No more artillery hold

[Papa Smurf]

I don't know if anyone else ever had a problem with the "artillery hold"?  I got heavy into air guns a little over a year ago. Try as I might the artillery hold caused me a lot of grief and hundreds and hundreds of pellets . The winter chased me into the house in late November . I been out for a few weeks now and been using a firm hold as I have for many years with my powder burners . I find I can shoot much better groups and can hit targets much farther away than with the artillery hold . Don't know if anyone else has had similar results or not . It would be something maybe others had happen or would like to know. ---------Good Shooting to all--------------Papa Smurf

[Tommy]

I have to agree. I have even gone so far as mounting a bipod.
As i am an older person with disabilities it is far more enjoyable to hit what i point at without strain.
Just sayin

Tommy
.

[madmullet]

It comes down to the rifle.  PCPs you can hold on to.  Springers with lots of recoil loosen up on.  It comes down to what works best for the shooter.  I had troubles with my TX 200 last year until I started to hold the Fore arm a bit tighter, a bit further up on the checking of the gun and my groups shrunk and I felt much more comfortable holding the gun that way.  Holding the gun flat in my palm back by the trigger group did not do it for me.   My PcP guns I shoot off of Bi-pods or sticks like I would my power burners.  they are a lot more forgiving to use my 11 year old Nephew can get sub 3/4" groups at 50 yards with my PCPs if he can keep his attention and focus long enough to shoot a nice shot sting.

[Not The Brightest Bulb]

Yes on the older person and through the last 3 years have gone from mono to tripod and have not really got into the artillery hold thing but different airguns like women have to be handled differently.

Just use what works for ya.

[BenjiHunter]

My Patriot shoots a lot better with a firm hold.
The key thing when buying a new air rifle is to try different holds.

[triggerfest]

What are you shooting ?

I still have the best results with artillery hold when shooting springers...

[Nomadic Pirate]

that artillery hold never worked for me, always had better results with a good hold, shooting everything from 15 FPE springers to gas rams and 30 FPE springers, the artillery hold isn't for me

[Tommy]

I am shooting a Blackhawk with a bipod and I can stack pellets at thirty yards. I did put on a heavier muzzle weight and that really helped the shots.
Tommy

[Motorhead]

So much more than just hold used .... If you grip your trigger hand tightly your placing tension on the action and any motion of the rifle when fired will be enhanced because of the hold.
Cheek weld pressure the same thing ....
Fore stock grip and any induced torque with show up as action cycles.

Each and every pressure point on action when fired will have effect on direction and motion during that split second shot cycle.

The more you can become conscious of all these contributing factors, better you as a shooter can isolate those that effect why guns shoots how it does 

If being VERY accurate with guns air or powder was easy .... everyone would be a crack shot 


Scott

[haertig]

I only have two air rifles, and only one of those really benefits from the artillery hold.  And that is a Gamo springer.  The other rifle is a pneumatic which doesn't seem to care so much about how it is held.

However, I use the artillery hold on some of my powder burner rifles too, to good effect.  For example, my Mosin Nagant 7.62x54R and my 8mm Mauser.  Neither of those sound like rifles you'd want a loose hold on (they are both in the .30-06 power category, and have metal buttplates).  But I am more accurate with them using the light artillery hold and a light touch of the buttstock on my shoulder.  But I admit, I use a shoulder pad to absorb the recoil unleashed when you let one of these rifles "move like it wants to move".  I mostly shoot these rifles offhand, as prone can be brutal with that metal buttplate.

[nced]

I don't know if anyone else ever had a problem with the "artillery hold"?  I got heavy into air guns a little over a year ago. Try as I might the artillery hold caused me a lot of grief and hundreds and hundreds of pellets . The winter chased me into the house in late November . I been out for a few weeks now and been using a firm hold as I have for many years with my powder burners . I find I can shoot much better groups and can hit targets much farther away than with the artillery hold . Don't know if anyone else has had similar results or not . It would be something maybe others had happen or would like to know. ---------Good Shooting to all--------------Papa Smurf

IMHO........CONSISTENCY OF HOLD is the biggest player in shooting a springer accurately....well, my .177 R9! For me I find it easier to get "consistent hold pressure" using the lightest hold possible than when using a firm hold. LOL.....with a firm hold even the clothes worn affect the poi such as shooting with a heavy coat in the winter vs a tee shirt in the summer. My brother uses a firmer hold with his R9 than I do and usually shootes higher HFT scores than I with his R9, but I personally believe that this has more to due with his hold consistency than the hold method.

Anywhoo.......for ME and my R9 it's better to use a light hold!  If you're more consistent with a firm hold then it's simply a matter of doing what works best!

[gene_sc]

The artillery hold is the only way I can shoot a springer accurately. I took my basic knowledge of shooting distance in the military and applied it to air rifles but with springers I could only achieve accuracy by practicing and concentrating on adding the artillery hold to my arsenal of shooting knowledge. And yes the lighter you hold your springer the more accurate I shoot. I guess it is all about practice and concentration.

It works for me..

Gene

[Springrrrr]

I have to agree with consistency being the bigger part of accuracy.  Maybe in a magnum springer, the artillery hold has its merits but in those running about 825-870 FPS, I personally have found that a good consistent snug but not tight hold works well.

Of course the TX 200 is a bit more forgiving than most but when I de-tuned my RWS 48 down to about 830 FPS by cutting 2 turns off the Vortek spring, it not only is extremely constant in the FPS category, it is shooting almost as good as the TX with a snug constant hold.  I did work a bit better when it was full power with the artillery but even then it didn't even come close to the TX for consistency.

[Grunon]

All of my rifles are springers.
None of them group well with the artillery hold.

All of them group tight and are consistent only with a firm hold on the pistol grip and open palm on the forearm.

Wasted thousands of pellets following the advice to use the artillery hold.

[Nod]

Both of my rifles do better with the artillery hold 0for me)  but- if you sight in your rifle with a firm hold and are consistant with it, I don't see why it wouldn't work the same way. As long as  you do the SAME thing the SAME way, you should get the SAME results. Seems logical to me.

[AudiS4]

All of them group tight and are consistent only with a firm hold on the pistol grip and open palm on the forearm.

And that is an artillery hold dude!

[Grunon]

All of them group tight and are consistent only with a firm hold on the pistol grip and open palm on the forearm.

And that is an artillery hold dude!

NO it is not and do not call me dude

[AudiS4]

Artillery Hold for newbies

No need to take offense, when you can just view this simple explanatory video, with Steeephen AAARcher himself. (No idea why he is censored, but hey). But to summarize. You are wrong.

[Grunon]

I have more important things to do than have a battle of wits with an unarmed person.

adios.

[Swedge]

for me what is MOST important is limiting my coffee intake to only 1/2 a pot of so....  anymore than that and my shots are lucky to even hit the paper!!!