It’s never talked about. Curious if it’s happened to you...yet

[JungleShooter]

Bigragu,

I feel your frustration. I do.

I had one of those moments about a month ago or so. 

(1) I gather my gear, get the guns ready, load up the car = 2 hours

(2) Drive to my "100 yard range" -- a cow farm = 1 hour

(3) Set up my gear, clear debris and plants to make a path for the pellets and slugs = 1 hour

(4) Build "an immersible shark cage" -- in this case, a corral inside the corral -- to keep the slobbering cows off my gear. = 1/2 hour

In the process the cows have dumped over my shooting table half a dozen times. I should have switched steps (3) and (4)....

In the process of running back and forth to the car between chasing cows away, I catch my foot on the fence -- and fall down into the dirt. Face first. Blood and sweat. Now I just need the tears to feel complete. Tears of frustration.



I decide to call it a day.

(5) Drive back home = 1 hour

RESULTS:

5.5 hours of time total

0 (zero) shots fired total

2 bleeding cuts in my face and my wrist

I refuse to calculate the gas wasted (it's expensive in Peru)





There will be better days. Let's also not forget that these days we all are getting a bonus -- of stress.... Because Corona isn't just a virus, it does a lot more damage than just messing with our physical health. Hang in there.

Matthias

 

[Bigragu]

...and that is PCP burn out. Or better yet, Airgun burn out altogether. It hit me today, and hit me hard. I’m currently working on a barrel conversion on my Hercules Bully and things aren’t going like I had hoped it would. Then, to top it off I have a fitting I ordered that leaked right off the gate, and now I need to chase that down for a replacement. It also dawned on me just to set up for an afternoon of target shooting, I end up pulling a lot of stuff out- shooting rest, chronograph, hoses, tank, note pad, magazines, pellet tins, back and forth from bench to target, just all that stuff that goes with it. Then it finally hit me- not fun anymore. 

Oh, and to constantly monitor the guns gages, watching for leaks! Gets old after awhile. You all with the 10 or more pcp guns, I don’t know how you do it.

i May have to get back to tinkering on my dodge diesel to pull away a bit.

I have a 2014 Cummins with a 364.5 xse and supporting mods. It makes 586/1364 on a dynojet. I would much rather work on my airguns, it’s not nearly as expensive. 

My Dodge is a 1993 first gen with the Cummins. All new 60hp injectors, a larger intercooler off of a powerstroke, all intake air pipes larger. So I’ve addressed the fuel along with air flow. A couple of years ago my crankshaft thrust bearing went out and caused excessive freeplay. I had to come in thru the bottom and replace not only the thrust bearing, but all crank bearings along with piston rod bearings while I had it open. Before I bolted things back up, I had my torque converter rebuilt to better guts to handle the added horsepower. 

Shortly after all of that I converted to hydroboost brakes, and the vendor I bought the kit from gave me bogus advice on the install and I connected the rear brake lines and front brake lines opposite of where they were suppose to go. Can you say spinning doughnuts uncontrollably in the middle of an intersection in rush hour traffic, due to the rears locking up? That caused me to park the truck for like 5 years now. Scared the poop out of me, literally. I have to trouble shoot the brake system, and with the fusion I had done to my back I’m struggling to grab a wrench and give it a whirl. Not gonna be easy bleeding brakes when your back is locked up. Maybe this temporary burn out on air guns will give me enough of a break away from them to just tackle this brake fix. I’ll get my son to give me a hand with the crawling under the truck part, lol.

 

[Bigragu]

Jungleshooter, your story of frustration tops mine, and now I realize I have nothing to complain about. Sorry about your very bad day, man.

 

[bubblerboy64]

Does the following makes sense? If you try hard enough you can make anything FUN into work.

It happens to me. I’ve been into three things cars, motorcycles and WATCHES.
I’ve pretty much given up the cars and definitely the motorcycles but i’ve kinda got back into the watches.


My interest has primarily been the Accutron watch any one with similar interest PM me. I think I like watches because like motorcycles and cars they have motors. And I love the complexity of their movements and the beauty of the jewelry. At one time I thought I’d try watchmaking but thought that too tedious.

 

[Houli]

Bigragu, I understand all too well.

Well a couple things come to mind, one, it sounds like you got too much stinkin thinkin going on up there, which happens to us all from time to time.

Two, if you're looking to have a new shooting experience from which to try invigorating oneself may I suggest shooting opposite handed for a complete different experience/feeling. Then there is the good o'l stand by of which you visit a friend and shoot his guns! And if you can't think of any friends then the only alternative I have is for you too contact me as I'm sure to have a couple guns you have yet to shoot and will most likely leave you with a smile on your face! 

Bottom line.....Sometimes we just have too take a break from shooting, even a short break from the forums can be therapeutic.

Cheers

 

[NickNorthGA]

Buy a wood blank and bling something out? I enjoy tinkering and building stuff for my rifles as much as shooting them.

 

[Bigragu]

HOULI- glad you can relate. I think in fact I know the tinkering has a lot to do with it. You mix the yearn to tinker with a touch of OCD, well, bad combo!! I like the tip on shooting opposite handed. Never would’ve thought of that.

NNGA- funny you suggest making a stock. I like working on wood. Structures mainly such as adarondack chairs, decks, and in the last couple years a dock and a bridge on our pond. But after watching the member that goes by THE BANKER build oak stocks for his Avenger gun’s I was thinking of trying my hand at it. 

 

[wyshadow]

I know exactly what you are going through. I spent a lot of money and time shooting and working on my .257 texan that after I couldn't get it to shoot as good as before I plunged a lot on money in to it, I put it away. I then started on a .25 streamline that had a leak I couldn't figure out. After weeks of working on the gun, it's finally fixed and shooting good. I then took out the texan, and saw the tank was empty. I was done for now and brought out my trusty .177 unregulated Huntsman. Everything was bliss and made me want to sell every pellet gun and just keep this simple .177. This is why my Huntsman is my favorite gun to shoot right now. It's not a power house, its not a long distance shooter, it's cheap to shoot, no reg to make you it think twice, it always shoot where you want it to shoot, it's just plain enjoyment.

 

[Odoyle]

Buy guns that don't need any tinkering that already shoot perfect straight outa their boxes especially cheapie unregulated PCPs.

Then go buy yourself a FWB300s and RWS 54 or 56 for your PCP burnt out days. Sure hard to miss what you aim at no excuses with these 3 springers that's 4sure!!! They are so accurate it's like cheating.

 

[Greenarrow]

Well Augie, you have read it all by now but I'll give my remedy on how I deal with aitgun burnout.

I simply change up my shooting.

I will change from paper target to reactive target or vice versa. I'll shoot "low and slow" at closer ranges or even grab low powered (but accurate) air pistols. I'll change from shooting with scopes to shooting with iron sights or red dots. If I'm shooting my pcps I'll grab a spring gun instead.

I get tired of eating a sandwich everyday for lunch so I'll take leftover spaghetti instead of a sandwich. I'll drink tea on occasion instead of coffee.

What I have to do is mix it up some. Make it fresh. Make it light and fun.

Often times I'll grab an empty can from the recycling bin, stuff a finger full of pellets in a shirt pocket and grab a spring gun with iron sights and head out to the yard. I'll toss that can as far as I can then I will cock, load shoot offhand while standing and roll the can around the yard until the pellets are gone and then I'll pick up the can, toss it back in the bin and put the rifle back in the cabinet. Takes all the fuss out of shooting and takes maybe 10 minutes total. I'll do that same situation differ t ways. Right now I have been shooting round scraps of steel (4 of them) set out 50-75 yards. I'll dial the power down on the scope and shoot standing with the rifle rested on trigger sticks. The steel rounds are about 4" and 5". Two days ago I did that with the Royale 400 in 22. Yesterday was the Wildcat in 177. Today was the Streamline in 22.

Sometimes I haven't shot for days. No need to force it. Sometimes in need a break from the forums and I'll do that. I just go go do something different. When the urge comes back I have the guns waiting for me. That's how I've dealt with it anyway. I have found that reaching out to another airgun buddy and just talking airguns (phone, text, email) will help make things exciting again. And IF all that doesn't work to make it fun, I find I end up buying a new air rifle! Ha ha! I'm actually searching for something now to get that fix....

 

[freak-eye]

Sometimes just switch it up and have some carefree fun.Put the pcps and tinkering away and just destroy some dollar store toys.

 

[sillymike]

To me, airguns are a bit like cars/truck

• They serve a purpose
• I don't mind regular maintenance
• Enjoy the odd modifications to make them more suitable for their purpose
• I have enough "issues" to deal with at work... I like trouble-free down time

The truck is a Toyota...

 

[Stefanjan]

I keep it simple (as I can) 3 PCP's a springer, a SSP and 2 multi pumps. I work on them when the mood hits (bad weather usually), and shoot when I have a couple hours to have fun. I have a range setup right off my porch and set up my bench on the porch and enjoy life! When I get board I change up the range. I have invested a bit of money into spinners, silhouette targets (Amazon had the Air Venturi Slynger targets for under $5 a set, so I picked up 4 more sets so I have 20 total!), FT knockdown targets. I also have a target holder that will hold 3 target sheets and I make chalk exploding targets from Plaster of Paris. I only pest with my guns so when the occasional pest wanders into the yard, they are dealt with. I have my granddaughter who comes over to shoot with me a couple times a summer, and some co-workers who come over once in awhile for some shooting. I have an old Crosman 101 that I'm rebuilding and I'm always tinkering with optics, but it is kept at a fun level (and affordable). One of the reason I stopped shooting powder burners was the work and expense it had become.

 

[steve123]

Spring, summer, and fall, are "pellet gun season" for me. I help host a FT match once a month, camp out there and shoot airguns for 3-4 days, then occasionally shoot again for the fun of it during the week. Because I'm around my friends at the camp out/match, it satisfies my need to socialise with like minded people and test my shooting skills. I don't so much enjoy shooting by myself unless I have a gun project going on or am bored.

Come winter, that's my time to shoot my firearms more and to take a break from airguns, though I still get them out once in a while. Fortunately all year around on Wednesdays I'll meet with my old guy friends to shoot at one's shooting range. We make up little light hearted shooting games with all kinds of guns, mostly 22rf rifles and pistols, and have a blast. 

Fixing airguns is NOT my thing at all! It's very draining to me. I dislike shipping them off for repair too, so I tend to stay with only reliable guns. I had a $3000 pcp I was sponsored with that had frustrating problems, and the precision it exhibited wasn't above normal, so I gave it back. That's how much I hate "PROBLEMS"! I sold or returned every one of them throughout the years that didn't cut it, same with any firearms.

Can't afford a bunch of hobbies like I used to be able to do so guns are my default.

 

[SDellinger]

Sometimes just switch it up and have some carefree fun.Put the pcps and tinkering away and just destroy some dollar store toys.

I always enjoy talking on the phone to you about airguns. Hope soon to be able to shoot at your house again. Scott

 

[PerkyVal]

Shooting is a discipline, and with the associated tasks we as airgunners need to perform the whole endeavor sometimes feels too burdensome.

At those times I just step away from it all for a month or until something piques my interest again. I've seen Ted mention "getting his fire back" more than a few times over the years.

One major change I made is I no longer buy anything but the best stuff available, that way the frustration of dealing with junk all the time to save some money doesnt constantly poison the fun. 

 

[SDellinger]

Well Augie, you have read it all by now but I'll give my remedy on how I deal with aitgun burnout.

I simply change up my shooting.

I will change from paper target to reactive target or vice versa. I'll shoot "low and slow" at closer ranges or even grab low powered (but accurate) air pistols. I'll change from shooting with scopes to shooting with iron sights or red dots. If I'm shooting my pcps I'll grab a spring gun instead.

I get tired of eating a sandwich everyday for lunch so I'll take leftover spaghetti instead of a sandwich. I'll drink tea on occasion instead of coffee.

What I have to do is mix it up some. Make it fresh. Make it light and fun.

Often times I'll grab an empty can from the recycling bin, stuff a finger full of pellets in a shirt pocket and grab a spring gun with iron sights and head out to the yard. I'll toss that can as far as I can then I will cock, load shoot offhand while standing and roll the can around the yard until the pellets are gone and then I'll pick up the can, toss it back in the bin and put the rifle back in the cabinet. Takes all the fuss out of shooting and takes maybe 10 minutes total. I'll do that same situation differ t ways. Right now I have been shooting round scraps of steel (4 of them) set out 50-75 yards. I'll dial the power down on the scope and shoot standing with the rifle rested on trigger sticks. The steel rounds are about 4" and 5". Two days ago I did that with the Royale 400 in 22. Yesterday was the Wildcat in 177. Today was the Streamline in 22.

Sometimes I haven't shot for days. No need to force it. Sometimes in need a break from the forums and I'll do that. I just go go do something different. When the urge comes back I have the guns waiting for me. That's how I've dealt with it anyway. I have found that reaching out to another airgun buddy and just talking airguns (phone, text, email) will help make things exciting again. And IF all that doesn't work to make it fun, I find I end up buying a new air rifle! Ha ha! I'm actually searching for something now to get that fix....

I always enjoy talking on the phone with you about airguns. Hope to be able to shoot at your house with your great family and eating your wife's chocolate chip cookies. Scott

 

[ctshooter]

Why would you need all that for an afternoon of target shooting. Fill up your gun, grab some pellets, set up some cans, and go stand in your yard and shoot. Sounds like you are taking all the fun out of it.

Maybe that’s the problem, lol, as I’ve taken this like way above the levels of shooting tin cans. Standing up to shoot is not a luxury I have, due to a 50% fused spine and a lower leg I can’t feel. Pain has a way of making fun things seem like a chore. Yeah, I just need to take a break for awhile. 

When I target shoot some days(like today) I’m also testing velocities with different gun settings and ammo. Today just wasn’t a good day. I hope you all don’t reach this point.

I have some back issues - but nothing like yours. I deal with the pain daily and it can be debilitating especially if you're just having a bad day. Sometimes I'm just exhausted from a few crazy long work days and I literally just don't want to shoot or work on anything.

I've made the mistake of making a hobby into more of a job when I was into flashlights as a hobby and starting building parts and modifying lights for people. It almost ruined the hobby for me. I don't plan to let that happen to airgunning. 

My best suggestion for today - walk away and do something else - rather than let it grind on you. 

 

[bandg]

Many said it well. I have several "high end" PCP's and routinely take my LGU out to plink around. I have targets hanging in trees and some at various distances on the ground. I shoot when still and when windy, warm and cool. Something nice about not having any concern about air level, just sit and shoot as long as pellets are there. I've even started taking a cup of coffee out when I take a gun out and sitting in the chair enjoying the outside even when not shooting.

 

[r1lover]

Bigragu,

Got any kids in the family who'd like to learn to shoot or are ready to graduate to a more adult air gun that their Daisy? Buy a kid his/her first gun (with parent/guardian written permission) or buy them a better gun, teach them to shoot and relive your youth vicariously through them.

BTW, you might ought to have kept those springers for days like this.