Maximum Effect of Parallax

[Relentless Holiday]

Very good advice above the mirror tells all. It's a great start, then move on to shooting the various distances to fine tune and/or confirm.

And you are on the right track centering the scope also. Parallax has more effect the farther you get from a centered scope reticle.  At the extremes of the range of the scopes adjustment it is as bad as it gets. But you'll need adjustable mounts for the scope to sight in the scope and take advantage by keeping it centered while on target.

I do submit that when you adjust the scope to get the big ring around your sight picture, rather than as small as possible, you can vary your eye position more and not notice slight differences in the width of  the bigger ring.  Small differences are simply less of a percentage of the width of the ring vs having a very slight ring that almost or partially disappears when you are even slightly off of you eye being centered.  Think of it this way, would you notice an inch missing from a 3 foot line easier than noticing an inch from a two inch or less line?

Your gun & your scope so it's your call.

[Relentless Holiday]

10 yards or a 100 ... if the barrel does NOT like the pellet being shot it won't be accurate !!

This guy is a true Guru of the sport.  Don't think for a min you know how well a pellet will shoot till you test em.

For an example, here is a photo of 14 different pellets all shot for testing at only 10yds.  of the 14 only three were circled by me in red as being ok for testing at farther distance.  Two have check marks that will be retested because only one pellet was out of the grouping.  and look at the spread of some of the others!!  A few of those did exactly what you said and made two different groups.

Other guns can hate the pellets this one loved and viceversa.  Even the same model/year and only one serial number away can be different.  It's just one of the things to live with shooting airguns.

[Xptical]

I will eventually try some better pellets.  Still breaking in and getting used to the rifle and developing a sight picture.

So, yesterday, I took out the Benjamin Prowler .22 with some crosman hp.  At 15 yards, i was happy.  I moved her back to 20 yards and rezeroed.  I can now confidently hold a 3/4" group at that range.  So long as I actually take tge time and see the shot.  A few fliers, but nothing concerning.


Now, here's some weirdness.  I do these 3/4" patterns most of the day.  But when i actually set up pellet tins at 25, 30, and 40 yards, I hit center mass on most shots.


Anyone else notice hitting paper feeling different from engaging an actual target?



Oh, as for parallax, it's a real beast.  In a vise, the smallest head movement will show enough change to completely bork a shot.

I really feel like coating my stock with clay, getting in position and mashing that stuff around my jaw/cheek bones, then baking it hard.  A stock stock is really counterproductive to registering good groups.