New R1 -- Poor Results?

[GKing]

Just got a new R1 (.20 cal) with Leupold 3-9 X 33 scope on Beeman 2 piece mounts.  My first airgun.  Shooting Beeman FTS pellets to break in.

Have shot about 100 pellets through it.  Results are very inconsistent.  In a 5 shot group at 25 yds, I get two or three touching each other and then one four inches high - or a couple 6 inches low.

Am shooting off a bench, half filled sandbag in front, another sandbag under rear of stock positioned so that the rifle can slide on it when it recoils.  Am not holding stock with left hand.  Am not pressing it to shoulder.  

Stock screws have not loosened.  All scope mounting screws are tight.

Is this normal break-in behaviour?

Thanks for your advice.

George

[Lawdog]

GKing,

Am shooting off a bench, half filled sandbag in front, another sandbag under rear of stock positioned so that the rifle can slide on it when it recoils. Am not holding stock with left hand. Am not pressing it to shoulder.

I prefer to use a form pillow under my forestock. Also make sure you aren't gripping with your right hand either.  Another thing that helped my groups is to use a bullseye that measures 1/2" across and has a cross( + ) thru it to help me line up my crosshairs with.  You might try this and if it doesn't help post it here as usually the R-9 is a very accurate rifle.  Lawdog
 

[dave]

Shooting a spring gun well takes a lot of practice, and some pellets work better than others.
You may need to try a few different types of pellets to find out what works best. Since every gun is a bit different than the next, even with the same make and model, what works ok for one may not work in another. I've found that Crosman Premiers work well in mine, haven't tried FTs
The gun needs to be broken in, 100 shots isn't really enough to see what it can do. Thats hardly enough to get the excees lube out of the compression chamber. Also, you'll find that shooting a spring rifle off a bag is very difficult due to the physics of the guns recoil. Its not at all like a powder burner- firearms benchrest rules don't apply, as the recoil is quite different.  If its not placed exactly the same every time, and if its not rested in the right spot on the forearm, you'll see results just like you experienced. Same with off-hand shooting. The gun needs to be held lightly, not to tight, and exactly the same way every time, or accuracy will suffer. It takes lots and lots of practice to get the proper hold technique down. The R-1 is a very accurate shooter, and I think that the 1 or 2 flyers you're getting will go away as you practice more and the gun breaks in.

[Questor]

See Lawdog's post on shooting springers accurately. I think your problem may be one of technique. Technique is really important with springers. I rest the foreend without gripping it regardless of whether I'm shooting from a bench or standing. I also put very little pressure on the grip, just enough to hold the gun. This gives me a consistent point of impact and good accuracy regardless of my shooting position.

[coopershooter]

your gun is not broken in yet! and i agree that shooting a springer off the bench is problematic!  about five years ago, my dad bought a hw77 carbine with a beeman blueribbon scope from a buddy of his. he put it on the bench and was very dissapionted with the results. after some tinkering, and diffrent pellets. he gave up and gave the gun to me.
  it took me awhile and a few phone calls to people who know how to shoot these things. when i shoot off a bench i sholder just like offhand and put a sandbag under my left hand but not touching the rifle. it,s not like shooting a regular rifle off a bench rest, but your results should improve.
 these guns shoot better off hand than off a bench. dont give up! keep practicing! you will eventually be very happy with your r1, it,s one of the best.
  i use my hw77 for off hand practice to keep in shape for deer season, it weighs as much as my deer rifle.

[Have]

those notwithstanding, I must add the following:

Am new to this thread, but have been shooting spring guns since 1975 and air guns since, well, dirt was invented.

I will take no less then 1000 shots to ge the rifle "grooved" and broken in. In that time, experiment with pellets, as has been noted.

The "fliers" are usually from "dieseling" and accompanied by a louder than usual crack, followed by the smell of burned lube. This will settle down in time, but is not unusual even after 1000.

The last thing to consider is that a springer needs more to be cradled than held tight into shoulder like a firearm. If you rest the rifle, it is better to rest it on the stock, and maybe even with your hand beneath...as the recoil power cycle demands a slightly eased approach. (If gun is a gas ram, the shooting is more stright forward, as there is not the same cycle-much faster lock time also.)

You should also review airgun forum.net for many more detailed stuff from very serious shooters from UK and Spain, etc. While they mostly shoot limited power guns (non FAC) due to restrictive laws, they do hunt and shoot paper with a relish generally reserved for firearms in the USA, so heed the information from the ones who shoot spring and gas ram rifles.


Fun, no matter what.