From: Snag_one@msn.com   
      
   On 6/14/2025 6:40 PM, Bob La Londe wrote:   
   > On 6/14/2025 2:37 PM, Snag wrote:   
   >>   When I heard air hissing from the bolt area when I pumped it up , I   
   >> figured it was a worn seal on the pin in the valve assembly so I   
   >> bought a new pin . Well , today I finally got to work on it (grand   
   >> daughters came for a visit , brought their cold with them and I ain't   
   >> been that sick in a long time so ...) and yes the seal was bad .   
   >> Because there were nicks in the sealing surface inside the valve .   
   >> Seeing as how new valve assemblies are around 40 bucks delivered , I   
   >> decided to try to clean up that seat . Chucked it up in the lathe ,   
   >> put a 3/8" end mill in the tailstock chuck and made a super light cut   
   >> , turning the chuck by hand and applying light pressure by hand .   
   >>    It worked ! I have about 5 or 6 different pellets to test , both   
   >> for accuracy and velocity . I measured a few pellets of different   
   >> brands and they vary ... I expect the larger ones will give both   
   >> better velocity and accuracy .   
   >   
   >   
   > Generally I've found that round dome pellets are more accurate then the   
   > standard Diablo style wad cutter, but at short range the Diablo wad   
   > cutter is plenty accurate and makes a nice clean hole in paper for   
   > target shooting.  That being said, any dome pellet is going to be at   
   > least a few grains heavier, so it will have more drop at modest range.   
   >   
   > I would suggest a surprisingly good bargain pellet, but I have not tried   
   > it in .177.  The Crosman Premier Hollow point is an absolute tack driver   
   > in a lot of guns, but I have only tried it in 14.3 grain .22.  It shoots   
   > like a domed pellet.  Better than some.  One of my best days target   
   > shooting (DO NOT SHOOT AT GOLF BALLS WITH AIRGUNS) with an air rifle I   
   > was out at Adair Range stretching the legs on my BAM B-50 was shooting   
   > Crosman Premier hollow points.  From the shooting bench to the mountain   
   > is roughly 135 yards at the small bore rifle and pistol range.  My B-50   
   > is an amazingly good air rifle for a single shot.  It might even be more   
   > accurate than my Marauder .25 with its Green Mountain barrel liner.   
   >   
   > There are shooters who like to race a golf ball across the range and up   
   > the face of the mountain with their .22 powder burners.  I've seen older   
   > gentlemen bench shooting 10-22 rifles with bipods doing that a few   
   > times.  Like a kind of game. They don't usually bother to pick up their   
   > gold balls when they are done.   
   >   
   > Anyway, I was there bench rest shooting the B-50 with a sled just to see   
   > how good the rifle is, and it kept surprising me.  Just at sunset the   
   > wind let off to zero and I decided to see what it would really do.  I   
   > had already chronographed my setup for the day, and from a full fill I   
   > was getting about five shots between 1054 and 1000 fps.  I pulled out my   
   > cell phone and plugged numbers into an ap (no longer available) called   
   > ChairGun.  I forget what my zero was, but according to ChairGun at 135   
   > yards I needed to shoot 34 inches of elevation to hit 135 yards based on   
   > my zero and height above bore.  I guessed 34 inches using Kentucky   
   > windage (elevation) and dropped a pellet down range.  I was dead center   
   > and an not quite 2 inches low.  I adjusted, heard that satifying thunk   
   > of the pellet hit its target, and watched the golf ball roll up hill.   
   > With the same hold I dropped two more on target.   I had that feel I   
   > could have dropped two or three more right one, but after the third hit   
   > the golf ball took a different roll, and hid behind a rock.   
   >   
   > There is an old .22LR brag that almost everybody is exaggerating or   
   > hasn't really tried or just lying when they claim they can do it. That's   
   > to put five in a row on a dime size target at 50 yards.  I think the   
   > B-50 could do it on a calm day.  Most good field grade .22 LRs (10-22,   
   > Model 60, Click Clack gun, etc) in good shape can drop 2 or 3 on a dime,   
   > but the group always has a couple that push past quarter size. Now to be   
   > fair I have actually tried the five on a dime at 50 challenge, but not   
   > with a .22LR or even with the B-50.  I did it with Kalibre Cricket PCP   
   > air rifle in .25 caliber shooting 25.4 grain Exact King domed pellets.   
   > I consistently got 4 out of 5 on my traced dime bullseyes, but most of   
   > the time there was one that split the line or even just barely touched   
   > the line on the outside.  I couldn't fill up a whole card with   
   > consistent 5 shot groups though.   
   >   
   > Anyway, in my opinion the Crosman Premier domed pellets (yes I have used   
   > them too) and Crosman Premier hollow points are inexpensive diamonds in   
   > the airgun ammo market.  Last I checked you could buy them at Walmart.   
   >   
   > My best Kentucky windage shots were both with my .177 Marauder shooting   
   > 920 FPS with copper plated H&N Barracude 10.65 grain domed pellet.  I   
   > went on an anti depredation rampage against black birds and grackels   
   > when they wiped out all the seedlings in my winter garden one year.  I   
   > took out a gopher at 94 yards (paced) on the first shot (using   
   > Chairgun).  I thought I missed.  There was a plume of dirt beyond him,   
   > and the gopher ducked down out of sight.  When I walked out I found him   
   > with a perfect heart and lung shot through the body.  A few days later I   
   > could see some seedling eating black birds on the fence near my   
   > neighbors horse barn.  With the .177 Marauder resting across something I   
   > guessed both windage and elevation.  When I squeezed off the shot I   
   > could see the blackbird jump, and a millisecond later heard the thwack   
   > of the pellet striking hard.  He folded up and dropped like a rock.  112   
   > yards paced off.  Both of those were very lucky shots.  The .177   
   > Marauder is not as accurate as the B-50, the Cricket, or the .25   
   > Marauder. Rather I think it shoots pretty good, but consistently has   
   > flier or two in a group.   
   >   
   > I learned a trick, although not as much fun that doesn't require   
   > shooting all of them little thieves.  Leave just a couple dead grackles   
   > laying in plane sight around your garden and the rest stay away.   
   >   
   > Oh, yeah.  Do not shoot at golf balls with an air gun.  At least not at   
   > modestly close range.  They will return the pellets to you with enough   
   > energy to sting pretty good.  What I found was just as much fun, and   
   > also good varying target distance practices is golf size wiffle practice   
   > balls.  They don't store and return energy like a golf ball.   
   >   
      
   [continued in next message]   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)