That's the same thing that did it for me!
The final thing that had got my blood pumping is my ATN X-Sight 4K Pro and ABL Laser Rangefinder combo. It's like having Strelok Pro built into the scope, no holdover or holdunder required.
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What was an absolute game changer for you in this sport?
- Thread starter Sqwirl57
- Start date
The final thing that had got my blood pumping is my ATN X-Sight 4K Pro and ABL Laser Rangefinder combo. It's like having Strelok Pro built into the scope, no holdover or holdunder required.
For me it was running out of my decades old stash of sub 2 cents / round 22 LR ammo!
With the price of replacing my depleting stash of 22 LR giving me pause, I stopped shooting as much as I used to over the last two years. In the past we would go through 5,000 to 10,000 rounds of 22s each year but it is now getting too expensive for a retired guy with no pension to shoot as much as I wanted. Pellet guns with ammo just over 1 penny / shot looked like the best way to cut the cost by as much as possible without giving up anything in the accuracy department. My 25 year old Diana 54 shoots well but is more bother than I like, so, I bought a Hatsan Factor RC on sale for $800, which was more money than I wanted to spend, but from my research it appeared to be a 1/4 MOA or better shooter at 25 yards with a higher shot count per fill that produced consistent velocity / accuracy - which mine is / does.
It did take some breaking in and pellet testing to get to the 1/4 inch or better at 25 yards that several of my 22 LRs can do, but it now consistently prints 5 shot groups 1/4" CTC or less. I have shot more in the last two months than the last year combined! I now regularly take my kids and grandkids airgun shooting with no concerns with letting them shoot as much as they want plus we can shoot on our property or in the basement which was not an option with the 22 LRs.
Though there was an initial entry cost to get set up with a PCP gun, my annual cost for 10,000 rounds has now dropped from $700 to a mere $125 and I have enough pellets on hand to shoot for 5 to 10 more years. I enjoy shooting the Factor RC as much as if not more than my more than a dozen 22 rimfire guns, which I did not expect to happen but am happy it did.
With the price of replacing my depleting stash of 22 LR giving me pause, I stopped shooting as much as I used to over the last two years. In the past we would go through 5,000 to 10,000 rounds of 22s each year but it is now getting too expensive for a retired guy with no pension to shoot as much as I wanted. Pellet guns with ammo just over 1 penny / shot looked like the best way to cut the cost by as much as possible without giving up anything in the accuracy department. My 25 year old Diana 54 shoots well but is more bother than I like, so, I bought a Hatsan Factor RC on sale for $800, which was more money than I wanted to spend, but from my research it appeared to be a 1/4 MOA or better shooter at 25 yards with a higher shot count per fill that produced consistent velocity / accuracy - which mine is / does.
It did take some breaking in and pellet testing to get to the 1/4 inch or better at 25 yards that several of my 22 LRs can do, but it now consistently prints 5 shot groups 1/4" CTC or less. I have shot more in the last two months than the last year combined! I now regularly take my kids and grandkids airgun shooting with no concerns with letting them shoot as much as they want plus we can shoot on our property or in the basement which was not an option with the 22 LRs.
Though there was an initial entry cost to get set up with a PCP gun, my annual cost for 10,000 rounds has now dropped from $700 to a mere $125 and I have enough pellets on hand to shoot for 5 to 10 more years. I enjoy shooting the Factor RC as much as if not more than my more than a dozen 22 rimfire guns, which I did not expect to happen but am happy it did.
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What was an absolute game changer for you in this sport?
Several things; but one I'm most proud of is consistently winning airgun competitions with 30-60 year-old Crosman rifles and pistols that sold new for $20-30 against serious competitors using the highest state-of-the-art equipment costing 100 times as much.
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What was an absolute game changer for you in this sport?
Several things; but one I'm most proud of is consistently winning airgun competitions with 30-60 year-old Crosman rifles and pistols that sold new for $20-30 against serious competitors using the highest state-of-the-art equipment costing 100 times as much.
That is awesome!
Having spent years working the rifle line and doing instruction at a shooting range, it warms my heart to see someone excel with the basics. I watched so many people show up week after week with the new gadget that they'd bought to improve their scores (to no avail) when they had the answer in their hands (and heads) all along.
J~
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Two things; first was buying a good springer (FWB-124) as soon as I could, many moons ago; second, the evolution of quiet in PCPs.
Very early 90's, maybe '91, was shooting an AR-6 from Air Rifle Specialties and it was powerful and accurate but so damn loud that I just thought it wasn't worth it at the time. I stuck with .22 rimfire. When Ted started doing hs videos I became aware that they were quiet now and I jumped back into it. Much better not using a yoke on a scuba tank and all of your weight pushing down to charge the gun, what a pain that was, and it meant that you couldn't put a supressor on the end. Yeah, first gen stuff is better avoided.
Very early 90's, maybe '91, was shooting an AR-6 from Air Rifle Specialties and it was powerful and accurate but so damn loud that I just thought it wasn't worth it at the time. I stuck with .22 rimfire. When Ted started doing hs videos I became aware that they were quiet now and I jumped back into it. Much better not using a yoke on a scuba tank and all of your weight pushing down to charge the gun, what a pain that was, and it meant that you couldn't put a supressor on the end. Yeah, first gen stuff is better avoided.
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M
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For me, it was FINALLY having a full understanding of the gyroscopic behavior of a spinning bullet and its reactions to external forces during flight. I was often times a very frustrated shooter until I gained this knowledge. Going from powder burners to airguns meant longer flight times. Longer flight times really exposed these effects. Then I had to research the hell out of the physics of it until I truly understood what was going on. Now I understand the physics and I am no longer a frustrated shooter. I'm still not a very good shot, but I'm better, and now I enjoy shooting more than ever.
grungy
grungy
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I have a few simple gamechangers over the last 30 years:
1. Moving to ranging and clicking with mills and streelok vs using holdover has improved my first shot kills or hits substantially
2. Moving to JSB pellets has improved the accuracy of most of my guns.
3. Slugs for long range hunting…has extended my hunting out to 200 plus yards
4. Applying shooting technique learned from years of spring gun shooting and center fire’s to pcp’s has made me a far better pcp shooter. The same rules generally apply… though I’ve rarely heard this discussed. Repeatability is all.
1. Moving to ranging and clicking with mills and streelok vs using holdover has improved my first shot kills or hits substantially
2. Moving to JSB pellets has improved the accuracy of most of my guns.
3. Slugs for long range hunting…has extended my hunting out to 200 plus yards
4. Applying shooting technique learned from years of spring gun shooting and center fire’s to pcp’s has made me a far better pcp shooter. The same rules generally apply… though I’ve rarely heard this discussed. Repeatability is all.
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Thats all good advice. I've never bothered with the slug hassle but I absolutely agree with springers improving shooting skills across the board. A springer will force you into a proper hold every time and teach you that trigger follow through is a must
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For me there are several things over the years that would qualify:
#1... Beeman. I've been shooting airguns since the mid 70s and when a co-worker suggested giving them a look. He was quite the marketer and I bought quite a few nice airguns from his business.
#2... EBR. I was asked to help out for the FT portion back when they were at Green Valley and it was just too fun of an event. It led to some higher powered rifles and longer ranges. I had hunted a lot and competed in AAFTA FT since the early 90s at that point but this was a big step up.
#3... Ballistic apps and smart phones. Several people had created DOS based apps that could calculate the trajectory in the 90s but the creation of smartphones and tablets upped the possibilities a BUNCH ... I currently have Chairgun , Strelok Pro, and Shooter. Shooter is my favorite ... easiest to navigate and very powerful. It doesn't have the GA drag model but G1 gets close enough for me.
#4... Carbon fiber tanks. Both airgun and storage tanks of cf have enabled power and shot count conveniently that were quite imaginary early in my airgun journey.
Fun times we live in !!
Bob
#1... Beeman. I've been shooting airguns since the mid 70s and when a co-worker suggested giving them a look. He was quite the marketer and I bought quite a few nice airguns from his business.
#2... EBR. I was asked to help out for the FT portion back when they were at Green Valley and it was just too fun of an event. It led to some higher powered rifles and longer ranges. I had hunted a lot and competed in AAFTA FT since the early 90s at that point but this was a big step up.
#3... Ballistic apps and smart phones. Several people had created DOS based apps that could calculate the trajectory in the 90s but the creation of smartphones and tablets upped the possibilities a BUNCH ... I currently have Chairgun , Strelok Pro, and Shooter. Shooter is my favorite ... easiest to navigate and very powerful. It doesn't have the GA drag model but G1 gets close enough for me.
#4... Carbon fiber tanks. Both airgun and storage tanks of cf have enabled power and shot count conveniently that were quite imaginary early in my airgun journey.
Fun times we live in !!
Bob
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The 'Homemade projects' thread reminded me of something from not long ago.
It was difficult to get the QB to group as well and consistently as I felt it was capable of. It was impossible to get a good cheek-weld with the stock in stock form. Adding a DIY plastic cheek-piece (attached with velcro) made a huge difference because the cross-hairs were no longer wandering around from head movement. With that and the DIY bipod, ten-meter fly-killing shots from the bench are now the norm.
Stay safe,
J~
It was difficult to get the QB to group as well and consistently as I felt it was capable of. It was impossible to get a good cheek-weld with the stock in stock form. Adding a DIY plastic cheek-piece (attached with velcro) made a huge difference because the cross-hairs were no longer wandering around from head movement. With that and the DIY bipod, ten-meter fly-killing shots from the bench are now the norm.
Stay safe,
J~
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what Totally changed me in this sport #1 Roz Sumpters FT match, TN state finals # 2 just a bit ago i finally understood Artillery hold . everything i read was just" flat palm on the forearm" not total light hold on the rifle . DOH !
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Buying the
Caldwell Precision Turret Rest I am 75 and not too steady - I can group half inch shots with this
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Hmmmmm absolute game changer in my 30 year airgun hobby 
..... Without a doubt shooting Field Target!
So basically before I would shoot airguns as a form of relaxation and get away from everyday life. This hobby would come and go for great lengths at times. Once I found Field Target my competitive nature thrives. Setting goals and trying different divisions etc. It has opened the door to meeting new people all over the country....and what a great group of people in this community.
..... Without a doubt shooting Field Target! So basically before I would shoot airguns as a form of relaxation and get away from everyday life. This hobby would come and go for great lengths at times. Once I found Field Target my competitive nature thrives. Setting goals and trying different divisions etc. It has opened the door to meeting new people all over the country....and what a great group of people in this community.
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The game changer for me was not airgun related. My whole life I split my airguns and powder burners about 70/30 in favor of real guns. When my fellow powder burners lost their freakin minds out of fear and basically did what the people they feared wanted by almost shutting things down with the hoarding and price gouging, I went 95/5 airguns. I only go to the range to sight in a gun before a season. Thank goodness I got all the custom guns and loads out of the way before things got weird. I talk to no one. They can kiss my plenum.
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Agreed...I started with a refurb marauder .22 (remember those barrels?) about 10 years ago and then a few mid? priced guns followed by a taipan mutant. I recognized that the mutant was in another league but not so great that it was paradigm shifting. Fast forward to this year...have acquired a hm1000x. This one has given me something of an epiphany. I think maybe I'm not a bullpup guy. And it definitely shattered my perceptions of the other airguns in my stable.
I don't plan on giving up my Taipan but many in my collection are being reconsidered.
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like so many others it took me too long to learn to buy with quality vs price in mind. Now I have stuff to sell lol
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