Mat Manning offers some key pointers to improve your airgun accuracy and get you on target
Shooters often blame their gun or their sights when airgun accuracy goes astray but don’t be too quick to point the finger at your hardware when the bullseye proves elusive. More often than not, the answer is far simpler, and cheaper, than forking out on new gear. In fact, it usually boils down to bad technique, a poorly set trigger or mismatched pellets — and sometimes all of the above.
Airgun pellet choice
It never fails to amaze me how many shooters stump up serious money for airguns, then feed them on a diet of cheap ammo and wonder why they can’t turn out the sort of accuracy stated by the manufacturer or in magazine reviews.
The frustrating fact is that most airguns are pellet-fussy, some more so than others. Even more frustrating is the fact that guns from the same production line can favour different pellets, so the only solution is to try several brands through your airgun and see which ones produce the tightest groups.
Modern airgun pellets come in a baffling array of shapes but the classic domed or roundhead design is still the best when it comes to accuracy. Manufacturers of pointed pellets will boast of improved penetration and those that make hollow-points will promise increased knock-down power, but all that counts for nothing unless you can land them in exactly the right place. experiment with known performers such as air arms, JSB, H&N, RWS and Daystate and you should find one that really suits your gun.
Don’t be tempted to use cheap pellets for practice; you won’t learn anything about the downrange performance of your airgun and, with quality ammo costing less than 3p per pop, it really is a false economy not to use the best and stick with it.
Airgun shooting stances
The position from which you shoot has a massive influence on downrange accuracy. your body is the platform from which the air rifle has to operate, and factors such as your pulse, the rhythm of your breathing, and the twitching of your muscles as they quiver against the weight of a heavy gun can all conspire to make it seemingly impossible to hold a steady aim.
For the above reasons, standing shots will always be the trickiest. add the constant shifting of weight required just to stay upright (not to mention the effect of a blustery wind buffeting against your body) and it’s easy to see why most air rifle hunters only take standing shots at close range. Nonetheless, it’s a stance that’s worth practising because, once mastered, it’ll help you put more quarry in the bag — especially when stalking rabbits in places where low cover rules out kneeling or sitting shots.
Most experienced airgun shooters probably account for the vast majority of their kills from kneeling shots. Relatively stable and easy to assume, the kneeling stance also provides reasonable clearance of ground obstacles. One key thing to remember when shooting from a kneeling stance is to tuck the elbow of your leading hand over your knee or behind it. if placed directly on the flat surface of your knee, the hard, round point of your elbow will roll all over the place, making it very difficult to hold a steady aim.
The sitting stance provides even more stability, hence its popularity with target shooters. It lends itself well to static shooting, such as ambushing quarry from a hide, but is usually too much hassle to bother with when stalking. As with the kneeling stance, keeping your elbows just behind or in front of your knees will help to keep you on target.
The most accurate stance of all is the prone position. Lying flat on your belly is about as stable as you can get and with experience, this stance will enable you to pick off rabbits out to 40m with a 12ft/lb air rifle in windless conditions. It’s best used when waiting in ambush in places where nettles and long tussocks of grass don’t threaten to obstruct your shots — and when the ground is fairly dry.
A gentle airgun hold
A lot of shooters try to strangle the wobble out of their airguns, but it never works. Squeezing the gun tightly inevitably puts your muscles under increased stress, which translates into even more wobbles in the sight picture. Good gunfit should ensure that your airgun locks steadily and effortlessly into your shoulder, and you only need to handle it lightly once it’s there. A gentle hold is even more important if you shoot a spring-powered or gas-ram airgun. Shockwaves from the moving parts that create the blast of air which drives the pellet are still in effect as the projectile travels down the barrel. There’s nothing you can do to stop this recoil, so you have to manage it. Hold your airgun with a light, consistent grip every time and the movement will follow the same course for every shot, thus ensuring that the pellet always follows the same path.
Give it a rest
The fantastic thing about modern precharged airguns is that their lack of recoil means you can take leaning shots without the risk of unpredictable recoil sending pellets astray. Leaning on trees, gates and fence posts isn’t cheating, it’s making the most of an opportunity to improve your chances of landing the shot exactly where you want it, and I do it whenever I get the chance.
Rather than relying on natural rests, you can also take extra support with you in the shape of a bipod, tripod or set of shooting sticks. I almost always have my bipod fitted when targeting rabbits as it enables me to take rock-steady shots when I hunker down to ambush a busy warren.
Spring-powered airguns don’t shoot as well as PCPs when rested because of the aforementioned kick. Lean them on a hard surface such as a fence rail, and the point of impact bounces away from where it was when the gun was supported by your hand. Nonetheless, you can still lean your arm or shoulder against trees, gates and fences to help steady the shot — just make sure the gun is cradled in the same way as ever so the recoil can follow its usual course.
Trigger control
Many a good airgun is let down by a bad trigger and many a good shot is spoilt by poor trigger control. a trigger should be crisp and predictable with no hint of creep. It shouldn’t be set dangerously light nor should it be so heavy that you pull the cross-hairs off aim as you heave it towards breaking point.
For maximum feel and control, only the pad of your finger should be in contact with the blade. as the cross-hairs settle, push back through the first stage until you feel the trigger stop. When the shot is good, touch off the second stage to send the pellet on its way. But it’s not over yet — the movement caused by the firing cycle is still in effect and, even if you shoot a PCP, you can yank the shot off aim before the pellet leaves the barrel. Stay on aim and try to keep your sights trained on the target until the pellet hits home. the process sounds quite laborious in the written word but becomes second nature after a few practice sessions on the range. and practice is the final word when it comes to hitting the target consistently.