Shooting Stick or rest while pesting?

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LuckyStrike

LuckyStrike

Member
May 10, 2018
47
3
British Columbia, Canada
Greetings to everyone here on this awesome airgun site! I am new here and new to PCP airgunning (Have had my .22 Streamline for about 3 weeks and love it)

I was looking at shooting sticks and contemplating making one from a camera monopod or buying one ready to go.

Would love to hear what you think might be the best? I will mainly be stationary, staked out shooting Starlings and so far I use any rest that is nearby or handy, but I think a dedicated adjustable stick might be the ticket. I will also be walking around the farm at times and shooting from a variety of positions.

Also .. what pellet weight do you like for Starlings? I am currently shooting JSB 15.89 Diabolo's ... seem to work!

Cheers and happy air gunning

Lucky...
 
Welcome!
I have built several pairs of sticks, they'r easy to make and work great. I use 1x1s and pad the cradle with leather strap. If you can support your back against a tree, fencepost or chair they make a very steady shooting rest.
1527090860_488760265b058eacbcf757.82883868_DSCF5908.JPG

The only drawback to this design is they don't adjust for height much. I dealt with that by making 3 sets of different heights. There are lots of shooting sticks available online, a friend has the Vanguard brand which are pretty nice.
 
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I hope Bob O sees this thread. He is an expert on whacking starlings. I have a shooting stick but hate carrying it around. I learned from Bob to use my car when I can. And good for you for joining the starling whackers club. We need way more of us. I am amazed at how they breed everywhere on this chicken farm I hunt at. 
 
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I like the Primos trigger stick. They carry a price tag but, they are made well and work very smooth. They come in 1,2,or 3 leg versions as well as tall and short. I've got the tall 2 & 3 leg versions and I'm glad I spent the $ on them! 
The rubber "V" can be unscrewed to reveal a 1/4x20 threaded post. So, you can use them for quick deploy camera sticks as well. 
Tom
 
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I mainly am shooting groundhogs with firearms and lately with my air rifles too. I use a Stoney Point standing shoot stick. My style is to mainly walk around till I spot one and if possible get into a seated position with my back up against a fence post or tree and get off a steady shot. This shooting stick has two legs and I think that is the best configuration. A mono pod provides little stability and a tripod is just extra weight to carry if you do a lot of walking around. The good thing about a standing shooting stick is that you can use it to support your arms while using binoculars to scan. If you have to take a standing shot you have the height to do so. Since the legs are adjustable you can set up for uneven ground and an variety of positions. I don't think the Stoney Point sticks are available now but these Primos sticks look like what I use and the price is not bad. Bill

https://www.amazon.com/Primos-Pole-62-Inch-Tall-Bipod/dp/B00BD55BMS/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1527095331&sr=8-1&keywords=Primos+Pole+Cat+Tall+Bipod+Shooting+Stick
 
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WOW.. What a great response... Many Thanks to everyone!!!

I just ordered the Primos (tall) bipod trigger stick. I can see that this gen 3 unit is adjustable with 1 hand so will be fast and ideal to get the perfect rest and fast ... I have noticed that at times these winged rats don't give a lot of time to shoot, so quick is key. And as mentioned, one has to use whatever rest is available , be it your car roof, a fence, tree, etc. but the bipod .... I can tell already its going to be well used! 

And offhand ... I never was that steady so a decent rest will play nicely in getting more pests.

Great site and what an avid bunch of shooters here! Thanks again ... I will post some photos as I get more time afield. (BTW.. lots of Collared Doves here as well and I sauted the 1st one in butter with garlic/onion. Yummm! * Anyone tried Starlings???

cheers

Lucky

 
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When shooting at dairies if you get close to the rail the cows will come over to check you out and get in the way. I bought a Triggerstick tripod and I now stand back about five feet and the cows don't care. If I can touch my shooting ( rt.) elbow to something solid it's like shooting from a bench. If not touching anything it is still much better than off hand. Subsequently, my off hand shooting has gone to pot. Wish I had brought the tripod with me ground hog shooting last weekend. I hate leaning against the truck. Tripod for me vs. bipod or monopod. I carry it fully extended by two legs. It's easy to set up once you get used to it. It is very easy to adjust. Just pull the trigger and level on any slope. Here is my nephew using one.

Have fun, Scott
1527098685_9390656755b05ad3dd5ed26.09220924_20171121_131617.jpg
, ., , . 
 
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 I’ve used both the 15gr and 18gr JSBs to shoot starlings and neither have any problems dropping them. I would recommend trying both and see if you or your gun prefers one over the other. The drop on the 18s are a little more pronounced especially on low and med power, but they are consistent. When I got my Streamline a few months back I purchased both sizes to test and my gun shoots them both well. I suspect yours will too, but you never really know until you put em through your gun. 
I’m going to stick with the 18s because of the four leggers I’ve been shooting and want that extra punch.
 
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I generally shoot from inside the car whenever possible. If you make slow movements, the starlings won't be scared off. My last outing I camped an open silage bag from 25 yards and picked them off one after the other, mag after mag.

When I'm on foot, I always try to rest my body against something, and brace the rifle against or on something with my support hand. I have a Primos Trigger Stick tripod that I use for sitting or kneeling, but normally I'm not after starlings using them.

15.89gr JSBs are great for small birds and pigeons inside of 50 yards. The 18gr are great beyond 50. Mid power is good for starlings inside of 35 yards if you can't use High power.....but there will be about a 2" drop in POI.

The more you can stay hidden, the more Starlings you will get!! :)
 
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So much great info in this thread... Again, many Thanks to everyone!

I did buy the Primos TriggerStick bipod, but as in all gear there is no 1 perfect solution for all , so will certainly be looking at other options as well.

I am currently using the top edge of my Zinger folding blind, or a modified camera monopod to rest for my shots but I think the ease of adjusting a rest using 1 hand might be the ticket , whether sitting or standing.

Living in Canada, we have quite a different set of laws , 1 of which forbids the use of a moderator so our airguns are factory loud. I haven't yet fired a shot (even on low power which I use a lot) where every Starling around doesn't fly off, so one has to get it right the first time and then wait for birds to come back. They do return sometimes quickly but other times its quite a wait. * Also I don't feel that the Streamline is terribly noisy, but does have a report at all 3 settings.
Our game laws here also forbid one from shooting from a vehicle (in Canada any airgun shooting over 500 fps is classed as a firearm ... so there goes that idea "out the window"

As for pellets, I'm enjoying the 15.89gr JSB's but also have a number of tins of the 18's so must work those ones through and see what happens.

Zinger Blind link .. I bought 2 of these several years back and have used them successfully on a variety of hunts and also for photography.

http://www.zingerwinger.com/xcart/product.php?productid=16325


Thanks again for all of your great insight

Lucky.. 
 
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