Beginner's Questions on Shooting HW 50S

[reallyneat]

I have a HW50S that was recently worked on to smooth out the action, etc. by our own Shadow (Ed). I have some questions about how I should understand the condition of my rifle, which is a .22 and now scoped with a 3-9x50 Leapers. I am not sure how many rounds I've put through it since Ed worked on it, but I would guess about 500 or so - I know that's not much. Yesterday I started shooting in my backyard at a distance of 15 yards or so, using a rolled up towel as a rest, and I was noticing a few things. Conditions were sunny and barely a breeze, although pretty smoky from all the fires.

1. I started shooting with hollow points (Beeman Silver Bears) and noticed my shooting seemed pretty poor. I made adjustments to the scope for a few target changes and finally on about the 5th target I was able to hold still and got 3 pellets in a row overlapping each other. I got pretty excited about that...

2. I decided to switch pellets - from a hollow point that fit the bore relatively easy, to a domed Crosman Premier that went in pretty snug but not what I would call tight. Suddenly I was shooting high above the previous pellet type, like 4-5" higher. And off to the left... I didn't spend much time with these.

3. Then I switched to JSB Exact Express pellets and noticed they fit the bore with a little less snugness than the Crosmans but not quite as smooth-fitting as the Beemans. I fussed over the scope and again after about 4-5 target changes I thought I was getting closer to zeroing the thing. Got tired out and quit for the day.

I am just wondering if there is (post-tune) break-in period I should be patient about, and what is the deal with how these pellets fit in the bore? I tried the H/N Target Trophy pellets awhile back, but those fit so tight I am leaving finger nail impressions in the skirts when I seat them... Thanks for any comments and help.
Dixon

[amb5500c]

Tune or no tune, break in or no break in. You cant expect different pellets to shoot the same groups from your gun. Some guns do, but these are the exception not the rule. You have to experiment with each pellet until you are satisfied that it is either good from your gun or bad. Then Experiment with another. After you have narrowed the field down to the ones that work best, you can experiment with just those until you find the best one. Others may have different methods, but any way you look at it, it requires a lot of shooting and testing. And dont switch back and forth between pellets until you have shot several test groups with a particular one. It can be frustrating at times, but stick with it and have fun shooting.
Good luck
Richard