5.6mm pellets for a BSA Airsporter

[Arry 24,795]

Lads I resently done up a old BSA Airsporter i've been reading the best pellet would be 5.6mm for old English guns. Can anybody recommend a good pellet as the 5.6mm seems like rocking horse shit to find. I see on some forums that the Wasp pellets are not recommenced even though they are 5.6mm.

Cheers Arry

[Dervburner 2,549]

The original Eley Wasps were the only pellets that worked well in my .22 airsporters. I don’t have an airsporter now, but the 5.6 bisley wasps that are available aren’t as well made as the original Eley wasps. However, they could be worth a try, as they’re surprisingly accurate in my hw99, better than jsb express in that rifle.

[Arry 24,795]

Since posting thread I have read about Defiant pellets supposedly  specially made for old English guns so may order some of them. The only supplier I can find is on Irish eBay, any body got any feed back on these pellets please?

https://www.ebay.ie/itm/132316473129

Cheers Arry

[eastcoast 4,522]

I always used 5.6mm Wasps in Airsporter and S. Suited them perfectly but was not recently.

[forest of dean redneck 12,022]

My dad's got a bsa airgun that was his dad's was made around 1920 I think it's like firearms quality metal heavy an loud but if you put a. 22 pellet in it practically drops down  through, he ordered pellets from bsa they are large. Dunno if its what your looking for?? 

[Arry 24,795]

44 minutes ago, forest of dean redneck said:

My dad's got a bsa airgun that was his dad's was made around 1920 I think it's like firearms quality metal heavy an loud but if you put a. 22 pellet in it practically drops down  through, he ordered pellets from bsa they are large. Dunno if its what your looking for?? 

I think I read somewhere BSA pellets were just Wasps but in a BSA tin. Older English airguns had a bore of 5.6mm and newer ones are 5.5mm and most pellets are 5.5mm, so I'm lead to believe. So I've been trawling forums and I end up more confused as a lot of lads don't seem to like the new Wasps that are no longer made by Eley. So I've since found out the Defiant pellets are supposed to be made for older English guns was hoping some lads might have some feed back.

Cheers Arry

 

[Dervburner 2,549]

2 hours ago, Arry said:

I think I read somewhere BSA pellets were just Wasps but in a BSA tin. Older English airguns had a bore of 5.6mm and newer ones are 5.5mm and most pellets are 5.5mm, so I'm lead to believe. So I've been trawling forums and I end up more confused as a lot of lads don't seem to like the new Wasps that are no longer made by Eley. So I've since found out the Defiant pellets are supposed to be made for older English guns was hoping some lads might have some feed back.

Cheers Arry

 

The defiants are made for the older 5.6mm .22’s but I’ve never seen any for sale, let alone tried them. Milbro select or Caledonian might be worth a try? but I’ve always thought that .22 airsporters are very pellet sensitive for both accuracy and power. My airsporter S ran at about 11.7 ft lbs with Eley wasp, everything else I put over the chrono was around 9.5 - 10 ft lbs with poor accuracy because they were simply too loose in the bore. The bsa pylarm pellets that were available in .177 and .22 were indeed Eley wasps, bsa had them made by Eley and they were relabelled as “bsa pylarm”

[ianm 2,594]

2 hours ago, Arry said:

I think I read somewhere BSA pellets were just Wasps but in a BSA tin. Older English airguns had a bore of 5.6mm and newer ones are 5.5mm and most pellets are 5.5mm, so I'm lead to believe. So I've been trawling forums and I end up more confused as a lot of lads don't seem to like the new Wasps that are no longer made by Eley. So I've since found out the Defiant pellets are supposed to be made for older English guns was hoping some lads might have some feed back.

Cheers Arry

 

I have some of the defiant pellets that i bought for my mercury but they don't group well at all. The new Bisley wasps as they are now are made on the old worn out dies that the Eley wasps where made on hence why they aren't very good any more.

[forest of dean redneck 12,022]

I just had a look at dad's pellets he had them in a old pill tub and he's labelled them as 5.6? 

[Dervburner 2,549]

1 minute ago, ianm said:

I have some of the defiant pellets that i bought for my mercury but they don't group well at all. The new Bisley wasps as they are now are made on the old worn out dies that the Eley wasps where made on hence why they aren't very good any more.

I’d tend to agree Ian, but I was astonished by how accurate they are in my little hw99 at 30 yards.

[Arry 24,795]

28 minutes ago, Dervburner said:

I’d tend to agree Ian, but I was astonished by how accurate they are in my little hw99 at 30 yards.

Thanks lads.

Just given up trying to find Defiant 5.6mm and have ordered some Wasps. That would be a good enough group for me Dervburner.

Cheers Arry

[eastcoast 4,522]

It was a MK2 Airsporter S and bought new in mid 1980s, a standard Airsporter again bought new in early 80s but don’t know what MK it would have been. Also used BSA Pylarm and as has been said was same pellet as the Wasp. Whether the pellet produced today with that name is the same I don’t know. They certainly worked well at the time, used for hunting only though.

[Arry 24,795]

34 minutes ago, eastcoast said:

It was a MK2 Airsporter S and bought new in mid 1980s, a standard Airsporter again bought new in early 80s but don’t know what MK it would have been. Also used BSA Pylarm and as has been said was same pellet as the Wasp. Whether the pellet produced today with that name is the same I don’t know. They certainly worked well at the time, used for hunting only though.

The only BSA Pylarm pellets I can find are .25 . It's an old MK6 Airsporter I believe is 1979 to 1983 and would have been the old 5.6mm which are bloody hard to find. I bought a tin of Remington Tyrant hammer domed I tested some on a vernier and the top dome is only .215 = 5.461mm and the bottom skirt is .225 = 5.715mm. Would think this would cause inaccuracy as the dome seems a loose fit. So think I'm stuck with the wasps.

Cheers Arry

[Dervburner 2,549]

1 minute ago, Arry said:

The only BSA Pylarm pellets I can find are .25 . It's an old MK6 Airsporter I believe is 1979 to 1983 and would have been the old 5.6mm which are bloody hard to find. I bought a tin of Remington Tyrant hammer domed I tested some on a vernier and the top dome is only .215 = 5.461mm and the bottom skirt is .225 = 5.715mm. Would think this would cause inaccuracy as the dome seems a loose fit. So think I'm stuck with the wasps.

Cheers Arry

Yerr’ the .25 pylarm are different entirely. Let’s hope the wasps suit your barrel. Only one way to find out

[Arry 24,795]

3 minutes ago, Dervburner said:

Yerr’ the .25 pylarm are different entirely. Let’s hope the wasps suit your barrel. Only one way to find out

Yea mate I do realise the different calibre, just saying its the only one of that name I can find. I think the Wasp will be okay only want to twat the odd rat, but if you go to the trouble of bringing an old gun back to life you don't want to loose the power just because of the under size pellet. Atb.

Cheers Arry