How do I start out...

[VINNY]

I was talking to a guy that is really into airguns.  I told him that I wanted to shoot standing, with no support.I want to make sure the rifles are zeroed in by shooting off a rest first, but your not supposed to shoot springers off a rest.He told me to zero it like I was gonna shoot it.Freehand.My question is, I KNOW I suck, so if I try doing it free hand, how do I know the rifle is shooting straight and its just me, and not a combination of both? I want to know that the rifle is not at all to blame and I can just work on my lack of shooting skill with a springer.  Give me a "real" rifle, or a pump airgun  and I can hit whatever you can piont at.I also dont like to use scopes, but on a couple of my rifles, I dont have a choice.When I got my first springer, I went out to shoot it and was very not impressed with myself.I went in and grabbed my old Crosman Powermaster and was hitting everything.Thats when I started reading everything I could find and found out about hold sensitivity.I know I must practice, but I want to know that the rifle is shooting straight and work on my problems.

[London177]

Hi Vinny,
I don't know if I am doing anything wrong but I zero'd my two springers from a "rest" using a soft cushion as a support on top of a table and did my best to keep the rifle in the same place for each shot, difficult I know when one has to break the barrel to re-load but it seems to work for me. I am sure more experienced shooters on the GTA will have a better idea than I.
Good luck,
Alan

[PeakChick]

Vinny, I sight in all my air rifles from an informal rest. Rifle cupped or laying in my off hand palm on an inexpensive rest with a folded towel on it, buttpad unsupported on my shoulder, elbows on the bench. I get good results this way and then check how the rifle shoots offhand.

[Bad Dog]

Vinny,

I zero mine on the bench rest bag, positioned just in from of the trigger guard. Then when I stand
or kneel to shoot, I position my left hand in the same spot, just in front of the trigger guard. Seems
to work fine for me. I'm almost as accurate standing... but it really shows me how well I'm holding and
my trigger control.

[mikeiniowa]

You can try shooting a twenty round group at a target, where do most of the pellets group? Make sure you hold the gun the same everytime, move the sights to where you think it will hit the mark, shoot another twenty shots, if the group is on the mark you have it, if not redo moving the sights and reshoot until you have it where you want it......

[VINNY]

Thank you all for the advice.That all makes sense.I want to eliminate all doubt with the gun and start working on me.I just want to do it right. [ I wish it would stop raining!] This forum is awesome!!

[Gene_SC]

Vinny, you have to learn to crawl before you can walk..  They are giving you sound advice. Start with a stable position which ever it may be, but most of us start out using a bench rest and expand from there..

Best of luck

Gene

[gamo2hammerli]

As everyone mentioned above....I use a rest....actually the back of a chair that I sit on....elbow on the edge and sight in the gun.  After that I shoot standing free-hand....which really shows how bad of a shooter I am. :p   Just have to shoot more to hone the skills.

[biscuitg]

I'm not saying you have to go this far by any means, but I just built a cool little rest for my rifle...It has taken all of the human error out for when I'm zeroing in a new scope...pretty fun stuff...I made it for $3, and an old nightstand, adjusts to different heights, and I barely even have to hold the rifle...It almost shoots itself for zeroing!!  Good luck and have fun!

[Machinist]

Vinny:  

I have not seen a rifle that was not more accurate than the shooter provided the muzzle end of the bore was "square" and burr free and using bullets or pellets of consistent quality.   I was never able to attain any respectable degree of accuracy with a springer until I put my ego away.  

Mike