School me on Air Rifles

kodiakjack said:
... Do you have a chrony? I’m interested to see where the speeds fall compared to advertised. What weight pellets did it come with?
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No chrony. Buddy has one down Island, so eventually.

I chose to go with JSB Match Diablo Exact domed pellets in 14.35 gains.
Most of the reviews suggested these performed well overall.
While I recognize finding it's sweet spot as far as pellets goes may take some effort, I am hoping these will offer a good starting point.

Scope mounted & locktighted down. Barrel cleaned.
Ready to go...

Light rain so far today. Supposed to possibly clear this afternoon, but for sure tomorrow.

Getting itchy...
Nog
 
Congrats!
Hope ya have fun.
Whole new ball game with a springer.
Like mentioned above holding a Springer is everything.
Lots of vids out there, here is one.


Also if not mentioned, run some different pellets in her, all rifles/barrels were not created equal.

Could get the JBS sampler pack.

JSB Match Diabolo Test Sampler .22 Cal

N4CHfap.jpg



If you ever get a chance you have to try out any of the FX models.
Absolute no comparison to any springer I have or have shot.
 
IronNoggin said:
I understand this has been discussed before.
However I am now somewhat concerned with the way the new prohibitions are going so am thinking of leaping.
Always wanted a decent to good air rifle to deal with pests and simply have fun with.

So, any advice?
Want something as accurate as possible, capable of knocking one of those obnoxious Who Who's over at 40 yards, yet won't break the bank.

Does such an item exist?

Wondering...
Nog
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If you plan to put a scope on it, make sure 100 percent sure, the scope has a parallax adjustment and that it can be dialed in to 10 yards or less.

At airgun distances, your eye position in the scope will move the reticle an astounding amount. This will make you think the gun is not accurate when it is actually the scope.
 
tactical lever said:
Quite a few Umarex around, isn't there?

Are you saying that gas pistons are harder on scopes than a regular big springer? Both have the same kind of recoil, though some say there's less vibration with a gas piston, and they are usually described as having a smoother firing cycle.

IIRC Hammerli guns are rebadged, and made by other companies? Hatsan makes a few guns for other companies.
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This is correct and I found out this out the hard way years ago. I found a Hammerli Air Magnum 850 at my local Lebaron's (has gone out of business) - I am like Hammerli - that' what they use in the Olympics! So I got it for what I thought was a steal of a deal. I found out later it was actually a rebadged Umarex

Just my humble two cents but I have found varying degrees of success in various spring loaded air rifles for varmint and pest control. I think some of that may be the conditions of the day (and obviously distance), the fact that I have not the greatest eyes, etc. I have found on some days, the cheap Crosman Phantom non-PAL rifle that I have is more accurate than the PAL Stoeger X20, which was like 4 times the cost and has a better scope (clearly doesn't help me whatsoever). In a sense, it can be likened to golf clubs or golf balls. A person with the right form or skill can do well with most clubs, whereas if I were to take a brand new set of Ping clubs, I would still launch balls into the woods.
 
I have a hard time getting consistent accuracy out of springers. Likely, tens of thousands of pellets, improperly shot by me lol.
 
I have several airguns and find that break barrels are problematic by design, because the barrel does not index the same every time.

I have a Diana model 34 for example. Its a nice well made rifle and accurate for what it is, but due to the barrel indexing, it is not as accurate as my Diana model 54 because the barrel is fixed.

Field target competitions are done with springers and these guys are very accurate, so its not the springer itself that's the problem. Usually Field Target rifles will have an underlever with a fixed barrel.

With good pellets my Diana 54 produces one hole at 10 yards that I doubt a pellet could fall through.

Like I stated above... that is the result of both a scope with parallax properly adjusted and a fundamentally accurate rifle with good pellets.

If you dont have a parallax setting on your scope, focus on that. Maybe pull your head rearward and center up the dark fuzz around the perimeter and see if that helps.
 
J.Hancock said:
I have a hard time getting consistent accuracy out of springers. Likely, tens of thousands of pellets, improperly shot by me lol.
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Since springers often have strong two-way recoil from the start and sudden stop of the piston, it can be important how the rifle is held. Holding it tight like a powder burner can often diminish accuracy and deny consistent results.

Maple57 said:
I have several airguns and find that break barrels are problematic by design, because the barrel does not index the same every time.

Field target competitions are done with springers and these guys are very accurate, so its not the springer itself that's the problem. Usually Field Target rifles will have an underlever with a fixed barrel.
Click to expand...

It's worth noting that while some break barrel springers have the potential for alignment issues, good quality ones, such as those made by Weihrauch, rarely experience them. Where weight is a concern, break barrel rifles have the weight advantage over underlever rifles.

Field target is also done with PCP rifles all over the world.
 
MisterJ said:
I have a Diana 280 which strikes a nice balance between power and being light. Pretty accurate too. If I could go back in time though, I would just buy an Air Arms TX 200 and a decent scope.
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I have a TX200 with a decent scope and it's a nice combo. Doesn't get much love, but it's nice to have.
 
Alrighty then, here is yesterday's range report:

Took a few measurements of the single group shot previously when it just arrived, and adjusted the scope so as to try and get them centered properly.

Then wandered out to a close gravel pit and got set up:

lbuJJ4h.jpg


Only company was a couple of tossed mattresses to watch the show:

wHceEiL.jpg


Ammo of choice (recommended for this rifle):

V4jLkof.jpg


First group at 15 yards. Pretty close guess on the scope adjustments:

d0d9pYg.jpg


So, out to 25 yards:

ngN7iOC.jpg


A few tweaks to the scope, again at 25 yards:

HXkvwf2.jpg


Almost acceptable. But the next group shocked me:

xh0Vzfo.jpg


And the next two were even more opened up?

If my crossbow did this, I would suspect a scope mount / bolt issue.
But a quick inspection suggested these were all fine.
Will look closer today.
Will also clean the hell out of it, and try again when the sky-water quits.

Other comments:

Rifle cocks easily.
Magazine functions well.
Two stage trigger is initially a little gritty - makes it a little effort to determine the wall.
Trigger does break clean with about 2.5 - 3 lbs.
Scope is only so - so, and will eventually need replacing.
Overall weight leans to the heavy side.

Anyone have any idea as to why the groups would open up like that after starting off so much better?

Can't put my finger on it and that is a little concerning...

Standing by...
Nog
 
IronNoggin said:
Alrighty then, here is yesterday's range report:

Took a few measurements of the single group shot previously when it just arrived, and adjusted the scope so as to try and get them centered properly.

Then wandered out to a close gravel pit and got set up:

lbuJJ4h.jpg


Only company was a couple of tossed mattresses to watch the show:

wHceEiL.jpg


Ammo of choice (recommended for this rifle):

V4jLkof.jpg


First group at 15 yards. Pretty close guess on the scope adjustments:

d0d9pYg.jpg


So, out to 25 yards:

ngN7iOC.jpg


A few tweaks to the scope, again at 25 yards:

HXkvwf2.jpg


Almost acceptable. But the next group shocked me:

xh0Vzfo.jpg


And the next two were even more opened up?

If my crossbow did this, I would suspect a scope mount / bolt issue.
But a quick inspection suggested these were all fine.
Will look closer today.
Will also clean the hell out of it, and try again when the sky-water quits.

Other comments:

Rifle cocks easily.
Magazine functions well.
Two stage trigger is initially a little gritty - makes it a little effort to determine the wall.
Trigger does break clean with about 2.5 - 3 lbs.
Scope is only so - so, and will eventually need replacing.
Overall weight leans to the heavy side.

Anyone have any idea as to why the groups would open up like that after starting off so much better?

Can't put my finger on it and that is a little concerning...

Standing by...
Nog
Click to expand...

Is your cheek welded when shooting, or are you hovering over the stock? With that scope’s 100 yard parallax, hovering will kill you. Try jury rigging something solid so that your head is in the exact same position every time, with relation to the scope.

Did you study up on the “artillery hold”, and find a way to apply it from the bench?

Oh, and what on that target represents an inch?
 
kodiakjack said:
Is your cheek welded when shooting, or are you hovering over the stock? With that scope’s 100 yard parallax, hovering will kill you. Try jury rigging something solid so that your head is in the exact same position every time, with relation to the scope.

Did you study up on the “artillery hold”, and find a way to apply it from the bench?
Click to expand...

I was previously a long distance rifle competitor.
Solid cheek weld.
Did study the artillery hold, and held the rifle both very lightly (on sand bags) and consistently.

Oh, and what on that target represents an inch?
Click to expand...

pQqK3Sk.jpg


I sent the company an email, requesting a discount on a better scope.
They said OK, and offered 40 clams towards this one:

Hawke Airmax 3-9x40 AO AMX

https://www.hawkeoptics.com/airmax-3-9x40-amx.html

https://www.airgunsource.ca/us/hawke-airmax-3-9x40-ao-amx.html

I have a Hawke scope on my crossbow which has worked out very well for me.
Damn tough, and never ever needed any tweaking.
So I am somewhat inclined to bite.

Before I do, I'd like some input from any that feel they can please...

Hoping...
Nog
 
IronNoggin said:
I was previously a long distance rifle competitor.
Hoping...
Nog
Click to expand...

If you were a LDC...why would you be chasing anything with a springer?

Honestly those groupings I'd except from open sights...not a scoped air rifle.
It isn't the scope.
I'm not trying to be rude or offensive.

Most are trying to be polite and not bad mouth a springer.
They have their purpose, they're fun for plinking, but to compare them to most PCP air rifles for grouping is like 'apple & oranges'
 
HuskyDude said:
Honestly those groupings I'd except from open sights...not a scoped air rifle.
It isn't the scope.
Click to expand...

Actually... it most likely IS the scope.
A fellow I know has the exact same rifle you are crapping on here.
He gets dime sized groups from it consistently at 30 yards.
Upgrading the scope made the difference for him.

I am not about to toss out 3K or more for what you consider a "proper" air rifle.
Period.

So, I will putter around with this one until it works, or doesn't.

Cheers,
Nog
 
Hopefully the scope if the hold is consistent.

If not the scope, time to try the next pellet. May take a few down the pipe to stabilize. Airguns don't need cleaning like powder burners.

Was it windy? Looks like two vertical groups with some wind. Or a scope that can't hold zero.

Springers are very unforgiving- it is what makes them great for training. Should be able to do better than that group though even with an inconsistent hold. Personally I prefer my springers to pcps for this reason.

Another thing to look at is if the pellets are getting damaged during loading- could be something amiss there.
 
If the mounts are tight, I would suspect the scope...

Keep us in the loop, I like the look of that rifle.

Oh, and I don't like the jumbo pellets, never shot well for me. I went with lighter match pellets & got much better results.

Cheers
Jay
 
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