HW95L Pellet Tests

[Lost]

I love just relaxing on a porch chair and popping a plastic golf ball around. It still gives opportunity to get used to the nuances of the rifle and work on technique without having every less than perfect shot staring back at me on permanent record.

Amen

[TWBryan]

Thanks Ratracer,I plan to try the Air Arms at 30 yards, also the H&N Barracuda, not sure about the FTTs ,but I guess I can.

BTW the H&N Sniper lights were a loose fit in the gun,not as loose as the PDG stuff,but loose. 

Dan D thanks,the barracudas seem to loose a bit of accuracy at 30 yards,but that could be my technique getting sloppy.

Lost,me too,but it's currently 95 degrees out and too warm for me.

[RatRacer]

How goes the testing Tim?

[TWBryan]

Ratracer,sadly,the air arms failed to group at 30. I swapped a scope from my hw77 and put it on the hw95. I did manage to get a decent group using that scope. Problem was that scope was running out of adjustment range to get on target.. I decided to invest in a good set of rings to see if I could get the hawke lined up properly on my  HW95.

After getting some good advice here I bought a set of BKL rings,I'm waiting on them to arrive before I resume testing.

Thanks For Checking in on me.

[RatRacer]

I hope that shakes out the woes, fellow night owl.

[dtdtdtdt]

TW: 

Scanning through the post string again, your comments about scope adjustment and "running out of adjustment room" makes me think that you might have a scope problem, mounting issues, or rifle with considerable droop.  It's also possible that you have all of these at the same time!!!

Droop can be caused by a couple different things.  1. Alignment of barrel with the action on which the scope is mounted.  Solutions vary from droop adjustable/compensated mounts to bending the barrel (not for the fainthearted!).  2.  Height of the scope above the bore and the short ranges that air guns are shot at.  If the scope sits very high it is difficult to zero the scope within the scopes range of adjustment.  The lower the better is my motto.

A second issue can be a scope one that is near the end of its adjustment range.  Many have found that scope repeatability is worst near the end of its adjustment range.  The mechanism inside is essentially a spring with a buffer to press the reticle tube against the elevation & windage adjustment turrets securely.  If you are right at the end of the travel the spring tension is not enough to hold it securely.  Many air gun shooters use adjustable mounts that allow them to rough adjust the zero by moving the windage and elevation adjustments on the bases with the scope crosshairs optically centered in the tube.  This puts the scope adjustments in its "sweet spot."  Final adjustments are done with the turrets. 

It is also possible that the recoil from the springer has damaged the scope - springers are famous for that!!  Does the scope exhibit any parallax?  Test that by looking at a target through the scope and moving your head around.  If the cross hairs appear to move on the target the parallax is out of whack or the scope is damaged.  Adjustable Objective scopes allow you to adjust the parallax to the desired range.   Have you any evidence that the scope is moving in the mounts?  I put a pencil mark or a very small dimple with a sharp pointed awl on the tube and bases to give me a witness mark that nothing is moving. I personally use a Wheeler FAT wrench to torque my scope mounts to the rifle and to the scope tube accurately. 

There are lots of articles on scope mounting, droop adjustment, optical centering of scopes, etc.   Google on air rifle droop for a start.  Pyramyd Air has a whole series on these issues.  Many posts and strings have gone through these issues exhaustively.

I'll bet you have looked at all these but thought I would chip them in - just in case.

Cheers.

[TWBryan]

dtdtdtdt,I have considered a great many things getting this gun to "fly right",but I have narrowed the issues down. The Nikko Stirling was hitting low and to the right. Despite all adjustment. I grabbed the Hawke Sport hd off my HW77 and put it in on the HW95,mount and all.  I discovered I was hitting too far to the left. The groups were better though.

I thought about it a while and decided to proceed on the basis that the NS was out of whack. I still was thinking about the right/left thing and decided to eliminate the one piece mounts and buy a high quality set of rings.

The bkl rings are supposedly engineered to center the scope rather than pull it off to one side or the other,which is what I think the previous mounts were doing.

I hope to get out tomorrow and test my theory,all else fails I can always buy a new barrel. Or take up bird watching...

[TWBryan]

Shot HW95 at 30 yards using Air Arms Field Heavies. It was hitting well off to the right,I adjusted for that ,hitting a little high,adjusted for that. I then put five pellets into each target,They are quite respectable groups. I would like to post the target,but photobucket is having issues right now. I'll try to get it posted later.

So the issue was scope and/or mount related. Meaning the Nikko Stirling was shifting zero on me. Also the mounts were probably not the best.

I think I can shrink the groups a bit more with minor adjustments and judicial tightening of the loose nut behind the trigger.

Hopefully I can resume testing pellets sometime this week.

Ok,finally got photobucket to cooperate.

You'll see the target has a line cutting across and bisecting a Z,those shots are when I was zeroing the scope,it was well off to the right and a bit high. I got it close than shot five pellets into each target. There is room for improvement,but at least I am shooting straighter.

[TheBman]

Glad your getting it lined out, then you can just enjoy!

[TWBryan]

Thanks Bman, hoping I'm getting closer to the point I can actually enjoy shooting this gun.

[hoffy43]

That's great news, now drive those tacks!!

[bReTt]

Good to hear that you are moving in the right direction! 

I think that i got that you are shooting from a rest?  One thing that I have noticed that is different with my .22 R9 vs. my .177 95s is that the .22 is very specific to where it will group well when rested.  My .177s do better the closer I rest to the trigger guard with the best rested groups being where the trigger guard is touching the bag.  The .22 is NOT the same even tough it's the same action BUT at full power compared to the tuned down .177 95s. 

The .22 likes to be rested farther forward on the stock, at least a hand width away from the trigger guard.  I have also noted that all of my springers shoot tighter with a heavier bag that is softer, with some of the filler out so that it crushes down more and cradles the rifle vs stiff the rifle just resting on it.  Hope that made sense?



This is a poor example of the difference in groupings (10 shots,30yds) but it's what I have to show so you will have to take my word but, the group on the left is rested by the trigger guard.  See how the grouping is more spread out? 



The one on the right is with a hand width spaced away from the trigger guard.  Other than the two holes on the outside, 8 pellets went into the larger group in the center.  Overall the groups are close to the same if measured outside to outside but the main group was tight compared to he other. 

These were shot quickly to give an example of how experimenting with the resting point on the rifle can change how the pellets group. 

All that to say, don't give up!  You will master that rifle and then you will be shooting one holers at 50 blind folded, upside down and backwards!  Ha ha! 

[hoffy43]

nah. Not upside down and backwards just free standing and barefoot on hot coals maybe. lol

[TWBryan]

Hmmmm,Brett and Hoffy,you forgot to mention to mention having a savage badger hung about my neck while zeroing the gun.

Tried a hold where I'm about a handspan from the trigger guard,currently resting the gun on my hand about an inch from the trigger guard. Will consider experimenting.

Today I tried the standard issue (not sized) H&N Barracudas in the HW95. The groups were not as good as the air arms unfortunately. I had two decent groups of five shots,one 3/4" and one 1". The other groups were not bad,just not as small or had a flyer.

I suspect if I used a sized version it might tighten those groups a bit. Hopefully I can try H&N FTTs tomorrow.

I find the adjustable recoil pad helps me put the stock in place the same every time. I would like to remove about an inch from it to help with scope eye relief... Also it would be nice to have a proper sling fitted. Too soon for that though...

[hoffy43]

Funny you should say that. I haven't posted yet, but last Friday I installed a Rowan adjustable butt pad on my 95 and I plan on cutting off at least the amount it grew. Have had family in town so hopefully by next week. The offset really helps but I need that scope closer to my eye. I'll have to fit and re polish the aluminum to the rifle stock though.

[TWBryan]

Heard rowan's were very nice,but I'm cheap and poor:) . I bought a Bisley pad,not as nice ,but it works pretty good. Trying to avoid doing anything to void the warranty before the year is out. Problem with warranty is if you look too hard at the gun the warranty is void. 

I checked and I have ,5.51 and 5.53 Barracudas I can test and some H&N FTTs,as well as the Sniper Lights. I could try the PDGs again,but I think they are a lost cause.

[hoffy43]

Same boat.  Cheap and poor. Just said the heck with it, closed my eyes, clicked the button and treated myself. I don't do that very often. It's back to the pellet hunt for you I see. Good luck!

[TWBryan]

Posting here the latest pellet test targets.The first is from 07/06/2015 I was shooting at 30yds with standard (not match) H&N Barracudas,I did make some elevation adjustments while I was shooting.

The second is from today at 30yds using Match Barracudas in 5.51. Sadly was not shooting my best today,it was hot and my pulse was interfering with my crosshairs.