Shooting a Springer...for Dummies

Or you can still use a standard bag style free recoil.

Cz Free recoil
Dale,

Really enjoy watching your videos. However, I haven't come across one the describes the contraption that the shooting bag sits upon...

Is that your design? The "sled" allows the rifle to freely recoil by sliding towards your shoulder? It looks like the spring compresses and then the rifle and bag return to the same position?

Tried to find your "sled" on the internet, but had no luck.
 
@boscoebrea ,
Yes having the forearm resting on your palm with your knuckles resting on the bag adds another level of compliance for movement during the shot cycle. The forearm is much freer to roll the skin around your hand as the frame jumps during firing.

And the best position for the offhand rest can vary from gun to gun, and seems to be a part of the tuning process for rested shooting with a springer.

Some of my springers, like the tx200, can be rested directly on the bag, but others do better putting my off hand palm up on top of the bag.

Once I made a small cylinder from a rolled up piece of anti-fatigue mat with a zip tie on each side to hold it into shape kind of like the way you bundle a sleeping bag. It was about 4 in in diameter and I experimented by resting the forearm on top of it so that the rifle could easily roll forwards and backwards during the shot cycle but my results weren't so good. Maybe the linear sled works better.

I can hold my crosshairs much steadier when I can fold my off hand back to my dominant shoulder to support and steady the butt, while leaving the forearm rested on a bag or bipod. But then I lose that special off hand rest and the p o i will change.
 
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Dale,

Really enjoy watching your videos. However, I haven't come across one the describes the contraption that the shooting bag sits upon...

Is that your design? The "sled" allows the rifle to freely recoil by sliding towards your shoulder? It looks like the spring compresses and then the rifle and bag return to the same position?

Tried to find your "sled" on the internet, but had no luck.

Yes, this is a one off design. It is a variation on spring dampener rests that have been around for years. Hyskore's has a version.
 
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I have tried to rest the gun on my palm on my shooting bag. I get to much heart beat movement when I do. This is what I came up with. My 20 year old duct taped phone book rest, leather bag and a piece of flannel cloth.

Cheers
Zut

Shooting Rest HW35.jpg
 
The only adaption I have made from rimfire benchrest is using a roll of towels on top of the front bag. It is much like Zut. I balance the TX200 on it and use the rear bag to steady.

We can all join in the 30 yard benchrest challenge her a Airgun Nation and compare how it works for us. I am in it now. It is great fun. There is a springer class there.
 
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The only adaption I have made from rimfire benchrest is using a roll of towels on top of the front bag. It is much like Zut. I balance the TX200 on it and use the rear bag to steady.

We can all join in the 30 yard benchrest challenge her a Airgun Nation and compare how it works for us. I am in it now. It is great fun. There is a springer class there.
Drpietrzak, thanks for the tip on the 30 yard challenge. I need to print some targets!

Cheers
Zut
 
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The only adaption I have made from rimfire benchrest is using a roll of towels on top of the front bag. It is much like Zut. I balance the TX200 on it and use the rear bag to steady.

We can all join in the 30 yard benchrest challenge her a Airgun Nation and compare how it works for us. I am in it now. It is great fun. There is a springer class there.
I looked but didn't find it. Can you post a link?

Thanks
 
I looked but didn't find it. Can you post a link?

Thanks
Here is the link, I think I'll need to practice more ;-)

 
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I was experimenting on springer rested on just the rest then resting on my palm; for my HW97 the palm rest accuracy was much. better....so I will see which other springers work better with the open palm.
I also find the same reaction when putting my support hand on the stock when firing,=better sight picture,but not as good as groups.
Great info that can help me get better "rested" accuracy.
 
The artillery hold, as near as I can tell, is a variation on a rest hold intended to address overly hard bags with a resistance to stock that is higher. A soft leather front bag positioned at tha same point as the palm seems similar.

The main advantage to the artillery hold is that when moving from Benchrest to field there is minimal poi change. There will be poi changes from traditional rest position to field shooting.
 
The main advantage to the artillery hold is that when moving from Benchrest to field there is minimal poi change. There will be poi changes from traditional rest position to field shooting.
This. Standing off hand isn’t the way I shoot the most,but they’re the shots that matter most because it’s generally how I’m shooting when there‘s something on our property that needs dispatching. I put my palm beneath the stock when shooting off a bag and find I have very little POI shift when I shoot standing.
 
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