U.S.A. –-(AmmoLand.com)- I about titled this Product Review-ALL PELLETS ARE NOT CREATED EQUAL. Here’s why. When I first got into modern airguns I got frustrated fast with how inaccurate that they were. You hunt small game when hunting with airguns that have small kill zones. If they’re not accurate then you’re going to either miss them or wound everything. Neither option is good.
I quickly discovered that the airguns inaccuracies were due to two things:
- The first 10-15 airguns that I tested were inherently inaccurate.
- The accuracy of pellets on the market varies greatly.
JSB Match Diabolo Exact King MKII Pellets
Today we’re going to discuss #2. In the beginning, I figured that a pellet was a pellet but when I started testing and comparing pellets from various pellet manufacturers, I quickly discovered that all pellets were not created equal. We all know how important it is to choose the right ammo on our big caliber rifles to get a good group, right? It is just as important with pellet guns.
Here’s my theory, for sure one of the airgun companies makes a flimsy lightweight alloy pellet so they can boast speeds of 1,450 fps. And granted, they fly faster than a heavy lead pellet but unfortunately, they wobble all over and are not accurate.
So I quickly decided, I’d gladly sacrifice some speed to obtain accuracy. Accuracy trumps speed every time. I’d rather hit a ground squirrel in the head or heart with a slow pellet than to hit one in the toenail with a fast pellet!
I think that I have tested pellets from pretty much all of the major pellet producers and hands down JSB makes the best. I was reminded of this yesterday. I had just mounted a Burris 4.5-14x42mm Droptine scope on a Umarex .22 cal. Origin and had to go out and shoot it and do a Product Review on both.
When you’re doing a Product Review on any gun, whether it be a firearm or an airgun it is only fair to the gun manufacturer to use the best ammo on the market to determine how well it shoots. Otherwise, you’re already condemning the gun. So with that said, when testing a new airgun I always use the JSB Match Diabolo Exact pellets.
So if you’re an air gunner and want to see how accurate that your airgun can shoot, I’d suggest that you shoot JSB MATCH DIABOLO EXACT PELLETS. I just haven’t found anything else that compares to them. You may argue and say but what about using a polymer tip or a hollow point pellet for hunting since it has better killing properties? I understand your stance but what good are those two attributes if they’re not as accurate? Again, I say-accuracy trumps all.
Here are a few other random thoughts. For whatever reason, the Diabolo shaped pellet is the most accurate design. I’m sure that upon further testing with your individual airgun that you will discover exactly what gr. of pellet shoots best in that rifle. And I’m sure that a dome tip may go a little faster than a flat-tipped diabolo etc. etc. I can’t advise you on all of those ins/outs, I’m just saying that the JSB MATCH DIABOLO EXACT PELLETS are the most accurate pellets that I have found and are what I use to test new airguns and hunt with. In fact, yesterday after sighting in the Origin we shot pigeons for a few hours using these pellets.
So, if you’re interested in how well your airgun can shoot, then grab a can of JSB MATCH DIABOLO EXACT PELLETS and see what kind of groups your air rifle is actually capable of. Normally I close with the specs. JSB doesn’t have a SPEC listing on their website so here is what I can give you.
JSB MATCH DIABOLO EXACT .25 cal. PELLETS
- 350 pellets per tin
- 25.39 gr.
JSB MATCH DIABOLO EXACT .22 cal. PELLETS
- 500 pellets per tin
- 18.13 gr.
About Tom Claycomb
Tom Claycomb has been an avid hunter/fisherman throughout his life as well as an outdoors writer with outdoor columns in the magazine Hunt Alaska, Bass Pro Shops, Bowhunter.net, and freelances for numerous magazines and newspapers. “To properly skin your animal, you will need a sharp knife. I have an e-article on Amazon Kindle titled Knife Sharpening for $.99 if you’re having trouble.”
