I picked this gun up new in early 2007. It has been a stellar performer, and starred in the second half of my DVD, "Airgun Hunting the California Ground Squirrel."
I decided, that since it has been awhile since I had run her over the chrono, that I would shoot a string, using the 14.5 grain DYNAMIC PCP-2, tin pellets, and see how she's doing compared to a couple of years ago.
On a 3000 psi fill, she is still real close to the original 36 shot string (3 mags). This time, the average velocity is just a bit higher at 882 fps, compared to 871 fps the first time. The ES is 33 fps, compared to 27 fps the first time, but still good enough for my hunting needs.
Since the DYNAMIC tin pellets have become very difficult to come by, and I have a couple of situations where I must use non-lead pellets, if I want to hunt those properties. I'm curious to see how the performance of the relatively new H&N Baracuda Green tin pellets stack up against the DYNAMIC PCP-2's, in a few of my guns.
I previously tried them in my AA 410CRBSL carbine, and determined, that from a shot count perspective, they are less efficient when it comes to air useage, but beggars can't be choosy, and though they aren't as efficient as the heavier DYNAMIC PCP-2's, they would certainly suffice in a pinch.
I also wanted to see how the Baracuda Greens would perform, from an air use efficiency stand point, in my Whisper.
What I found, was a situation similar to what I saw with the AA 410 carbine. On a 3000 psi fill, a 36 shot string with the 12.6 grain Baracudas, showed an ES of 77 fps, where the 14.5 grain PCP-2's only showed an ES of 33 fps. For my hunting application, an ES of 77 fps is just to great, and will have a negative effect on POI, especially at longer ranges.
If I stopped at 24 shots, with the Baracuda Greens, (2 mags) the ES was a very low 17 fps. It was with the third mag, that the velocity started to drop like a free falling safe, and the ES climbed like crazy.
I could probably improve things a bit by going to a higher fill pressure, but I don't like exceeding the manufacturers recommended max fill specification, so in actual practice, with this pellet in this gun, I would simply shoot two mags, and then refill the gun.
At this point, I've still got a good supply of the DYNAMIC PCP-2's on hand, so there is no need to switch to the Baracuda Greens just yet, but I always like to have a plan "B" just in case.
Next, I need to give them a good accuracy test at 50 yards. There is just too much snow on the ground right now to be able to do that, but both this Whisper, and the AA 410 carbine look like they want to shoot this pellet pretty well. I've only had a chance to do a small test at 25 yards, but they look like they have serious potential.
So, if you are in need of a non-lead pellet, for what ever reason, check out the Barracuda Greens, at first glance, they look like they could be a good substitute for lead pellets. At least in some guns.
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