VALUE FOR MONEY
Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets have a great reputation as a heavyweight hunting pellet. Selling at a price of $8.95 for a tin of 200 pellets, they were a fairly expensive pellet. These pellets were manufactured in Germany by H&N Sport, as is openly proclaimed on the tin’s label.
We say represented, because these pellets have recently gone out of production and are so, suddenly, now difficult to find. But many people will still have some of these pellets in their own stock and so they will undoubtedly be interested in this review.
TEST DATA SUMMARY
| Price per Pellet | 4.475 cents |
| Most Common Weight | 21.13 Grains, 21.16 Grains |
| Pellets at That Common Weight | 14%, 14% |
| Variation in Pellet Weight (Smallest to Largest) | 1.09% |
| Most Common Head Diameter | 5.55 mm |
| Pellet at That Common Head Diameter | 72% |
| Variation in Head Diameter (Smallest to Largest) | 0.54% |
| Most Common Length | 8.56 mm |
| Pellets at That Common Length | 26% |
| Variation in Length (Smallest to Largest) | 1.8% |
COMPARISON TO MAKERS CLAIMS
The manufacturer claimed that Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets are packed in tins of 200. The tin tested by HAM contained 2018 pellets, 4% more than the claim.
The tin also claims that the tapered dome design of these pellets offers “accuracy” and “impact”.
Of course, accuracy is not a function of the pellet alone and depends on the gun, shooter and scope. So accuracy is not – in itself – a realistic claim to make for a pellet.
HAM understands the word “impact” to mean that Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets hit their target hard. This would be a fair claim given the weight of this pellet, providing it were fired from a PCP air rifle. As PCPs generally show an increase in Muzzle Energy (and downrange energy as well) with heavier pellets – and as 21.14 Grains is very heavy for a .22 caliber pellet, HAM agrees with the claim.
However, spring/piston and gas ram air rifles typically offer less energy with heavier weight ammo, so the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets would not give more “impact” if fired from break barrel air rifles.
The claimed weight of 21.14 Grains was very nearly met by the pellets tested by HAM. We found an average weight of 21.15 Grains in the pellets we tested for this review.
CONSISTENCY
Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets are a heavy, solid design. The HAM Team found no damage to the pellets in the tin we tested for this review.
Head diameters for the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets tested by HAM varied from a minimum of 5.54 mm up to 5.57 mm. As you can see from the chart below, the most common head diameter was 5.55 mm. 72% of the pellets tested had this head diameter. The average head diameter calculates to 5.55 mm also.
The variation between smallest and largest head diameters for the Kodiaks was 0.54%.
Moving on to weight consistency…
The most common weights for the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets tested by HAM were 21.13 Grains and 21.16 Grains. There were 14% at each weight among the pellets tested. This matches well to the calculated average weight of 21.15 Grains for the pellets tested in this review.
The lightest pellet weighed 21.02 Grains and the heaviest, 21.35 Grains. This means that the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets tested by HAM had a weight variation of 1.09% from lightest to heaviest. This is excellent consistency!
Variation in length was also well-controlled among the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets we tested.
The most common length among the Kodiaks tested by HAM was 8.56 mm. This was found in 26% of the pellets. With a minimum length of 8.52 mm and a maximum of 8.67, the spread in length was 1.76%. The calculated average length was 8.57 mm.
Overall, the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets demonstrated good consistency, as is reflected in the Standard Deviation of 5.17 FPS when fired from our standard Beeman 1073 test gun.
DIRTINESS
However, it has to be said the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets were the dirtiest pellets we’ve ever seen – as is shown by the photograph below.
As you can see, there’s lots of semi-circular lead shavings and other lead dirt. That’s no less than 2.58 Grains of dirt in the tin. Of course, some amount of residual dust and other particles is inevitable in the production of lead pellets, but this was remarkable!
DOWNRANGE PERFORMANCE
Firstly, it’s obvious that the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets are waaaaay too heavy for our standard, 1,000 FPS test air rifle. They may even be too powerful for most magnum springers and gas ram air rifles. The Kodiaks are clearly suited for a powerful PCP!
Using the Ballistic Coefficient of 0.035, generated in HAM’s extensive, standardized BC testing, Chairgun calculates the downrange performance as shown in the graph below.
So, even in our less than ideal test gun, the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets, fly relatively flat, due to their high Ballistic Coefficient.
This means that with the Beeman 1074 sighted-in at 27 Yards, the Kodiaks have a point of impact within plus or minus half an inch all the way from the muzzle out to 30 yards. If shot from a powerful PCP, you would see a similar “flat shooting” effect, but over an even longer distance.
HUNTING USE
Fired from our standard Beeman 1074 test gun, the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets produced 15.66 Ft/Lbs of Muzzle Energy. This was with just 577.3 FPS Muzzle Velocity.
The high Ballistic Coefficient of the Kodiaks means that they hold their energy very well down range.
No less than 70% of the Kodiaks’ energy is retained all the way out to 55 Yards. That’s a huge distance! This makes them excellent for hunting purposes.
When shot into HAM’s standard block of soap, the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellet penetrated no less than 68 mm. That’s by far the greatest penetration we’ve measured in HAM testing so far.
Combined with a fairly narrow wound channel of 8 mm diameter, this clearly makes the Kodiaks suitable for hunting larger critters and those with tougher skins.
In our “before and after” comparison photograph below, you can see that the fired Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellet (left) was not hugely deformed. However, the large – 5.55mm – head diameter means that distinct rifling marks are visible in the fired pellet on both the head and the skirt.
BUYING AND OWNING
Between the HAM team acquiring these pellets and the publication of this review, the Beeman Kodiak 21.14 Grain .22 caliber pellets have been discontinued. This is unfortunate as these pellets had a great reputation as a superior hunting pellet. Our test results show why…
So, if you can find any still available, buy them! If you have these Kodiaks in your personal stock, use them wisely.
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
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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