Some late night springer plinking

Got home from work tonight around 12:30am and felt like doing some shooting. Setup at 12 yards as I didn't have enough light to shoot any further. Just got a bunch of different .177 pellets to try. Tonight I shot the 7.33gr Falcons from both the FWB 300S and BSA SS. Winds are 6-10 mph but slightly swirling in front of my shop. I was benched on a fold out table with sand bags shooting from inside my shop thru the open overhead door so half of the pellets path was inside and half outside. Was rather interesting how the wind effected poi since part of the pellets flight was in nearly still air then into 6-10. Not the greatest groups for just over 10meters, but shooting bad groups is better than not shooting!!

 
Both guns are scoped. That is the first time I have shot the Falcon pellets and probably the last out of those 2 guns. JSB's and CP's are one hole out of the FWB. The BSA prefers the 7.9cp's and while not as precise as the FWB, it tends to shoot much better than it shot the Falcons.

Even though I ordered larger head size, the Falcons were very loose fitting in both guns.
 
Well, tonight I did some moving and lighting and was able to squeeze 25 yards in. Light was tough and all I could do was shoot prone from my shop floor with a sandbag for a rest. I am certain from a good bench in the daylight I can do better!!

Winds are 6mph and swirling in front of the shop as usual. This group is 5 shots from 25 yards.


This was 10 shots from the same 25 yards. Definitely opened up, but like I said, good bench in the daylight and this will be better.


Shot 6 different pellets tonight and the winner was the 10.3gr JSB'S which is what I shot the above groups with. The 7.8gr JSB'S came in a distant second and 7.9gr boxed Premiers 3rd.
 
One issue that I am having shooting in very low light is I can't get the parallax set correctly. It is just a struggle in such low light. I even grabbed some other guns with high end scopes and noticed the same issue with getting the parallax corrected and crosshairs steady on target with the old head bob test. Movement is minor, but still there. It also doesn't help that I now wear glasses and dealing with that isn't helping either.

A little unsure if it is the scope or my glasses? I don't see this in the daylight just having this issue in my late night shooting sessions with artificial light.
 
A couple thoughts: 
  • For lighting, did you consider just putting a battery-powered LED of some sort on the target, then you can put it anywhere you have a good backstop?
  • Nice shooting! No need to obsess about getting smaller group sizes, as you see, while there's human error involved, they can only get so small. 
  • Re. glasses, why do you need them while shooting? Can't you adjust the scope to your shooting eye?
Joe, I'm still not sure about the FWB300s. I still kind of feel like shooting from a bench is cheating, and that's the only way to take full advantage of those guns' accuracy, and my HW30S already can out shoot me from anything but bench shooting. I'm still thinking about it though!
 
"Smaug"A couple thoughts: 
  • For lighting, did you consider just putting a battery-powered LED of some sort on the target, then you can put it anywhere you have a good backstop?
  • Nice shooting! No need to obsess about getting smaller group sizes, as you see, while there's human error involved, they can only get so small. 
  • Re. glasses, why do you need them while shooting? Can't you adjust the scope to your shooting eye?
Joe, I'm still not sure about the FWB300s. I still kind of feel like shooting from a bench is cheating, and that's the only way to take full advantage of those guns' accuracy, and my HW30S already can out shoot me from anything but bench shooting. I'm still thinking about it though!

Joe explain to him how as you get older your body doesn't work the same? I guess glasses could be cheating! ;) And shoot the 10 meter target aka 33ft off of a bench and post that picture? Those bulls look like the end of a pencil and how could you miss?

 
"Smaug"I don't think it's even possible to shoot a group with the FWB300 where the holes are not all touching. ....or at least I've never seen one. 

I think the shooters are afraid to post them, for fear of the "the gun will shoot better" posts that would surely follow. :)

Even off-hand kneeling at 10 meters with diopter sights a FWB300S shoots amazing. Shot this 5-shot group this morning at the range. :D

 
SmaugA couple thoughts: 
  • For lighting, did you consider just putting a battery-powered LED of some sort on the target, then you can put it anywhere you have a good backstop?
  • Nice shooting! No need to obsess about getting smaller group sizes, as you see, while there's human error involved, they can only get so small. 
  • Re. glasses, why do you need them while shooting? Can't you adjust the scope to your shooting eye?
Joe, I'm still not sure about the FWB300s. I still kind of feel like shooting from a bench is cheating, and that's the only way to take full advantage of those guns' accuracy, and my HW30S already can out shoot me from anything but bench shooting. I'm still thinking about it though!


I have enough light to clearly see the target, it is just the dark in between me and the target I was having issues with. Going from the lights in my shop to the dark out side to enough light on the target to see was just sort of tricky. I have big work lights that I could make it look like daylight, but that pisses off my wife as our bedroom window faces my shop and it makes it bright in our room.

I setup all my scopes to shoot with my glasses on as I do alot more hunting than target shooting. From a bench or about any other position is not an issue. Shooting prone and my head angle had me looking over the top of my glasses from time to time.
 
fr8rbum747AJ-Have the same problem in prone with the glasses and scoped rifles. Aging eyes are a bummer and in prone have to rubber band the glasses to my head to keep from looking over them. Standing and kneeling is not a problem but getting up sometimes lately has become an issue as the blood flow leaves the legs in kneeling.



You know exactly what I am having issues with!! Yes, getting older sucks!!
 
Aaron I shot some last night after I got back from Louisiana ( gun wasn't quite up to standards) and I tried shooting under the flood light in my back yard since there was absolutely zero wind and I didnt notice the parallax problem but I didn't touch it from before earlier in the day .
What was hardest for m was the tiny lines in a 25m face just kinda washed out and all I could really pick up was the 7 ring so I couldn't aim as exact as in the daylight . I have a small portable LED shop light , I'm gonna try that tonight after I change batteries in it .
PS the 5shot group. KICK ASS MAN !!!