Air Gun Home :: View topic - H&N/Beeman Pellets- who's using what?

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Just investigating what people are using from the H&N and 'rebranded H&N' labeled as "Beeman" pellets...

I had not noticed until just today, but they seem to have more .22 caliber product than I seem to recall a few years ago, and also a .25 cal unit now too.

http://www.hn-sport.de/en/products.html

So what are people using/have used and how well did they work for you?

rsterne · Moderator

I have had decent results with their FTTs in all three calibers.... They generally don't shoot quite as accurately as the JSB Exacts in most of my guns, but are often a close second.... They are a VERY similar design - a true round nose, with a good BC and the weights are similar to the Exacts.... 8.4 gr. in .177, 14.7 gr. in .22, but only 19.3 gr. in .25 cal.... They were (are?) called FTS by Beeman and RWS (which also sell the Baracudas rebranded as "Magnums")....

The other excellent pellet is the heavyweight Baracudas (Beeman Kodiaks) which have an excellent BC, particularly at the higher velocities, making them a very good choice for magnum powered guns.... They are available in a zillion versions, Match (in several diameters) and plated gold colour.... which must be a headache for inventory.... The same problem exists with the FTTs.... There is a new Baracuda Hunter Hollow Point which seems pretty good as well, but I have had no time to test at longer ranges or to check out the BC....

There is one confusing thing in the H&N lineup.... They have another pellet called the Field Target which Beeman used to call the Silhouette.... It is a round nose but with a wadcutter lip.... I dont have any guns that like them, and the BC is not as good as the FTTs.... Easy to confuse the FTs with the FTTs when ordering if you aren't careful....

Crow Magnums have a good following, but most of my guns don't shoot them very accurately.... and they have a lousy BC....

Bob

SMP · Silver Status Member

Similar to Bob

I canna get those damn crows to fly straight no matter what anybody says

good success with FT Trophy

Match is excellent and a nice OD range on this line for tuning. I hatch not been able to say there is a discernible difference between Match and Final Match other than 2x$.

(Of course if someone wanted to loan me a SCATT it would be easier to calculate differences in that 0.180 hole Wink

Hehehehe )

......I such an A$$ Laughing

AirGunEric · Site Admin

From what I can determine based on sizes/pellet profiles, these are the Beeman - H&N equivalents:

rsterne · Moderator

Beeman FTS = H&N FTT (Field Target Trophy).... these are NOT the same as the Silhouette / FT pellets....

Bob

radar · Silver Status Member

The Beeman "coated" hollowpoints in .177 have been very satisfacory. The pointed version of the same thing was terrible. Many crushed skirts.

H&N Baracudas in .177, 10.65 grains are as good of pellet as I've ever shot.

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Updated the list with Bob's info- not sure how I forgot it the first time around...

rsterne · Moderator

The Excite Econ is a new wadcutter pellet, and weigh 7.48 gr.... The Lasers were an older, slightly domed design, and only weighed 6.8 gr. in .177.... they are not the same pellet....

There is another new pellet, just out on the H&N website, called the Baracuda Hunter Extreme, a .25 cal, 28.4 gr. with a hollow point AND a cross cut into the nose.... Also available in .22 cal at 19.1 gr....

Looks like that could be interesting....

Bob

AirGunEric · Site Admin

AirGunEric · Site Admin

Also noticed something else while perusing the H&N line- they seem to have alot more .25 caliber product than anyone else...

rsterne · Moderator

To be truthful I try and stay away from the graded sizes.... If you start measuring them you will find they aren't what they say, they are just in a smaller tolerance range than the ungraded.... eg. if you buy Kodiaks (5.5 mm nominal) their diameter will span the range from 5.50mm to 5.55mm that you can purchase in the graded Match version.... When you realize that 0.05mm is only 0.002" I figure in most cases I can`t tell the difference in shooting anyway.... There is usually such a huge difference between different makes and models of pellets I can usually find one that works great without having to resort to the graded ones....

Bob

SMP · Silver Status Member

4.52 and 5.52 are the top selling in Exacts. I think that the larger size is generally reccomended for springers.

From testing barrels I can say that there are great gains to be had by testing a particular barrel with the full OD range available..in match pellets.

But therein lies the quandry I guess. The average person would not take the time to match the best pellets possible to a particular barrel.
On the other hand those that would take the time probably wouldn't accept anything less.

grizzlyadams · Member

i use hp, cromags and barracudas in 22, the same in 25, and cromag and hp in 177

domer_pyle · Senior Member

I just tried and immediately ordered 3 tins of the FTT's after hitting a 1"spinner at 80 yards first try after needing only a two click adjustment on the elevation turret from Premiers. Good news since Polymags seem to have smaller heads now and fall into the breech of my XL's and chrony slow. Never heard back from them about getting the 3 tins replaced (first two tins bought 2 months before the last, all the same)

They chrony 872 average in the XL's and doing some reverse math on Strelok tells me they check in at a .027 bc with this barrel.

The FT's were just as accurate in the same rifle

21grains · Member

Beeman Kodiak/Baracuda are 5.50, H&N Baracuda Match/Bisley Mag are head Sized 5.51,5.52,5.53. American PCP's need 5.52 or 5.53 Cuda's or 5.54,5.55 H&N FTT/Beeman FTS,and Yes Head Size makes all the difference once You find the right Pellet for Your Barrel first.....Franky