RWS R10 Match Plus .177 Caliber Pellet Test Review

VALUE FOR MONEY

RWS R10 Match Plus pellets are specifically designed for competitive target shooting at the highest level. They’re individually packed ready for match use. So it’s no surprise to find that they’re expensive at 9.59 cents per pellet.

That makes them nearly – but not quite – the most expensive .177 caliber pellets available in the US. In fact, they are well over 3x more expensive than the median price for pellets of this caliber, as we can see from the chart below. Fortunately, they’re worth it!

As you would expect, RWS R10 Match Plus pellets have the traditional flat-fronted, wasp-waisted diablo design.

BUY FROM PYRAMYD AIR
RWS-R-10 Match Heavy .177 Cal, 8.2 Grains, Wadcutter, 500ct sold in a sleeve of five with match pellet holders

BUY FROM AIRGUN DEPOT
RWS R10 Match Plus .177 Cal 8.2 Gr Pellets 500 Ct

TEST DATA SUMMARY

COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS

RWS Rottweil, the RUAG Ammotec, subsidiary which manufactures RWS R10 Match Plus pellets, claim that they operate an especially elaborate production and control procedure for all RWS R 10 Match pellets.

This includes very good material properties and tight manufacturing tolerances, they say. In addition, these pellets are given professional shooting tests.  Only the best R 10 Match pellets are carefully selected and packed into the 100-piece competition packages, which are specially made for this purpose, claims the manufacturer.

The result of this, says RUAG, is absolute dimensional accuracy in length and weight.

HAM testing proves that RWS R 10 Match pellets are, indeed, manufactured to a very high level of consistency. Is EVERY pellet absolutely identical? No, but that’s practically impossible for any manufacturing operation to achieve for a product of any type. However they’re certainly very close, for sure – particularly in head diameter.

As we’ll see below, head diameter of the RWS R 10 Match pellets tested by HAM was outstanding. However, the most common diameter of 4.51 mm did not match that of the claim. That was 4.50, as can be seen from the underside of the packaging, below.

The average weight of the RWS R 10 Match pellets tested by HAM was 8.24 Grains. That matches the “8.2 Grains” specified by the manufacturer if the last significant digit is rounded-up.

CONSISTENCY

There were – of course – no damaged or malformed pellets in the pack of RWS R 10 Match pellets tested by HAM.

Head diameter was more consistent than any pellet tested by HAM to date. Out of the 50 pellets measured, 49 of them had the same diameter. That’s 98% – outstanding!

The difference between the largest and smallest head diameters measured was just 0.01 mm, on only one pellet. Using measurements more familiar to US readers, that means that one pellet was just about one third of one thousandth of an inch smaller than the others.

Again an outstanding performance and it’s a reminder of how precisely manufactured airgun pellets can be…

As we always find in HAM testing, the weights of the RWS R 10 Match pellets were somewhat more variable than the head diameters.

The average weight of the RWS R 10 Match pellets we tested was 8.24 Grains, with 30% of the pellets being at that weight. Variability between the lightest and heaviest pellets tested was 1.35%. Again, these are excellent results, showing considerable consistency in the manufacturing process.

Consistency of length was also excellent.

In the sample of pellets tested by HAM, 32% of the pellets measured 5.46 mm long. This was also the average length of the pellets HAM tested.

The difference in length between the longest and shortest RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets tested by HAM was just 1.10%

DIRTINESS

As you would expect, the RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets were also very clean – in spite of the inevitable lead dust and dirt that accompanies the pellet-manufacturing process.

The amount of dust was measured at just 0.138 Grains per hundred pellets. Again, this was a great performance by the RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets, as we can see from the photograph below.

DOWNRANGE PERFORMANCE

As always, HAM charted downrange performance for the RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets using the ChairGun ballistics program. We used a Ballistic Coefficient of 0.011, as derived in HAM BC testing.

Muzzle Velocity averaged 922.1 FPS with the standard HAM test gun, the Beeman 1074. That equates to 15.55 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy. Standard Deviation – the measure of shot-to-shot variability in Muzzle Velocity, was very low at just 4.33 FPS.

As RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets are specifically designed for 10 Meter shooting, most shooters of these pellets will not be concerned with their performance at longer distances. However, Chairgun tells us that – if sighted-in at 35 yards – these pellets will shoot to a point of impact within plus or minus half an inch between 11 and 39 Yards.

HUNTING USE

Yes, we know! The RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets are absolutely NOT designed to be used for hunting. However, the HAM standard test protocol includes a hunting assessment, so here we go…

Given the expected low Ballistic Coefficient of RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets, they would be useful for very short range hunting at best.

Using our standard “1,000 FPS”, Beeman 1074 air rifle – this could very well be the first time these pellets have been fired through a gun of this type! – penetration into out ballistic soap block was about as expected, with a 9 mm diameter of the entry hole.

Again as expected, the RWS R 10 Match pellet gave up its energy well, resulting is significant expansion and shortening of the pellet in the target. This means that theses pellets would be devastating on small critters at very short range hunting.

BUYING AND OWNING

As a highly-specialist, expensive product, RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets are not widely available. However their users are, by definition, highly knowledgeable shooters who know that and will probably buy online from a major Internet reseller such as Pyramyd Air or Airgun Depot.

The packaging is “match ready”, as can be seen from the photograph. There are actually two trays of pellets in each box of RWS R 10 Match Plus pellets. This shows the complete, lower tray of the box 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 AIR
RWS-R-10 Match Heavy .177 Cal, 8.2 Grains, Wadcutter, 500ct sold in a sleeve of five with match pellet holders

BUY FROM AIRGUN DEPOT
RWS R10 Match Plus .177 Cal 8.2 Gr Pellets 500 Ct

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.

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