1st outting with the new .25 Predator Poly-Tip pellets

Yeah!!! I finally received my order of .25 caliber Predator Poly Tip pellets.

After opening my 2 tins, i grabbed one random pellet and put it on my RCBS scale to check the weight.   The one pellet weighed in right at 26 grains as advertised.  Good enough for me.  As usual, the Predator pellets are very clean looking and the tin only had a few lead slivers on the bottom.  I then emptied both tins into one of my plastic containers and stored the container into my ammo box.

For the test......THESE PELLETS WERE NOT WEIGHT SORTED, CLEANED. OR LUBED.

So off i head to my local shooting spot.  I could not wait to sight in and shoot the Predators.  My gun of choice....my 50 FPE Theoben Rapid .25.  My first task at hand was to see if the pellets fit into the Rapid magazine.  Unfortunantly, the pellets were just a tad to long to cycle the 12 shot magazine.  The pellets would only fit into the 1st loading port of the magazine but not the other 11 ports. I even tried to loosen the take down screw that holds the magazine together and it allowed me to fill all 12 ports in the magazine but, because of the very tight tolerances in the Rapids Breech (loading port), the breech would squeeze the magazine taut and would not allow the magazine to properly cycle the long pellets.  But that's okay, loading them one at a time is no big deal.  Besides, i have 3 magazines so I at least have 3 semi quick shots if need be...lol

My next plan was to actually chrony the pellets.  I usually push JSB Kings (domes) at 940 fps and they weigh in at 25.4 grains so i was expecting these to travel roughly 930 fps.  But that is just an estimate.  So now, instead of starting FORWARD and working BACKWARDS, i decided to start with a clean slate.  I grabbed my gunsmith screwdriver and installed the proper bit to adjust my power level on the Rapids receiver all the way out.  The power adjuster was only in about an 1/8th+ of a turn which is the normal setting for the JSB Kings.  So an 1/8th a turn back it was too be.


With the power setting all the way out, i shoot a shot over the Chrony and it read 880 fps.  I fire a second shot and it read 885 fps, then a third shot went 881 fps.  So now i go for a group at 55 yards.  This first group was with no prior sight in.  I simply loaded the gun and shot a group.  All 3 shots landed to the right of the bulls eye and just high:

I then turn the power adjuster IN (more power) a half a turn.  I return to the chrony and shoot three shots to confirm velocity.  The velocities averaged about 920 fps.  Here is a group at that velocity:

Now, i turn the power adjuster in all the way in and again, i test for velocity.  In this gun, because i'm shooting lighter pellets which are JSB Kings (25.4 grs.) than my ORIGINAL Beeman Kodiaks (30.7 grs.), i installed a much lighter spring, so 950 fps is about the most that i see in this gun using JSB Kings.  And 940 fps is what i saw on the chrony with the adjuster all the way in.  Here is a group at 940 fps:

So as one can see, the pellets in my particular gun seem to like the 920 fps range.  Now again, this is my first outing with these pellets and i had 3 more guns to test.  So i limited testing with these pellets to what i posted above.  There will be more testing to come soon.

On a side note, as well as Predator pellets are made, there were pellets in the tins with DEFORMED skirts.  I did not pay attention to this when i first received the new tin of pellets but after shooting groups like the ones above, the "FLYERS" caused me to evaluate the pellets in the jar.  There were a bunch with deformed skirts.  I noticed that every time i shot a good 5 shot group, the first 3-4 pellets were in the same hole at 55 yrds then i would get a 1/2" flyer.  I'm calling "FOUL" on the pellets....lol

Here is a short video of 3 shots on a plastic water bottle at 55 yards.  The 1st and 2nd shots were just for penetration purposes and the pellets were stopped inside of the bottle and recovered`.  The 3rd shot was strictly to show the accuracy of these pellets by removing the water bottles cap.  It only took one shot and the cap measures a mere .490" in thickness.  Now.....THIS IS ACCURACY!

All in all, PREDATOR INTN'L has done it again.  I have shot these pellets in every caliber except .177 and they are consistent from caliber to caliber (.20-.22-.25) gun to gun (Logun Solo .20-BSA Lone Star .22-Theoben Rapid .25).  Simply put and in only my opinion, these are the best HP's on the market and, they are unique in the fact that they use a polymer tip in the head of the pellet which aides in its great accuracy and expansion on game.

STAY TUNED!!