N/A PCP Hold, does it matter?

[Chukar60]

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.

 

[doberschelp]

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.

 

[357cal]

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

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.

 

[JimD]

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.