Learn › Track 02 · Equipment & physics
Pellets & lot testing
A tin of match pellets is one of the cheapest things you buy for this sport. A tin that doesn't suit your pistol can still cost you points on every card, and you would probably blame your hold. So how do you find the pellets your pistol likes?
Think first: One maker sells the same match pellet with heads labelled 4.48, 4.49, 4.50 and 4.51 mm. Why offer four sizes of a 4.5 mm pellet?
- The rules require a choice of sizes
- Pistols differ, so you can test the sizes and keep the one your pistol groups best with
- Bigger heads are always more accurate; smaller ones are for practice
What a match pellet is
The rules are short: calibre 4.5 mm, made of lead or a similar soft material, and only one pellet per shot. Almost everyone shoots wadcutters: pellets with a flat head. A flat head punches a clean, full-size hole in the card, so the edge of the hole is easy to read against a ring line. On a paper target, the higher ring counts as soon as the hole touches its line, as you saw in the target.
Match pellets come in light and heavy versions. Weights are often given in grains (1 grain ≈ 0.065 g).
| Pellet | Weight | Head sizes offered |
| RWS R10 Match Pistol | 0.45 g (7.0 gr) | 4.48 / 4.49 / 4.50 / 4.51 mm |
| RWS R10 Heavy | 0.53 g (8.2 gr) | not listed |
| H&N Finale Match Light | 0.51 g (7.87 gr) | 4.49 / 4.50 mm |
| H&N Finale Match Heavy | 0.53 g (8.18 gr) | 4.49 / 4.50 mm |
Sizes are labels
You might expect "4.50" printed on a tin to mean the heads measure 4.50 mm. Test that idea.
Think first: Pellets sold as “4.495 mm” were measured with a precision pellet gauge. What head size did they actually measure?
So you can't pick pellets with a calculator. The only measurement that matters is the group they shoot from your pistol.
Think first: Lighter pellets leave a short pistol barrel faster than heavy ones. Does that make light pellets the better choice?
- Yes: faster is always better at 10 m
- Not necessarily: only a test in your pistol tells you which groups best
- No: heavy pellets are always more accurate
Lot testing
Pellets are made in lots (production batches). Lots of the same pellet can shoot differently in your pistol, so serious shooters test lots, not just brands. To do that fairly you have to take yourself out of the test: your hold moves far more than the differences you are looking for.
Before you plan a test, there is a trap in comparing groups.
Think first: Lot A shot a 10-shot group of 6.0 mm. Lot B shot a 5-shot group of 4.6 mm. Which lot is better?
- Lot B: its group is smaller
- Lot A: it was tested with more shots
- You can't tell yet: a 10-shot group is naturally bigger than a 5-shot group
The test target that comes with a new pistol only proves that the pistol can shoot. It says nothing about which lot suits it. Some pellet makers run mobile lot-testing stands at big events, where you can test with a machine rest.
Storage and lead
Keep pellets in their original tins, somewhere dry, and don't drop them: soft lead dents easily, and a dented pellet is no longer the pellet you tested.
Pellets are lead. Wash your hands after shooting and before you eat, and don't eat at the firing point.
- Match pellets are 4.5 mm soft-lead wadcutters: a flat head cuts a clean, easy-to-score hole.
- Head sizes and weights on the tin are labels. Brands size differently; only your pistol’s groups decide.
- Compare groups with the same number of shots: 10-shot groups run about 40 % larger than 5-shot groups.
- Test lots with the pistol clamped, then buy plenty of the winning lot.
- Store tins dry, never drop them, and wash your hands after handling lead.