New Patriot Javelin Slugs Available At Pyramyd Air
Patriot Javelin slugs are yet another new brand of airgun slugs becoming available to shooters here in the USA. In fact, these swaged lead slugs are produced in South Africa and are in stock now at Pyramyd Air.
These slugs are available for .22 caliber air rifles in two body sizes – .217 and .218. Both sizes are available in a choice of slug weights. The lightest is 23 Grains. Then the range extends to 26 Grain, 30 Grain and 34 Grains.
The manufacturer is to be commended for its honesty in recording the claimed Ballistic Coefficients for its slugs with the Muzzle Velocity, temperature and height above Sea Level. All these things (and more) effect Ballistic Coefficients but many manufacturers do not provide this clarity in their specifications.
Patriot indicates that the Ballistic Coefficient specs are achieved with a Muzzle Velocity of 950 FPS. This is useful, as it indicates the power required from an air rifle to achieve these BC figures. The table below shows this clearly.
| Weight | BC at 950 FPS | Muzzle Energy at 950 FPS |
|---|---|---|
| 23 Grains | 0.073 | 46 Ft/Lbs |
| 26 Grains | 0.081 | 52 Ft/Lbs |
| 30 Grains | 0.094 | 60 Ft/Lbs |
| 34 Grains | 0.105 | 68 Ft/Lbs |
This is an useful reminder that you need a very powerful .22 caliber air rifle to shoot slugs with a high Ballistic Coefficient. Sure, you can shoot them at lower velocities, however the BCs achieved will then be correspondingly lower.
When we add the claimed BCs for the Patriot Javelin slugs into the slug BC/weight chart from HAM testing results we see that the claimed BCs match very well with the HAM data.
(The red diamonds are the HAM test data. The red dashed line represents the “line of best fit” for the HAM data).
Yes, the Patriot BC claims are generally slightly higher than those achieved in HAM testing. However the HAM test FX Impact is producing Muzzle Velocities that are 50 or more FPS lower than Patriot’s 950 FPS tests.
So the chart makes sense and is good confirmation that the Patriot BC claims are realistic – so long as you have a powerful enough PCP to shoot them!
