Pellet test: Weihrauch Magnum

Airgun Shooter editor Mike Morton shoots the Weihrauch Magnum to test what this pellet can deliver downrange.

It’s a strange quirk of ballistic fate that some guns prefer light pellets, some heavy and some don’t really care. Thankfully airgun shooters are being well catered for by the ammo manufacturers.

They’re delivering pretty much every conceivable permutation of pellet we could wish for, with the heavyweight camp, typified by the Weihrauch Magnum, being particularly well served.

Most shooters will probably be aware that there are several pellets in existence with the word ‘Magnum’ in the title, German pellet-maker H&N producing both the Bisley Magnum and Weihrauch Magnum, for example.

But while both these pellets are heavy for their calibre and are similarly shaped, they are not identical, with the Weihrauch variety being slightly lighter.

KEY SPECS

Pellet: Weihrauch Magnum
Manufacturer: H&N for Weihrauch (www.weihrauch-sport.de)
Supplied by: Hull Cartridge (www.hullcartridge.co.uk)
Type: Roundhead diabolo
Calibre tested: .177 (.22 also available)
Head size: 4.50
Supplied in: Tin of 500
Price: From £9.99
Advertised weight: None stated
Average weight: 10.28 grains
Uses: Target shooting, hunting, precision plinking

Weihrauch Magnum pellets are available in both .177, the subject of this test, and .22. The pellets seen here came in a tin of 500 and were marked 4.50mm on the reverse of the tin, with no other information or description.

Incidentally, Weihrauch pellet tins all feature a picture of an HW 77 underlever, but I’m told this is just a generic image and is not a case of Weihrauch trying to suggest the pellets are only suitable for spring-powered rifles, as many PCPs love them too.

As you’d expect from H&N, the contents of the tin was in perfect condition with only trace elements of lead swarf to be seen after tipping the pellets out onto a microfibre cloth.

These robust pellets are made of a relatively hard lead alloy, and while the walls of the skirt aren’t overly thick, they’re tough enough to resist being crushed in the tin.

While these pellets are best described as a domehead diabolo, the head is slightly pointed, similar to the Bisley Magnum and Baracuda Match. You might think this would make the pellets less aerodynamic, but this shape has been around for many years and I’m sure H&N knows what it’s doing.

As always, a random sample of 50 pellets were counted out and weighed, and the results showed them to be extremely consistent. Twenty-six pellets came in at 10.2 grains, while 22 pellets were 10.4 grains, with the remaining two weighing 10.0 grains, delivering an average weight of 10.28 grains.

Putting a random sample of 50 pellets over the scales showed good consistency of weight, the average being 10.28 grains

TEST CONDITIONS

This shoot was conducted from my usual outdoor covered firing point on a totally windless, but grey and miserable day. While weather like this isn’t very comfortable to shoot in, I find cloudy conditions to be the best when I’m using a telescopic sight as this prevents any distracting glare from the sun.

Having cleaned and zeroed the rifle at 30 yards, two five-shot groups were then shot at the centre of a 1” Birchwood Casey Target Spot at 20 and 30 yards, with me holding over at 40 yards so the group would fall onto the target, providing a more direct comparison with the other groups.

DOWNRANGE

My Daystate Red Wolf was used for this test – it’s a rifle that has proved to be rather pellet unfussy and so was a good testbed for the Weihrauch Magnums. I still haven’t plucked up the courage to drill the stock to fit a bipod, so the rifle was supported fore and aft by my Dog-Gone-Good bench and wedge bags.

The test began with 10 pellets being put over my Shooting Chrony F1, yielding an average muzzle velocity of 701 feet per second, a muzzle energy of 11.22 foot pounds and a spread of just 4.5 feet per second over the 10-shot string.

At 20 yards, I managed to get a one-hole group measuring just 2mm centre-to-centre, with the group landing 7.3mm above point of aim. At 30 yards – the gun’s set zero with this pellet – group size was a similarly superb 6.6mm centre-to-centre. Another group I shot at the same distance, but outside of this test, was an even tinier 3.5mm.

Back at 40 yards, and due to their heavy-for-calibre weight, the group fell 30.0mm below point of aim, while group size was just 12.2mm centre-to-centre. If only I could shoot like this while not benchresting my rifle!

Coins are a quick and easy way to gauge group size, with anything being covered by a five pence piece being truly excellent. This was a test that was easily passed by the Weihrauch Magnums, all three groups falling well within the 18mm diameter of the five pence coin.

Weihrauch may not say what airgun disciplines the Magnums are intended for, but with stellar results like these the answer is really very simple: anything you like. 

Airgun Shooter Verdict

Quality: 19
Weight: 18
Muzzle velocity: 19
Accuracy: 18
Suitability: 18

Overall score: 92

“Accuracy is vital for target shooters, hunters and plinkers, and the Weihrauch Magnum is more than capable of delivering great results for all three types of shooting”

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