A poll for springer shooters

[Kragman1]

What's the better part of shooting a breakbarrel springer for you:

1.  The simplicity (or even the "zen") of loading and shooting a break barrel?

or

2.  The challenge/skills needed to shoot one well?

That's It.  That simple. 

Thanks all!

[Ronfiveo]

I have a pumper so I really don't know the challenges of a break barrel rifle.
What are they?
I'm thinking of getting one.

Ron

[Kragman1]

Dealing with the recoil through finesse and consistency Ron. 
It can be frustrating when you are "off" but very rewarding when you're "on".

Get a good springer and you'll see!

[avator]

Shooting break barrels just gives me the option of something different. I enjoy shooting all types of airguns.

[lillysdad621]

the simplicity does it for me... I know i'll never "master" it, but the challenge will always be there

[lefteyeshot]

Simplicity, a springer.

The zen comes extra and is free!

[JP806]

For some of us the Zen is not free.

It's a struggle trying to tame the beast and track down issues/fliers (wind, pellet, screws, spring, seals, scope, rifle, shooter, trigger control, breathing, hold ...gracious)

It's hours and hours of practices ...time away from family...money spent on pellets...hours spent away from chores.

The frustration when it refuses to group and won't tell you what is wrong or what you are doing wrong.

Ok RANT over.

bottom line I love springers. 

[Roadworthy]

There is far more to shooting a break barrel springer than simply shooting it.  I enjoy tearing it apart, working with the internals, and (hopefully) correct whatever is causing to shoot in less than what I consider its full potential.  Of course this can hold true with fixed barrel springers as well but not to the extent found in break barrels.  I'm probably somewhere between a perfectionist and a masochist.

[Hoppalong Doc]

       I love the challenge of my springers: its the cocking, loading, aiming, the trigger,  breathing, follow through. Finally, it's the analysis of the shot followed by target acquisition once again. There are other things, but these done well is peace and a oneness with my environment.  Ahead.  Orv.

[nced]

What's the better part of shooting a breakbarrel springer for you:

1.  The simplicity (or even the "zen") of loading and shooting a break barrel?

or

2.  The challenge/skills needed to shoot one well?

That's It.  That simple. 

Thanks all!

#1 for me!

I really appreciate the simplicity of shooting a GOOD springer (I'm partial to HW offerings). Along with the "coil spring simplicity" (no "gas ram" harsh shot cycle or "leaking gas charge") the fact that I don't have to "buy or pump air" or the crack of a "compressed air just to shoot a pellet never was of interest for me.

My pellet shooting days did start with a Daisy and Crosman "multi-pumper" with pumping 8-10 strokes "getting old" however it was still fun entertainment. Then a few decades ago I bought a .177 HW50 and got rid of the pumpers because I was hitting acorns with the break barrel springer at ranges that I was hitting hanging pine cones with the pumpers using only ONE "break barrel action" to do so, all without a "pneumatic crack sound". The old version of the HW50 I bought new was sold to finance a new .177 HW35 which I shot for about a decade then called a "Beeman tech support guy" concerning a better coil spring to replace the sagged HW35 spring. The "tech support guy" mentioned the "Spring Man Jim Maccar! (currently ARH)" and started learning simple springer "home tuning" with the HW35.

The next springer I bought was a new blemished .177 Beeman R10 Deluxe (never could find the blemish) which I thought was as good as the HW35 was bad because my 8ish grain pellet velocity jumped from about 780 fps with the HW35 to 910isn fps with the R10 using the same pellet. Now I had a springer with a trajectory flat enough to make squirrel hunting in the West Virginia woods much less a matter of "lottery shooting". I wasn't fond of the R10 "pot metal bolt on scope rail" so I bought a .177 Beeman R9 and started machining custom parts for that springer after buying a small bench top metal lathe (only $350 from Harbor Freight at that time). Actually, over the years I found that tuning and making custom parts to be as enjoyable as actually shooting the break barrels.

Bought a new Beeman R9 because it didn't have the bolt on "pot metal scope rail" and the R10 was scavenged for parts, some parts were sold to other R10 owners. I bought several .177 R9s, home tuned them and sold one to my brother and another to an uncle, plus I still currently own one I bought years ago. Then I bought my first .177 HW95 and it was disassembled straight from the box and home tuned which I also still own. I also bought a .177 HW77k a couple decades ago (also home tuned) for shooting hunter class field target competition. That HW77k was sold to another ft shooter soon after moving to North Carolina. I was using my lighter weight and "less cumbersome to cock" break barrel R9 or HW95 instead of the fixed barrel. I personally found the fixed barrel HW77k to be more awkward to cock because I needed to firmly hold the cocking lever after cocking when fishing a pellet into the leade inside the "bear trap" just in case the piston "let loose" for some reason. Never happened but I still took the precaution.

Here is a pic of my current "home tuned/home molested" R9 and HW95...........


A couple targets shot with my HW "bouncers" all shot sitting on a "bucket" resting the gun on cross sticks "hunter class field target style"..........
   

[mikeyb]

What's the better part of shooting a breakbarrel springer for you:

1.  The simplicity (or even the "zen") of loading and shooting a break barrel?
...
2.  The challenge/skills needed to shoot one well?
...
3.  The fun of opening up and "tuning" springers so they shoot to their best potential.

ALL THREE for me :-)

[CK]

#1 for me, it's nice to just grab a gun and a tin of pellets and be shooting.

I do enjoy the challenge of shooting though. I've been away from them for a few years and it shows. And ever since I took up recurve archery as another hobby I recognize a striking similarity on the need for steadfast and unswerving consistency in shooting form.

[happymecanic]

Springers are the very first airguns I shot, so I've learned a long time ago to shoot them well, it's became ''natural''. I don't consider them to be a challenge, they're more of a relaxation exercise. It's even more rewarding if it's a gun that didn't shot well, and that I've tuned and now it shoots good.

I've learned quite a few tricks to tune a springer over the years, I can say now it's almost exciting to get one that don't shoot well, as it's an interesting challenge coming up. I only ever got one that was pure garbage, a chinese copy of another chinese springer. The steel it was made from was so cheap the receiver was slowly deforming after each shot, becoming dangerous. The barrel was so ''loose'' I never found any pellet big enough to fit it well, also the plastic parts started to crack after not even 50 shots. This is the only springer I ever throw to the trash bin .

[triggerfest]

#3 The self realization that the real simplicity comes with a PCP, on all fronts.

That was really a liberating, enlightening moment.


Sorry, I don't want to spoil the topic too much, since I am an all in PCP / MSP shooter these days.

[dan_house]

D) None of the above....

I shoot springers and PCPs "equally bad"....

There's no Zen to it, and Im not sure where this "simplicity" comes from (or maybe Im shooting the wrong springer ) ...

Like JP says, its a process, one must think it thru-same way every time or you miss. For me the the differences in shooting the TX vs my Mrod or USFT is some recoil, and loading the pcps is way simpler than the TX.....  I got "back" into shooting springers a couple years ago when it was the ONLY thing I had setup for field target. Shot it wayyyyyyy better than I expected, and will stay with the TX for FT for a while

The poll should have a #3: the fun factor.    And despite what I wrote above, the TX is alot of fun to shoot

[Kragman1]

Dan - the simplicity comes from "load a pellet, shoot a pellet".  No tanks to fill, or the equipment needed, no mags to load etc.

With breakbarrels, I simply cock the rifle as I bring the gun down from a shot, easily load a pellet and get back to business.  The whole process happens as an aside, meaning I don't need to think much about it.  No counting shots, worries about when to top off, etc.  That combination doesn't even happen with side lever or underlever guns, just breakbarrels.  On a good day I find it to be very relaxing.  "Zen", if you will....

[KWK]

Just break barrels. The others don't get shot much. Overweight and the loading process is like buzzkill.

[Methuselah]

What's the better part of shooting a breakbarrel springer for you:

1.  The simplicity (or even the "zen") of loading and shooting a break barrel?

or

2.  The challenge/skills needed to shoot one well?

That's It.  That simple. 

Thanks all!

KISS, Hmmm, #1

Gotta pump up the Daisy, but I can leave it that way for weeks --- still follow up shot takes forever

[Acapulco]

Neither 1 or 2....

Variety.

[Lt. Dan]

I'm primarily a springer shooter, I do have a couple of pumpers, a Crosman 362, and a few 13xx as well a a couple of CO2 pistols BUT my heart is the springer.

Now to answer your question the best I can......

Both I guess
#1 first, because of the lack of accessories needed

 #2 second, because it helps me to continually enjoy the sport.