N/A PCP Hold, does it matter?

If you have a scope with adjustable parallax it may be that the parallax is off a little bit. The higher the magnification the more critical it is.
If it is off, a bad cheek weld will give you what appears to be a flyer.

Everything in your post mirrors my own frustration with PCP accuracy. I got so burned out and frustrated in my search for that "pellet on a pellet" accuracy that it chased me out of the sport for several years.

One of the many targets I've created in Photoshop was one with 100 circles with centers exactly .177 in diameter. Every night for months in my indoor shooting range of 50 feet I'd shoot 100 pellets, trying to see how many times I could actually shoot a pellet exactly in the center of each circle. On most days I was lucky if I could perfectly place 25 - 30 or so out of 100.

I practiced all the basics of good shooting: trigger control, grip, breathing, follow through and heartbeat. I bought all the highest end air rifles, Daystate, FX, and RAW and equipped them with decent scopes. I've got enough tins of pellets from every manufacturer that I could probably open my own store.

And none of these efforts seem to make much difference in my search for accurate shooting. I could never figure out why I could string together three or four perfect shots and then all of a sudden there would be one a little left, or a little right, up, down, whatever. And then I'd reach for the scope, a click here or a click there, and everything would be great until it would happen all over again.

So, I've recently reentered the PCP world again but with different expectations. I still shoot the same targets, but no longer expect the perfect score. I've come to accept that there are just too many variables in the PCP world.

kaylaindy said:

Yes, but not like a springer. Much easier to get right. Keep your crosshairs on the target till after you hit it. Works great.

Click to expand...

I feel that a good shooter doesn't just happen by chance. There is a lot involved, from ensuring the scope is properly with the shooter to following through after the shot. There is no substitute for practice and sound advice. My service training taught me well, and I believe there was some very valuable feedback on this matter. I use a check rest to assure I'm looking though the scope the same way every time.

Another factor is to get the diopter lens adjusted right for you. I think the best way to do it is to sight a tight target with the highest magnification from the bench and try moving your head a little. If the diopter is correctly adjusted you won't be able to move your head and still see the reticle. If you don't do this minor changes in head position affect your point of aim.

Something I noticed when I started shooting groups with PB rifles is that I didn't need perfect form but a repeat hold was necessary. When shooting PB pistols my groups improved greatly with a good hold with proper form and equal side to side pressure with both hands . Some really good pistol shooters helped me with that on another forum . I get my best groups with PCPs with a firm grip , in my mind I think lock it down , and not too much cheek pressure. The cold steel on my Taipans remind me about cheek pressure. My airguns take longer from the time I pull the trigger until the pellet leaves the barrel , lock time , so I do try to hold on the target after I pull the trigger . I do follow through PBs also .

With flyers, I usually blame the pellets . When I find pellets or slugs my airgun really likes my groups stay smaller with fewer flyers . Going from .22 cal 25.4 JSBs pellets to the same weight JTS or AEAs I would get fewer flyers. Same with the .177 JSB 10.3gr pellets and the 10.4gr JTS pellets, I had less flyers. I don't sort or clean my ammo either . I do still like the JSBs because of their softer lead and acceptable accuracy and really like the 10.03 Knockouts . Having 6 different. 22 cals I can always find one that does ok so nothing goes to waist. Part of the fun for me is finding those nuggets and sometimes I'm surprised at what shoots well out of the standard 880 fps range with pellets .