Pellet test: Webley Mosquito Express

Guess who’s back? Yes, it’s the Webley Mosquito Express, and Mike Morton finds out whether this premium pellet was worth the wait.

Don’t miss the Airgun Shooter Verdict at the bottom of the page!

Some pellets burst onto the hunting and club scene, only to eventually fizzle out, never to be seen again. Luckily, the Webley Mosquito Express has not followed this path, and while it hasn’t been in continuous production in its original format, it’s now back and burning brighter than ever.

UK distributor Highland Outdoors says the new Mosquito Express, seen here in .177 (although .22 is also available), is made to exactly the same standard and tolerances as the original version, and is excellent for all target applications, as well as hunting and plinking. That’s quite a bold claim – so it was time to see if these pellets really do live up to the hype.


Key Specs

Pellet: Webley Mosquito Express
UK Distributor: Highland Outdoors (www.highlandoutdoors.co.uk)
Type: Roundhead diabolo
Calibre tested: .177 (4.5mm)
Head size: 4.52
Supplied in: Tin of 500
Price: £14.99
Advertised weight: 7.87 grains
Measured weight: 7.96 grains
Uses: Target shooting, hunting, plinking


Mosquitos come in a tin of 500 in .177 calibre, with a suggested retail price of £14.99, and for that money you’d expect to be rewarded with a tin of pristine projectiles.

And that’s exactly what I got in my tin – 500 perfectly formed pellets with zero damage and zero swarf. The Mosquito Express is a domehead diabolo design, but the rounded head has a squashed appearance. It doesn’t look as if it should be as efficient as its more classic-shaped peers, but looks can be deceiving.

Webley Mosquito Express pellets come in tins of 500 in .177 calibre, with a head size of 4.52mm

These pellets have a head size of 4.52mm and a stated weight of 7.87 grains – a little lighter than the norm, hence the ‘Mosquito’ moniker. 

As always, I weighed a random sample of 50 pellets, with 30 coming in at 8.0 grains and 20 weighing 7.8 grains, making an average weight of 7.96 grains. It’s only fair to point out that my scales may not be properly calibrated, but in any case are very close, and do show how consistent these pellets are.

Test conditions

This shoot was conducted outdoors in near-perfect shooting conditions – an overcast day with no wind at all.

With the rifle zeroed at 30 yards, all shots were taken at the centre of a 1” Birchwood Casey Target Spot, regardless of distance, to show how much their flightpath alters at range.

The pellets were taken straight from the tin, and five shots were taken at each of the three targets.

Test results analysis

Downrange

My Daystate Red Wolf was selected for this test, with the rifle shot off heavy-duty shooting bags at the front and rear, all rested on a bench.

All 50 of the sample pellets Mike weighed were within 0.2 grains of each other, making for some very consistent downrange results

With a clean barrel, the Red Wolf immediately took a liking to these pellets, and I was able to get it zeroed in fewer than 10 shots. The Mosquitos went buzzing over my Shooting Chrony F1 with a variation of 3.8 feet per second over a 10-shot string.

At 20 yards, the Mosquitos managed to turn in a tiny one-hole group measuring 5.5mm centre-to-centre. The average point of impact was 5.0mm above the bull, due to the set-up of my scope and mounts, my chosen zero of 30 yards and the weight and flightpath of the pellet.

At 30 yards, group size measured 6.3mm centre-to-centre, with one pellet sneaking a little low and to the right, which was probably down to me more than the ammo.

Forty yards is a great distance to separate the type of pellet that’s good out to middle distances, from those that are capable of being shot further, making them potential candidates for Field Target, HFT and longer-range hunting.

A capacious skirt and a flattish head make these pellets quite short, meaning they work well in multi-shot as well as single-shot mode

The Mosquitos were firmly in the latter category, and although they didn’t deliver the elusive one-holer, group size still only measured 6.4mm centre-to-centre, with the average point of impact being 23.9mm below point of aim.

To have a group fitting under a 10 pence piece, which has a diameter of 24.5mm, is really good indeed. To have all three groups at all three distances fit underneath a five pence piece, which has a diameter of 18mm, is excellent. 

These Mosquitos really do bite, feasting on any type of target you’d care to put in their way.

Airgun Shooter Verdict

Quality: 19
Weight: 18
Muzzle & Velocity: 19
Accuracy: 19
Suitability: 19

Overall score: 94

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