Rookie Mistakes?

[johnwoitalla]

What are some of your airgun rookie mistakes that you learned from? For example, I learned that you get what you pay for. If you are into quality, then don't get the gun that comes in a box on isle 7 next to the gym shorts at Big Five and put a $20 scope on it expecting it to last. I also learned that stores like Wallymart, Big 5, etc. do not sell a high quality ammo and that my cheap airgun with cheap ammo explains a lot about why I made those lousy groups and missed shots on pests. It would be both fun and educamational to read some of your experiences from when you were a newbie.

 

[blackdog899]

What are some of your airgun rookie mistakes that you learned from? For example, I learned that you get what you pay for. If you are into quality, then don't get the gun that comes in a box on isle 7 next to the gym shorts at Big Five and put a $20 scope on it expecting it to last. I also learned that stores like Wallymart, Big 5, etc. do not sell a high quality ammo and that my cheap airgun with cheap ammo explains a lot about why I made those lousy groups and missed shots on pests. It would be both fun and educamational to read some of your experiences from when you were a newbie.

Hahaha John , I wish your example was true for me ( not really) , it was in aisle 7 at Tractor Supply that I bought a Umarex Synergis with maybe a $8 scope included. I was so impressed that I started researching and fell into the pcp bottomless pit.

 

[Struckat]

Same here John.
Early 2000s I ordered an affordable springer to take care of some pests. I fell for all the marketing and did not do enough research.
I hated it and it sat unused till 2020. My son has it now, it still shoots and I still hate it.

 

[rcarlisle]

Settling for high rings and a heavy scope on a Marauder was a mistake that took me forever to address. Being new to PCP air rifles and excited to dive in and shoot, I bought the rifle, scope and rings at the same time. I mounted everything up and went to town for several years before I identified why I hated the gun for offhand shooting: It was wearing a heavy scope too high and the gun always felt like it wanted to tip over. It was tiring and uncomfortable in the field. I could have gone with much lower rings, but the ones I wanted were not available when I was ordering so I went with high rings because they were in stock. I've since addressed the issue to my satisfaction.
For what it's worth, my first air rifle as an adult came from the Walmart in Covington, LA. It was a Benjamin 397PA I bought in the mid '90s that I actually still have and hunt with today. If memory serves, I paid about $120 for it new. No way would I do that now, knowing what I know, but then I don't think any of those stores carry anything as durable as that all metal and wood Benji anymore. In my case, it was a great deal.

 

[jkingrph]

Back in the early 70's I saw what I think was a fairly good quality break barrel at a NATO rod and gun club in Izmir Turkey. All of the Turks manning the sales shop were cocking and dry firing it so I passed. A few years later back in the states I met a guy in the USAF hospital where I worked who was into airguns and learned a little from him. I then sent off and got an Air Rifle Headquarters catalog and ended up buying a FWB 124d, so dove in to top quality for 1975. Since then it has been equal and better quality in a few cases. As a matter of choice I have stuck with spring air, with one SSP rifle and a few SSP pistols

 

[OneAcreFarmer]

I learned that I don’t like heavy guns. My first was a Hatsan Gladius long that just sits in the case now. Functions and shoots well, but man is it a brick! I also learned that I like to tinker and mod so I am glad I didn’t buy any really expensive guns. I don’t have the budget to screw those up. I didn’t go into it totally green however, my Dad had a Gen 1 MRod when I was still a teenager and both of my brothers bought Flashpups years before I bought anything. I know a lot of guys dislike Hatsan but those Flashpups are still running strong 10 years and thousands of pellets later. I just recently replaced an airtube seal on one for my brother. That was the only thing that went bad so far. So far I have a .25 Hatsan Gladius, 2 .22 Hatsan Jet2, a .22 Hatsan Velox, a .22 Stoeger Bullshark, and a .25 Barra 250z.

 

[EPG]

What are some of your airgun rookie mistakes that you learned from? For example, I learned that you get what you pay for. If you are into quality, then don't get the gun that comes in a box on isle 7 next to the gym shorts at Big Five and put a $20 scope on it expecting it to last. I also learned that stores like Wallymart, Big 5, etc. do not sell a high quality ammo and that my cheap airgun with cheap ammo explains a lot about why I made those lousy groups and missed shots on pests. It would be both fun and educamational to read some of your experiences from when you were a newbie.

#1: Hand pumping PCPs gets tiresome no matter how good of a shape you are in.

#2: Get a scope appropriate for your purpose. A good long range target scope is not always as good as a hunting scope.

#3: A pellet that is well matched to your specific barrel will shoot well at a variety of velocities from that barrel.

#4: Learn if you prefer bullpups vs. full length rifles. Learn if you prefer sporter grips vs. pistol style grips. The fit & form of your rifle are huge into how much you enjoy shooting it - no matter how accurate it is.

#5: Learn how to adjust the triggers on your rifles. It is your primary interface to the gun - and how you like it set is very personal preference.

#6: Rifles that can swap calibers save a lot of space in your gun cabinet.

-Ed

 

[WorriedMan]

First mistake was assuming all PCPs are a standard size. Never even checked length and weight of first one, a Umarex Gauntlet. WM

 

[Elbowgrease]

What are some of your airgun rookie mistakes that you learned from? For example, I learned that you get what you pay for. If you are into quality, then don't get the gun that comes in a box on isle 7 next to the gym shorts at Big Five and put a $20 scope on it expecting it to last. I also learned that stores like Wallymart, Big 5, etc. do not sell a high quality ammo and that my cheap airgun with cheap ammo explains a lot about why I made those lousy groups and missed shots on pests. It would be both fun and educamational to read some of your experiences from when you were a newbie.

Those big box stores sell decent ammo. Sure, crossman is not bad and I have several $2000+ airguns that shoot that stuff just fine. No doubt its a bit lighter then I like but for the price its totally worth it. Especially if shooting from a semi/full auto. If you can get the 19 grain stuff there are a few guys on the this forum that say its pretty good at distance. As for Big 5. They do carry H&N and RWS pellets. H&N is comparable to JSB but I do feel that JSB tends to be the go to in most cases. With RWS I personally have had good results with those pellets for what I have shoot.

 

[Vana2]

My rookie mistake started in the 1960's and lasted 40 years until being educated by the internet.

I used to buy whatever pellets were available or on sale and mix them indiscriminately in the pellet pouch.

Needless to say that my springer didn't group worth a darn and I just passed it off as that minute-of-a-tin-can was the best that could be expected from a pellet gun anyway.

I was gobsmacked when I saw dime-sized, 10-shot groups that people claimed to have shot at 40 yards.

B.S. I thought, 40 feet, maybe with a lot of luck, but groups like that at 40 yards was impossible or a lie!

Now, my 40 yard groups are typically 3/8" to 1/2" and a dime sized group would have me wondering what I was doing wrong.

Yeah, I've gone from using a pouch filled with several brands of mismatched pellets to using sorted pellets for serious shooting.

As a rookie I figured that any pellet that fit in the bore was good enough.

Know better now.

Cheers!

 

[MJS]

My earliest rookie mistake was tinkering too much with a gun that was already working fine. I learned you really can screw them up.

My other rookie mistake will probably never be made by anyone ever again. Back to the 80's, I stutter-stepped up the springer ladder with Beeman, HW, RWS. I kept spending more on guns but I never got consistently better. I assumed more expensive springers would make me better. Nope. Guess I never really learned how to shoot well with a springer. That was a mistake. (Truth be told, I was best with RWS 34 and 24.)

Fast forward a few decades. I bought a $200 Maximus for the hell of it. Did the simple trigger spring mod and was immediately hitting 1" spinners all day at 30 yd without a rest. It still does and still puts 14.3 CPHP out at 865 fps. I've since owned other pcp's as well.

With current PCP's all you need to do is realistically identify its purpose and buy accordingly. And of course, don't screw them up!

 

[coastal drifter]

Biggest mistake for me was thinking faster is better, I bought a RWS 48 in 177. It was great inside of 20 yards but as the distance got longer the light pellets would get squirrely. Eventually I learned (pellets) were generally more accurate under 900fps.

 

[MJS]

Needless to say that my springer didn't group worth a darn and I just passed it off as that minute-of-a-tin-can was the best that could be expected from a pellet gun anyway.

I was gobsmacked when I saw dime-sized, 10-shot groups that people claimed to have shot at 40 yards.

B.S. I thought, 40 feet, maybe with a lot of luck, but groups like that at 40 yards was impossible or a lie!

Now, my 40 yard groups are typically 3/8" to 1/2" and a dime sized group would have me wondering what I was doing wrong.

Yeah, I've gone from using a pouch filled with several brands of mismatched pellets to using sorted pellets for serious shooting.

As a rookie I figured that any pellet that fit in the bore was good enough.

No better now.

Cheers!

Are you still using a springer to get those groups of 3/8" to 1/2" at 40 yds? If so, WOW!

 

[houston]

Buying and buying cheap Chineses airguns.. they go for quantity over quality.

Also, they focus on PcPs and not on quality springers.

 

[Vana2]

Are you still using a springer to get those groups of 3/8" to 1/2" at 40 yds? If so, WOW!

NO! I WISH!!!

All the 40 yard shooting was/is with PCPs. At that time I knew nothing about PCPs, now I have a dozen

I do have a springer or two (TX200, FWB 300S) might be capable of that kind of accuracy but not likely in my hands though LOL! I usually don't shoot my springers beyond 25ish yards and mostly off hand plinking. Just might see what they are capable of when benched.

Cheers!

 

[HogKiller]

What are some of your airgun rookie mistakes that you learned from? For example, I learned that you get what you pay for. If you are into quality, then don't get the gun that comes in a box on isle 7 next to the gym shorts at Big Five and put a $20 scope on it expecting it to last. I also learned that stores like Wallymart, Big 5, etc. do not sell a high quality ammo and that my cheap airgun with cheap ammo explains a lot about why I made those lousy groups and missed shots on pests. It would be both fun and educamational to read some of your experiences from when you were a newbie.

Hey, bought a Big 5 Remington Nitro, it was safer standing in front than being behind it. Couldn't hit a darn thing, off by a mile, literally. Turns out the barrel was bent. Got it straighten out, got a decent Bug Buster scope that tolerates this style of air gun and it was sort of ok. Then I spent the bucks on a Sapsan, close but no cigar, then a Maverick .25 600, many trials and tribulations later, well documented here on the forum, dead ground squirrels at 100 yards. 1 MOS, Minute of Squirre. It was all downhill from there, that Rabbit Hole® is hard on the pocket book. Two Mavericks, the Sapsan, got it ok, and Jefferson State Raptor, plus a few pistols, a Tuxing air compressor and the normal extra tools and the like.

 

[Tumblinginflight]

What are some of your airgun rookie mistakes that you learned from? For example, I learned that you get what you pay for. If you are into quality, then don't get the gun that comes in a box on isle 7 next to the gym shorts at Big Five and put a $20 scope on it expecting it to last. I also learned that stores like Wallymart, Big 5, etc. do not sell a high quality ammo and that my cheap airgun with cheap ammo explains a lot about why I made those lousy groups and missed shots on pests. It would be both fun and educamational to read some of your experiences from when you were a newbie.

A derivative of your lesson, I learned to be careful selling quality items. Back in the early 2000s I liquidated a few REALLY nice guns to make hay for other hobbies. At the time they all were common enough and I sold at commodity prices. Fast forward to now, I would not have sold a single one. Finding comparable replacements is about impossible and would require some deep pockets.

 

[manabeknives]

My rookie mistake was believing what i saw on youtube as the "most accurate ever"
then seeing them repeat that phrase over and over for each review

 

[johnwoitalla]

A derivative of your lesson, I learned to be careful selling quality items. Back in the early 2000s I liquidated a few REALLY nice guns to make hay for other hobbies. At the time they all were common enough and I sold at commodity prices. Fast forward to now, I would not have sold a single one. Finding comparable replacements is about impossible and would require some deep pockets. What exactly did you sell(one or two examples) that you can’t replace now?

 

[Chukar60]

Mine was getting the slug bug as soon as I got into this. I was smitten by the YT influencers and had to have faster farther and harder hitting. My 25 cal Comapct Maverick pulled me back to earth when I tried to shoot slugs out of it. Quickly learned that in a lot of instances pellets are better suited for the task at hand.
I still have two slug guns and I really enjoy them. They have their place. But once again it was fastest, flattest etc. I now shoot mid weight slugs at fairly calm speeds and quit beating the crap out of my guns.