Spring piston perspective

[north country gal]

First, a little background

Two years, ago, my husband and I decided to make a big move into air gun shooting. This was prompted by, 1) the ongoing rim fire ammo shortage at the time and, 2) our north woods location and long cold winters. No indoor ranges to be found in our rural area, so the only practical solution for us to shoot, year round, is air guns. For that reason, we built a 10 meter air gun range in the basement. We also have a 50 yard air gun range out our backyard for shooting at longer distances when the weather permits.

Our big move into air gun shooting also includes a healthy investment in air guns. Currently, we have over a dozen air guns, both rifle and pistol. Every type of air gun is covered, too. We have single stroke pneumatics, Benjamin and Sheridan pumpers, PCPs ranging from a Discovery all the way up to a Daystate with pumps and scuba tanks to support them, too. All these have proven to be amazing guns in their own ways. Enjoy them all.

And then there are the springers. We have a TX 200, a vintage RWS 45 and a little HW30S. When I bought the springers, I knew I would have to relearn how to shoot them (shot them a bit back in the early 90s) and pretty much resigned myself to the fact that it would take more work on my part to shoot them as accurately as our pneumatics, if that was even possible.

Have to admit, when I went to work shooting air guns in the basement on a daily basis, back in November, it didn’t look promising for the springers (the TX 200 being a not too surprising exception, given the way it shot for me last summer on the outdoor range). The RWS 45 and the little HW30s proved to be a real challenge to shoot with any consistency, especially the little HW30S. The HW30S is no magnum velocity springer, to be sure, but on the other hand, it has very little weight or mass to absorb recoil. 

HW30S


What began as a task - and a sometimes, frustrating task - with the HW30S evolved into a labor of love. Since November, I’ve put in more time with this gun than nearly all my other basement shooters, put together.

At 10 meters from a rest with the scoped HW30S, it took awhile before I could even manage 10 shots in one ragged hole, but after some adjustments with my hold and some experimenting with different pellets, I got it done. I then found that even the slightest variation in my hold would shift the POI a bit. I still could shoot one-hole groups with the HW30S from a rest, but the groups would drift a bit, even at 10 meters. More work on my technique and solved that one.

The only time I shoot from a rest at 10 meters, though, is to sight in or test for accuracy. For me, all my basement shooting, whether rifle or pistol, iron sights, red dot or scope, is about shooting from a standing position, no rest. Once again, I found I was playing catch up with the HW30S compared to the pneumatics. My offhand scores didn’t lie. Even with its cheesy out of the box trigger, my Daisy 953 was making the HW30S look bad. More work, more tweaking of my technique with the HW30S followed. I refused to give up on the HW30S. 

To make a long story short, all my work with the spring piston guns has paid off. I am now at a point where I am competitive with the springers, either the HW30S or the RWS 45, whether shooting for group size from a rest or shooting from a standing position for score as in five consecutive shots in the 10 ring. Not bad, considering my pneumatics like the Daisy, our Discovery or vintage Benjamin 397 are all superbly accurate and, yes, I’ve done some trigger tweaking on all of them.

RWS 45 '83 vintage


Best of all, I fell in love with the spring piston guns along the way. The reward I've receive from finally mastering the technique to shoot these guns, accurately, they way they deserve to be shot, is simply unmatched with any other type of air gun I shoot. Crazy as it may seem, I’ve even become addicted to that dreaded spring piston recoil. I find it enjoyable. Go figure. The fact that I can shoot these guns so accurately, combined with the convenience of being able to just grab them and go shoot, no pumping or scuba tank refills required, doesn't hurt, either.

We hope to add a couple new rifles to the collection, this spring, for our outdoor shooting season. Anyone care to guess what types of rifles these will be? Only question, now, is whether another made in England or another made in Germany gun. Heck, probably both.

[grauhanen]

Shooting springers has a certain charm to it.  It's like they have a special quality that other guns lack.  Maybe it's character.  Shooting springers is even more rewarding when you can shoot them well.

[Rocker1]

If you love them now a tuned one would be a pleasant surprise for you, I also have a old RWS45 and after years and a half dozen scopes I tuned it and its a different ag.  David

[NickB79]

I hear you on "enjoying" the recoil.  When I received a Discovery for my birthday last fall, I put a few hundred rounds through it, enjoyed how easy it was to shoot accurately, then went back to the springers.  Without any recoil, it just felt wimpy to me.  Since I use my guns for hunting, the perception of power generated is just as important as the abstract numbers on paper.  I know in my mind that the Disco is putting out more than enough power to humanely kill small game, but without the recoil I feel undergunned, which makes me lose confidence in the woods.  And if you don't have confidence in your gun, you will make bad shots or wait too long on a shot.

[Booger]

That was a nice story. I too love the springer world. I do not shoot off hand but off a bench (because of a bone disease) 30 to 90 yards, but not much past 50 now. Now I sold almost all my PCPs and then turned around and bought a CZ200 & B50. You will find the springer will help you shoot better with your PCPs because it will help with follow through (just like shooting pool).

[Pappy]

Good story .....
** The suggestion of a "tune" is a good one, and I suggest you get the TX200 MKIII tuned by Scott (Motorhead).
** Suggestions for new springer rifles:
AA Prosport
Weihrauch 97 or 98
Walther LGV or LGU

Your new high-end springer should be tuned also.  Just my opinion.

Pappy