BSA Hornet air rifle on the 50 metre/55 yd International /Olympic smallb target.

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Yrrah

Yrrah

Member
Apr 1, 2015
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NSW, Australia
I shot again at Sutherland Smallbore Club on the International 20 shot 50 metre Smallbore rimfire target on Sunday for a score of 195/200 with 9 centre Xs so 195.9 ; see official score at bottom of target.
The coins are US 10c left and OZ 5c right for reference.
I shot a sequence of left to right top row, right to left next row, then L to R, then R to L bottom row. 
There was a light but variable breeze and it took me two rows, 10 shots to get the gist. But I was very happy with the last nine shots that netted seven centre Xs with a 50.5 for the last row.
The BSA JB OZ 1 was shooting the 18.1 gr JSBs straight from the tin at 1012 fps 41+ fpe, they were of 2009 vintage. From the tiny 125 cc reservoir it gets 26 full power shots from 250 bar fill.
This was just two Xs less than the 195.11 that I posted some time ago shot with the lower powered 28 fpe Hornet BSA at 840 fps same pellets. But I recall the condition were more even that day.
The target can be expanded for better view of the X ring.

c039b32b600dd887bdac90f6c8f8e537.jpg

I used rice filled bags not a mechanical front rest. Each shot required the rifle to be moved for the next shot and the unique BSA MMC button cocking system to be set.
I think it is harder to consistently hit tiny marks like this at 55 yd 50 m than to shoot decent 5 or 10 shot groups (or 20 shots in this case). In any case that was a lot of potental eye shot bunnies the BSA is capable of. 

I hope you appreciate the target. ... kind regards, Harry.
 
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Dang bro!!
that is some great shooting for 50m ( that would make me happy @25m!!)
do you find the rice bags are easyer to shoot off of than the mechanical rest?
I also find that it SEEMS easyer to shoot groups, than at single targets for each shot. Im not sure if it is haveing to swing the rifle or what but I totally get wha t you mean.
very much appreciated Sir,
thanks for the pics Harry!☺
 
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Excellent shooting...and at such distance with an "old" BSA! Shows that one does not need an FX Impact or Crown to achieve excellence...if you have the gun tuned with the right person behind it. 

Same question: how did you make sure that each shot was prepped-up the same (i.e. rifle cocking, rice bags, etc) for consistency as you were forced to move the rifle? Or consistency was achieved mainly due to "muscle memory" and very long time with this rifle? Taking the shooter and the rifle out of the equation...what leads most to such accuracy?
 
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Mauipilikia, mechanical front rest seems easier to just twiddle knobs. I have one of the best. But I think the rice or sand bags may be more forgiving though more care needs to settle the rifle for accurate aiming. ... kind regards, Harry.

fe 7565, What follows is my approach, others may get similar results with different but CONSISTENT techniques.
For each shot the rifle is lifted to cock, load, move to the next bug eye for preliminary sighting.
Take preliminary sighting and move a little to settle the rifle on the bags such that there is NO PRESSURE BIAS that can act as a lateral or vertical resistance for the rifle to kick against in recoil. Yes pcps do recoil. 
With the forward hand only I put pressure on the end of the forestock with the fingers directing the pressure back towards the butt pad. Only allow minimal pad pressure against the shoulder. 
A MINIMAL amount of fine tuning with the front fingers can be allowed but only to the extent of a couple of mm in relation to the reticule on the poa. Otherwise resettle the rifle from the beginning.
I allow only the slightest of touch pressure of the rear hand on the stock or none at all. NO cheek weld or face pressure laterally or vertically on the stock.
I use the tip pad of trigger finger to pressure the trigger DIRECTLY towards the shoulder/butt pad, otherwise do nothing excepting looking to follow the pellet through the air to the target for a passive follow-through. This last enables you to get feedback on the flight in relation to the effect of wind as the pellet may curve to right or left. Try to correlate that flight picture to the aim-off you may have determined for that shot in relation to the wind indicators, if any, or other cues you may use.
This is pretty much what I have been advocating for the last 15 years in my posts on the Internet. 
When shooting pests and rabbits I slightly modify things according to what field rest and position I may have available.

Yes "muscle memory" - actually Cerebellar conditioning that controls movements relegated to the auto mode - is involved in sequencing it all and thus saving time that would otherwise require slower thought processes involved in the earlier stages of learning the skills. These are all timed relays on the range. I have been shooting this rifle for nine or ten years now and it too has shot many 3/4" and less 100 yd groups. But I use the same routines for my other rifles, the other BSA Hornet, Excalibre, FX Elite, RAW TM 1000, FWB 300S, and the FWB.177 springer - and now the FX Crown..

One other point. I think if everyone were to master a break barrel springer and then use the same care to shoot their pcp then there would be somewhat less talk about "fliers" other than those caused by poor or damaged pellets or good pellets shot at too higher velocity.

I hope I have been reasonably clear in answering your questions. ... Best regards, Harry in OZ.
 
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Harry im sorry to say idk the answer to get a x you must hit the inner circle to score a x,,,i noticed in row 3 you hit the circle 3 times but scored a 2 x then i noticed there is a little faint circle in the bulls eye,,i take it this is the circle to hit for a x ....awesome card love BSA wish they would step it up ,they been around for ever ,there last release was just a upgrade to a existing rifle thank you PAT
 
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