So how am I doing with my springer?

[SagaciousKJB]

Well I've had about a month learning to shoot my springer (Kodiak X2, so dual barrels), put about 1000 rounds through it.  This is the best group I've shot with it...  I didn't count the flyer off to the left.  These Crosman .22 field hunting pellets have been the most consistent and accurate for the gun so far.  Only one flyer, hit mostly in the same general area which is a lot better than I can say for the .177 variety of the same pellet.  18 yards may seem an odd range, but it's just what happens to be the distance from the porch to an old water-heater I use as a backstop.  I sit on the back step with my elbow propped up my on my knee for support.



Thing is, I could start hunting for better pellets now but I'm not really sure I'm actually handling the rifle as well as I can--meaning I'm not sure that if I bought a bunch of different pellets, if I can actually shoot consistently enough to tell the difference between the pellets and when I'm shooting lousy.  I mean, check out this group JUST after I shot the previous one...  Same pellets.  Longer string, but still



These are the pellets.  Anyone else use them?  They're at practically every retail-store here.  They don't list the weight by my scale says 7.4 gn and 14.6 gn for the .177 and .22 respectively.



My scope isn't walking either and seems to be holding zero well.  Despite what they say about the scopes included with air rifles and what not this one seems decent...  I've marked the mounts where they are on the rail and scored the locations with a scribe I had from machining days.  If the mounts move even .001" I'll notice, and they haven't so far.

I feel like right now trying different pellets or a better scope might be like throwing money at it.  Though I do usually shoot at higher magnification than 4x, I don't want to go get a nice scope that I like and then shoot it just as lousy.  Same thing with trying different pellets.

I honestly think it's my trigger-work.  When I break clean, generally my first few shots ( once I have a good zero anyway ) hit dead-center where I had the reticle.  The further I go into a string though, the more random my POI gets and I feel like it's kind of a fatigue issue.  Don't have a bench to shoot from, so I shoot off my porch with my elbow propped up on my knee--it's far better than off-hand but still my reticle wobbles around, and at 4x getting my trigger to break right, and keep the reticle centered in the bullseye just degrades over the length of a string.  Check out this 3 shot string with the .177...  Not a fresh target at all, but no fibbing, scouts-honor, these were 3 shots consecutively.  Was getting it zeroed in, shot those three and said "Okay it's zeroed" lol



I even had one occasion lately where I shot one pellet so squarely into a phonebook atop another that the pellets fused together.  Was only at 4 yards but still...  I don't really feel like the issue is really anything wrong with the equipment, but not really sure what to do to improve.  I do think a higher magnification scope might work though because half the time, I feel like I'm just kinda guessing or hoping the reticle was deadcenter in the bullseye--guess my cruddy eyes just get tired.

I know that springers have "hold sensitivity" and have studied up on the artillery hold, and I believe I'm holding my rifle on the best manner for a consistent muzzle-location at the end of each shot.  I basically rest my the stock on my open palm, right up against the trigger guard so it's in the same spot of the rifle each time, and just try to grasp it as natural and lightly as possible.  Consistent, consistent, consistent....

I'm at the point now where more times than not, I hit what I'm aiming at first time off.  Haven't been keeping an honest count but I'm sure I've taken out a dozen or so pests of one variety or another around friend's farms, but I'm more into shooting groups and would like to at some point move out to a bit longer distances.

Well anyway thanks for listening to me blather...  Let me know how you guys think I'm doing so far, good bad and ugly.

[56S]

Most of us have better luck with the Crosman hollow points or domes than the pointed pellets.  Try a tin of them.

[amb5500c]

There's nothing wrong with those pellets. Though, not the best, they are good. Some of my guns love them. For folks that haven't tried them, they are not nearly as pointed as other pointed pellets. More of a roundish that ends in a semi point.
Richard

[Matt15]

Those pointed .177 cal pellets are accurate out of my crosman 2100 and my dads 766. With a 4x15 tasco scope I shot a dime size group

[cherokee]

I do not have one single gun that likes those pointed pellets.....any pointed pellets.  I would say if you have any others available, and the big box stores usually have the crosman hollow points as well, give those a go.

I have 2 2100 that I bought at the same time, one likes anything with a flat nose, think Hobby, Meister-whatever....any type.  The other likes round nose pellets, think crosman hollow points, superdomes, along those lines.

It is really amazing how the different guns have such different tastes....but nothing I have likes pointed pellets.

[nervoustrigger]

Sag, I'll have to check out your groups when I'm not on my phone but I have a previous gen Beeman RS2 which shoots 0.25" - 0.5" groups at 25 yards with JSB 10.3gr.  You are on the right track when you say consistency is key when shooting a springer, and along those lines I highly recommend you search the forum for the "paint roller rest".  If you pick a spot on the forestock to rest the rifle on and use the artillery hold, I think you will be amazed at how well it will shoot.  For mine, it prefers to be sitting on the rest at its balance point and that seems to work well most of the time but be prepared to experiment.

[56S]

Those pointed .177 cal pellets are accurate out of my crosman 2100 and my dads 766. With a 4x15 tasco scope I shot a dime size group

At what distance?  I've learned that just because a pellet give a "X" sized group at "Y" distance you can't reasonable expect a "X times 2" group at "Y times 2" distance.  Wadcutters do wonders at 10 yds in my guns but can be considered horrible at 30 yds.

[Bullit]

Nothing wrong with the 18yd target distance at all.   As a matter of fact, I use 18 yds for zero on a rifle I have, and if you use the Chairgun program, you'll seee it's very flexible for a good long killzone window.   While better pellets will help...it's still you.  You're progressing and that's what counts the most.   Start playing "chase the pellet" (shoot 1, and chase it as your bull) helped me a ton.  Aim small......    Enjoy! 

[SagaciousKJB]

Nothing wrong with the 18yd target distance at all.   As a matter of fact, I use 18 yds for zero on a rifle I have, and if you use the Chairgun program, you'll seee it's very flexible for a good long killzone window.   While better pellets will help...it's still you.  You're progressing and that's what counts the most.   Start playing "chase the pellet" (shoot 1, and chase it as your bull) helped me a ton.  Aim small......    Enjoy! 

Hey I thought I was the only one that did that! lol  Yeah that's how I got real good with my 2100.  As a matter of fact that is why I chose the 18 yard zero lol  It was a happy coincidence that the water heater was already at that yard range.  Chairgun is actually telling me that with the .22 pellets at 700 fps that it might be better with a 25 yard zero but I think I'm just gonna keep it for now.

I have tried the Corsman Premier Hollow Points but didn't find them any better than these ones.

nervoustrigger, that's a pretty cool idea I wouldn't have thought about.  I take it because the paint roller can go back and forth it just lets the rifle go back and forward instead of jump around at random?

[frambonian]

Nice shooting!  I have tried those in .177 with my Stoeger ATAC and X20S and they did not get along very well.  Glad to see they are shooting very nicely out of your rig.  Just goes to show how different pellets seem to work better in one gun over another.

[tehsquirrel]

Funny I picked up a tin of those pellets today because they were so cheap and I didn't want to pay 30$ to ship a box of crosman premiers (the brown boxed ones).  They worked really well in my xs25!

I also notice a difference in how I break the trigger.  Somebody posted a chart about how incorrect finger placement and trigger pulling affects shot placement (on firearms) and I find it to be pretty correct.  When I hold the trigger with the wrong part of my finger (trying to be quick) or jerk it in a certain way it almost always matches the chart. 

[TrialandAir]

I have a Silver Kodiak as well. I normally shoot domed Premiers but found a tin of those pointed Crosmans and it seemed to like them - fit nicely in the breech too. Still working on getting tight groups with mine from the bench. Boy that thing is a beast when the sear breaks!

Nice shooting!

[SagaciousKJB]

Funny I picked up a tin of those pellets today because they were so cheap and I didn't want to pay 30$ to ship a box of crosman premiers (the brown boxed ones).  They worked really well in my xs25!

I also notice a difference in how I break the trigger.  Somebody posted a chart about how incorrect finger placement and trigger pulling affects shot placement (on firearms) and I find it to be pretty correct.  When I hold the trigger with the wrong part of my finger (trying to be quick) or jerk it in a certain way it almost always matches the chart.

I think I've seen the chart you're talking about, it has like little a little circle going around a central point with things written in it like, "Pulled too hard to right," or "Squeezed too hard" and the location would correspond to where the POI was going? So if you shot high, you'd look up to see what it would say, or if you shot low and to the left, you'd look at that box.

[Funnyrunner]

I'm zeroed at 18 yards also. Usually shoot 18-30 yards due to available shooting area. The fun of springers is trying to keep getting better with each shooting session. I think you are doing fine. Enjoy!!!