First target shooting with Vulcan

"Zoey"Wow! How in the world do you guys learn all of this?

I tried some off-hand shooting today only to realize that the gun, with all of its accoutrements, is FAR too heavy to steady. If I can't consistently hit a dime while standing, I certainly won't be doing it when shooting vermin.

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Trail and error, lots of practice and sharing information with others. In a competitive environment the later can be difficult as some think that if they share a "secret" they will lose an advantage they have. This may or may not be true. Others will look at it as let the best shooter win, let all the information out there and see who can use it the best.

Its like a lot of people look at bench rest say things like "that's not real marksmanship" or other disparaging comments. If it was so easy as they would make it out to be, everyone would stop competing as it would always end up a tie with perfect score vs perfect score. The reality is bench rest shooting takes a lot of skills, come up short on any one, and you lost that match.

Off hand shooting is not easy. Get on YouTube are start watching the 10m air rifle competition video's. Research skeletal hold. The weight of the rifle has a part to play, but the balance of that weight is most important. Too much in the barrel or butt makes for a VERY shaking rifle regardless of how well you can hold it. The idea is to have it balance on your supporting hand then to steady it with your grip/shoulder/cheek weld. Personally I like butt heavy guns for off hand so that my supporting hand is under my gripping/trigger hand but I'm pretty unique in that.

Our range is mainly set up for pistols as well. Same narrow plastic bench set 42" high. Now I need a seat of some kind to get my shoulder around 50" high to use front bench bag. Then my shots should look better with the Striker 1000x. Let alone the Crosman 160 on Co2.

I use a Mapex drummer's thrown. VERY tough construction, think padding and heavy. Pretty adjustable for height. I got one off Amazon for <$90.

Might have to look into something like that. Haven't got the time to look till I get back from pre-surgery ed class in a lil while.

Zoey,how many shots at each target. A lot of them looks like one little hole.

There's nothing better than a little range time to yourself. Adjustable drummer/musicians stools are popular.

I shoot at a full KZ(1.5 inches) crosman zombie shoot to reset target off hand at 40yds for my off hand practice. When I started shooting I was averaging 2-3 hits out of 10, 4 on a good day,. After three months of intermittent practice I can hit 6/10 with confidence, 7/10 when doing well.

Just keep practicing and you will see improvement.

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​This is the same useless, pistol-oriented bench we have. With triangular flags sticking out of right-side wall with foot markings on'em. I need something comfortable to sit on that raises me up to use front bench bag. Has to be light & portable, as gun cases, range bag, etc are already a lot of weight & bulky to carry.

Until you have a stable rest to shoot from, testing is not going to be to definitive. Something I have seen and not sure just how impactful it is, but I have squeezed off a shot "at the same time" as a AR shooting a 308 next to me and have the pellets drift away from the blast. I suspect that it was pushed by the muzzle blast. I know if I have a PB with a lot of blast it effects my POA as it jars the rest/bags, I think its the sand moving with the blasts.

"Zoey"I'll tell you, going to the range is becoming more like packing a bag for an overnight trip. E.G. gun case, air tank, fill whip, EDC bag, benchrest.....I'm going to need one of those bellhop trolley's you see in hotels just to bring in all of my junk.

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LOL, why do you think I LOVE that EdGun mini chrono so much. I got one of these... https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00OMM38TC/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o08_s01?ie=UTF8&psc=1 If you have a CostCo near by check there as they are cheaper there than Amazon.

I lug around... with the wagon I can make it in one trip

• Large plastic box with lots and lots of little things, plus my front rest, rear bag
• Mapex drummer's thrown
• 100cuft tank
• RAW BM500x
• Thomas
• Stands for my read bag and front rest to elevate them

I get the same when I'm shooting the Thomas. 

Is that a rail gun?
Is that one of those "F" type guns?
How much does the CO2 cost?
But how do you shoot it for real?
So where is the firing pin?

My range bag too has a lot of stuff in it. Tripod bag, camera (when used), hearing protection, front & rear bench bags, cleaning kit, lube, Co2 cartridges & the like in the little clip pouches in the zip-out bags on either side, two per clip pouch. Both boxes of Straight Shooters .177 pellet samples for the Winchester, several tins of .22 cal pellets, Various batteries for chronograph & headset, instruction manuals, everything I could need while shooting. Then one and two gun cases, depending on if I take one or both of the .22's. Then I need a slightly longer case for the Winchester, so that'll be three cases piled up in my little man cave. I bought a folding dolly from a local office supply that I'll likely use with bungee chords to haul the gun case & range bag in from the parking lot, about a 200' walk just to the front door. Once I get hip surgery 3/20, it'll be a few months before I can work with all the weight, let alone walking as much as normal. Gotta rehab for several months with exorcises & such. I hope they have wheel chairs or the like at the ODNR place at meeting time 3/4. Gonna be rough if they don't & the folding wheel chair I was measured for weeks ago ain't here yet? Ah, the pressures of getting old.
​While I was at the range last Saturday, the range master, another old guy, Smiled big between shots when he spoke to me about how weird it was, the way I had to load & fire " that thing". He said he'd never seen anything like that before. So I briefly explained how the rifle (Hatsan) worked, and how it's loaded. Besides muzzle velocity & such. The guy in lane 1 (I was in lane 8 of 9) with the AR was making shock waves from the muzzle blasts. The range master watched me for a good little while. Then started talking to AR guy, young, skinny fella that looked recent military to me? He gave me a snotty sorta grin when range master refers to my rifle as a " BB gun" when talking to him. I was a little miffed at that remark...but most folks don't know they aren't BB guns anymore. Even though I'd explained all that, showed/explained the pellets, etc at the front desk. I must of been the first to call &/or show up with air rifles?