20 yards to test a high end gun???????

Agree 100%. I get super annoyed by a particular seemingly well renowned channel/tester that wastes a lot of time with 25 yard videos. Everything performs at 25 yards these days. Pointless.

I think a couple of things are involved. Many of the "independent" reviews, are not. Not that the testers are on anyone's payroll, but they depend on the makers for rifles to test. And small groups are always welcomed. I think the best reviews are those posted by owners on the various forums. In defense of short range testing, it will generally disclose any significant issue with the rifle's performance. I usually begin shooting at 25 yards. I don't believe I've ever shot a full power rifle that shot great at 25, but poorly at 50. If it's shooting tiny, one-hole groups at 25, then it's ready for more challenging shooting. Some of the testers conclude this, and go no farther. In contrast, if a rifle is shooting half-inch plus groups at 25, or with flyers, something is off, and I'll make change in pellet or tuning, or check the barrel, before continuing. But I agree, 20-25 yard testing should not be the final analysis in a precision rifle.

great thread. my 2-cents...

25Y is a fine testing distance and i figure way more commonly available than 50Y for most shooters.
the gun only has to be good at the distance you use it. it's a rare day i see sub-moa even at 25.

i don't trust any "accuracy test" where the gun isn't in a vise of some sort.
otherwise it's the shooter we're testing, which usually isn't the point.

i take any sponsored video with a grain of salt. no really independent review will have their gear gifted to them.

I would say 25 yards is a fine place to start. Then if possible, 5 shot groups out to 35-50 yards. Depending on what PCP is being tested and it’s practical applications. Conversely I don’t care for videos of guys shooting their PCPs at 100 plus yards. It great that they say they’re accurate. Just not interested…

pdxFrank said:

i take any sponsored video with a grain of salt. no really independent review will have their gear gifted to them.

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Agreed. It’s like the magazine CONSUMER REPORTS, they buy every product they test so they can be honest.
The most unreliable tests of anything is car magazines. I think even the Ford Pinto and Chevy Vega were “Car of the Year” in every magazine. Oh, and I trust the Alphabet org too.

airgunmike56 said:

I was reading on a gun test and the tester shot the 2,500.00 gun at 20 yards, The same people tested the Barra BB gun at 25 yards, Many years ago on another form I shot a 20 dollar Crosman 760 smooth bore and shot a 10 shot dime size group, GOOD GRIFF PEOPLE , 50 yards should be the starting point
Mike

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Amen brother!! Couldn’t agree more. That’s starting range for slingshots!

I read someone doing pellet selection at that distance. Results were questionable at best, and 50 yards would have told a much more reliable story.

Wait? Don't they do some bench rest competition at 25 yards?

terrykuz said:

I read someone doing pellet selection at that distance. Results were questionable at best, and 50 yards would have told a much more reliable story.

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That might be true on a really really calm day.

I watch reviews to learn about the gun features and how smoothly it works , then i search for owner /shooter videos .

When sighting in slugs for a 12 ga shotgun we commonly sight in at 50 yards for a 100 yard zero and use ballistics otherwise you're just chasing the wind for that day. I'd think air rifles could be thought of the same way.

I generally like to see a review at 40 meters from a known excellent shooter. As an example that doesn't name anyone on the forum: Andy's Airgun Reviews - I know the general size groups he can shoot a sub-12 air rifle. If his groups are not as tight as other examples I know it is the rifle. The same with other paid reviewers.

If they only praise the airguns accuracy but don't show it, or rush the review there is a red flag for me.

If their group opens up and I know how accurate they are I also know from past shooting it is a poor performer no matter how much they praise it.

OldSpook said:

Wait? Don't they do some bench rest competition at 25 yards?

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Yes. But whether 25 or 100, everyone is shooting at the same distance and under the same conditions. Groups will be smaller, or scores will be higher, but it's fair competition.

OldSpook said:

Wait? Don't they do some bench rest competition at 25 yards?

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Exactly! Most of the commenters that say 50 yard minimums are hunter/pesters and if a pellet or slug goes into a critter they’re happy. There are some of us that strive for one hole in the exact X mark of the bullseye 25 times at a sitting. Minute of thumb at 50 yards is of no interest to me. It would be very inaccurate and very inconsistent shooting 25 meter benchrest. Then think of indoor benchrest — where can you shoot 50 or 75 yards indoors in winter. Yep, some of us have long snowy winters. I traded in a very competent Brocock 22 rifle that would shoot minute of thumb all day long because it refused to put single pellets through the X even at 25 yards. Traded it for a RAW that does exactly that. With no adjustment from factory tune. To each his own and to those who say they must shoot at 50 yards minimum I say "have fun and enjoy your sport."

I think it is totally reasonable to start at 25 yards or even 20 yards but unless it was not reasonably possible due to wind or something I would agree testing groups size with the preferred pellets further out would be appropriate. I'm not sure I would suggest 50 yards, however, due to the strong influence of even a slight wind. Not only are you testing the shooter, you are testing the shooters ability to shoot in the wind. If you want to see how much your pellets move in a 5mph wind fire up chairgun or your favorite trajectory program and do a few runs. I was surprised. I've been shooting at 33 yards and I can see half an inch of movement in a 5 mph wind - depending on the gun and the angle of the wind. At 50 yards, chairgun says my 22 will drift over an inch. My 177 drifts more.

I test first at 25 yards and then test what seem to be the preferred pellets at 33, the limit of my yard. I'd like to push it to 40 or 50 but I don't want it bad enough to get in the truck and drive to the range. I set my guns up for hunting and 35 yards would be a really long shot as thick as the woods are around here. I would also say, however, that I use H&N Baracuda Match in my P35-22 because it shot better at 33 yards than the other 25 yard favorite, JSB 18s. Shooting at a little longer range is necessary in my opinion to really do a through test.

Agree with most of this. At 10-15 yards some of these YouTube videos are shot at,,, Come on man! I could throw the pellets at the target by hand and hit it. What are most airgun ranges measured at? 30 yards?

PCPS are a whole different animal. These hi-pressure potato guns can shoot hole-in-hole at 50yards and more (if the shooter is an ok shot). There is no challenge to do this & gets boring after a while.

Trucker3573 said:

Agree 100%. I get super annoyed by a particular seemingly well renowned channel/tester that wastes a lot of time with 25 yard videos. Everything performs at 25 yards these days. Pointless.

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Not everything, I've got a Remington Nitro that is hard pressed to hit a sheet of paper at 25 yards with any consistency. Now my FX Maverick and my Zbroia Sapsan are different stories.

as others have said, the shorter distance minimizes environmental factors like wind.
ideally, all such reviews could be done indoors, but we can't have everything we want.

Some of the airgun “influencers” may have immediate space limitations but by the same token, they should understand the importance of testing at further distances.
Furthermore, some of the influencers may not be able to or want to take the time to prepare the product for testing. They want to slam dunk the video so they can be compensated and move on.
I recall way back in the day when 25 yards was the benchmark for spring guns and 50 for PCP. 100 yards was a pipe dream. Now look at the industry.
There may be other factors at play here too. For instance, lack of knowledge about the best suited ammo or lack of testing for said ammo.
Also, let us not forget the allure to Influencers stardom. They see themselves as an airgun wizard who may be very savvy in video editing but don’t understand the difference between elevation and windage.
Bless their little hearts; they’re trying…..