H&N FTT

[norseman]

I have so many air rifles that shoot the H&N Sports Field Target Trophy pellets. I looked a few days ago and I have over 22,500 FTT .177 4.52 pellets.

I'm sure this query has been raised before but I get zero results from the search facility.

Does the difference in .177 sizing ie 4.50/51/52 really make any significant difference to muzzle energy or accuracy?

 

[VFR]

It seems to in my HWs, but honestly you may be talking a pellets width or two at 25yds. Depending on the wind, rain, bad scope, hangover.

 

[Lt.Dan]

I'm sure this query has been raised before but I get zero results from the search facility.

Does the difference in .177 sizing ie 4.50/51/52 really make any significant difference to muzzle energy or accuracy?

It does in my experience. A 4.52 pellet goes into the breech with resistance, the 4.50 and 4.52 seem loose. The smallest groups (accuracy) comes with the 4.52 pellets.

 

[om606]

I've been using H&N FTT .177 for a couple of years in my HW35K & recently borrowed a chrono, just to check the power.
From 6 shots of the FTT's I recorded 5 different readings from 731 to 741 FPS but when switching to JSB exact heavy diabolo all 3 shots fired were exactly the same at 680 .. any thoughts guys?

Exacts are soft its clearly suiting you particular hw35s barrel , the lower velocity is probably down to the weight and softer pellets not holding on as long as the harder H&Ns. its typical to be fair and the consistent 680 proves the fact HW35s are so incredibly consistent shot on shot . if you clean your bore and let it lead in with some FTTs you might well see the 10fps variation well into single figures.

 

[Scubashot]

I'm sure this query has been raised before but I get zero results from the search facility.

Does the difference in .177 sizing ie 4.50/51/52 really make any significant difference to muzzle energy or accuracy?

Weihrauch produced rebadged pellets from both JSB and H&N in their own tins.
I believe that they claimed that the finished sizes of their barrels were 4.51mm and 5.51mm, so they supplied their ranges of pellets in those sizes from each manufacturer.
My experience of the 0.22" versions was that the JSB versions were as variable as JSB's usual product because of die and batch numbers. However, their version of the H&N FTT were excellent as the 5.51mm were a more comfortable fit in the breech and suffered less drag in the barrel than H&N's normal 5.53 version. They were therefore faster through the chronograph, raising the muzzle energy, with no loss of accuracy.
Unfortunately, after a few years Weihrauch decided to switch to H&N's standard 5.53 version, rather than paying them extra for special production runs of the 5.51.

 

[Right Cant]

I have read that Goldstars and FTT are the same and they look the same to me and I have never had quality issues with either. That is not to say I have not just been very lucky. I have shot a few thousand of each.
I have recently been using BSA Storm and Elite pellets which are different and very cheap but again no QC issues. Jury is out though as the Elites were good at 30 yards in a breeze last week but hopeless at 50. That could be a lightweight in the wind thing though.

All the bsa star pellets are made by H&N. They confirmed that a while ago on here. Anything else, elites etc are just cheap shite imho

Daystate rangemaster kaisers are ftt also I believe.

 

[norseman]

Exacts are soft its clearly suiting you particular hw35s barrel , the lower velocity is probably down to the weight and softer pellets not holding on as long as the harder H&Ns. its typical to be fair and the consistent 680 proves the fact HW35s are so incredibly consistent shot on shot . if you clean your bore and let it lead in with some FTTs you might well see the 10fps variation well into single figures.

Thank you for that helpful advice

 

[om606]

Thank you for that helpful advice

You only need look at your crono figures to see typically how consistent the HW35s are they were good in the 50s and still are today a true classic that's survived up to the present day .

 

[adredy]

Personally, I'd avoid BSA's rebadged pellets.

Air Arms and Weihrauch are both believed to commission their own die to have pellets made by JSB to AA and Weihrauch's own spec. This is my own findings by comparing to the manufacturer's die batches.

My gut feeling have also been that BSA is too skinflint to 'commission' their own die and instead buy sub QC and even floor sweeps as their rebadge which may go to explain how they can be cheaper than H&N's own prices. I think you are chancing it getting some good stuff or some bad stuff or a mixture of both. I had at least 60% below par so that makes these pellets expensive and planted the seed of doubt. Not good when you are scoring and hunting.

Granted these were not Godstars but it is the BSA business culture that I am highlighting. My 12 tins in the past were poor and I've never revisited BSA for pellets. H&N are often keenly priced and it's not worth delving below that threshold.

These were a few I've bothered to dig out of a tin of 250.

View attachment 915066View attachment 915067

My BSA are the same 2 boxes Max & Elite

 

[alexall]

@adredy. Thanks for posting that. I feel a little vindicated and that I was not alone.

As said, you are taking a chance where you can get batches of good or batches of bad. It feels like BSA pellets are packaged from whatever comes their way - which may be below H&N's own QC.

I got 3 batches of bad from 3 separate sources and I was stuck with them for a while as I often buy pellets in sleeves. At first, I gave them the benefit of the doubt as they came highly recommended and in so let down 3 out of 3 times. I'm not chancing a 4th time.

I

 

[Vy Rark Orro]

As I made a comment about Goldstars being FTTs I did some testing with pellets that I had. Below is a league table I made up based on what I found using a HW95K .177 at up to 50 yards.

JSB Exact RS Diabolo

H&N Barracuda 8
BSA Goldstar

BSA Storm
BSA Elite

The gaps are where there was a clear step change in performance. Nothing was measured. There was a breeze which made shots move left and right but the JSB moved the least and were in a nice horizontal line. The rest went up down a bit but the Storm & Elite pellets were by far the worse in that they went left, right, up and down the most.
Up to 30 yards the was not a huge difference between them but the cheap pellets started going noticeably wrong at 35. I have had more success with the cheapos up to 45 yards when in a very sheltered spot.

I still believe that Goldstars & FTTs are the same but I do not have any right now. In the past I have swapped between buying Goldstar and FTT depending on which I could get the cheapest.