PRACTICE

Good PSA AJ. And, practice doesn't have to be boring. Heck, it absolutely should NOT be boring. Here's an outtake (unpublished) from my "shooting pigeons from the bathroom" video talking about my preferred method.

Yes sir, practice is absolutely necessary as it will sharpen your skills and make you a better hunter. However, your example of “what pellet do I use” does not work in this case. The new shooter is overwhelmed with dozens of pellets in all shapes and sizes. There is a methodology to finding the best pellet for the bore in your air rifle's barrel and this methodology does not require practice. Once you have found the best pellet, practice is then required to become proficient. You can practice the rest of your life with the wrong pellet and your shot groups will never get better. 





The single most important factor in finding the best pellet is head diameter. You need to identify the head diameter of the pellets you’re going to test, down to the hundredths position. You then chronograph those pellets and the head diameter with the lowest Extreme Spread and the lowest Standard Deviation is the best head diameter for the bore in your barrel. I did not say air rifle because what shoots the best in my TX200 may not shoot the best in your TX200. You can then chronograph pellets of various weights but always with that head diameter. Remember that weight is important in determining accuracy at longer distances. It is possible for a 16 grain pellet with an Extreme Spread of 14 and a Standard Deviation of 3 to be more accurate at longer distances than a 12 grain pellet with an Extreme Spread of 10 and a Standard Deviation of 1. The best pellet for a top tier air rifle should always have a Standard Deviation in the single digits 1-9. Many competitors use pellets with a Standard Deviation of 1-3.

I didn't miss the point. PRACTICE IS IMPORTANT. PRACTICE will help you gain PROFICIENCY. However, PRACTICE has little to do with finding the best pellet for the bore in your barrel. When firing a pellet over the chronograph I use a Hyskore Parallax Cleaning and Sighting Vise. This helps to eliminate any deviation of the pellets' path which could affect the reading. The chronograph is placed 12” from the barrel and the pellet trap is placed 12” from the chronograph. This does not improve my proficiency and it’s not meant to. No one should be discouraged from asking the question “What is the best pellet for my air gun”. If they don’t have a chronograph this simple question should narrow the field and save them time and money. Again, once the best pellet has been found PRACTICE is the only way to gain PROFICIENCY. 

When I shot a lot and competed I made a mock gun and hung weights from it. The mock gun weighed about 4 or 5 times more than my real gun I would hold it up in the shooting position and count to 10 trying to hold it as steady as possible and do as many reps as I could a couple times a day. Trigger time is also very important but if you shoot off hand you need strength to be steady. I prefer shooting swinger targets to paper they are a lot of fun and it is instant gratification when you here the ding. I shoot paper when I want to measure my group.

Mike

"ajshoots"Shooting will find the right pellet and I believe that sort of falls under practice. You might have missed the real point of the post?

Finding the right pellet was just a cheap example and by no means the point of the post!!
You didn't strike a nerve with me. I appreciate your post and agree that PRACTICE is the only way to gain proficiency. I also agree with your post which is quoted above. Finding the right pellet was a poor example. Please do not make this personal. I stated my opinion and everyone who wishes to disagree is free to do so. I fear that your example about choosing the best pellet may serve to dissuade beginners from asking what is a valid question. The information I posted is not new or unknown. This methodology is used by many competitors, including a gentleman who has won 35 state championships in 4 states. I shall comment no more concerning this subject. Thanks

I will agree with ajshoots that Practice is Key. I will also elaborate on what he means.
If you are new to shooting, or have been doing it a long time being familiar with your rifle set-up is key and all come down to repeatability.

Hold your rifle front and back the same way every time. By that I mean make sure your front hand/bag/sticks are at the place on the stock with the same amount of pressure every time.

The same goes for how your trigger hand holds onto the grip, and finger is placed on the trigger with a consistent pressure and pull.

Hold the butt to your shoulder in the same place with the same pressure every time.

Ensure that your cheek weld is the same so your eye lines up with the scope the same every time.

I'm sure I left something out but these are the basics of shooting that a lot, and I mean a lot of people have either never been taught or forget. This often leads to guns being thought of as inconsistent, and different pellets/round being thought of as not right for the rifle/pistol.

Repeatable consistency will help you to determine if there is something wrong with your gun or round and practice as often as possible will help you with this considerably.

On a personal note after having elbow surgery my off hand shooting and trigger pull in general was terrible. It's been a year and half since and after spending the last two months practicing my offhand(not just pulling the trigger but foot position, hip placement, shoulder set, elbow placement and my forward hand position, arm/elbow placement of my trigger arm, grip and trigger finger placement) it is finally starting to improve. By no means is it were I was before hand(no pun) but it's getting better because of Practice.

One more thing I forgot if you drink coffee and want to be a top competitor stop or go to caffeine free. Our matches were in the morning and I never shot as well in the morning as I did in the evening when I practiced. One of my shooting buddies for me to switch to non caffeine and I did and it made a big difference. I hated decaffeinated coffee and switched to decaffeinated tea it tasted better to me.If you just like to plink and not compete then this may be a bit drastic.

I agree with AJ. A few years ago they did a study on natural ability versus learned ability. It was proven that there is absolutely no substitute for practice. The people that practiced more frequently and for longer hours, far surpassed everyone else. Of course, these people probably had teachers or coaches, but there is absolutely no substitute for practice. I don't care if you're shooting a pellet that was made FOR the rifle sitting in your hands. If you don't shoot often, chances are, you won't be as good as the guy next to you who shoots 100 cheapo depots daily.

And, while we're at it, consider this quote on the wall of my old dojo: "Practice does not make perfect. Perfect practice makes perfect."