I just bougth that rifle for my dad and went sighting it in. It was approximately 30F. My best groups were 2 inches at 100 feet. I think it sucks. Is that all this rifle is capable of or should I expect better? .177 caliber. No wind problem, only elevation varied. Thoughts welcomed!
Crossman Nitro Venom accuracy
- Thread starter Frostbite
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spottedpony
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- Jan 9, 2007
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It will take a while to break in, 100 - 200 shots, possibly more. If its a scoped version (I believe the nitro venom is) some of the inexpensive scopes crosman/benjamin ship with their air rifles are quite intolerant of a change in head position. BE SURE you weld your head down to the stock in exactly the same place every time.
Break barrels are very hold sensitive, and changes in hold will not only affect group size but location on the target as well. Do not let the forearm rest on a sandbag, as that opens up groups as well, most agree the artillery hold seems to offer the most accuracy.
If you havn't, replace the trigger. there are a couple aftermarket triggers available that help.
When i started with my Titan, 1 1/2 to 2 inch groups were the norm at +/- 25 yards, plenty of break in time, a decent trigger, paying attention to technique and the same hold every time, I can now cloverleaf a 5 shot group easily.
Break barrels are very hold sensitive, and changes in hold will not only affect group size but location on the target as well. Do not let the forearm rest on a sandbag, as that opens up groups as well, most agree the artillery hold seems to offer the most accuracy.
If you havn't, replace the trigger. there are a couple aftermarket triggers available that help.
When i started with my Titan, 1 1/2 to 2 inch groups were the norm at +/- 25 yards, plenty of break in time, a decent trigger, paying attention to technique and the same hold every time, I can now cloverleaf a 5 shot group easily.
Thank you
Thanks spottedpony,
Your comment was really appreciated. I guess I will have to be a better shooter in order to get better results. It makes a lot of sense to me. Also, being technically precise in your recommandations about how to achieve it is particularly thoughtful of you. It helps me to pinpoint certain objectives in order to achive that goal. Now I have to search for what "artillery hold" is and practice, both activities I will enjoy.
Thanks spottedpony,
Your comment was really appreciated. I guess I will have to be a better shooter in order to get better results. It makes a lot of sense to me. Also, being technically precise in your recommandations about how to achieve it is particularly thoughtful of you. It helps me to pinpoint certain objectives in order to achive that goal. Now I have to search for what "artillery hold" is and practice, both activities I will enjoy.
Trigger
The GRT-III Trigger comes up first in the search. Is it as good as it is publicized? Will changing the (I did not like it when I pulled it) trigger make such a difference? My other rifles (not air) seem better in that area, but I was not aware if it had impacted my shooting performance noticeably. It would seem it did when reading about it. Still, other factors can be improved more easily. I will know all that for when I decide to buy myself such an air rifle.
Until then, I will relay those recommendations to my old man when we offer him that air rifle in a week for his sixty-eighth birthday. I still can't figure why he asked for one, the most likely reason being "because he did not have one", which anyway so many of us judge entirely sufficient.
Luckily he did not ask for a Sako Finnlight, because he would not have gotten it (for budgetary reasons only, I have nothing against that rifle).
I will try to go once again to the range this week in order to sharpen that tool a little before I offer it as a gift. In any case it is cheap and fun shooting practice, which is always better than not going to the range to shoot!
The GRT-III Trigger comes up first in the search. Is it as good as it is publicized? Will changing the (I did not like it when I pulled it) trigger make such a difference? My other rifles (not air) seem better in that area, but I was not aware if it had impacted my shooting performance noticeably. It would seem it did when reading about it. Still, other factors can be improved more easily. I will know all that for when I decide to buy myself such an air rifle.
Until then, I will relay those recommendations to my old man when we offer him that air rifle in a week for his sixty-eighth birthday. I still can't figure why he asked for one, the most likely reason being "because he did not have one", which anyway so many of us judge entirely sufficient.
Luckily he did not ask for a Sako Finnlight, because he would not have gotten it (for budgetary reasons only, I have nothing against that rifle).
I will try to go once again to the range this week in order to sharpen that tool a little before I offer it as a gift. In any case it is cheap and fun shooting practice, which is always better than not going to the range to shoot!
Well, I'm gonna have to disagree about the hold. I dialed mine in @ 25 yards from a bench, letting the forearm rest on a stack of seat cushions, my off hand pulling the buttstock tight into my shoulder. I was popping 3/4" stick-on dots 9 out of ten shots.
The scope needed a bit of work though. The diopter wouldn't screw in far enough for good focus at high magnification so I shaved the tube threads a bit.
Other than that, it was all about breathing. I watched the crosshairs drift up & down and learned to hold off target so that when I hit the bottom of the exhale cycle the hairs would be dead on. Adjusting the trigger helped some as it has a long pull until the break. A finely tuned sniper rifle it ain't.
The scope needed a bit of work though. The diopter wouldn't screw in far enough for good focus at high magnification so I shaved the tube threads a bit.
Other than that, it was all about breathing. I watched the crosshairs drift up & down and learned to hold off target so that when I hit the bottom of the exhale cycle the hairs would be dead on. Adjusting the trigger helped some as it has a long pull until the break. A finely tuned sniper rifle it ain't.
SDC
Member
The original trigger CAN be adjusted slightly, but it will still have a lot of take-up and over-travel, because of the lawyer-mandated trigger-group. A replacement trigger (or even putting in a roller bearing, like so: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L7QimswXxsw ) will get rid of that slop.
The oem trigger can be modified several ways to get big improvements, and one mod duplicates what the GRT does, so if you're into doing it yourself I have the info, write me at chevota@hotmail, remind me of who you are and I'll send it to you. I also have info on tuning the whole gun for better power, accuracy, smoothness, lighter cocking, quieter, and to be less abusive to the scope.
As Race said about the hold, it's true you don't need to use the artillery hold. I don't use it either, what's important is the hold is the same for each shot and the artillery is simply the easiest to do, especially for noobs. On top of that each gun is different in that some are more hold sensitive than others. A tune will reduce the sensitivity as well so one more reason to do it.
The reason for the hold is because unlike other guns or firearms the springer gun moves around before the pellet leaves the barrel, so if you hold the gun differently the gun moves differently so it'll be in a different position when the pellet comes out. Forend grip, shoulder position and pressure are all factors.
As Race said about the hold, it's true you don't need to use the artillery hold. I don't use it either, what's important is the hold is the same for each shot and the artillery is simply the easiest to do, especially for noobs. On top of that each gun is different in that some are more hold sensitive than others. A tune will reduce the sensitivity as well so one more reason to do it.
The reason for the hold is because unlike other guns or firearms the springer gun moves around before the pellet leaves the barrel, so if you hold the gun differently the gun moves differently so it'll be in a different position when the pellet comes out. Forend grip, shoulder position and pressure are all factors.
It seems to be the cold - Range report
I went shooting today hoping that I would do better than last time. I did. The artillery hold helped. I also worked the trigger kind of like if it had been a two stage trigger. I grouped a lot better after many shots were fired (approximately 90 shots, the last 10 being the best ones). Temperature of the barrel seemed to have a huge impact on performance. When I started shooting, it was around 4°C at 13h00 on a sunny day over a good snow cover. After many shots were fired, patterning improved to a point where I was able to enlarge the same holes. Then I had a chat with another shooter who had me try his .338 Win. Mag. Very nice fellow and rifle, I would love it for moose hunting and hate it for benchrest shooting! I fired only one shot to get an idea of the recoil... Too much to be fun for me for a whole afternoon. He then had me try his 10mm Glock pistol (first time I ever fired a pistol or any handgun). Nice experience, not convinced it would be a good choice for me. I preferred his buddy's .357 revolver. I then lit up and drank some water. So, time passed. When I started shooting the .177 again, I shot 6 inches low. Suspecting temperature might be responsible after that long break, I tried to shoot as fast as I could to raise it a little. It started to go up! So, happy to have, I think, figured something out about that rifle, I packed my gear as I was beginning to loose feeling in my toes. When I got back to my car, at 16h30, temperature was -1°C and the sun was getting low.
I went shooting today hoping that I would do better than last time. I did. The artillery hold helped. I also worked the trigger kind of like if it had been a two stage trigger. I grouped a lot better after many shots were fired (approximately 90 shots, the last 10 being the best ones). Temperature of the barrel seemed to have a huge impact on performance. When I started shooting, it was around 4°C at 13h00 on a sunny day over a good snow cover. After many shots were fired, patterning improved to a point where I was able to enlarge the same holes. Then I had a chat with another shooter who had me try his .338 Win. Mag. Very nice fellow and rifle, I would love it for moose hunting and hate it for benchrest shooting! I fired only one shot to get an idea of the recoil... Too much to be fun for me for a whole afternoon. He then had me try his 10mm Glock pistol (first time I ever fired a pistol or any handgun). Nice experience, not convinced it would be a good choice for me. I preferred his buddy's .357 revolver. I then lit up and drank some water. So, time passed. When I started shooting the .177 again, I shot 6 inches low. Suspecting temperature might be responsible after that long break, I tried to shoot as fast as I could to raise it a little. It started to go up! So, happy to have, I think, figured something out about that rifle, I packed my gear as I was beginning to loose feeling in my toes. When I got back to my car, at 16h30, temperature was -1°C and the sun was getting low.
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