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Kevin
Lv 4
Kevin asked in SportsOutdoor RecreationHunting · 8 years ago

What can I do to shoot better?

I've been trying to shoot better for about a week now; I'm just starting. I'm no more than 10 feet away from my desired target. My hands do shake a lot for some reason but I'm trying to reduce that shaking by positioning it on top of something that will hold it still. Every now and then, I do seem able to hit my target but it's a little bit off. I'm failing at something that I shouldn't be able to fail at. I bought a 2400 case of pellets at Walmart, and I've used up maybe 1/7th of the case.

10 Answers

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  • Andy
    Lv 7
    8 years ago
    Favorite Answer

    You need to determine if it's you,the gun,or a combination of both. Bench rest the gun and practice proper breathing technique. Or better yet let someone that's a good shot try your pellet gun out to see how they do. Either way bench resting your gun is the only way to find out how accurate it is. Besides proper breathing, trigger operation is critical. You should be using the first pad of your trigger finger. If you stick your finger too far in on the trigger your accuracy is going to suffer. And make sure your squeezing the trigger not jerking it. Also make sure your using the right and consistent sight picture. As for your gun, if you have a cheap non rifled barrel pellet gun it's never going to shoot that accurately. Also many break barreled pellet guns can be wildly inaccurate due to the rear sight or scope mounted on the receiver and the slop between the barrel and receiver.

  • C_F_45
    Lv 7
    8 years ago

    How to shoot an air rifle better

    1 - You need to get a good sight picture

    2 - Control your breathing

    3 - Squeeze the trigger, don't jerk it

    I'm trying to reduce that shaking by positioning it on top of something that will hold it still?

    If you're shooting a springer, that won't work.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZLed_nD5ixA

    When shooting a springer from a bench. Use a tightly rolled up towel or similar, rest the rifle in your open palm, then your hand on top of the towel. Also the rifle should just barely touch your shoulder.

    Reasons an air rifle may not deliver expected accuracy

    1 - It could be you're a lousy shot :))

    2 - Pellets >Air rifles tend to be particular about the pellets they prefer(accuracy)

    3 - Check the stock screws to make sure they're tight

    4 - If you have a scope. Check mount and ring screws

    5 - You may need a scope stop

    6 - Barrel droop may be a problem

    7 - You're holding the rifle incorrectly >see video above

    8 - The rifle may be dieseling

    9 - Check the breech seal for cracks/breaks

    Shooting - Air Rifle

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8wXkGWzkV2k

    This is a rather lengthy series of videos on how to shoot 3 position air rifle.

    I bought a 2400 case of pellets at Walmart?

    I don't know of any pellets that are sold in a case of 2400.

    BBs yes, pellets no.

    BB guns in general do not deliver a high degree of accuracy. >With the possible exception of the Daisy Avanti 499

  • dbaldu
    Lv 6
    8 years ago

    As others have pointed out, marksmanship takes longer than a week to learn. You don't mention having any kind of a coach or experienced person to help, so you are trying to learn it by yourself, which means you probably are making basic errors without realizing it.

    I'll assume that your pellet rifle is of good enough quality to produce at least acceptable accuracy as I have no way to know one way or the other. If so, marksmanship comes down to a few basic skills that are easily stated but take practice to master.

    -- Sight picture is essential. You have to be able to see the sights, align them correctly and do it consistently. If this is not happening, your groups will be poor and accurate adjustment of the sights will be impossible.

    -- Trigger squeeze is of importance equal to sight picture. You squeeze when the sights are correctly aligned, stop when they are not. With proper execution, the shot breaks when the sights are correctly aligned on the target. There is no secret technique. It just takes practice.

    -- Breath control is another key. You can't inhale and exhale without disturbing the sight picture. There are numerous approaches to breath control, which I won't go into here. You need to find the one that works for you.

    -- Position matters as well. You hold the rifle and position yourself so that the rifle points naturally at the target without muscular effort to drag it left or right.

    I strongly advise you to get into a club program at an NRA affiliated club where you can get some real coaching before you develop a lot of bad habits that you will have to unlearn in order to shoot well.

    Good luck! Marksmanship is a worthwhile skill. I wish you all success.

  • 8 years ago

    It takes lots and lots of practice, be patient, being calm and steady is important. As other said with a new pellet gun or any other for that matter zero the sights. Do this by using a rest that will hold the gun ABSOLUTELY steady. Fire five shot each string. Adjust the sights OR if you do not have small groups of strikes with the same exact sight picture, then you know the accuracy capability sucks.

    I am sure there are many web sites that will describe the basics of placing good shots. But, we say Breath, hold-let out half, sight picture, and trigger squeeze, and follow through. I am also certain most libraries have great books available for you. I know personally, I always donate sets of the NRA instruction books to our local libraries.

    Source(s): NRA Instructor and holder of about every certification the NRA offers. Match shooter every discipline I can find for over 35 years.
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  • ?
    Lv 6
    8 years ago

    Breathing and focus it's most important part in shooting .

    First breath many time deeply and aim your gun ,when your aim is in target then hold your breath and without any extra move make the shoot .

    At first shoot that you aim in target go and check the target .If there is need to adjust the site ,make that adjacent and then again make another shoot ,try to just focus on the target without paying attention in your around .

    After many time you will learn how to hold the gun and what time to make the shoot .

  • Anonymous
    8 years ago

    pellet guns suck. even i have trouble hitting anything with them consistently. it's like using an airsoft gun for target shooting, some days the pellets hit dead on, other days you get a scatter gun effect ... it is painful and frustrating to shoot something so inaccurate.

    I recommend skipping pellet guns and get yourself a .22lr rifle.

    you can self-teach or attend a NRA Basic Rifle class that will help you get the basics down and then attend a Appleseed class that tell teach the basics and fine-tune your marksmanship that after the 2 day course you can hit a quarter 100 yards away!

  • 8 years ago

    You can't master it in a week. However, if your hands are shaking and your sights are moving around, your breathing may be a problem.

    The short answer is don't hold your breath for more than three seconds when you shoot. one of the first places effected by hypoxia is the muscles in your extremities, followed by blurriness in your vision. Neither will help you shoot better, will they?

  • 8 years ago

    Look, Kevin, it takes a lot longer than a week to learn to shoot well. Just keep practicing. You have to learn to fire the gun without moving the sights. Concentrate.

  • MARK
    Lv 7
    8 years ago

    Shoot bench rest style, concentrate on your sight picture, and slowly squeeeeze the trigger. it's all just a lot of practice.

  • 8 years ago

    You need to practice with a real gun.not a toy..get good .22 to start with

    Source(s): experience
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