Forgotten the fun of a precision air rifle

[Peter M. Eick]

I was out at the ranch and took along a couple precision air rifles. I will post pictures once I download the iphone of it, but I had forgotten the fun of a precision rifle.

First off I had not extensively shot my Beeman 400 target rifle since the rebuild a few years back. I think I fired maybe ten shots and called it quits in the last say 30 years.

So the first step was sighting it back in. Surprisingly the 400 was off in elevation and just a tad of right sight adjustment. I was not expecting it to hit high but I guess the new spring is causing it to go faster. Anyway it took some target time at 50 ft to get it right on. I was shooting from a sitting position (back issues) so I had it locked in pretty soon. Once I got going though I burned through a tin of pellets in just a few days. They were H&N target pellets I bought in 82 from the sticker inside them and on the bottom of the tin. No oxidation which is good.

I found that it was fun to nail acorns on the gravel and lawn out to about 75 ft which is where I could not get a good bead with open sights on them. I then started trimming the suckers off the trees which was surprisingly easy. I finally started plinking on the support structure for my deer feeder about 200 ft out. It is a steel tripod structure of about 3" tubes that could be routinely hit if I did my part. Very satisfying to get that "tink" sound come back.

The Beeman 400 is absolutely recoiless. It uses the giss system of opposing pistons so you just get a thunk when the gun fires. The 1.5 onz trigger was hard to not blunder into. That took the most amount of time to get used to again. You take up the first stage (half an onz) and once you hit the second stage when you think fire it goes.

I did pull out the hw30 and cut loose with it for a bit. I got worried that the seals were weak so I will order new ones tomorrow. They are original to the gun and it also has not been shot since around 87.

I will have to set up a real range at the ranch and get a bit more organized. I need a target runner or a bigger target board and a spotter scope. I should also get some reactionary targets for the family. Shooting paper is great for me but the family will want something to happen on a hit.

Fun, just plain fun!

 

[fpgt72]

They are huge fun, for natures supplied targets we have these hard cherries, very hard. I have two trees in my front yard that make them, one at 25 yards the other at about 50, truth is I never lased the one farther away....don't really know why that is come to think of it.

Those cherries are fantastic to shoot, perhaps a tad larger then an "human" cherry, but not that large, When hit you usually blow half of them off. Brings some flash backs but I still enjoy it greatly.

Another fantastic target is paint balls on top of golf tee's. These are great targets.

I have been thinking about getting myself one of those mega boom target things, watched a few reviews on them and they look like they could be fun.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Cherries would be interesting. I have to give you that. I was thinking more along the lines of a spinner or a reset type metal target. In the meantime I will just play with acorns and limestone pebbles. The limestone bedrock is only a few inches down so I have an infinite supply of small pebbles to shoot at or use with the wrist-rocket.

I had not thought of paintballs but in my day I used to shoot at the big lifesaver candies at 10 m. The goal was to see how many you could shoot and not nick it. If you hit the edge it would explode nicely. Aspirin are also good targets.

 

[Peter M. Eick]

Finally some picts showing the beeman 400 in its glory (along with one dead tin of pellets).

 

[OpticsPlanet]

A few of us here have recently gotten into (or back into) airgunning, as we had forgotten how much fun and challenge it could be. Here a couple of fun Blogs titled "Hot Air" and "More, Hot Air"

George P.

 

[fpgt72]

Fun articles.

With my medical issues I have not shot a "firearm" in a very long time, and anything centerfire has been a very very long time. Actually last weekend I wanted to "bust some caps" before my next surgery, it was likely the last nice day so I took two of my .22's out to my half built range in the back "yard" and ran a few boxes in them.....well actually perhaps just a box between the two guns....about all I could manage. I hung a steel target at one end, went to the bench I have at 75 yards and figured I would just hear the crack and thud (I started with sub sonics in a very long very old rifle) and to my shock...ding....ding.....ding. It is a single shot so it takes a while between shots I am such a better shot now.

Shooting often with air guns will make you a better shot. Nothing is better then trigger time, nothing is better then trigger time and actually putting holes in something.

I really enjoy my air guns greatly.