Pellet Test: Power-Force Sport .22

Serbian Rat Hammer! Chris Wheeler takes a look at a bargain-priced flat-head: the Power-Force Sport .22

At the 15-yard mark, the P-F Sport pellets punched a 19 x 17mm hole dead on the killzone


Key Specs
Pellet name: Power-Force Sport
Distributor: Henry Krank, www.henrykrank.com
Type: Flat-head
Calibre Tested: .22 (5.52mm)
Advertised weight: 15.4 gr
Average weight: 13.82 grains
Use: Hunting, Field Target
Supplied in: Tin of 250
SRP: £3.50


Still relatively unknown in the UK, the Power-Force brand is manufactured in Serbia and is distributed by Henry Krank & Co Ltd of Yorkshire. In Airgun Shooter 99, we looked at the P-F Field domed pellet; but this time it’s the turn of the flat-headed Sport version in .22 (5.52mm head size), which the label states is suitable for both hunting and Field Target use.

The Sports are well made but lighter than advertised

All Power-Force ammo is supplied in a sturdy screw-topped plastic container with a thin foam sheet, both on top of and underneath the pellets. This is intended to minimise movement in transit and thus prevent damage – and it seems to work, as there were no examples with misshapen skirts. Nor was there any evidence of production swarf, and the pellets were clean to handle leaving no residue on the fingers.

Strangely these are marked as being 15.4 grains in weight, but all of my test group were below 14 grains. This has to be a simple misprint, as the margin of difference is too large for a manufacturing error.

Test results analysis at 15, 25 and 30 yards

Test conditions

The test day was cold but bright, with barely a breath of wind – near‑perfect conditions given that flat-heads are very un-aerodynamic and can take a side wind badly, even in .177. The larger .22s are generally used more for ratting than target shooting, and I wanted to simulate interior ‘barn-like’ conditions. In respect of their likely use, the maximum distance was set at 25 yards with just one other reference point, at 15 yards. The standard 10mm grid target was used, with 10 shots taken at the dead centre of each of the test ranges.

They stop dead very quickly

Downrange

With my BSA R-10 gassed up, leaded in and making a steady 10.5 foot pounds, I sighted for the maximum intended test range of 25 yards. The resulting group was fairly satisfactory with an elongated one-hole group. The group was strung out nearly vertically to from +3 to -13mm of the horizontal axis, making a 16mm centre-to-centre pattern. Not too bad! One shot got away from me as the cold was getting into my fingers and the trigger of my rifle is match-light. At the 15-yard mark the P-F Sport punched a 19 x 17mm hole dead on the killzone, although the outer edges of four shots cut the edge of the 20mm target centre. Nice!

The tub may suggest FT – we say short-range

Fall-Off

While the weather remained calm, I decided to shoot a 30-yard card just to see what would happen over the extra distance – and the result was not good. As can be seen from the picture, over just five more yards the 19 x 17mm group opened out to an 18 wide by 30mm long, ragged string. Although close to the vertical axis (18mm c-c), the randomness of the points of impact gives an illustration of how quickly flat-headed ammo loses stability in flight.


Verdict: 86/100

Quality: 20
Weight: 18
Muzzle Velocity:
17
Accuracy:
16
Suitability:
15

“I would be happy to use the Power-Force Sport on small game or vermin out to 25 yards, but for me that is its limit.”


This article originally appeared in the issue 105 of Airgun Shooter magazine. For more great content like this, subscribe today at our secure online store: www.myfavouritemagazines.co.uk

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