VALUE FOR MONEY
H&N Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets are well known and respected for their good performance in many air rifles. As you can see from HAM test reviews, they frequently give strong accuracy – particularly with more powerful PCPs.
At a price of 3.5 Cents per pellet, the price is not far above the Median price for .177 caliber pellets. In fact, it’s far below the highest price for .177 caliber pellets. That makes them good value for money.
Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets have an elongated, domed profile. This gives them a high Ballistic Coefficient of 0.020 in HAM testing. That’s good for flat, long range shooting.
BUY FROM PYRAMYD AIR
H&N Baracuda Match .177 Cal, 10.65 Grains, Round Nose, 400ct![]()
BUY FROM AIRGUN DEPOT
H&N Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain .177 Cal 400 Ct
TEST DATA SUMMARY
| Price per Pellet | 3.5 cents |
| Most Common Weight | 10.52 Grains 10.63 Grains |
| Pellets at That Common Weight | 16% 16% |
| Variation in Pellet Weight (Smallest to Largest) | 2.68% |
| Most Common Head Diameter | 4.53 mm |
| Pellet at That Common Head Diameter | 86% |
| Variation in Head Diameter (Smallest to Largest) | 0.44% |
| Most Common Length | 6.70 mm |
| Pellets at That Common Length | 10% |
| Variation in Length (Smallest to Largest) | 5.00% |
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The tin of 400 Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets actually contained 405 pellets. This over-count is welcome, however it’s probably due to the fact that the average weight of the Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets tested by HAM was slightly low at 10.58 Grains.
H&N claims that Baracuda Match pellets are accurate at longer ranges and that the design gives high penetration. The high Ballistic Coefficient will certainly aid practical long-range scoring, while the penetration is considerable, as we can see from the HAM impact testing below.
Although the Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets tested by HAM did provide consistent head sizes, unfortunately the average – and most common – head diameter was 4.53 mm. The base of the tin was marked 4.50 mm.
CONSISTENCY
There were no damaged or malformed pellets in the tine tested by HAM.
As mentioned above, the head diameters of the Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets tested by HAM were very consistent. 86% had a head diameter of 5.53 mm.
With a smallest head diameter of 4.52 mm and the largest being 4.54 mm, the variation in head diameter in the pellets tested by HAM was just 0.44%. That’s very good consistency.
Consistency of weight was slightly better than average among the Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets tested by HAM. The average weight measured using HAM’s exceptionally accurate, milligram balance was 10.58 Grains – however no individual pellet had that weight.
As can be seen from the chart below, the most common measured pellet weights were 10.52 and 10.63 Grains. 16% of the tested pellets had either of these weights.
The variation in weight between the lightest and heaviest pellets was 2.68%, from a lowest of 10.43 Grains to the heaviest at 10.71 Grains.
Unfortunately, length consistency of the Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets tested by HAM was rather below average. The average length was 6.76 mm, ranging from the shortest pellet at 6.60 mm up to the longest at 6.93 mm. This is a variation of 5.0% in length.
The most common length was 6.70 mm. 10% of the pellets tested were of this length.
DIRTINESS
The H&N Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain .177 caliber pellets tested by HAM were very clean.
A certain amount of lead dust and junk is an inevitable part of lead pellet manufacture. However, in the case of the tin tested by HAM, there was only 0.17 Grains per 100 pellets, which is very low.
DOWNRANGE PERFORMANCE
Chairgun shows that downrange performance of Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets is good. This is due, of course, to the high Ballistic Coefficient value of 0.20.
Using the standard HAM “1,000 FPS” Beeman 1074 test rifle, these Baracudas will shoot effectively “flat” from 11 to 42 Yards when the scope is zeroed at 36 Yards.
Kinetic Energy retained in the pellet holds-up well, too. Even out at 48 yards, the pellet retains as much as 60% of its Muzzle Energy. This is a good figure for .177 pellets and makes the Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets suitable for long range hunting, particularly with a powerful PCP air rifle.
HUNTING USE
In addition to the high retained energy at long range, Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets also have considerable penetration ability. This is as claimed by the manufacturer and shown by the ballistic soap penetration results below.
The fired pellet – left, below – showed little expansion after being recovered from the soap block. The diameter had expanded from 4.53 mm to 4.58 mm, while length had reduced from 6.69mm before shooting to 6.41 mm.
BUYING AND OWNING
H&N recommends using Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain pellets in air rifles with a minimum Muzzle Energy of 12 Ft/Lbs. HAM test results confirm the validity of this. These pellets are definitely most suitable for use in powerful PCP air rifles.
Hunting and Field Target competition are ideal uses for these Baracuda Match pellets. And – as always – the H&N screw-top tins are ideal containers for these pellets. They’re the best in the industry.
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
H&N Baracuda Match .177 Cal, 10.65 Grains, Round Nose, 400ct![]()
BUY FROM AIRGUN DEPOT
H&N Baracuda Match 10.65 Grain .177 Cal 400 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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