1st ever shot group - Hatsan 95

[bebanovich]

I haven't shot anything since plinking with a friend's BB gun about 40 years ago. I spent a couple of days plinking with the 95 I got for Christmas before I sat down with a bag on a picnic table to take a serious look at accuracy. This is my first 5-shot group from 20 meters on a 2-inch target.


There are at least a couple kinds of luck going on here . . . I think I got a good Hatsan out of the box and I simply mounted the Optima scope without zeroing. I know this is not the best group ever shot but I'm pretty pleased considering what I've heard about the difficulty of shooting a springer (or gas ram in my case). Clearly this is not the hardest break barrel to wrangle.


My excitement overtook my concentration for a 2nd group so I decided to take a break while I still felt excitement and optimism.    Perhaps I should have used a bag rest for the camera . . . sorry.

[BenjiHunter]

Nice group.

[bebanovich]

Nice group.

Thanks for the encouragement! 

[grimeszee]

Nothing wrong with that shot group sir. Keep on doing that and you'll be hooked for sure. 

[GD Giles]

I'm envious. Congrats!

[bebanovich]

I'm envious. Congrats!

Thanks! If I posted the second group you would feel better. But, I would feel worse. 

[SteveP-52]

Nice group...and now you're gonna have that little itch in the back of your mind saying hey, I did it once, I can again...

I know because it's the same one I get every time I pick up one of my rifles....lol

[robertr]

 That looks pretty good to me, have fun.

[maraudinglizard]

That's a great group, keep it up. They will tighten up with more practice. 

[Yogi]

If you had shot the second group before looking at the first one, I bet it would have been much better.
Strange the way your mental outlooks affects things.....

-Y

[Methuselah]

That is a respectable group if it never improves 

Many airguns do better with a"favorite pellet" but if the ones you are using now are cheap you found some decent plinkers first try

There are some good starter articles in the GTA Library.

Welcome to the new addiction David 

[bebanovich]

That is a respectable group if it never improves 

Many airguns do better with a"favorite pellet" but if the ones you are using now are cheap you found some decent plinkers first try

There are some good starter articles in the GTA Library.

Welcome to the new addiction David 

Thanks. I got a good head start on the pellets by doing a lot of reading here. Mine seems to like what it's supposed to like. A lot of futzing around has made it hard to keep the groups consistent but I've had a few like this and, more importantly, I'm learning and feeling more comfortable all the time. Cheers.

[GD Giles]

so what pellets are you shooting?

[bebanovich]

so what pellets are you shooting?

The JSB Jumbo Diabolo @ 15.89g.


What's the status on your return and/or pawn shop browsing?

[GD Giles]

Well man, still waiting on a return authorization and it's a holiday weekend so....

Went to 9 pawnshops this morning:

2 were closed
4 had no air rifles at all
2 only had new air rifles (Benjamin Trail .22 NP for like $299 lol)
1 had three used air rifles - some Chinese thing I didn't even bother to look at, a Gamo Silent Stalker .177 w/a 4x32 Gamo scope, dust caps missing on the scope, the barrel was a bit pitted on the outside w/minor rust - $79 and a Hatsan 105 Torpedo .177 for $179 that was in like new condition. I called back and they said they'd take $60 for the Gamo but I ended up not going back. I have to figure that was a kid's gun and who knows how many times it's been dry fired, etc. and I'm having a hard time going back to .177.  I'm going through 'no AG to shoot' withdrawal and I'm looking at different options. Do I buy another .22 break barrel in a different flavor like a cheaper Ruger or maybe a nicer Diana, or get some kind of used PCP but have to wait a bit on getting a pump...? Too many decisions. But I have a very rare 3 days off in a row from work, no rain, and no gun to shoot.

[bebanovich]

Well man, still waiting on a return authorization and it's a holiday weekend so....

Went to 9 pawnshops this morning:

2 were closed
4 had no air rifles at all
2 only had new air rifles (Benjamin Trail .22 NP for like $299 lol)
1 had three used air rifles - some Chinese thing I didn't even bother to look at, a Gamo Silent Stalker .177 w/a 4x32 Gamo scope, dust caps missing on the scope, the barrel was a bit pitted on the outside w/minor rust - $79 and a Hatsan 105 Torpedo .177 for $179 that was in like new condition. I called back and they said they'd take $60 for the Gamo but I ended up not going back. I have to figure that was a kid's gun and who knows how many times it's been dry fired, etc. and I'm having a hard time going back to .177.  I'm going through 'no AG to shoot' withdrawal and I'm looking at different options. Do I buy another .22 break barrel in a different flavor like a cheaper Ruger or maybe a nicer Diana, or get some kind of used PCP but have to wait a bit on getting a pump...? Too many decisions. But I have a very rare 3 days off in a row from work, no rain, and no gun to shoot.

I likely spend way more in gas when bargain hunting than I actually save when I find the bargain I want. I bought an XS12 from Flyingdragon for my daughter for $85 (+basic tune) that is a blast to shoot. I was thinking of doing something like that for a back-up but am now considering one of the $33 B1's so I can learn to tear one of these things down and make it a fun shooter. Seems inevitable that I'm going to have to pick up some skills to throw at this growing addiction rather than just money. Hang in there. 

[gunslinger]

or maybe a nicer Diana,,,,,,this    Buy once cry once,,,,,

[Gut2Fish]

Correction:Stock Optima Scope can be adjusted not sure where I got CenterPoint.

Besides hold and pellet and focusing the Optima scope (you can take off objective ring and fine tune lens for focal point of your chosen distance) the one thing that made for consistent groups was setting the pellet into the breach. Until I started doing that I kept getting flyers. Unless your very careful each time inserting a pellet by hand there will be a pellet in your group that got it's skirt bent when you closed the barrel. Break barrels are notorious that way.

I got the pellet pen but you can just use a cork or something with a thick copper wire stuck in it to length. Put pellet in breach and then set it with the cork and nub of wire so it's the same wee distance down the breach and will never get bent. Must say the pellet pen is handy on cold days though, with a little practice you can get to where you can load and set as fast as fumbling for a pellet and doing it by hand. The good thing is you can still have gloves with the pellet pen.

Something to think about when you order more pellets. One of those not needed items but good to tack on an order to eliminate shipping costs. That and Birchwood and Casey shoot n see targets like you already have. Those are nice when you really range out. No need to keep walking back and forth to target to see where or if you hit it.

Nice shooting btw! You've yet to sight the scope?!? That's going to be he easiest zeroing of scopes in history. 4 clicks left and 2 up might get you center ragged hole. 


 http://www.airguns.net/trajectory.php

This is a fair calculator I use instead of Hawke chairpro (find it to be more accurate). 0.032 is good BC to use for JSB 15.89.

[Gut2Fish]

Typing in some hypothetical #'s into that Airgun Trajectory link:

Grains- 15.89
Dia- .22
BC- 0.032
Center height of scope from center of barrel- 1.6 (measure that).
Zeroed range- 20 yards
Increments- 5 yards
FPS- 800

It predicts if you center at 20yrds like your about to do you pellet will be 1/2" low of center in 35rds and 2.5" low in 50yrds. Set up three targets in those measured distances. Zero scope for 20 then take 3 or 5 shots at center for each 35yrd and 50yrd target. Check the rough average of actual drop for each target then play with the feet per second number in 25fps increments until you get a fair match up. That is a good guess of your actual fps with that pellet.

Then start plugging in different zeroed distances and to see the best range to zero that will give you the longest flat (.25 inch high and low of center) range. Without mildots that's how I'd want my scope zeroed.

Let's say your findings give you a guess of 825fps with that pellet. Then using 2.5 yrd range increments to see the curve better I plugged in a few zeroed #'s to work out that 100ft for zeroing scope would give you longest flat trajectory. From 45 ft to 115ft the pellet goes from .25 low to .25 high to .25 low again. That's 70ft of half inch accuracy.

That's how I figure rough fps and then optimize range. With mil dots and not minding under shooting half mil dot from 75-100ft you can zero farther out and really cover the range.

It's late and realizing how I turn into a windbag when tired...


Cheers

[bebanovich]

It's late and realizing how I turn into a windbag when tired...

Cheers

Not windbaggy at all. I appreciate the advice. I'm currently pretty much limited to 20-something yards. Perhaps after winter I can extend across the river but for now it's a bad thing if the pellet is going as far as 35 or 50 yards.