Accuracy - when are you satisfied with your rifle?

[Bentong]

Satisfaction is using only one pellet to get rid of a varmint/pest for good.

[bwana]

I'm happy when I can say "that" miss was me and not the gun. Man when you hit what your aiming at that's the best.

I'm with Yellowstone. I miss sometimes and I know it's me and not the gun. 1" at 20 yrds and I'm happy. My most accurate gun is a toss up. I love using my Mendoza RM200 .22 to pick pigeons off the peak of the roof, using Daisy pointed pellets.

[RedFeather]

It really boils down to the gun and what you want to do with it.  A ten meter match rifle that can only group 3/8" is not considered accurate.  In the hands of a competent shot, it should do one hole groups.  Most hunting springers are capable of pretty fine accuracy but most aren't target guns, either.  I see many, many owners demanding target rifle accuracy levels that are hard to attain with guns costing much more.  Springers have to factor in their unique shooting limitations.  Some can not be easily benched, requiring they be shot offhand.  And, even then, you have to work to find the proper hold since they are sensitive in that area, as well.  But that's part of the hobby.  I should think that, for a sporter, acceptable accuracy would be consistently putting the pellet into the kill zone with enough energy to get the job done.  While most folks say not to compare air guns to firearms, I think it is fair here, so I'll give an example from that side of the shooting spectrum.  There are plenty of shooters who say the Winchester 94 lever action in .30-30 is not a good gun because it can't do 2" at a hundred yards.  But the kill zone on a deer is about the size of a saucer, maybe six inches.  Can a 94 do that?  For most hunters, yes, so, for deer, it's more than accurate enough.  Same thing with air guns.

[Yellowstone]

Right on the money RedFeather.
I'm a paper shooter with plinker-Guns. If you use the right target, 10m pistol target at 10m and I can group in the Nine ring that's a good day.
Same with the 94, in the kill zone at 100yr that's a good day.

[gene_sc]

My most accurate air rifles are my Crosman NPSS in .22, which I worked on extensively to shoot 1" groups at 100 yards with 14.3 grain CPHP pellets at 800+ fps; and my RWS 350 Magnum in .22, which shoots less-than-1" groups at 100 yards with a new Vortek PG2 kit and muzzlebrake.  My tuned CFXes in .22 are very accurate out to 75 yards as well.

For sure the CFX and NPSS air guns are very accurate at short range. As far as the RWS 350 is concerned I do not own one so I do not have any knowledge of accuracy or distance for accuracy.

Both my NPSS and Gamo CFX have been tuned by me. They both are very accurate air rifles. With that said, the arch of the pellets flight with a NPSS at 100 yards would be pretty big. But the CFX would be even a higher arch for pellet flight.. In otherwords both guns would need a allot of hold over and a good mil dot scope. To consistently hit a 1" dot at 100 yards is beyond my abilities as a hole puncher.. Not saying it can't be done but with a pellet flying for 100 yards and hitting a 1" bulls is pretty amazing.. Especially with the CFX.

[LongIslandArcher]

Gene,

My other shooting hobby is archery, and you have to hold the bow pretty steady in order to shoot long distances.  I consistently shoot 3" groups at 60 yards with my bow, and that translates over to being able to hold a rifle steady in offhand shooting.  Breathing control is important too. 

When I was shooting with the gang from Cobra Airguns at the Brookhaven range a few weekends back, one of the shooters was spotting me and he kept saying my shots were all going into the same 1" hole in the target out at 100 yards.  My scope on the NPSS is dialed in to 100 yards now, so at 20 yards, I have to hold under the target about 4 mil-dots on the centerpoint scope.

I didn't get a chance to zero my CFX out to 100 yards because they were getting ready to start their field shoot, but I was consistently "pinging" the metal critter target at 75 yards with it.  It's zeroed in at 40 yards, so at 75 yards, I have to hold over it about 1.5 mil-dots on the Leapers Accushot scope

The RWS 350 Magnum is a one-holer at 20 yards and I really want to get that back to the range. 

[bigbadwulff]

When I can pop pigeons at will from 70 yards

Beeman 1073

[deanda]

wet Ant accurate. Took one out at 40yards 36inches............popped him between the eyeballs. He's at the taxadermist as we speak.

[ezman604]

you must have a small-minded taxadermist....

[Tpatner412]

For me it depends on if I'm shooting offhand or resting the rifle.  When rested I expect nickel sized groups at 25 yards with my RWS 48 .22 my cometa fusion black can produce similar groups but is a lot more hold sensitive.  At closer ranges my guns rarely shoot groups larger than a dime.  If they do its always my fault

[RedFeather]

What to expect?  You can expect that, after posting that you can shoot such-and-such groups with your gun, there will immediately follow a response from a fellow who has exactly the same rig as yours, and routinely lights kitchen matches at one hundred yards shooting recovered pellets, gun rested upon an old coat folded across the hood of his running pickup while he has the hiccups.  Don't let him discourage you.  ;-)   

(Prior poster, I'm just talking in general, not about your reply.  :-) )

[LongIslandArcher]

Hehehee...Deanda, 40yds36inches = 41 yards

[Tpatner412]

Well Red I wish I had a 100 yard range to find out if I could do that but I'm well aware that the guns are more then capable of shooting that well.  Personally as a shooter I don't think I shoot that well.

[RedFeather]

Are all of them?  I don't feel comfortable with that.  Especially concerning springers where hold sensitivity and shot-to-shot consistency can throw in some pretty big variables.  At least, not day in / day out.

[airgunandy]

As long as it hits what I aim at (and I don't pull the shot!) I am happy. Have a few that will do dime-size groups at 20 to 25 yds (about max distance in my yard) with me sitting on the ground (no bench rest stuff). If I can spin teaspoons from 12 to 20 yds offhand I'm generally happy.

[ac12]

It all depends on what I am shooting; both gun and target.

10m match rifle on a regulation 10m target I want a LOT more accuracy that shooting that same rifle at a cracker.
And similarly, the same rifle w a scope on a rest, I expect a LOT more accuracy than that same rifle off hand w aperture sights.

Likewise I do not expect my sportster rifles to shoot anywhere near as accurate as my match rifle.

Here is a variation of an old saying "minute of Coke can accuracy."
And that is just fine by me when I plink.

[sr500]

My Sumatra 177carbine, pellet on pellet at 30 yards.

[Nomadic Pirate]

My Evanix Rainstorm puts the 28.4gr EunJin pellets in a nickle sized group at 30 yards in windy conditions

My Sing Sung 707 Ultra is a one hole rifle with the .360 roundball at 35 yards in windy conditions

[Rocker1]

 the 2 most accurate rifles i have are my phantom shooting  destroyers and the next one is the titan with cphp. thanks david

[uncle paulie]

Years ago, my first pellet rifle was a Sheridan Black Streak. I was the first one in the area to get a pumper, and it shot so much better than anyone else's break-barrel. I knew absolutely nothing about how to or if you could make these make these things more accurate. The only modification I made to mine was to add a little 4x weaver scope a neighbor had given to me which he had gotten off a .22 pb he had purchased used. With the scope, the thing was a tack-hammer at 20-25 yds. All I knew was that I had the most accurate AG around and not only enjoyed the shooting, but I also really enjoyed the local notoriety! You know, King of the Hill.

After many years of too much work, kids, more work, house, work, kids college,etc... I decided to get back into AG's for something fun to do. My current mindset now approaches the sport much differently now. I guess maturity does that for you.  I find there's a great deal of enjoyment (along with the frustration) in trying to get these to be as absolutely accurate as possible. Apparently, it becomes a quest for many of us.

The GTA has been such an invaluable asset in this journey for me. Both in information and the ability to go one to one with so many like-minded folks.

Soooooooo.... to answer your question, for me, satisfaction will come when I feel I've done everything I can to a particular AG and it gives me the same results as my first one, which I now know was the exception, rather than the rule. When I feel its all it can be, then the plan is to do it all over again! My new XL came out of the box shooting about 3/8 c-c at 20 yds. Interestingly, that changed. I'll be posting the the experience as it develops.