The Science & Method of Pellet Washing & Lubrication - AGN 1
The Airgun Archives podcast with your host Rot & Kim!
Rot: Welcome back to Pellets and Wisdom! You’re listening to our favorite segment, "The Deep Dive," where we scour the internet’s most popular air gun forums to see what the community is actually talking about [1]. I’m Rot.
Kim: And I’m Kim. Today, we’re heading over to Airgun Nation to look at a thread started by a member named MikeAllen [1, 2]. He’s shooting .177, .22, and .25 caliber PCP airguns and asked a question that always sparks a debate: What are the benefits—or downfalls—of washing and lubing pellets? [2]
Rot: Oh, the classic "to wash or not to wash." It’s a rabbit hole, Kim! MikeAllen specifically wanted to know if the effort is worth the time [2]. And the community definitely showed up with a "mixed bag" of answers [3].
Kim: Exactly. Let’s start with the "why." Member Ezana4CE mentioned that lead shavings around pellet skirts can lead to those mysterious "flyers" we all hate [4]. Another user, TiredRooster, made a great point: if you haven’t seen lead shavings in your tin, it’s probably because you haven't washed them yet! He says even quality brands like JSB and H&N leave lead debris at the bottom of his colander [5].
Rot: That dross is real. So, if we’re going to clean them, how are these guys doing it? I saw a few different "recipes" in the thread.
Kim: There are two main schools of thought. Some go the "kitchen sink" route—using a mild solution of Dawn dish soap and warm water, then rinsing and drying thoroughly [3, 5]. But then you have the "chemistry set" crowd. One member, igolfat8, uses acetone in a glass jar to swirl them clean [6]. Another, TiredRooster, swears by isopropyl alcohol in a zip-lock bag because it removes casting oils and dries much faster than water [5].
Rot: And once they’re squeaky clean, they gotta be lubed up, right? This is where it gets creative. We’re talking everything from silicone oil to household cleaning supplies [3, 7].
Kim: It’s true! One popular method is spraying Lemon Pledge on a paper towel or T-shirt and rolling the pellets on it [3, 5]. Others use Beeswax polish, Napiers, or even Ballistol, which one member uses on slugs with great success [5-7]. Member Seth0764 even shared that lubing his Baracuda Hunter pellets with silicone oil turned his groups from a mess into a tight cluster at 50 yards [7].
Rot: That’s a dramatic result! But it’s not all sunshine and tight groups, is it? Some members were a bit more skeptical.
Kim: Right. Member elh0102 argued that while older pellets like the "brown box" Crosmans were filthy and needed a wash, modern premium pellets like JSB are usually clean enough to shoot straight out of the tin [8]. He also pointed out that for a 50-yard hunter or plinker, the time spent might not be worth it—especially since 3,000 psi of air is often enough to straighten out a slightly bent skirt anyway [8].
Rot: (Laughs) The "power wash" method of fixing skirts! Another user, Airgunmann, suggested that if you’re going through all that trouble, you might see more benefit from sorting pellets by weight or inspecting for defects than from the actual washing [9].
Content reference link: https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/pellet-wash-and-lube.1198744/ [https://www.airgunnation.com/threads/pellet-wash-and-lube.1198744/]
