TargetTalk

Guess i'm bored too, posting about RWS Basic pellets...

When I refilled 7 open rows in my pellet box today I noticed the skirts on the pellets were different (all RWS basic, from different blister pack tins but from the same order). Looked a little closer and the head appears a little different and the outside of the skirt is different as well, with a bit of a shelf. 10x of the new pellets weighed an average of 7.45 grains whereas 10x of the old weighed an average of 7.18 grains. These pellets were from the 500 count tins prior to the change to 300 count.

Using the new pellets, went on to shoot a 98 in one series... but shot an 89 also.

I've noticed exactly the same thing with Geco's. I wouldn't at all be surprised if they are exactly the same pellet in a different tin.

I guess I must be bored also - because I wanted to add some data to this discussion, and ask some questions.

I also noticed the change in RWS Basic pellet style when I recently ordered some pellets from Europe in the 500 count tin. Those turned out to be the "Old" style pellets, whereas the ones I had purchased previously in the 300 count tin were the "New" style.

I weighed a dozen individual pellets of each type on a laboratory balance and the results are posted here in a graph. I agree with the original poster that the average weight of the New (7.38 grains) is significantly more than the Old (7.12). The graph also shows that the variability in weight is similar between the two types, and there is no overlap.

I briefly test the new and old pellets with my Walther CP2 in a vice and saw a similar group size at 10 m for New and Old. So it seems like the New ones perform as well as the Old. But when I mixed them together, the spread was a little larger vertically because the heavier New pellets shot a few millimeters lower than the Old. The reason I tried mixing them was that when I recently asked a vendor whether his pellets were the New or Old style, he opened a tin and said they were mixed together.

So one question is has anyone else encountered tins with New and Old pellets mixed together? I am hoping that is rare, because, at least for my pistol, getting the most consistent results may require that I keep New and Old separate.

Also, has anyone else tested New vs Old and seen a difference in where they shoot? My pistol is old, and my setup for testing not ideal. I am curious whether a modern pistol, which may also have a higher velocity, may be more forgiving in terms of differences in pellet weight.