It is so much easier with powder burners….

[drsquall]

I'm with you on this . I've been shooting / hunting since boyhood . When I got my first springer airgun I was amazed at the potential ( after breaking it in ) ! After trying out a pcp at Utah Airgun's range I was hooked ! What the airguns do is give me more shooting opportunities . Places that are not suitable to use even a suppressed .22 lr can probably use a pcp to take care of critters ( 65 groundhogs this summer ). Pest birds etc., that I couldn't think about shooting in my area w/ a pb open up a lot of shooting opportunities now . I just smacked two crows yesterday out of a tall tree at 73 & 80 yrds w/ my Hatsan Factor using 21.53 gr JTS pellets . These have a flat nose that give them the ballistics of a brick I suppose , so they won't go far out in the field . If I were to try that w/ a rimfire . I have to worry about a mile & more for impact . Moral of the story , pick your task & outfit your gun & ammo for it , (pellets for close , slugs for further, low power indoors etc. ) Think of even big bores as something akin to muzzleloading guns & archery tackle .

They are a blast that's for sure. I shoot a lot of birds in the pasture behind my house and around the chicken coop. I'm looking for a 177 slug gun or at least some 13gr KOs. I can shoot out to 150-200yds. I know I don't want a bullpup but I don't want a really long rifle either. It would be nice to get 25gr or so

Jon

 

[steve123]

I've been watching Texas Plinkers, 1,000 yard, 1 MOA. That separates the something from the something. Generally they use 308 or 6.5 Creedmoor with a few Grendals tossed in, one was a guy with a 223...he FINALLY connected which gave him 3rd place. I'm pretty sure I could do that with my .22 Maverick compact. LMAO.

I watched most of the episodes. The guy hosting it has a better idea of how the wind works there and I'm sure takes a few shots to test the targets.

Those guys with the 6mmBR and derivative wildcats using handloads in heavy custom PRS rigs have quite the advantage over the guys showing up with hunting rifles. Most of the records in 1000Y benchrest were shot using Dasher or 6mmBRAI. These cartridges are known for being super efficient and easy to achieve low SD/ES.
Past having the dope and DA correct it then becomes about guessing wind and shooting prowess.

Gotta share a memorable moment in my shooting endeavors. One time at a long range steel match we all had to take our cold bore shot on a 9" diamond at 908Y and then one more on that target within 10 seconds. Being a diamond instead of a circle or square it's harder to connect on, probably around .7 moa of area in the middle of the target. I got it both shots with my 6.5 Saum wildcat which weighs 23 pounds! I didn't win the match but with 40 guys watching me hitting it I felt so fantastic its hard to describe the emotion!

Airguns are what they are and have a niche to fill. I will say that my firearm friends get a kick out of me hitting our 300Y fox sized coyote steel over and over again with my 25 cal V3.

 

[HogKiller]

I watched most of the episodes. The guy hosting it has a better idea of how the wind works there and I'm sure takes a few shots to test the targets.

Those guys with the 6mmBR and derivative wildcats using handloads in heavy custom PRS rigs have quite the advantage over the guys showing up with hunting rifles. Most of the records in 1000Y benchrest were shot using Dasher or 6mmBRAI. These cartridges are known for being super efficient and easy to achieve low SD/ES.
Past having the dope and DA correct it then becomes about guessing wind and shooting prowess.

Gotta share a memorable moment in my shooting endeavors. One time at a long range steel match we all had to take our cold bore shot on a 9" diamond at 908Y and then one more on that target within 10 seconds. Being a diamond instead of a circle or square it's harder to connect on, probably around .7 moa of area in the middle of the target. I got it both shots with my 6.5 Saum wildcat which weighs 23 pounds! I didn't win the match but with 40 guys watching me hitting it I felt so fantastic its hard to describe the emotion!

Airguns are what they are and have a niche to fill. I will say that my firearm friends get a kick out of me hitting our 300Y fox sized coyote steel over and over again with my 25 cal V3.

Yeah, I took one of my Mavericks to the range, only shot 50 yards but there was a guy watching me just doing tidy little groups, he was amazed that an airgun would do that. It's fun.

 

[steve123]

Yeah, I took one of my Mavericks to the range, only shot 50 yards but there was a guy watching me just doing tidy little groups, he was amazed that an airgun would do that. It's fun.

Every once in while someone that hasn't shot a pcp will show up at our weekly shootfest at my friends place and they are always amazed they can hit small steel out to 100Y with our lower powered 17 cal 20 fpe airguns.

I tell them a BB gun is usually 3 fpe and a 22rf standard velocity is 100 fpe then they grasp the gravity of what's happening!

If the wind is cooperative I've hit our steel with my 6 fpe Steyr which is also fun. Kinda silly to do but its not totally unreasonable.

The spinners start at 20Y and then in 10Y increments to 90Y, then in 5Y increments to 100Y. A few times I tagged the 1" 100Y spinner with the Steyr but there is a lot of luck involved. I can hit it quite a bit with my Thomas HPX with slugs and about the same as using my nicer Anschutz 22rf.

My nicer firearms, like my 6mmBR, I'd hardly miss but these spinners won't take more than 22rf.

Back to hunting.
A high school friend I recently got in contact with again after 40 years is into big game hunting. He only understands his ballistics to 300Y using factory ammo. I could teach him about long range but he's not interested. If he only knew?!

 

[Emu]

I have made a serious effort to see how much I can fell comfortable with the Sidewinder.30 Cal to take it with me to my next hunting.

I think I won't take it with me. The confidence on the accuracy at 60 yards makes no difference with the one I have on my Wolverine HP .30 Cal.... But at longer distance the difference stars to become wider.

I made some shooting with the Sidewinder at 88 yards and I did not achieve a reliable pattern.



Then I made two shots with the Wolverine and the pellets hit really, really close.....

It is clear that I have a winner.

 

[Hal4son]

Some of those impacts look like the pellet is hitting sideways. Have you checked for baffle strikes?

 

[Emu]

Some of those impacts look like the pellet is hitting sideways. Have you checked for baffle strikes?

Nop.

In the Sidewinder Is not so easy to remove the moderator.

But as soon as I arrive to my home I will check if I can do it.

Those pellets were JSB Hades. They cut the paper in a different way than normal pellets and of slugs do.

 

[Emu]

Some of those impacts look like the pellet is hitting sideways. Have you checked for baffle strikes?

I look from the front of the barrel. I do not notice any track of hit at the exit of the pellet.

 

[Frito169]

Looks like you need to play with reg pressure and power adjuster using those projectiles until you find what they like

 

[Emu]

Looks like you need to play with reg pressure and power adjuster using those projectiles until you find what they like

I just mounted on my Sidewinder .30 the Steve Corcoran walnut stock that I had on the Sidewinder .25 Cal.

The accuracy improved A LOT !!!

The recoil of this rifle needs more weight and the stock also helps to absorb vibration.

 

[Emu]

Both are equally accurate as are now.

I will not invest soon in another walnut stock.

 

[HogKiller]

Nop.

In the Sidewinder Is not so easy to remove the moderator.

But as soon as I arrive to my home I will check if I can do it.

Those pellets were JSB Hades. They cut the paper in a different way than normal pellets and of slugs do.

Not in my Mavericks they don't. Too much air, i.e. too long of a duration will do that.