Today I’m doing a big ammunition test for you with my Diana XR200. I want to find out which lead pellets, lead-free pellets and slugs work particularly well for Diana’s new pneumatic air rifle. Anyone who missed the review about the rifle can read and watch it HERE.

The initial situation for the ammunition test

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying: “Every rifle and every barrel is different”. So, you have to find out which pellets are best to use for your pneumatic air rifle. Of course, there are a few factors that come into play.

The biggest influencing factor is probably the human factor. I too have a shaky hand at times, so you shouldn’t judge the last tenth of a millimeter in the results.

It was important for me that you see a tendency of the individual types, and that you see right away which pellets or slugs you don’t need to try.. Because if you have a shot grouping of 1.9” (5cm) at 12y (11m), then it’s not only the shooter’s fault 😉

It’s important to keep in mind that this is a test for the 7.5 joule version of Diana XR200. For versions, the results can be quite different. However, I’ll explain that in more detail in my video.

The setup for the ammunition test

I carefully selected equipment that is of high quality. This way, I wanted to exclude other potential technical sources of error in addition to the “human error source”.

I have attached the Accu-Tac WB04 Bipod to the Picatinny rail of Diana XR200. My scope mount is the height-adjustable Sportsmatch ATP61. The scope is an Element Nexus 5-20×50 FFP.

The structure of the test

I adjusted the scope in a way that the shot pattern won’t cover my aiming point. In other words, I intentionally shifted the height and side turret quite a bit.

I’m sitting and shooting at 12 yards (11m) on a 14×14 bullet trap with paper targets.

I’ve done 8 shots per pellet type. If I noticed that a type didn’t work at all, I stopped the test series earlier.

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My conclusion

Today I ask you to watch the video. There are more than 20 types of pellets in the test.

Some performed very well, others not at all.

It’s like with most rifles: you have to figure out which pellets suit Diana best.

In any case, I was able to improve the results I achieved in the review.

With the best 3 types, which are H&N Baracuda Light, JSB Exact Heavy 4.51mm und JSB Exact 4.53mm, I’ll soon go out to the range to determine the best pellets for Diana XR200.

How did you like this test?

Was it too long? Or should I do a test like this more often for other rifle models as well?

I would be very happy to get some feedback on that!

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you next week.

Best wishes!

Yours, Andi