% of their initial Kinetic Energy out to nearly 48 Yards downrange. Again, a benefit of the relatively high Ballistic Coefficient.
This good energy retention makes these pellets suitable for hunting at medium to long ranges.
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Penetration into HAM’s “ballistic soap” block was 50 mm. The pellet contracted in length from 7.40 mm to 7.00 mm, while expanding from 5.54 mm diameter to 5.60 mm.
Combined with an entry hole of 8 mm diameter in the soap, this further indicates the suitability of JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets for hunting.
The pellet on the left was retrieved from the soap block. The change in shape of head and skirt are clear, as are the pronounced rifling marks on the fired pellet.
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BUYING AND OWNING
JSB Exact Jumbo Diabolo pellets are readily available online from all the usual sources. Of course, the “buy four tins, get one free” offers from Pyramyd Air and Airgun Depot make the price per pellet even more attractive…
The standard JSB push-top tin – which the HAM Team will never like – protected the pellets well in transit. This was aided by a disk of foam which padded-out any remaining space in the tin.
We suggest transferring the pellets into a screw-topped tin or dedicated pellet holder for use to avoid disasters in the field as a result of dropped pellets. (Been there, done that!).
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.
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.
Here are the 2018 top ten most popular air rifle reviews in Hard Air Magazine.
During the course of 2018 HAM readers – that’s you – read well over HALF A MILLION airgun product reviews in Hard Air Magazine. That’s a huge number and it’s an increase of nearly 20% over 2017.
As the average time you spent reading HAM reviews was over 4 minutes, it’s clear that you found these reviews useful and worth spending your quality time reading them. Thank you!
So this really is YOUR choice of the 2018 top ten most popular air rifle reviews. Here they are…
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Top Position – American Tactical Nova Freedom
The Nova Freedom is an innovative and interesting PCP with a built-in pump. It’s selling at a great price, too! This is a HAM Gold Award winner. And it was a good head above the next-ranking most popular airgun reviews.
The Outlaw just pipped two other competitors in the HAM 2018 top ten most popular air rifle reviews. It’s an interesting and attractive PCP that’s available in .177 cal, .22 caliber and .25. It also scored a HAM Gold Award in our review.
Almost too close to call in our 2018 top ten most popular air rifle reviews and just a few points behind the Impact was another long-term favorite, the Weihrauch HW 100. This PCP is a favorite of several HAM testers, for good reason, as you’ll read in this review.
This was the gun that started the multi-shot breakbarrel trend.HAM found the cocking and loading to be flawless when we tested the Swarm Maxxim in this review. It’s a HAM Bronze Award winner.
Another perennial favorite, the HW97K was another very close call for the German company. The HAM Team liked this underlever Weihrauch springer a lot. It was another HAM Gold Award winner in our review.
The Stormrider just squeezes into eighth place in HAM’s 2018 top ten most popular air rifle reviews. Another popular low-priced PCP, it gained a HAM Gold Award in our review of the original Generation One version. Current models are substantially similar but have a couple of improvements.
The MCX was one of the original SIG Air products. It continues to be very popular with a huge range of buyers. The MCX scored 65% in its HAM test review. The only CO2-powered firearms replica in this list, like its close cousin the MPX, it’s widely used as a plinker and firearms trainer.
Last in this list, but far from last in HAM’s 2018 top ten most popular air rifle reviews is this Gamo PCP. It just pipped the Benjamin Marauder out of the tenth slot.
Again, thanks to all of you for reading HAM’s test reviews throughout the year! In the next post, we’ll check out the most popular air pistol reviews of 2018.
Here are the 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews published in Hard Air Magazine.
During the course of 2018 HAM readers – that’s you – read well over HALF A MILLION airgun product reviews in Hard Air Magazine. That’s a huge number and it’s an increase of nearly 20% over 2017.
As the average time you spent reading HAM reviews was over 4 minutes, it’s clear that you found these reviews useful and worth spending your quality time reading them. Thank you!
So this really is YOUR choice of the 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews. Here they are…
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Top Position – Weihrauch HW44
The HW44 leads our 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews list by a fair way. It’s also the only PCP pistol in the list. Furthermore, the HW44 is the only “traditional” air pistol in that it’s not CO2-powered firearms replica. It won an easy Gold Award in its HAM test review.
SIG Air has smashed its way into Hard Air Magazine’s 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews with four models. That’s a clear testimony to the brand power and widespread interest in SIG products. The P320 was just a nose ahead of the third place P226 in this ranking. Unusually for a firearms replica, it’s a pellet-firing air pistol. The P320 scored a creditable 81% in its HAM review.
A second pellet-firing SIG Air pistol in this list is a good, functional version of the P320 firearm. It also uses the patented SIG Air cam lever loading system for CO2 cartridges. This P226 scored 73% in its Hard Air Magazine test review.
There’s been much excitement about this first Glock air pistol. It’s a very close copy of the firearm and makes third place in this list, in spite of only being introduced mid year. This is a non-blowback version but – because of that – performance is very strong. But wait – it’s a HAM Gold Award winner, too!
Is it a pistol or a rifle? The HAM Team struggled to decide. In the end we ranked it in the 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews as that’s how the Wehrmacht saw it. MP stands for Maschinen Pistole (machine pistol). We loved it and this CO2-powered MP40 won an easy HAM Gold Award.
SIG Air is back again in the 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews! This time, it’s with a BB-firing version of the tricked out firearm used by SIG Shooting Team Captain Max Michel. It’s a HAM Gold Award for SIG…
HAM Publisher Stephen Archer loves Lugers – and the Umarex Legends P08 is no exception! This is an extremely accurate replica of a regular, WWII-era P08. The blowback action is great, in spite of using a lot of CO2 to make it happen. It’s a HAM Silver Award winner.
The Colt Commander is the third 1911 replica in Hard Air Magazine’s 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews. It won a HAM Gold Award for its performance in our test review. This 1911 has one of the strongest blowback actions the HAM Team has found to date. That gives it a ton of realism to shoot.
The S&W 586 is an oldie but a goodie. This pellet-firing CO2-powered firearms replica is the only wheel gun in HAM’s 2018 top ten most popular air pistol reviews. It won a HAM Bronze Award with a 90% score and was only held back by its relatively high price.
BUY FROM PYRAMYD AIR Smith & Wesson 586Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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Again, thanks to all of you for reading HAM’s test reviews throughout the year! In the final post in this series, we’ll check out the most popular airgun pellet reviews of 2018.
Here are the 2018 top ten most popular airgun pellet reviews published in Hard Air Magazine.
HAM has been alone in publishing high quality, consistent, comparable test reviews of airgun pellets. These reviews take a lot of work from HAM Tester Doug Wall, but it’s obvious that his work is valued. The numbers of people reading HAM airgun pellet test reviews is increasing rapidly!
During the course of 2018 HAM readers – that’s you – read well over HALF A MILLION airgun product reviews in Hard Air Magazine. That’s a huge number and it’s an increase of nearly 20% over 2017.
As the average time you spent reading HAM reviews was over 4 minutes, it’s clear that you found these reviews useful and worth spending your quality time reading them. Thank you!
So this really is YOUR choice of the 2018 top ten most popular airgun pellet reviews. Here they are…
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Top Position – JSB Redesigned Exact Jumbo Monster .22 Cal.
Interest in these pellets was clearly ahead in the HAM 2018 top ten most popular airgun pellet reviews. The Jumbo Monsters are a great hunting pellet. The high Ballistic Coefficient gives them strong downrange impact. They earned a HAM Silver Award in their review.
Close behind in the number two position, there was a great deal of interest in H&N Sniper Magnum pellets. These pellets have an unusual, long profile which contributes to their relatively high Ballistic Coefficient and excellent long range performance. Sniper Magnums are being used with success in both Field Target competition and hunting.
Everyone knows all about FX air rifles. But FX pellets are less well known.
Manufactured by JSB with great consistency and sold at an attractive price, these pellets were awarded a coveted HAM Gold Award. If you have a powerful PCP air rifle, they could be an outstanding choice!
These Crosman Copper Magnum pellets performed well on test but were held back by their relatively high price. They could be a good choice for hunting, particularly if you value the copper coating which prevents contact between your fingers and lead.
Number Six – Crosman Premier Ultra Magnum .177 Cal.
Crosman pellets have proved popular in Hard Air Magazine’s 2018 top ten most popular airgun pellet reviews.
These Ultra Magnums earned a HAM Silver Award for their combination of low price with acceptable quality. They could prove suitable for long range hunting use if your air rifle’s barrel likes them.
H&N Hornets have a great reputation as a hunting pellet. In the HAM test review, we liked the devastating impact performance and good manufacturing consistency. These are definitely a hunting pellet to try. Only their high price told against them in our HAM test review.
But how many pellets do you actually shoot in a day’s hunting? The price may not be a problem given their performance.
These light weight domed pellets earned a Bronze Award in HAM testing. They are a good, general purpose pellet for use in spring/piston, gas ram and PCP air rifles.
RWS Superdome pellets are a durable design. That they still perform well is confirmed by their HAM Silver Award on test.
These Superdomes may be tenth on this list of 2018 top ten most popular airgun pellet reviews. But they’re still ahead of the many other HAM pellet tests. There’s 27 in total and they are growing monthly…
Recently arrived in the HAM offices is a new prototype Umarex Gauntlet scope.
Umarex USA introduced its new Axeon range of riflescopes and other optical devices at the 2018 SHOT Show. Now the company is looking to tailor a new scope specifically for use with the Gauntlet.
As this is a prototype Umarex Gauntlet scope, there may well be some differences between the sample here and the final version. But it’s confirmation that Umarex USA is working to expand the Gauntlet range – in addition to the new .25 caliber version HAM reviewed just recently.
To partner with the Gauntlet, Umarex has chosen a 4 – 16 x 44 scope configuration with a 1 Inch diameter tube. The company is positioning it specifically as a hunting scope and obviously sees it as a great companion to the Gauntlet for this type of shooting.
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This Axeon scope has a side knob for parallax adjustment down to 15 Yards. No news yet on whether there will be a “big sidewheel” accessory, but – hey – this is still a prototype!
The field of view is planned to be 22.4 Feet at 100 Yards for 4 x magnification. This drops down to 5.9 Feet at the maximum 16 x magnification, as expected.
The turrets are capped. Unscrewing these caps reveals zero resettable turrets with the usual 1/4 MOA adjustment per click.
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With a length of 12.9 Inches and a weight of 1.2 Lbs, this prototype Umarex Gauntlet scope from Axeon balances well with the gun. It’s not too heavy and bulky to overbalance the handling of the air rifle.
There’s no reticle photograph yet as this has not been finalized.
The prototype scope we’re seeing here has a simple Duplex reticle. However Umarex USA well understands that this is not an optimum configuration for airgun use and plans to install a mildot reticle of some sort in production models. HAM agrees with that decision.
This Gauntlet-specific Axeon scope is planned to ship complete with rings and flip-up lens caps. As you’d expect, it’s waterproof, fogproof and shockproof.
Umarex USA is projecting an MSRP in the $130 range, but that’s still to be finalized.
Hard Air Magazine will be looking-out for more details at the 2019 SHOT Show. The show is coming very soon and HAM will have daily coverage of all the highlights as always!
Now that we have reached the New Year, let’s take a brief look at the 2019 Airgun Year ahead of us.
Hard Air Magazine will – of course – be bringing you coverage of the major new product introductions and significant airgun events. Here’s just some of them…
First up is the 2019 SHOT Show in Las Vegas. This “trade only” event runs from January 22 to 25. But there are pre-show events beginning as early as January 20.
The SHOT Show typically sees major launch announcements from the main US players. So you can expect news from Velocity Outdoor (Crosman), Umarex USA and SIG Air, for example. This is a huge annual exhibition with well over 60,000 attendees, as you can see below!
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HAM Publisher Stephen Archer will be reporting daily from the 2019 SHOT Show, as usual. His aim is to bring you all the latest airgun news as soon as it happens!
Of course, the SHOT Show is the world’s largest covering everything associated with shooting, hunting, law enforcement and other outdoor pursuits. So, no matter how much airgun news comes from the SHOT Show, it’s relatively small compared to everything else.
Next in line is the IWA Show. Actually, it’s name is IWA OutdoorClassics, to be precise. This is the second major trade show for the world’s outdoor industry. Always held in Nuremberg, Germany, the show runs from 9 – 11 March 2019. Below, that’s Pavel from JSB who’s always very pleased to show us his latest products!
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IWA is slightly smaller than the SHOT Show, more like 50,000 attendees and covers similar ground. However, the Law Enforcement section is split off as a separate show called EnforceTAC that takes place immediately before IWA, with over 3,000 attendees of its own.
But make no mistake, IWA OutdoorClassics will be almost certainly THE major event in the 2019 Airgun Year. It is every year!
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This is because most European and Chinese manufacturers launch their new products there. These include many which are not even present in the US market! It’s also because there’s MUCH MORE airgun content at this show than at the SHOT Show. Again, HAM Publisher Stephen Archer will bring you daily reports from IWA on all the latest airgun news!
After all the excitement of new product announcements at the SHOT Show and IWA OutdoorClassics, there’s something of a lull until the US competitive airgun shooting season gets underway again.
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As usual, HAM will be covering the Crosman All American Field Target Competition in up-State New York in July.
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Then we’ll be at the 2019 Pyramyd Air Cup (above). This Field Target competition is a major event in October. It’s held in Ohio. Again HAM will be there to report. This is another event at which new airgun product introductions can be found, as in 2018, for example.
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By October, it’s time for the annual Extreme Benchrest shoot in Arizona! Again, Stephen Archer will be covering the event in daily detail for you. But it’s even better if you can be there yourself and enjoy the action.
And there will be more…
The HAM Team looks forward to bringing you the best coverage of these events – and more – throughout the 2019 Airgun Year. We look forward to meeting you at some of them, too!
Every year at around this time, Pyramyd Air brings us a countdown of the most popular products they sold in the previous year. We’ll see the 2018 results next week. But first, we have a summary of the five most watched Pyramyd Insyder videos of 2018.
Drum roll please…
In first place among the Pyramyd Insyder videos of 2018, we have the Crosman DPMS SBR.
This fully auto BB gun is an excellent example of the fast-firing CO2-powered firearms lookalikes that are taking the airgun world by storm. After all, it’s the only chance most of us have to shoot anything fully auto! Check out the video below.
In second place is the Gamo Swarm Magnum air rifle. This pellet-firing breakbarrel has a magazine feed and is the follow-up model to the original Swarm Maxxim. Although not auto – or even semi-auto, of course – here we have another fast-firing. black rifle!
Number three position in the Pyramyd Insyder Videos Of 2018 is the Air Venturi Hellboy. It’s yet another fast-firing black rifle. Could we be seeing a trend here?
Of course the Hellboy is the second AR15-type airgun in this list. It has a number of interesting features that differentiate it from many other, as we found in our recent HAM review.
As we get to the fourth most watched Pyramyd Insyder videos of 2018, we come to the first PCP. This is the Hatsan Flash. The Flash is a magazine-fed, $300 PCP. And it’s black!
The fifth most watched Pyramyd Insyder videos of 2018 is for a CO2-powered pistol. It’s the Diana Chaser. Guess what! It’s black, too!
Together with Airgun Depot’s list of best-selling airguns of 2018, this video list makes abundantly clear the HUGE interest in rapid-firing, black airguns among consumers today. Many of these are powered by 12 Gram CO2 cartridges.
It looks as if maximum FPS is no longer the key driver in mainstream airgun sales – at least for online buyers in the USA. Plinker airguns are clearly on the rise!
It will be interesting to see the Pyramyd Top Ten most popular air rifles list next week to see if that trend is reflected there, too.
Back in June, Moira Antal, 14, of Bealeton, Va., helped make history. She became the first Paralympic air rifle shooter to compete at the Civilian Marksmanship Program’s Three-Position Air Rifle National Championship, at Camp Perry, Ohio.
“It’s very fun,” speaking of competing in air rifle. “It’s calming. When I shoot, I zone out and let my mind run off wherever it wants, and I just shoot – that’s it.”
Moira has arthrogryposis, a congenital joint contracture that has affected her since birth. She’s also missing two major muscle groups, a bicep and quadricep on her left side, and through the years has additionally developed arthritis, with 10 surgeries to date.
“Her doctor said she would never walk, but here she is,” explained her mother, Wendy. “She doesn’t like to be told, ‘No.’”
2018 was Moira’s first traveling and competing in marksmanship. She joined the sport about two years ago and even becoming qualified as an NRA coach for other Paralympic air rifle shooters. During this initial test of real air rifle competition, Moira competed in the first-ever Junior Paralympics in Colorado Springs back in April. She was hand-picked as one of three Paralympic air rifle shooters to participate in the event.
And, from that trip, she brought home some hardware – one silver and one bronze medal.
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She went on to compete in the Virginia Junior Olympic 3PAR State Championship before qualifying for the CMP National Championship in the summer of 2018.
“It’s been a blessing being able to compete at Camp Perry in her first year as a Paralympic air rifle shooter,” Wendy said.
Along with setting a first in the range, the trip was also a first for Moira, who had never before been to Camp Perry. She was accompanied by her coach, Matt, as well as Wendy, who evidently walked into a whirlwind of nostalgia as she passed by the buildings on post.
This wasn’t Wendy’s first trip to Camp Perry. She has a background as a talented highpower competitor, having grown up competing at Camp Perry every year.
Moira, the next generation of a growing competitive shooting family, first held a rifle when she was around 4 years old. It was an air rifle, since it didn’t have the recoil of some of the more powerful firearms. She showed talent from that first encounter, firing at balloons and hitting nearly every one.
Moira’s Grandfather was the president of the Izaak Walton League shooting range near their hometown. He, along with Wendy, was an integral force in getting her involved in the sport, watching her shoot at the range every year when open shooting was offered.
“They both showed me air rifle and different types of shooting,” Moira said. “I really liked it from the first time I shot it.”
Moira’s Grandfather was aware of her physical challenges, but it didn’t slow him from teaching her the sport. The way he described it to her – even through they’re very different, physically, they can still shoot together and be on the same level.
“That’s why I love air rifle shooting – because it’s an equal-opportunity sport,” said Moira.
“We’re looking forward to seeing how this opens the door for other adaptive athletes,” Wendy said. “Being a Paralympic air rifle shooter been a beautiful experience. We’ve really enjoyed it.”
Moira encourages others to join in as a Paralympic air rifle shooter, urging plenty of education before jumping into the complex sport.
“Try it before judging it,” she said. “Do some research. It’s rewarding. It’s just nice.”
Pyramyd Air has announced its’ top selling air rifles of 2018. With the cooperation of Pyramyd Air, HAM brings you this list, together with our analysis of year-by-year changes.
This is the first in Pyramyd Air’s “top selling” 2018 announcements. Coming from the world’s largest dedicated airgun dealer, the list of Pyramyd’s top selling air rifles of 2018 is a very significant indicator of what we’re all buying!
Overall, it’s interesting to see that there’s only one new gun to enter this Top Ten list and one to drop out, compared to 2017. So overall, our shipping behaviors are quite similar year-to-year.
Here we have air rifles under $500.00. More expensive air rifles will be included in the top selling high end air rifles. We can expect to see this list in the next few days…
1. Crosman DPMS SBR
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Number One in this list of top selling air rifles of 2018 is the new Crosman DPMS SBR. This full- and semi-automatic BB gun is powered by CO2. It’s the first rapid-firing firearms replica to reach this position.
For years, this slot has been held by low-end, low cost “starter” guns like the Lil Duke and Red Ryder. So this is a really big deal. Well done Crosman!
2. Gamo Whisper Silent Cat
This traditional, single-shot spring/piston air rifle climbs from fourth place in 2017. It was at Number Three in 2016. So this is a consistent strong performer from Gamo!
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3. Daisy 1938 Red Ryder
The Daisy Red Ryder has been a permanent fixture in Pyramyd Air’s top seller list. It was in top position in both 2015 and 2016, dropping down to number eight in 2017. But it’s bounced back up for 2018.
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4. Umarex Legends MP40
Another fast-firing CO2-powered firearms replica, the MP40 was in third place in 2017. So it’s a consistently popular choice. HAM loved this gun when we reviewed it and obviously a ton of airgun buyers agree with that recommendation!
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5. Gamo Swarm Maxxim
The Swarm Maxxim is another strong performer among Pyramyd Air’s top selling air rifles of 2018. It was at seventh place in 2016 and so has climbed two places for this year. The first multi-shot breakbarrel air rifle obviously is a crowd pleaser, it gained a HAM Bronze Award when we reviewed it in 2016.
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Manufacturers Rankings
The manufacturer rankings in Pyramyd Air’s top selling air rifles of 2018 are as follows. Gamo/Daisy and Umarex tied for top slot with 3 models each. Crosman is third with two entries, then Diana and John Wayne both have one each.
Pyramyd Air’s top selling air pistols of 2018 have been announced today. Compared to Pyramyd’s 2018 Top Ten air rifles list, there’s a lot more changes between the two years.
Whereas nine out of ten air rifles in that list were the same in 2018 as in 2017, only half of the 2018 top-selling air pistols appeared in the 2017 list.
1. Glock 19 Gen 3
Peacemaker revolvers have headed Pyramyd’s top-selling air pistols list since 2015. But they drop back to sixth place in 2018. They’re replaced by the Glock 19 which was only introduced mid-year! That gives you a strong indication of how successful this first Glock air pistol has been.
The first Glock airgun is a non-blowback, BB-firing model with outstanding realism, shot count and accuracy. It’s a HAM Gold Award winner!
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2. Crosman C11
The Crosman C11 was up from Number Three position in 2017 and fourth place in 2016. So this simple, non-blowback BB pistol continues to be a strong seller for Velocity Outdoor – the new name for Crosman Corporation.
HAM tested a very similar version of this gun in Bear River branding. We were blown away by the combination of huge shot count, great muzzle velocity and excellent accuracy at a very low price. The same benefits will also be found in the Crosman C11 CO2 BB Gun.Image may be NSFW. Clik here to view.
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3. Beretta 92A1
This blowback BB pistol has full auto capability as well as semi-auto. It’s another long-term favorite with buyers. At third place in Pyramyd Air’s top selling air pistols of 2018 list, it was Number Three also in 2017 and was at sixth place in 2016.
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4. Colt Python Series
Colt Python air pistols have been around for many years. But they’re still very popular, as is testified by their appearance at Number Four in this list. In fact, Pyramyd Air has gathered together a number of individual SKUs here. There’s long and short barrel models, all black and wood/chrome versions too.
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5. SIG SAUER P226
In 2017, SIG SAUER held fifth place with the P320 air pistol. For 2018 they’ve repeated the achievement with the P226. This is the highest-ranking dedicated pellet-firing gun in Pyramyd Air’s top selling air pistols of 2018 list.
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Manufacturers Rankings
As always, both Umarex USA and Velocity Outdoor score well in sales of air pistols. Both tie with three guns in this list. Umarex is the distributor of the Glock, Beretta and XBG models, while Velocity Outdoor has the Crosman C11, 2240 and SNR357 models.
The Crosman 2240, in particular, has been a strong seller over many years. It actually ranked as high as second place in 2015 but remains popular in the top selling air pistols of 2018 list, despite being the only single shot, bolt action pellet-firing pistol in these rankings.
The most modern of the Umarex 1911 air guns is this version of the Colt CQBP. Some Marines are fielding the .45 ACP version, and are most pleased with the modern take on the old John Moses Browning design. This one shoots BBs. It is a faithful reproduction of the .45’s aesthetics, with some notable differences in functionality.
Today’s news from Pyramyd Air covers their top selling 2018 high end air rifles. These air rifles sell for over $500 and the list is dominated by just four manufacturers!
1. Benjamin Bulldog
The Bulldog has been the overall top performer in these rankings over four years! It’s the top-ranked air rifle in 2018, held the same place in 2017 and was in second place in 2016 and 2015. The .357 caliber hunting gun is clearly a big winner for Velocity Outdoors and a long-term customer favorite.
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2. Benjamin Armada
The Armada is another Benjamin model that has featured strongly every year since 2015. As Number Two among Pyramyd Air’s top selling 2018 high end air rifles, the Armada is a tactical version of the Marauder – which itself also appears further down this list and in Pyramyd’s overall top selling air rifles list.
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3. AirForce Texan Big Bore
The Texan is another big bore favorite with Pyramyd customers. And – like the Bulldog and Armada, it’s been bouncing around in the Top Five since 2015.
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4. Air Arms Tx200
The TX200 stands out among Pyramyd Air’s top selling 2018 high end air rifles by being a springer and a – primarily – .177 caliber model. It’s also the only British-manufactured product in this listing. (Air Arms other entry, the T200 Sporter is manufactured in the Czech Republic by CZ Brno).
This is the shorter, silenced version of the Texan big bore, for airgun hunters who prefer easier portability and/or a quieter report.
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Manufacturers Rankings
Velocity Outdoors takes three of this Top Ten with its Benjamin-branded PCPs, as does AirForce. Air Arms and Pyramyd’s “own brand” Seneca have two entries each, making the total of ten.
Not surprisingly, nine out of ten top selling 2018 high end air rifles are PCPs. Only the TX200 springer brakes total domination by HPA-powered guns. The two Air Arms models are also the only two that are likely NOT to be used primarily, or exclusively, for hunting.
Again this is a very consistent list compared to previous years. Only two models – the Benjamin Marauder Field & Target and the AirForce Texan SS are new entries. But even so, both are clearly versions of models that have featured in the list for 2017.
Here’s the overall list of Pyramyd Air’s top selling 2018 high end air rifles.
Billed by the manufacturer as “the most anticipated airgun ever”, the FX Dreamline air rifle is now starting to ship out from the distributor to airgun dealers in the USA.
In fact, we should probably say FX Dreamline AIR RIFLES. This is because there’s actually multiple different models and upgrade kits available as part of the the FX Dreamline Air Rifle platform. That promises to offer FX customers an unprecedented level of customization for their new air rifle purchase.
Obviously with a complete new product line of such sophistication, it will take some time for all the elements of the FX Dreamline to become available. FX Airguns USA tells HAM that Dreamlines will begin shipping out from their warehouse this month – January 2018 – with larger numbers scheduled for February onwards as production ramps-up at the factory in Sweden.
So here’s the FX Dreamline air rifle models which are shipping first:
– FX Dream-Lite
– FX Dream-Pup
– FX Dream-Classic (that’s a Dream Classic with laminated stock in our heading photograph, above)
As this is such a big announcement, HAM will provide more details on these individual models in forthcoming stories. To start, here’s an overview of the overall Dreamline platform.
First announced at the 2018 IWA Show, FX says that all the adjustability, options, and technology that the company has perfected has been incorporated in the FX Dreamline air rifle. That’s FX Airguns owner Fredrik Axelsson showing us an early Dreamline prototype at IWA.
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This new ground-breaking rifle will be available in multiple customizable models, says FX. Rather than choosing just one style of Dreamline, owners will be able to change their rifle to any of the Dreamline configurations as well as add to and configure their Dreamline to make it uniquely their own.
In essence, FX is offering a new option to the airgun world: the build-your-own airgun!
Below. This is the FX Dream-Pup. All scopes shown are additional-cost items, of course.
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Dreamlines features FX’s new AMP Regulator. The AMP Regulator (or Adjustable Match Precision Regulator) is a brand-new regulator design. It can be adjusted from the outside of the air cylinder to both higher and lower air pressures without having to remove air from the cylinder – a big improvement on previous models.
FX Tells us that the AMP Regulator also uses the latest in high performance parts to provide precision accuracy that holds up over time. Gone are the days of regulator creep and fatigue, they say!
All FX Dreamline air rifles also incorporate the company’s Smooth Twist X (STX) barrel. The STX barrel is a fully rifled barrel using the proprietary system of imparting the inner rifling of the barrel from the outside of the steel barrel liner. The result is simply the most reliable and accurate barrel ever made, says FX.
Below. The FX Dream-Lite.
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But wait, there’s more!
All Dreamline models incorporate a quick-change system that allows for any of the four calibers (.177, .22, .25 or .30) to be used. All that is required is an extra barrel and pellet probe for each caliber (these are available separately).
The STX barrel also allows shooters to switch out barrel liners of the same caliber to allow for different twist rates and other bore specifications to allow a wider array of projectile use.
There’s a large list of additional features. Here’s some of them…
– High capacity magazines with up to 21 rounds in .177.
– Side lever cocking action.
– 1/2-inch UNF threading for the addition of an optional moderator.
– Valve and hammer adjustment options.
– The FX precision match trigger, set from the factory at just 15 ounces (but fully adjustable to your liking).
FX Airguns USA is also announcing a collaboration with airgun moderator maker DonnyFL. This means that FX dealers in the US will have the option of offering the FX Dreamline with a custom made FX Airguns DonnyFL Moderator.
Below, the Dream-Classic with Walnut stock.
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The company is describing these first first three models offered as just the” tip of the iceberg” as to what will be available in the FX Dreamline air rifle series. And no matter what model you have, the ability to change configurations is a truly amazing.
The initial launch of the FX Dreamline will be complete models of the Dream-Lite, Dream-Pup and Dream-Classic configurations.
FX Dreamline Configuration Kits are not available at launch, but look for these kits and other Dreamline options and models to be available mid 2019.
The FX Dream-Lite is a a striking new rifle, with styling unlike any past FX model. It’s a part of the comprehensive new Dreamline product family.
With an un-scoped weight of 5 1⁄2 pounds, the Dream-Lite lives up to its name of being an ultra-light weight PCP air rifle. It features a Hogue pistol grip and skeleton butt stock. To make the FX Dream-Lite bipod-ready, there is also a Picatinny accessory rail built into the trigger guard.
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In addition to the valve adjustment knob featured on all Dreamline models, the Dream-Lite also comes standard with a hammer spring adjustment knob. This is the same high-end adjuster that is found on the FX Impact and FX Crown, says FX.
The hammer spring adjuster – in combination with the adjustable AMP regulator – makes changing calibers or adjusting to different pellets an easy possibility, FX tells us.
Dealers in the US have the option of carrying the standard Dream-Lite, or offering a Dream-Lite with a custom FX Airguns DonnyFL airgun moderator.
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FX Dream-Lite Specifications:
– Calibers: .177, .22, .25, .30
– Weight: 5.5 Lbs
– Cocking System : Sidelever
– Length: 37.75 Inches
– Barrel: Smooth Twist X
– Barrel Length: 500mm in .177, 600mm in .22, .25 and .30 calibers
– Magazine: 21 round in .177 caliber; 18 round in .22 cal; 16 round in .25 cal; 14 round in .30 caliber
– Air Capacity: 250cc
– Air Cylinder: Aluminum
– Maximum Fill Pressure: 230 BAR (3,300 PSI)
– Shots Per Fill: Up to 110 shots in .177; 80 shots in .22 caliber; 50 shots in .25 cal; 25 shots in .30 caliber
– Muzzle Energy: .177 caliber up to 18 Ft/Lbs; .22 cal up to 32 Ft/Lbs; .25 caliber up to 47 Ft/Lbs; .30 up to 75 Ft/Lbs
In line with many other airgun manufacturers, FX is moving to extended warranty coverage for its products. In fact, FX Airguns USA has just announced a new 3-year FX warranty.
But unlike most other manufacturers, FX has backdated this warranty to upgrade the coverage for customers who purchased their airgun in 2018. That’s clearly an outstanding show of support to existing FX customers!
Here’s the “small print” for this 3-year FX warranty
FX Airguns USA offers a full factory back up service to each FX Airgun that it imports into the US.
All FX Airguns manufactured from October 2017 and on are warranted to the retail consumer for three (3) years from date of purchase against faulty workmanship and defective materials. Proof of purchase is required.
FX Airguns USA will also extend the warranty of any rifle purchased in 2018 to match this new 3-year warranty. The warranty of your FX Airgun is transferable with copy of original invoice or receipt.
What is covered :
Replacement parts, labor and return shipping to the customer (USA only).
What is not covered:
Normal wear and tear from regular use.
Failure or damage due to abuse or misuse as outlined in the owner’s manual.
Modification, tampering, or altering the gun in any way not specifically authorized by the factory with non-standard parts, springs, seals, etc.
Minor blemishes or cosmetic defects that do not affect the performance or functionality of the gun are also not covered.
3-Year FX Warranty Claims:
Warranty claims and support are for USA customers only.
Call FX Airguns USA at (866) 639-0772 and select option 1 for the service department. You can also email claims to serviceusa@fxairguns.com.
If it is determined a return is necessary, you will be issued a Return Authorization Number. Write this number boldly on the box and return the product prepaid to FX Airguns USA.
Your name, address, email address, phone number and a note explaining the defect found MUST be included in the package. A copy of your original dated customer receipt must accompany the return.
For more details of the 3-Year FX warranty, contact FX Airguns USA directly.
The FX Dream-Pup is another member of the new Dreamline family. It takes the same Dreamline action found in the other models but fits it into a bullpup configuration to shorten the overall length to just 29 Inches (33 Inches in .25 and .30 calibers due to the longer barrel).
In an unique twist, FX Airguns explains that the Dream-Pup can easily be converted into to a full length sporter-stocked rifle using suitable Dreamline configuration kits. And back again, of course, if required!
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The FX Dream-Pup has the Dreamline valve adjustment knob as well as a hammer spring adjuster. Shooters familiar with the hammer spring adjuster on the FX Impact or FX Crown, will instantly recognize this adjustment, allowing for 13 settings of the hammer spring, says FX Airguns.
The company says that makes the FX Dream-Pup is a versatile bullpup that can not only adjust caliber and barrel liners, but also the regulator, hammer spring tension and air flow needed to find the perfect harmonic balance for the pellet you are using.
FX Dream-Classic
The third member of the Dreamline family is the FX Dream-Classic. This, says FX, is a natural evolution of the FX Streamline. FX has taken the proven Streamline platform and added multiple features that take it to the next level; bridging the gap to rifles such as the FX Crown and FX Impact, according to the company.
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The FX Dream-Classic is available in Walnut, Black Pepper Laminate, and Synthetic stock options. These stocks are slightly different than the previous Streamline stock. They have a higher cheek piece to provide good cheek weld when using high scope rings like the FX No-Limit rings.
High rings are recommended if using the large capacity magazine included with the Dream-Classic configuration (as shown). All Dreamlines can use standard FX rotary mags if shooters want to use low or medium rings.
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Specifications for the FX Dream-Pup and Cream-Classic:
– Calibers: .177, .22, .25, .30
– Weight: 5.5 Lbs
– Cocking System : Sidelever
– Length: 37.75 Inches
– Barrel: Smooth Twist X
– Barrel Length: 500mm in .177, 600mm in .22, .25 and .30 calibers
– Magazine: 21 round in .177 caliber; 18 round in .22 cal; 16 round in .25 cal; 14 round in .30 caliber
– Air Capacity: 250cc
– Air Cylinder: Aluminum
– Maximum Fill Pressure: 230 BAR (3,300 PSI)
– Shots Per Fill: Up to 110 shots in .177; 80 shots in .22 caliber; 50 shots in .25 cal; 25 shots in .30 caliber
– Muzzle Energy: .177 caliber up to 18 Ft/Lbs; .22 cal up to 32 Ft/Lbs; .25 caliber up to 47 Ft/Lbs; .30 up to 75 Ft/Lbs
Announced today is the new Gamo Swarm Bone Collector air rifle. Presumably we’ll see it for the first time at the 2019 SHOT Show next week…
The Gamo Swarm Bone Collector is a wood-stocked version of the Swarm Maxxim. It uses Gamo’s multi-shot magazine system for rapid fire capability with a break barrel air rifle.
This new model comes in .22 caliber and provides a maximum Muzzle Velocity of 975 FPS, says the company. The beechwood stock is engraved with the official Bone Collector logo. The Swarm Bone Collector retails for $209.99, Gamo tells us.
With the Bone Collector branding and .22 caliber version only, the Swarm Bone Collector is clearly positioned as a hunting air rifle.
It is supplied with a 4 x 32 scope and the usual host of Gamo features.
Gamo Swarm Bone Collector Specifications
– .22 caliber
– 975 FPS Muzzle velocity
– IGT gas piston power plant
– Gamo 10X Quick-Shot System
– Whisper sound-dampening technology
– Patented polymer jacketed steel barrel
– 4×32 scope
– RRR (Recoil Reducing Scope Rail)
– SAT (Smooth Action Trigger)
– SWA (Shock Wave Absorber) recoil pad
– Engraved beechwood stock
– 3 year warranty
There’s a surprisingly large differential in price for JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets, depending on whether they are purchased in tins of 150 of 350 pellets.
As the chart below shows, in a 350 count tin, the price per pellet is very little above the Median price for .25 caliber lead pellets. However, if purchased in a 150-pellet tin, the price is no less than 28% greater! The message is clear. Buy these pellets in the big tins!!!
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JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets are a very popular choice – they’re Pyramyd Air’s best-selling .25 caliber airgun pellet of 2018.
The manufacturer claims the weight of JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets to be – er – 25.39 Grains. The sample tested by HAM had an average weight of 25.37 Grains. That’s less than 0.2% different, so we’re happy to say that the weight specification meets the manufacturer’s claims in this case.
.25 caliber is 6.35 mm in metric units. The JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets tested by HAM had an average head diameter of 6.39 mm, 6% larger than the nominal barrel diameter.
The tin tested by HAM was labeled as 150count. There were actually 151 pellets in the tin, with none damaged or deformed. Thanks JSB!
The manufacturer claims that JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets are very good for airgun hunting at longer ranges. It’s difficult to disagree with this claim.
CONSISTENCY
As we have come to expect with pellets from this manufacturer, the head diameter consistency of the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets tested by HAM was excellent. Fully 86% had a head diameter of 6.39 mm.Obviously that was the average head diameter, too.
The variation between the smallest and largest head diameters measured in HAM testing was just 0.31%. Again, excellent consistency.
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The weights of the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets tested by HAM was somewhat more variable. While the average weight of the tested pellets almost exactly met the manufacturer’s specification, there was a spread of 2.76% between the lightest and heaviest measured in this test.
The most common weight found was 25.32 Grains, with 8% of the tested pellets having that weight. Just 4% of the pellets tested by HAM actually weighed 25.39 Grains.
As always, the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets were weighed using HAM’s incredibly-precise, laboratory-grade milligram balance. This gives precise, accurate and consistent measurements.
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The average length of the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets tested by HAM was 7.92 mm. However the most common length we found was 7.95 mm, with 22% of the tested pellets having that length.
Obviously the presence of one short “flier” spoiled what would – otherwise – have been very good length consistency. This made the variation in length for the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets tested by HAM 2.84%. That’s somewhat worse than average.
However 22% of the tested pellets were of the same length – 7.95 mm – which is about an average figure.
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DIRTINESS
As usual with this manufacturer, the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets tested by HAM were very clean. The inevitable residue from the manufacturing processes amounted to just 0.036 Grains of dust for every 100 pellets.
The photograph below shows that dirt after pellets and tin had been washed as a standard part of the HAM pellet testing process.
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DOWNRANGE PERFORMANCE
The relatively high Ballistic Coefficient of 0.038 – determined from HAM testing – gives JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets an effectively “flat” shooting range of between 10 and 42 Yards. This Chairgun chart shows that 70% of the pellet’s original kinetic energy is retained out to 51 Yards.
This clearly benefits the hunter who – of course – is the customer primarily interested in .25 (and larger) calibers.
Please note that the .25 caliber shooting tests for this review were undertaken with a standard .25 caliber, regulated Umarex gauntlet air rifle for consistency. This was chosen to represent an “average” – around 46 Ft/Lbs power level for many air rifles of this caliber.
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HUNTING USE
Penetration into the standard HAM “ballistic soap” block was 96 mm for the JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets when fired from the Umarex Gauntlet air rifle. The entry wound in the soap was 10 mm in diameter.
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As can be seen from the photograph below, the fired pellet (right) had compressed from 7.91 mm to 7.42 mm in length after being retrieved from the soap block. It had also expanded from 6.39 mm to 6.62 mm in diameter, gaining pronounced rifling marks in both head and skirt during it’s path down the barrel.
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BUYING AND OWNING
JSB Exact King 25.39 Grain .25 caliber pellets are available in 150 and 350-count tins. These have the usual JSB push-top lids. A disk of white foam padding is included to prevent pellet damage in transit.
JSB pellets are not likely to be available in your local big box sporting goods store. However, they are widely available online and with the “buy four, get one free” deals offered by dealers like Pyramyd Air and Airgun Depot, the pellet price can be considerably reduced compared to buying one tin alone.
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.
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.
