Air Rifle Practice

Talk with other Shiloh Sharps shooters.

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Glen Ring
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Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

I have purchased a Benjamin marauder air rifle in .22 caliber.
Air rifle Silhouette is in the near future, but after weighing the rifle and 6.5x20 Leupold together, the weight is over 10 pounds.
That got me thinking about cheap practice for off hand shooting in BPCR.
The marauder is almost silent, it's accurate, I can air it with a pump and pellets are 6 bucks per 500 at most wally worlds.
Good 22 ammo isn't cheap right now, and with the air rifle being recoil free and almost silent, it's a good tool to introduce someone to shooting.

My other .22 pellet rifle has been great eliminating raccoons, skunks, crows , rabbits.. and a few snakes in the hen house.
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
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bpcr shooter
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by bpcr shooter »

Love the Benjamin Air rifles! I grew up with a 392, it took its fair share of small game for years. I cant even tell you how many pellets I shot thru that rifle, LOTS. I had a fixed 4-40mm on it and at 50ft, stacked 20 pellets on top of each other, I still have that stack somewhere. Great shooting guns for all ages for sure!!

matt
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Glen Ring
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

I had a 392 for varmint control and then bought a Discovery. This Marauder is SO quiet. Air rifles rock.
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
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bpcr shooter
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by bpcr shooter »

Yeah they do!! Ive been looking at Airforce air riles, the Texan model.

https://www.airforceairguns.com/product-p/u2045.htm
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Glen Ring
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

Yep
That's a big daddy...but my brother tells me they are REALLY loud. The new air bows look awesome also. Quieter and have more range than a crossbow. I don't know how most game departments see them...are they a rifle or a bow??
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
rgchristensen
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by rgchristensen »

A fellow asked me to help him install a silencer on an air rifle. "Silencer on an air rifle?" I asked. " Look at the pressure gauge." says he. It WAS loud.

That said, I think dry-firing and calling your shots is as good or better OH practice, is it FORCES you to call your shots and plot them, so as to keep score. Maybe not as much fun, but better discipline. And one is then getting comfortable with the weight and balance of his target rifle.

CHRIS
Glen Ring
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

Chris
Two of the best off hand shooters in the country are Kathy Winstead Severn and Dustin Flint. Both have a foundation in air rifle.
I was taught wrong, like so many others of my generation. A Mauser delivered by the mail man, some 175 grain ammo and it was off to the river to learn
shoot.
I have started my grandson on air pistol, air rifle and now he's shooting a .22 rifle very well.

I bought this Air Rifle using the justifications of Critter control, and practice ...my real reason is FUN! Hitting a 1/10th scale silhouette target is plain fun!!
I'm headed outside with a tin of 500 pellets...bought at Wally world for 6 bucks!
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
Nuclearcricket
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Nuclearcricket »

Last year I invested in 2 break barrel gas piston air rifles. First was a Umerix Forge, .177 and later on I picked up a Ruger Impact .22. Both shoot relatively well, the Ruger had a very heavy trigger that has since been tamed with a replacement spring. While I am not a great off hand shot I am getting better. I have found that better quality pellets make a big difference. Also the more you shoot these rifles the better they shoot. I have scopes on both of them. One has the factory supplied 4X scope and the other has a compact 3-9 AO scope. I shoot at 30' and the AO scope definitely had the advantage as you can dial in the range and get a nice clear view of the target. I don't know what the 4X is set to but the target at 30' is blurry. The more I shoot these 2 the smaller the clusters get with quality pellets.
A pellet trap is pretty easy to build, a box or plastic tub about a foot deep, some rubber mulch and some cardboard on top to attach your targets to. Maybe a total cost of $20.
As to suppresses on air rifles, yes they do make a difference, you wouldn't think they would but they do.
Any time you can practice breath control, trigger control and hold is always time well spent. The use of pellet rifles is a very economic way of doing that and it will not scare your neighbors or your cat when you need to rid the trees of vermin.
Sam
Glen Ring
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

Sam
I shot game when I was younger and was pretty good with a shotgun...but what made me a run and gun guy has given me bad habits as a target shooter.

I don't follow through on most shots .

I Hope shooting this air rifle will make me watch for the animal to fall .

My wife , Jeanne, spots and shoots with our grandson. One day I was watching him( he was 9 I think ) at a 22 BPCR match and he was staying on the
scope until the animal hit the ground.

I complimented him on his follow through and he said " Nina ( Jeanne) makes me do that ."
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
Nuclearcricket
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Nuclearcricket »

A couple of things I have learned with air rifles. Hold and follow through are very important. If you don't do it right it shows up right away.
Second thing I learned is that PCP rifles can be extremely accurate. While i have never fired one, one day at the range there were 2 gentlemen there with one. I think it was a repeater but couldn't swear to it. I don't remember the brand name on it either. They were shooting at 100 yards and picking off golf balls and empty shotgun hulls. I am pretty sure most would be hard pressed to do that with the average .22 let alone an air rifle.
Things have really progressed from out Red Rider days.
Sam
Glen Ring
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

Sam
I was shooting mine at 1/5 scale chickens at 50 yards as the sun was setting. I could see the pellet going to the target. The 22 pellet is going about 850 FPS and watching it in the scope I think will help me with follow through.

I'll try the 100 yard shots tomorrow .
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
Skip
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Skip »

I have the same Marauder air rifle, I refill mine with a scuba tank. I set up a silhouette range in the back yard. It's great for offhand practice and just plain fun. I have also silenced noisy crows at over 75 yards with it.
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Glen Ring
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Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

Skip
My 12 year old grandson just arrived, shot the air rifle at 50 yards and on his first shot hit an air rifle 1/10th scale pig. He now wants my air rifle and asked if there are any air rifle competitons.
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
Glen Ring
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Joined: Fri Jan 18, 2019 3:45 pm

Re: Air Rifle Practice

Post by Glen Ring »

Dustin Flint has been THE man for air rifle silhouette for years and one of the best standing shooters I have ever known. He has always maintained that air rifle practice is the best and yesterday he proved that shooting smallbore silhouette. Dustin shot back to back 40's..that's right, 80 straight .
There are those that talk, and those that act. Make a choice.
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