Getting out of Air Rifles

Jump to latest Follow Reply
EagleEyes said:
I have to say it was first, the novelty, then the challenge
Click to expand...
@EagleEyes In what challenging aspects did/do you specifically find enjoyment? Reading wind? Shooting out at longer distances? Testing and pushing the capabilities of a specific rifle? Tuning your rifle(s) to your liking? Shooting with friends and engaging in friendly competition?
 
Last edited:
Upvote 0
EagleEyes said:
Problem is I don't consider myself an average shooter. On 22LR with 500 max points I come in top 5 out of 30+ and between 498 to 496. And I shoot a CZ457 not a Voodoo or Anschutz, by comparison I should be at least top half but not the case in air rifle.
At first it was the challenge but now I think I enjoy rimfire and centerfire more?
Click to expand...

I had a 1st gen Impact that was a major frustration as well. It took sending it back to get fixed a couple times and finally some special attention/fixing/tuning from a friend to get it running okay. In the end I didn't like the gun that well so I sold it.

You and I are probably similar because we don't like tuning or retuning our guns. We somewhat expect a easier outcome since we come from the firearms background where often it's just a matter of using a decent lot number of ammo. Largely these airguns can't compete with a good 22rf using higher quality match ammo in, lack of POI shifts, or in the wind, but precision wise as well.

On the other hand I've "had/do have" some very reliable and precise airguns. The trick is to accept them for what they are and call it good. They'll never be a firearm. However I would be dishonest if I said I hadn't had problems with quite a few firearms too that needed things like glass bedding, trigger jobs, working up a load, etc.

All that being said I'm probably going to sell my Daystate Redwolf to buy 3 cases of 22rf ammo because I like shooting my Anschutz more.
 
Upvote 0
Ezana4CE said:
@EagleEyes In what challenging aspects did/do you specifically find enjoyment? Reading wind? Shooting out at longer distances? Testing and pushing the capabilities of a specific rifle? Tuning your rifle(s) to your liking? Shooting with friends and engaging in friendly competition?
Click to expand...
Shooting with friends in a collaborative competition.
 
Upvote 0
Don’t give up!, airguns can be very frustrating, trust me I know!
I shoot short range 25m USARB not many shoot this anymore and I’ve struggled severely the last two hrs. I’ve tried every trick in the book and every fad that comes around ( tuner’s, wash, lube, weigh pellets different rests and positioning on the rest, different styles of flags and wind probes etc.) but I have shot good scores in the past so I know I can again.
Shorten your game, have some fun, don’t worry so much about YouTube group’s there alway great, every gun is the best, they are all experts on everything…
Main thing is be a little easier on yourself and enjoy the sport.
 
  • Like
Reactions: L.Leon
Upvote 0
EagleEyes said:
So I am toying with moving away from air rifles.
After spending a good amount of money I am getting frustrated with the results. Love the challenge but wow, I get beaten every time. Frustrating to say the least.
Went top of the line but even that, FX, has let me down, too much tweaking.
Someone want to talk me off the ledge?
Click to expand...
Get a early Cricket or Vulcan, both are super quite and will stack pellets. High shot count per fill. I have both for years and they still amaze me how accurate and silent they are.
 
Upvote 0
I had no choice when I got into airguns. I would not have been able to shoot a PB where I lived. I moved to 477 acres and shot powder burners all I wanted, then again to 3.6 acres, so it's back to airguns. I have 2 safes full of PB's that I haven' shot in almost 5 years. If you can shoot PB's and enjoy it more, sell the airguns and do it.
 
  • Love
Reactions: ThomasT
Upvote 0
igolfat8 said:
I've shot this challenge with several different air guns with scores from 196-200. My $300 Avenger will shoot 198 scores very consistently. My RAW will shoot a perfect 200 score for a mere $1600 more money. Is it worth $1600 for 2 points? That is best answered in the eye of the beholder.
Click to expand...
This is wisdom, so well said it was worth quoting.
 
Upvote 0
I don't know if this applies to you or anyone else. When I have bought a inexpensive or even medium priced airgun and it shoots nice. I am tickled. However if I read hype about how the new rifle that costs 3000 bucks stacks pellets from shooting on the moon, then I get is and it is no better than a gun half the price. I get bummed. It' easy to listen to hype. Maybe this dosnt apply
 
  • Like
Reactions: ThomasT
Upvote 0
You drank the Kool-Aid right off the boat.... Who said FX is top of the line? They are the top of the marketing game, I'll say that much.

Get a different gun and give it another go. I've had all kinds of air rifles over the years, and an FX this day in age would be my last choice.

Airgun Technology, Taipan. Kalibrgun. RAW, Daystate on and on and on......
 
  • Like
Reactions: Uglyjohn and cavedweller
Upvote 0
Hello look at what you want to do with the airgun and what you want the airgun to do. Then find a good vendor like Georga Airguns tell him what you want, and let him set it up then all you have to do is just shoot it. I do not tinker with any of my guns I tell the vender what I want it to do, and what ammo I plan to shoot, and have them do the work for me. This method may not be very satisfying for some but for me it work. At the end of the day things should be fun, so do what makes you happy, tomorrow is not guaranteed, have fun while you can so many of my friend kicked the can down the road and know some are sick, blind or suffering from dementia and not enjoying there retirement or free time. Eric
 
Upvote 0
I would not give up yet. As many others here have said there ar more ways to “air gun” than tweaking.
There are advantages to tuning, not necessarily tweaking.
I started out wanting to tweak so bought an FX Maverick. Learning to tune has been very frustrating and I still have plenty to learn. I have torn both my Mavericks down to just parts and back together again. However, now that I have found tunes that work for me I never touch them. They come out of the safe and I go shoot. Contrary to what others claim the tune has not changed all by itself and the guns remain zeroed.
Tuning ain’t for everybody and there are plenty of quality air guns available that you don’t have to tune.
Some here have pointed out that YouTube and the net can leave you believing air guns are easy. I don’t believe anyone gets what the videos show us all the time. You are watching highlight reels that have all the trials and tribulations omitted. I had to learn that the hard way and I have moved away from wanting the super high velocity slug shooting monster of the range. I will always (maybe) have a slug shooter but my favorite is my pellet shooter, accurate and lethal at my preferred ranges for hunting and target shooting.
Hope you stick it out. Air gunning has been a great pastime for my wife and I.
 
Upvote 0
I agree with bkyrdsnpr , Get an older Cricket & don't look back. Bought a new 25 Cricket from Charlie @ Georgia Airguns years ago. After unpacking it, adding a scope and sighting in, I swear I never so much as turned a screw on that AG or even replaced a single oring in thousands of shots. Hunted hard with it too. Many woodchucks within 50 yards & plenty of feral pigeons out to 100 yards reliably. It literally stacks pellets at 50 yards. And came out of the box shooting hot (25 grainers @ 955fps) Never touched a single adjustment. By far the most accurate AG I own, and %100 trouble free. Sorry to hear your having drama w/FX. My buddy tried, but fell out of love with them as well. Pick up a used Cricket for under 1K and have a ball..
 
Upvote 0
I’ve shot competitively out to 1000 yards and enjoyed it a lot until I didn’t. I still shoot some of those rifles just to keep in practice and have some fun. I got into air guns more or less seriously a couple of years ago and am having a ball. I bought a couple of break barrels that can split cards and I finally got a Beeman set up for competition but not too serious or expensive. I’m into this rifle for less than $400 and get 1/2 inch groups shooting freehand consistently. I realized quickly that this isn’t a .308 and doesn’t shoot like one so I don’t expect it to and am much happier. Shoot the airgun within its limits and don’t expect it to perform like a rim fire or other powder burner. Shoot for fun and the rest will follow naturally.

Rick H.
 
  • Like
Reactions: L.Leon
Upvote 0
I’ll take another approach. Maybe it’s the shooter. I have proven to many shooters complaining that I shoot better than them because I have a more expensive rifle than them. I prove them wrong by shooting their rifle and comparing groups and prove that it is in reality something they are doing Wrong. I even have friends who ask me to shoot their guns in for them because they just don’t shoot well. You can throw any amount of money in a gun but if you don’t have good breathing control, trigger control And can see the target clearly (good glass) you aren’t going to shoot well. Then there is the wind to cope with that all air guns have to deal with. In my area (PA) there seems to be more windy days than still days. If your trying to shoot out at 100 yards or more you need good quality glass. Rule of thumb with target shooters is to put more money in your scope than the gun if you are to be competitive. Sorry if I offend anyone.
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top Bottom
Back
Home
Forums
Resources
Menu