Best Pellets for .22 Rapid 7 MK1

[ColinH]

Hi all, new to the forum and currently using Bisley Superfield or RWS Superdomes in a bog standard MK1.

Are there any other pellets that people have found perform well?

Thanks, C/

[DB.20]

Hello Colin and welcome to the forum.
Most of the quality brands work well in my MK1 Rapid and I found RWS Superfield to be the best of the bunch. That was until I recently tried the JTS Dead Center brand which perform a bit better than the RWS. A very clean and seemingly well manufactured pellet which are apparently made by the same Chinese company that produce the well regarded QYS variety (which are only supplied in .177 so far). The JTS aren't cheap and don't appear to be widely available. i got a couple of tins from Ramsbottoms to try but they were out of stock when I wanted to order more. I found Uttings had stock and ordered 10 tins to take advantage of their discount deals. The JTS also perform well in the other .22 rifles I own which is nice. May not be great through your Rapid barrel but worth getting a tin to try.

[Squinty]

How long is a piece of string?
If you're getting decent accuracy from RWS stick with them, if looking to tighten grouping it might be an expensive journey.

Go to Ramsbottom, Uttings, Wolfman, iHunter, Pellpax..any with a wide choice of pellets and see where that leads you  
I would ignore BSA and Rifle Brand

If you're after a starting point..people usually go for a JSB variant and often ignore RWS.
Then discover that the 'older' cheaper pellets, Bisley LRG, RWS Supers are actually quite well suited the their guns. As they were 20-25-30 years ago.

Earlier Anschutz barrels were often tightly bored and even tighter choked and performed better with harder lead alloy pellets.
Later Lothar Walther barrels were more suited to JSBs..or more to the point JSB made pellets that suited LWs.

Theoeben recommended 14.3 grain Crossman Premiers in their technical data sheets, 610fps/11.83fpe. Tuning Rapids to that velocity would put them in the 'slightly warm' power bracket with 16gr pellets.
When the Elan was added to the range H&N FTT was added as the recomended test pellet.

Both pellets are rebranded for several other companies and they will vary from the parent companies offerings.
Webley Accupel are the most common rebrand of Premiers, H&N- Weihrauch FTT, Daystate/Rangemaster Kaiser etc.

The same goes for JSBs, besides their own ever changing dies, they are rebranded for the major manufacturers Air Arms, Weihrauch, FX, Daystate.

[ColinH]

Hello Colin and welcome to the forum.
Most of the quality brands work well in my MK1 Rapid and I found RWS Superfield to be the best of the bunch. That was until I recently tried the JTS Dead Center brand which perform a bit better than the RWS. A very clean and seemingly well manufactured pellet which are apparently made by the same Chinese company that produce the well regarded QYS variety (which are only supplied in .177 so far). The JTS aren't cheap and don't appear to be widely available. i got a couple of tins from Ramsbottoms to try but they were out of stock when I wanted to order more. I found Uttings had stock and ordered 10 tins to take advantage of their discount deals. The JTS also perform well in the other .22 rifles I own which is nice. May not be great through your Rapid barrel but worth getting a tin to try.

Thanks for the welcome DB, and for the useful information on the other pellets.

I`ve not tried RWS Superfield`s @ 15.9gr just the Bisley 14.66gr which I like. I also have just looked online and also available are RWS Ultra Heavy Superfield`s at 18.8gr, which might be worth a try.
Cheers C/

[ColinH]

How long is a piece of string?
If you're getting decent accuracy from RWS stick with them, if looking to tighten grouping it might be an expensive journey.

Go to Ramsbottom, Uttings, Wolfman, iHunter, Pellpax..any with a wide choice of pellets and see where that leads you  
I would ignore BSA and Rifle Brand

If you're after a starting point..people usually go for a JSB variant and often ignore RWS.
Then discover that the 'older' cheaper pellets, Bisley LRG, RWS Supers are actually quite well suited the their guns. As they were 20-25-30 years ago.

Earlier Anschutz barrels were often tightly bored and even tighter choked and performed better with harder lead alloy pellets.
Later Lothar Walther barrels were more suited to JSBs..or more to the point JSB made pellets that suited LWs.

Theoeben recommended 14.3 grain Crossman Premiers in their technical data sheets, 610fps/11.83fpe. Tuning Rapids to that velocity would put them in the 'slightly warm' power bracket with 16gr pellets.
When the Elan was added to the range H&N FTT was added as the recomended test pellet.

Both pellets are rebranded for several other companies and they will vary from the parent companies offerings.
Webley Accupel are the most common rebrand of Premiers, H&N- Weihrauch FTT, Daystate/Rangemaster Kaiser etc.

The same goes for JSBs, besides their own ever changing dies, they are rebranded for the major manufacturers Air Arms, Weihrauch, FX, Daystate.

Thanks Squinty and as always interesting information and advice.

Can I ask you how I would know if I have the earlier Anschutz tight bored/choked or the later Lothar barrel?
I bought the Rapid 7 new in February 1998, serial no 006586, and just says "Rapid 7" on the block. Also would you know what type of trigger it has?

Thanks, C/

[Squinty]

Thanks Squinty and as always interesting information and advice.

Can I ask you how I would know if I have the earlier Anschutz tight bored/choked or the later Lothar barrel?
I bought the Rapid 7 new in February 1998, serial no 006586, and just says "Rapid 7" on the block. Also would you know what type of trigger it has?

Thanks, C/

will have a Gamo trigger unless fitted with the optional 'gold medal'

probably Anschutz, Rapids were advertised with Anschutz barrels until around 2002..then just 'quality' or 'match grade' German barrel.
But not a given, Theoben used LW for .20 and .25 and according to some may have used eihter.
Anshultz have a narrow land with 'gear cut' /\ where as LWs have square lands,

[ColinH]

Thanks Squinty and as always interesting information and advice.

Can I ask you how I would know if I have the earlier Anschutz tight bored/choked or the later Lothar barrel?
I bought the Rapid 7 new in February 1998, serial no 006586, and just says "Rapid 7" on the block. Also would you know what type of trigger it has?

Thanks, C/

will have a Gamo trigger unless fitted with the optional 'gold medal'

probably Anschutz, Rapids were advertised with Anschutz barrels until around 2002..then just 'quality' or 'match grade' German barrel.
But not a given, Theoben used LW for .20 and .25 and according to some may have used eihter.
Anshultz have a narrow land with 'gear cut' /\ where as LWs have square lands,

Thanks, great info

C/

[Squinty]

apparently Theoben used to press hammer their own chokes which is why some could be over tight, but tbh even the old (then) Anschutz and FWB 300S bell target guns we used in the late 80s and 90s were tight bored .
We'd use sized 4.49mm R10s and others vaguely 4.50+ we'ren't really bob on.

The same would go for .22s, these days barrels and pellets appear to be 5.52

[ColinH]

apparently Theoben used to press hammer their own chokes which is why some could be over tight, but tbh even the old (then) Anschutz and FWB 300S bell target guns we used in the late 80s and 90s were tight bored .
We'd use sized 4.49mm R10s and others vaguely 4.50+ we'ren't really bob on.

The same would go for .22s, these days barrels and pellets appear to be 5.52

Please explain me, whats the purpose of "the choke"?
C/

[Squinty]

the choke swages each pellet into a uniform size and reduces yaw on exit.
I have a couple of unchoked barrels..putting pellets through a sizer does the same thing from the other end groups tighten up with consistent head sizes.

Was/is common for the tight chokes to be removed and the groups improved because the tight choke would collapse the skirt on softer lead pellets.

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2014/04/why-choke-a-barrel/

[ColinH]

the choke swages each pellet into a uniform size and reduces yaw on exit.
I have a couple of unchoked barrels..putting pellets through a sizer does the same thing from the other end groups tighten up with consistent head sizes.

Was/is common for the tight chokes to be removed and the groups improved because the tight choke would collapse the skirt on softer lead pellets.

https://www.pyramydair.com/blog/2014/04/why-choke-a-barrel/

Understood

[angrybear]

I recently bought a tin of JTS Dead Centre .22 (sold by I-hunter) made in China by QYS 16.08gr,
Superb quality & stunningly accurate in my mk2, better groups than JSB's

[DB.20]

QYS .177 accuracy has remained consistent through the rifles I have that like them and I've used the brand for a few years. Hoping it will be the same with the JTS branded .22 A local RFD where I get most of my ammo mentioned that the .22 should soon be available with the QYS label on the tins and he's hoping to stock them. I use the QYS 8.44 and 9.58 round heads and 9.58 Streamline through a MK2 Rapid and I can't see any difference in the POI up to about 35 yards!