30-Yard Challenge

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We had gusts 30-40 mph last week for several days. I wasn't doing much shooting and definitely not 30 yard challenge targets. I'm waiting around now for the wind to get to the minimum around 7pm tonight. When I shoot in the wind, I try to watch my flags and adjust but my adjustments are very iffy. Sometimes I guess well but many times I would probably be better off just to ignore the wind and shoot for the bull. Even when the wind is low it seems to move my pellets a little. I try to watch the POI and not adjust my aim point unless I see at least 2 in a row go the same direction by about the same magnitude. Means at least a couple errant shots if the wind shifts and I don't see it but I've messed up lots of times changing my POA based upon a sing shot's POI. My rule, which I am not great at following, is that if I am in doubt, I shoot for the bullseye.
 
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JimD said:
We had gusts 30-40 mph last week for several days. I wasn't doing much shooting and definitely not 30 yard challenge targets. I'm waiting around now for the wind to get to the minimum around 7pm tonight. When I shoot in the wind, I try to watch my flags and adjust but my adjustments are very iffy. Sometimes I guess well but many times I would probably be better off just to ignore the wind and shoot for the bull. Even when the wind is low it seems to move my pellets a little. I try to watch the POI and not adjust my aim point unless I see at least 2 in a row go the same direction by about the same magnitude. Means at least a couple errant shots if the wind shifts and I don't see it but I've messed up lots of times changing my POA based upon a sing shot's POI. My rule, which I am not great at following, is that if I am in doubt, I shoot for the bullseye.
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". My rule, which I am not great at following, is that if I am in doubt, I shoot for the bullseye." what are you aiming at if not the bullseye every time ?
 
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I think you are joking but if I try to shoot in significant wind I sometimes hold off a little to account for the wind drift. Sometimes that helps but I think other times it may hurt. So if I'm not sure, I just forget holding off and aim for the center.

Today I waited until 6:30p, not really no wind but low wind. Officially they said we had 8mph winds today but it gets quieter shortly before dark. Knowing the wind was low I looked at the flags some but just shot for the bullseye. Shot my best target with my less than 2 week old Caiman, a 197 12X. It's essentially equivalent to my best so far this year but technically the P35-22 got one more X. Anyway, I'd like this to replace the 194 on the leader board. I was using my Arken EPL-4 6-24 set at 24X. I was shooting H&N Baracuda 18s (straight from the tin and through the magazines) and sending them at an average of 884 fps. Interestingly I shot with everything the same yesterday except the speed was about 860 and I shot a 191. I don't think that was all the speed difference but some of it might be. I'll probably try going a little slower next. I've wanted to shoot 875 but I've had trouble getting the hammer spring set to exactly that. It's a pivoting hammer and very touchy. My ES's have improved but they varied over 25 fps (that's less than half what it was varying when I got it) on this target so messing with the hammer and firing a few shots can give me a mis-impression of where it's set. Anyway, it's nice to get the new gun shooting pretty well. It's also nice to have a gun that likes $8/tin pellets. I tried JSB 18s in my initial screening but they were from a sample tin. I just got delivery of a "real tin" and will try them again. I don't want them to beat out the Baracudas but I also want to know what the gun really prefers.

Caiman X 197 12X.jpg
 
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Baldone said:
Taipan vet standard 22 very windy

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Welcome to the group! Shooting well on these targets is a lot more difficult than it would seem to be. For your first try on a windy day your card wasn't that bad. Shooting more cards will allow you to get a better feeling for how your rifle shoots in the different wind conditions and what it and you are capable of. I think I shot 10 or 12 cards before I could get in the 190's regularly. I've lost count of how many I have shot now - using at least 6 different rifle, scope, and pellet combinations. Found a couple that really work well and have honed those in pretty well.
I think Ed holds the record for the most top scores with the most different rifles. Marvin uses his Thomas to killer effect and seems to be able to clean just about any target. Some Taipan Vets have been really good shooters. So I think you will enjoy this.
Cheers,
Greg
 
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JimD said:
I think you are joking but if I try to shoot in significant wind I sometimes hold off a little to account for the wind drift. Sometimes that helps but I think other times it may hurt. So if I'm not sure, I just forget holding off and aim for the center.

Today I waited until 6:30p, not really no wind but low wind. Officially they said we had 8mph winds today but it gets quieter shortly before dark. Knowing the wind was low I looked at the flags some but just shot for the bullseye. Shot my best target with my less than 2 week old Caiman, a 197 12X. It's essentially equivalent to my best so far this year but technically the P35-22 got one more X. Anyway, I'd like this to replace the 194 on the leader board. I was using my Arken EPL-4 6-24 set at 24X. I was shooting H&N Baracuda 18s (straight from the tin and through the magazines) and sending them at an average of 884 fps. Interestingly I shot with everything the same yesterday except the speed was about 860 and I shot a 191. I don't think that was all the speed difference but some of it might be. I'll probably try going a little slower next. I've wanted to shoot 875 but I've had trouble getting the hammer spring set to exactly that. It's a pivoting hammer and very touchy. My ES's have improved but they varied over 25 fps (that's less than half what it was varying when I got it) on this target so messing with the hammer and firing a few shots can give me a mis-impression of where it's set. Anyway, it's nice to get the new gun shooting pretty well. It's also nice to have a gun that likes $8/tin pellets. I tried JSB 18s in my initial screening but they were from a sample tin. I just got delivery of a "real tin" and will try them again. I don't want them to beat out the Baracudas but I also want to know what the gun really prefers.

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Nice shooting Jim.
 
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skeeekerz said:
Could someone explain in a few words the difference between challenge and masters? Haven't followed along and there'd be quite a few pages to search😅
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Brenton,

The harder to shoot targets are the Masters 30y and 40y targets. The reason is because every bull counts vs. the “Challenge targets,” which allow for two pairs of bulls you can throw away and will not count towards your score.

A good way to begin is to try shooting different rifles and pellets at 30y, while you are improving your accuracy.

Tom
 
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Looks great for a start with a new rifle shooting Crosmans. There was a time when I lot of us were trying to see how high a score we could get with Crosmans. I don't think anybody ever shot a 200 but I'm pretty sure there were some 190s. My frustration with them is they can vary dramatically tin to tin. I haven't tried the new ones yet.

If you haven't tried H&Ns and JSBs yet (or a JSB made pellet like a FX) I would. My only 177 is a P35 and it really likes H&N Baracuda Match which are similar in weight. I shot a decent score or two with Crosmans but then ordered two more tins and they were very bad. The H&Ns are consistently good for me. JSB 10.5s are pretty good in my gun but not as good as the H&Ns. I don't see your velocity. If it is upper 800s or more I would stick with these relatively heavy 177 pellets if you can find one that shoots really well.

My biggest limitation at the start was not the gun or the pellet, it was me. I found it took awhile to develop good technique for shooting from the bench. I still have plenty of room to improve but my scores have gone up.
 
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JimD said:
Looks great for a start with a new rifle shooting Crosmans. There was a time when I lot of us were trying to see how high a score we could get with Crosmans. I don't think anybody ever shot a 200 but I'm pretty sure there were some 190s. My frustration with them is they can vary dramatically tin to tin. I haven't tried the new ones yet.

If you haven't tried H&Ns and JSBs yet (or a JSB made pellet like a FX) I would. My only 177 is a P35 and it really likes H&N Baracuda Match which are similar in weight. I shot a decent score or two with Crosmans but then ordered two more tins and they were very bad. The H&Ns are consistently good for me. JSB 10.5s are pretty good in my gun but not as good as the H&Ns. I don't see your velocity. If it is upper 800s or more I would stick with these relatively heavy 177 pellets if you can find one that shoots really well.

My biggest limitation at the start was not the gun or the pellet, it was me. I found it took awhile to develop good technique for shooting from the bench. I still have plenty of room to improve but my scores have gone up.
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i have some Field Target Match's and Barracudas , have not gotten to them yet . New scope too so fiddling with it .
i have always liked the premier hp and most of my rifles have shot them well .

It was very windy , and i want a real world hunting range with it .

Just tried again , wind was worse , 15 to 20 steady . Windy here a lot , waiting on dead air isnt in my nature , so had to see what the lil .177 could do . I did not miff any of these shots , all had good holds and my trigger is pretty perfect for me .

Dont have chrono , cept old 33 that needs 10 foot spacing , lol , so dont know my fps. It is not regulated and FAC model so guessing right near 900 or so . Feels that way and it hits very hard for a tiny .177

i would not take a shot in higher winds , so this was a good test tonight .

Gun felt great , scope is excellent but not nuff power for precision at distance (2-12 ) , and i feel this is exactly what it will do in hunting situations ane im actually super happy with it .

Feel in no wind , if i went through the pellets and sorted for best ones ( bought 20 tins of them , all consistent in this gun ) , she could get real real close to 200

She is shooting tighter and bolt is loosening up as i run pellets through it .
0E069EB8-180A-46EC-BA24-BCB4C31612DB.jpeg

Realize 170 is not very impressive , but i would bet not many shoot this challenge in 20 mph winds , maybe im wrong , and someone will chime in .

I have noticed a peculiarity with this gun. if I switch pellets , The first dozen shots are crazy wild. if I run two or three magazines through it, it will settle down. going back to the first pallet the problem persists and the accuracy goes to poop for two or three magazines before it comes back.

I have a tin of Air Arms pellets also and the gun just refused to shoot them decently at all I clean the barrel after using them and the barrel was filthy.

I ran a tin of the Premier hollow points through it the bore was spotless.


been a long time since I shot a pellet gun is this normal???
 
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Jetdro said:
New rifle, windy day, believe i can do much better, BUT, it is what it was................lol AA S410 TDR .177 Crossman Premier ($6.99)

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“Crazy Crosmans” are a Challenge , lol

The .22 Crosman Premier Domes and HPs were more “challenging” than the Crosman Premier Domes in .177.

My Weihrauch HW110 .22 shot a high of 195 with the Crosman Premier Domes 14.3g last year. I think someone else - maybe TommyB - posted a higher score with them.

My Umarex Gauntlet .177 loves the Crosman 10.5 domes. On June 22nd last year I shot
198 14X
196 10X
197 11X

Back to back to back with the Crosmans - using a Sightron SII 36x target scope on the $195 Gauntlet, lol. At that point I had a bourbon. But I shot 3 more cards on June 30th with same setup and they were 193-196-190, so it’s repeatable.

The .22 14.3g just never seem as consistent as Crosman’s .177 Premier pellet.

-Ed
 
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They seem to be individuals but I think it is not at all unusual for a gun to take awhile to settle down when you switch pellets. Mine don't seem to which is convenient. How often they need to cleaned is also pretty variable. An air arms should have a good smooth barrel which should translate into less frequent need for cleaning. But I think you kind of have to let the gun tell you what it wants. If accuracy drops off, it is reasonable to clean and see if it helps.

I agree that shooting in the wind is a lot different. I use wind flags that I make mainly from old political signs. Election signs. I use one of the long wires from the side for the vertical and then pieces of the wire into a small wooden block that pivots on the vertical and then a rectangular piece of the actual sign on one end of a couple horizontal pieces coming out of the pivoting wood block and a round styrofoam ball on the other end with the half it painted red. I put a flag of a strip of caution tape on the rear corner of the rectangular block. Crude but cheap and helpful. There are commercial wind flags as cheap as about $20. Some people just put a stick or piece of wire in the ground with a strip of light plastic (like my caution tape) on top. Best to put one fairly close to the shooter (maybe 10-15 feet out) and at least one more closer to the target.

I don't normally shoot in 20 mph winds. I think the official wind speed was about 10 mph the last two targets I shot and I shot them close to dusk when the wind was less. I think the best I've done in something like 20 mph winds was about a 185. I'm trying to figure out the best tune (or speed) for H&N Baracuda 18s from my AirMaks Caiman so I'm trying to shoot in low wind to reduce that effect on my scores. But it is also very reasonable to practice shooting in the wind.

I used to have a "Shooting Chrony" chronograph but I shot it one too many times. I now use inexpensive chinese made chronys now which cost about $20. Seem to be accurate enough for tuning a PCP. There is a model that clamps to the barrel (and I have one) and another that mounts to a tripod. I prefer the tripod model because I find the clamp on can affect my POI. Alibaba or Amazon are sources. Amazon didn't used to have the tripod model but may now. These little things come with rechargeable batteries and never seem to miss a shot. Very useful.

I shot a 195 9X a few minutes ago - in very light wind. My average velocity was just over 880 fps about 5 fps lower than yesterdays 197. Those scores are too close for me to definitively say the slightly lower velocity was worse. I will go down at least once more and then try and decide where I want to be. Might try JSB 18s too. Still would like to see a 875 fps average. I've shot some 855 fps or so targets and they were not better. So I may end up going back around 885 fps.
 
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EPG said:
Hey, you hit 7X in the wind… the X is 4/100 of an inch.

Keep shooting the Challenge - especially in the wind - you will get better fast shooting this target.
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Thanks man , im real happy with the gun . Whole point was it breaks down into a backpack , did not honestly expect it to shoot as well as it does .

Learning the gun and the pellets . This target is a good one , but my scope hairs are thick nuff to obsure the bull a bit .

I shot the $$ Field Target Trophy tonight , there were more "bad" pellets in it than the 6 buck tin of the Premier HP's.
Meaning hard to push in with the bolt

When they go in like glass , they SHOOT GREAT , little tighter than the HP's. When they are notchy going in , and there are like 1 out of 15 that are , they shoot well of POI!!!
I cringed when i shot 5 shot groups as one would chamber hard , and sure nuff ruin a one hole group . 5 5 shot groups with them produced 4 one ragged hole groups and one with a flyer that was stiff chambering.

Tonight , 29 yards, with just 18 dollar Amazon bipod .....im happy with it for hunting and plinking

044F1D00-E8A2-47DE-A086-1C1FEB3FB871.jpeg
 
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