Air rifle steady

Thomas Maddox · Mon May 15, 2023 5:12 pm

I once shot an expert score in the military, but not anymore. Seems really hard for me to get "steady." Anyone have advice on steadiness devices such as bags or tripods? Thanks

Spiderman · Mon May 15, 2023 9:42 pm

It’s the same rules as you had in the military. A good solid rest, breathing correctly. Pull the trigger slowly so you don’t know when the gun will fire. Distance from target is a big deal too.

If you are shooting a pellet rifle it may not be your fault, Pellets are not perfect. Some types shoot better in certain guns.

If I ever drop one on the floor I throw it away. It’s not really round anymore.

Bottom line trapping is the better way to eliminate problem birds.

Thomabear · Mon May 15, 2023 11:21 pm

Thomas, I'm 63 and use a bipod while resting my rifle on my shop window sill. It does a great job of keeping my aim true. They aren't that expensive and definately worth the investment if you have a place to get comfortable and rest it on.

flyin-lowe · Tue May 16, 2023 7:22 pm

Some may disagree, but I have bought several different pellet rifles, some cheap, some not so cheap ($120.00 range) and I have never had any of them shoot consistent enough to hit a sparrow, at least at the distance you usually have to be from them. The high end competition type rifles are a different story, but my experience has been that anything I get from a retail store (Bass Pro, Dicks, Cabellas, etc.) does not hold a tight pattern at all. I am fortunate to live in a rural area where I can shoot a shotgun so I don't typically have too much trouble keeping the sparrows at bay. This year has been my worst year. I still have a couple floating around that literally take off if I am anywhere on my 5 acre property.

C.C.Martins · Wed May 17, 2023 12:54 pm

Kinda waited for Rob to chime in...he uses a shooting bag. Basically its a small bag with sand or something. I use a rolled up towell on a window sill. Quick search came up with a Caldwell shooting bag, 18.00.

Jones4381 · Thu May 18, 2023 5:46 am

flyin-lowe wrote: ↑
Tue May 16, 2023 7:22 pm
Some may disagree, but I have bought several different pellet rifles, some cheap, some not so cheap ($120.00 range) and I have never had any of them shoot consistent enough to hit a sparrow, at least at the distance you usually have to be from them. The high end competition type rifles are a different story, but my experience has been that anything I get from a retail store (Bass Pro, Dicks, Cabellas, etc.) does not hold a tight pattern at all. I am fortunate to live in a rural area where I can shoot a shotgun so I don't typically have too much trouble keeping the sparrows at bay. This year has been my worst year. I still have a couple floating around that literally take off if I am anywhere on my 5 acre property.

12 gauge here...I can't hit crap with anything anymore...but with a shotgun... Count up to 5 this year for me... seems like I'm getting more later in the season this year for some reason.

Conrad Baker · Thu May 18, 2023 7:45 am

If you are shooting a springer rifle, trying to hold it too tightly can be your problem. Google "artillery hold for air rifle". It is basically where you loosely hold the front of the rifle, allowing it to recoil back when it goes off.
Also, your trigger could be a big detriment to your accuracy. It's hard to be accurate with a crappy trigger. If you have a Gamo air rifle, google "charliedatuna". He sells replacement triggers for the Gamo and a few others for about $30. They make a world of difference, and are very easy to install yourself.

Thomabear · Thu May 18, 2023 10:12 am

Conrad Baker wrote: ↑
Thu May 18, 2023 7:45 am
If you are shooting a springer rifle, trying to hold it too tightly can be your problem. Google "artillery hold for air rifle". It is basically where you loosely hold the front of the rifle, allowing it to recoil back when it goes off.
Also, your trigger could be a big detriment to your accuracy. It's hard to be accurate with a crappy trigger. If you have a Gamo air rifle, google "charliedatuna". He sells replacement triggers for the Gamo and a few others for about $30. They make a world of difference, and are very easy to install yourself.

Agree 100% Conrad! The cumulative effect of a good quality trigger, choked barrel, short distance parallax free scope with good magnification and compatible ammo selection will achieve a very high degree of accuracy. With all the above, penny sized groups at 25 yards can become commonplace with a good rest and favorable wind conditions.

Martintown33 · Fri May 19, 2023 7:41 pm

As Tom said , I use a Caldwell shooting bag stabilizer. If I’m shooting from my blind, I rest the barrel on the porthole that I shoot through.. without some sort of stabilizer, I hardly hit them… with one, I hardly miss!

Rob

DuckCamp · Sun May 21, 2023 6:49 am

I use both shotgun and air rifle here. A solid rest, as mentioned, is critical. I try to shoot 25-30 yard shots. Chairgun is a good app that allows you to estimate "hold over" for shots closer or further than the distance at which you sighted in your gun. I shoot sparrows at my martin housing from my turkey ground blind. This has a saw horse inside that I use to rest the gun. I have a second setup consisting of an old S&K barn on a 4 ft pole 25 yards from my shop window. This is strictly a bait house for HOSP and EUS elimination. I shoot from a Caldwell bag on the windowsill here. Springers can be a challenge, as mentioned above, if you're used to holding a gun tight. For educated birds I employ called and decoys. YouTube links of HOSP or EUS calls through a Bluetooth speaker before the bait house. HOSP - https://youtu.be/dV1PMs0C5Eo, EUS - https://youtu.be/wDMYazLETXU. Decoys are wired dead HOSP and EUS that are kept frozen until needed. Just thought I'd list what I'm doing, as it has allowed shots from a consistent distance, which, combined with a solid rest and good scope, means very few if any misses.