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Education / Training 10-meter pistol shooting – Part 6

10-meter pistol shooting – Part 6

by B.B. Pelletier

Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4
Part 5

Someone asked for a listing of 10-meter pistols similar to the one I did for 10-meter rifles. I’ll get to that, but today I want to finish the training session. I mentioned last time that I would tell you how to go from a 550 average to world-class, even though I’ve never done it. Well, knowing “how” and “doing” are two different things.

In the words of Jedi master, Yoda, “There is no try. There is only do or do not.” That’s the secret of the Olympics or Carnegie Hall or any other pinnacle of excellence. It probably sounds like I’m saying, “Hang in there and one day you’ll come out on top,” but I’m not. That’s the slogan of the loser. If you “hang in there,” you’ll be certain to hold down the bottom of whatever it is you’re trying to accomplish.

See the win
What I am talking about comes up in all the books on becoming a top shooter. It also comes up in all the writings of anyone who has made it to the top of any field. You must be able to visualize the win before it happens. That’s what I meant when I said this session was going to sound new-age. It isn’t at all, but until you understand what it is, that’s the impression most people have.

The master’s routine exposed for everyone
Before a performance or contest, every top master has a routine they go through to get ready to perform. This routine was portrayed on the silver screen in two different movies about sports that I’m aware of. The first was Kevin Costner acting as a baseball pitcher in the 1999 film, For Love of the Game. He has a routine in which he says to himself, “Clear the mechanism.” When he says it, all outside sounds fade away. You get the impression that he is aware of his surroundings only to the extent that he has to be to pitch the ball. After watching the movie several times I got the impression that he may have had hypnosis and this key phrase was his way of auto-hypnotizing himself to concentrate and focus on what he had to do to win.

The other film that illustrates visualization is The Greatest Game Ever Played, based on the true story of U.S. Amateur golfer Francis Oiumet playing in the U.S. Open against the greatest golfer who lived up to that time, British Open champion Harry Vardon. Interestingly, it is Vardon and not the principal character who demonstrates visualization. In this instance, both extraneous sights as well as sounds vanish, and the viewer is left with the impression that Vardon could see only the cup, with nothing between him and it but grassy space.

The winner’s circle is in your head
Both films are wrong, of course, but they have to be, because both attempt to take an average person – a viewer in the audience – into the mind of a champion. That’s a place few people would recognize. I have been there for brief visits, but I never found the key to a more permanent residence. But those short visits taught me that the place is real, and it’s where you have to go if you want to win.

Watch a winner!
The summer Olympics are coming up soon. You may be able to see from the outside what I’m talking about. I’ve seen clips of downhill skiers and high jumpers (especially high jumpers!) just before they started their run and they look like they’ve lost their minds. In fact, they’re entirely focused inside their minds at these moments, mentally running the course and visualizing a perfect run or jump. If you were to ask them a question during this routine, they would not hear you – not the champions, at least. You can see them with their eyes closed and their heads bobbing up and down as the tape runs in their mind. Over and over they run the tape, seeing every step or move along the way, until any other type of performance is foreign and unrecognizable.

A 10-meter air pistol champion has to focus like that before every shot in a match. They have to visualize the ten before the trigger breaks. I have talked about this before – that once you get to a certain level of excellence, the trigger starts breaking without your conscious effort. You don’t have to pull it, because your finger does it before you can think to tell it to. This is where thousands of hours of dry-fire practice come to bear on the subject. Your body is so used to the pistol that your finger knows to hold the shot until your eye sees the perfect sight picture. You cannot force this – it has to start happening on its own, and the catalyst that makes it happen is practice. Like I said, I have seen this level of concentration, but I have not devoted what it takes to make it my permanent shooting style.

Now if all this means to you is that a positive attitude is necessary to be a winner, you’re missing the whole point. Attitude is meaningless, or rather, this goes way beyond attitude and intrudes forcefully into behavior. What you are doing is creating a mental image of the universe in which you intend living. The win is in that universe.

At this level of performance, a trigger with 5 grams of creep before the letoff feels like ten miles of bumpy road. A gun that flips up a half-inch at the muzzle feels like a .44 Magnum. The recoil of a 7.5-grain pellet feels like a bucking bronco. This is also where you learn to slow your heartbeat so the shot can occur between the bumps. It’s not an easy place to find but the rewards make the journey worthwhile to those we call champions.

author avatar
Tom Gaylord (B.B. Pelletier)
Tom Gaylord, also known as B.B. Pelletier, provides expert insights to airgunners all over the world on behalf of Pyramyd AIR. He has earned the title The Godfather of Airguns™ for his contributions to the industry, spending many years with AirForce Airguns and starting magazines dedicated to the sport such as Airgun Illustrated.

55 thoughts on “10-meter pistol shooting – Part 6”

  1. Hi bb – I just got a Diana 34 in 22 and the manual advises against using a wire bore brush. I only have a nylon one anyway, but is this a case of Diana/RWS/Umarex being overly careful? Continued thanks for a great blog.

  2. B.B.

    I was watching the Olympic air pistol championship (I think it was in Greece). The American shooter’s final shot – only needed an 8 – for the gold but he shot the wrong target for a 0 and China won the gold. Do you remember that? I’m sure it ruined his day.

    Springer John

  3. Loved the emphasis of the importance of visualizing. You put the concept into words excellently.

    Another phrase I like that challenged the phrase of “practice makes perfect” by a golf instructor: “nay,,,practice makes habits,,,,with out good tuition one will simply make ‘bad’ habits”

    Love your blogs. you do good.

  4. BB,

    Interesting. When our daughter plays the piano, she doesn’t hear anything said to her.

    I remember you were going to do a blog on a new semi-auto coming out. Is that coming soon?

    I just went to an Estate sale yesterday and picked up a Crosman 622 for $5. The stock is loose and the pel clip is missing, but I figured it is at least worth what I paid for it. A good fixer-upper. Do you know where I might be able to find a pel clip for it? The sale also had a QB88 side lever for $45. What do you know about the QB88?

    Thanks,
    .22 multi-shot

  5. B.B.
    Wow..super blog today…
    lucky for me, I am looking for tips…I get to shoot 4 to 6 hours a day…and call it “testing which guns to buy for the range”…but now that I have picked my favorites under $300, (for now), and entered into the area of the Air airs, S410, TX200, and HW77, (we will see if “just anyone” gets to shoot them) I find I want to practice more with these, than test the low price points, (although the RWS94 has a great trigger, good balance, fairly smooth firing action, and is almost as accurate for me, I love shooting it.. I still can’t believe they quit selling them…maybe it won’t hold up..we will see)..

    So thanks again for the great tips…when I do my best, I can taste what you are talking about…

    Your last thoughts really help…and I think tie into the recent blog about starting with the right level of “tool” (RC air plane)..and letting your skill level pull you into better and better “tools” in your hobby..

    On the Air Rifle range set up..Can the match director set up an “old mans” easy chair section….or does that have to be out of a real contest..(maybe have smaller holes with the more comfort or rests)..

    Wayne,
    Ashland Air Rifle Range

  6. Wayne,

    The match director can set up any kind of match he wants. Matches where the rules depart from AAFTA rules simply don’t qualify for AAFTA recognition (like state or national matches).

    At DIFTA we had Whacky Matches in which people showed up with anything BUT field target rifles. Sheridans, 1077s and so on. It was fun and I think they still do it. But we stuck to a yearly schedule of 8 formal matches and the State finals.

    B.B.

  7. B.B.

    Fascinating. I was watching YouTube clips of ISSF shooters, and I could see that a lot was going on in their heads–but what. I also noticed that without seeing the end of the muzzle, it was almost impossible to see when they fired; everything was so still.

    The USMC sniper Carlos Hathcock has a phrase I like about getting into the bubble. It’s never hot or cold on the range; you’re never hungry or thirsty or distracted by bugs, he says.

    Maybe this idea forms a bridge between the visualization of Olympic shooters and martial arts masters. All of the latter category say that you must not focus on the result, at least in the sense of wanting something too much; you have to be totally focused on the moment. Boxers, in particular, like Jack Dempsey say that it is imperative to put your emotions away in a match. But I suppose the Olympic visualization is a way of being completely immersed in the moment.

    Is it a syndrome for top level shooters to shoot at the wrong target in clutch moments? I seem to remember this happening at some famous match-up between the U.S. and the Irish world championship team in the last century at Creedmoor something or other. One of the Irish shooters shot at the wrong target at 1000 yards and lost the match for his team.

    Matt61

  8. B.B.

    Is it possible that movement during a shot–like a bad follow-through–can cause a pellet to tumble or even keyhole? I’ve noticed that with the IZH 61, when I’m shooting badly, the pellets seem to make a larger hole, and when I settle down they get smaller.

    Also, for springers, what is the relationship between weight and hold sensitivity? I would have thought that hold sensitivity is caused by light weight. But my counter-example is the RWS 48, a heavy gun, which you blogged and said was hold-sensitive. (I don’t find that true of the B30.) Is there a lightweight gun that is hold-insensitive? How about the Gamo Whisper?

    Matt61

  9. Thank you BB! They do have the pell-clip at.

    I didn’t think the QB88 was worth much, but I wanted to make sure.

    What about that semi-auto?

    .22 multi-shot

  10. Matt61,

    When the pressure becomes almost unbearable, shooters will focus on only the target. With match sights, the targets, which are very close together, are difficult to differentiate. Lock in on the wrong one and you get a mistake. It doesn’t just happen at high-level matches.

    The Benjamin Discovery is lightweight and not sensitive to hold. The Whisper is not very sensitive, as I recall.

    B.B.

  11. BB, sorry for the confusion. The semi-auto I am asking about is the new model you said would be coming out soon (you didn’t say which brand). At the time, you thought you would blog it in about 3 months. Is it coming up soon?

    Thanks,
    .22 multi-shot

  12. I have really appreciated your 10-metre pistol series, BB. I’m referencing the entire series as I try this more structured approach to target shooting – great fun! I know that improvement only comes with practice, but incorporating your suggestions has provided a great leg up – its nice to be starting with scores in the 460-510 range.

    After reviewing Parts 1-4, I’ve got three questions (I hope I haven’t simply overlooked the answers).

    1) You thoroughly discussed stance (feet) and grip (hand – which led to properly positioning the “shelf” on the IZH46M properly for the first time), but could you confirm how the shooting arm is held. The pictures strongly suggest the elbow is locked, but could you comment on this?

    2) As a practical matter apart from actual technique, when the amateur is practicing (non-match) how many shots do you suggest per 10-metre target, 5 or 10?

    3) I think it was mentioned in the series, but could you confirm the height of the target relative to the shooter. Obviously match-quality pistol ranges are on level ground, but my “range” has a slight slope I’ll take into account.

    Finally, do you know of any significant airgun shows that take place annually in the western states? Seems like all the cool events you’re attending are “back east” and thousands of miles away.

    Thanks for providing such a wide array of objective information, BB!

    Brian

  13. Ooops, one more question… I checked the Pyramyd site first, but don’t see the type of adaptable shooting glasses you mention in the 10-metre series. Could you mention some on-line sources?

    Thanks!

    Brian

  14. Brian,

    Yes, the elbow is locked. It locks from the way I described holding the gun, plus from the gun’s grip angle.

    Shoot as many shots per target as you can score. Before long, you won’t be able to score more than five.

    Try to keep the target at the same height as your extended arm. Target holders are made to be adjusted because of this. It really is important, because the arm locks much better when held level.

    There have been a few small airgun shows out west, but they never lasted. One in Reno even attracted Dr. Beeman – but it was only held one year.

    For shooting glasses frames go to Champion’s Choice in LaVergne TN.

    B.B.

  15. Hey Multi-shot On Ebay there is an original manual for the 622 for $5.
    Here is the link. (You will have to copy it into your browser or just search for CROSMAN 622 PELL-CLIP on the ebay site. It is in one of the “eBay Stores” and not a regular auction item, so should be there quite a while.)

  16. BB, you probably remember right. It was something you mentioned back in Feb/Mar time frame.

    Revwarnut – Thanks for notifying me about that manual. I just bought it.

    .22 multi-shot

  17. Hi BB,

    Welp! I just finished putting my new HFC M190 GBB (Beretta clone) airsoft pistol through some testing. I find that if I order an airsoft gun every month or so, then it always feels like Christmas or my birthday as I wait for the package from PA to arrive.

    My testing was informal at first, and consisted of shooting from rest at a toilet paper core (jumps around great when hit) at 20′ and a paper cup filled with orange soda (quite flat, left over from yesterday) at 30′, that I found in my car’s cup holder (nothing but the most scientific testing procedures for me, you betcha!). I was surprised that, although the sights were reasonably right on at 20′, they had to be depressed by a foot when trying to hit the cup at 30′. The M190’s Hop Up sent each BB sailing right over the cup. I couldn’t find anything in the manual about adjusting the Hop-Up. Also, the safety operation on the gun is backwards from what the manual says; I wonder if it’s normal on a real Beretta 92 to have to flip the safety UP to take it off safe. Seems dangerously dumb in a gunfight, but then so does the whole 9mm-as-an adequate-military-stopping-power-caliber. I was likewise irked by the magazines’ double-column loading; when the directions were followed, the BBs refused to stack correctly, leaving gaps. I had read a review stating that you should drop the BBs in through the feed gate while lowering the follower a bit at a time; I tried this but I was afraid the plastic feed lips might break off. By this time I seriously considered returning the pistol to PA. Luckily I persevered.

    My next test was to paste a Birchwood Casey 8″ square Shoot-N-C target to an empty Clorox box, set at 15′ from the gun’s muzzle. With some careful shooting off a rest made from a step ladder and two couch pillows, I managed quite reasonable 5/8″ X 5/8″ groups. The BBs were still grouping slightly left of center. I got out my WE 1911A1 gas gun and got roughly the same results, so maybe it’s my hold that’s causing the left of center groups. Still, I wish the rear sights were driftable, instead of being molded into the slide.

    A young woman staying with us wandered by and asked if she could shoot the M190. Equipped with safety glasses and the usual admonition to keep her finger off the trigger and be aware of where the muzzle pointed when not on-target, she managed some decent shooting. She mentioned that she grew up with a mother who hated guns. She left saying that it was fun and that she’d like to do it again. I wonder if we truly understand the importance of airsoft in turning around anti-gun opinion.

    So that’s about it. I have a personal peeve with whoever thought it necessary to place a yellow WARNING!-THIS-IS-NOT-A-TOY! sticker across the butt of the gun, as it did not come off in one piece and left a sticky residue. The BBs began stacking in the 2 magazines perfectly after a bit, as I slowly began to warm to the gun. After about 400 shots with both the M190 and the WE 1911A1, my garage began to smell strongly of propane. So I gave it up and came here to write my impressions, which I now have done.

    –Joe B. on Maui

    PS (BB): I also ordered a clear Crosman Pulse P70 pistol to replace two of my now non-functional P50s (I find that the AAA-battery functioning and low-power make them ideal for beginners). It came not working. Not only that but only the very top half of the slide is made to blow back. It looks incredibly cheap. I wish they still made the P50, as the whole slide blows back and the gun looks much better. I called Crosman and they have indeed stopped making the P50, choosing to replace broken P50s still under warranty with P70s. Ick.

    PPS: BB, I haven’t forgotten that I owe you a blog about teaching airsoft. When I looked at my post again with a more critical eye, I thought, “I have got to re-write this!” Which I will do soon.

  18. Hi there,

    I’ve got a question: could you maybe send me the E-Mail address of
    Lothat Kamer, the author of your QB-36 article
    (/blog/2008/6/a-good-qb36-2/)? I’ve
    disassembled a QB36 and have embarrasingly some trouble of putting it
    back together. I’ve made a few pictures of which I’d like Lothar to have
    a look at, if he agrees… that could really help me a lot :-/

    Thanks in advance,
    Johannes

  19. Johannes,

    You sent this to the wrong address, so I posted it to the blog for you. All blog messages have to be posted here.

    I won’t give out a person’s email address, but if Lothat Kamer wants to post his email address here, he can.

    B.B.

  20. Joe on Maui,

    You have a good start on that guest blog with your comment. Just expand it a bit and include a picture or two and you’re there.

    With the M190, you can build up the front sight with JB Weld and it will look good after careful finishing.

    B.B.

  21. I need some advice. I want to get a co2 pistol, accuracy means a lot to me, i want to get as many shots out of a co2 cartrige as possible, and dont want a pellet gun. I like the Crosman C11, C31, and the Pro77, which of those do you think are best. Can you tell me about htese or any other gun that would fit what im looking for. I also dont whant to pay more than around $60.

    CritterController

  22. CritterController,

    Surely you are joking? You can’t get accuracy from a BB gun except for the 499, and that’s a long gun.

    None of the guns you mention have any accuracy beyond pop cans at 20 feet. The only BB gun I ever tested that did better than 1.5 inches at 20 feet was the Sig Sauer SP 2022:

    /blog/2008/5/sig-sauer-sp-2022-bb-pistol-part-3/

    B.B.

  23. well i understand your not getting an accurate bb gun and thats all i want is a gun to shoot cans and have fun with, im not looking for competition accuracy just something better than the cheep Marksman 2002. Now will you please read my last comment and answer my questions the best that you can and forget i said any thing about accuracy. Oh, and by the way, a friend of mine has the Gamo P23 and i thi nk it has some reasonable accuracy with BBs.

    CritterController

  24. Also what can you tell me about the revolver Crosman makes? I know it shoots pellets and has a rifled barrel so that would be more accurate but i want like i said a lot of shots from 1 co2 cartridge.

    CritterControll

  25. B.B.

    First, thanks for the great blog. I just became aware of it a few weeks ago, and I’m methodically making my way through the archives. Great Stuff!

    Do you have any opinion on the F.A.S. AP604? The FAS website
    http://www.fasdomino.com/sito/eng/pg2/f-start.htm
    seems to imply that they are still available. I remember them from some of the Beeman catalogs from many years ago. When the Gamo Compact came out, I wondered if they were inspired by the FAS 604. The 604 has always appealed to me because of their good looks, and they seem to have that “old school” combination of quietness, accuracy and European craftsmanship that makes airguns so interesting, but maybe it’s all my imagination. I’d love to hear your opinion, thanks! Oh, and do you know of a source for them in the US?

  26. CritterController, the Crosman 357 pistol is a great little gun. I just bought one and I am impressed with it’s accuracy. It has a nice weight, handles very well and the rear sights are fully adjustable.

    Mine is right on the money out of the box, no adjustments were needed at all.
    It is available at Pyramid of course. at /product/crosman-357w-airgun-revolver?m=201

    It comes with an extra 10-shot round clip. I would highly recommend it. It even hits harder than advertised. I am getting at least 50 full power shots until I even detect a falloff in power.

    BB even did a review on this gun. Search for it in the blogs.

  27. Hey thanks for the info revwarnut, on the 357. It does sound like a nice gun and to here from some one who owns it and feels like that about it i might have to give it more of a consideration. I know a peelt pistol will be more accurate even for plinking, but pellets do cost more than bbs and i want a “fun gun”. however this gun is one i am highly considering.

    Thanks a lot,
    CritterController

  28. CritterController,

    Of the three guns you mentioned, I like the C11 best. Not because of accuracy – they are all the same – but because the test sample was more robust than the Pro77. I haven’t tested the C31.

    You got good advice on the 357 from revwarnut, so I won’t add to it.

    If a Gamo P23 is accurate enough for you, then the C11 should be fine.

    B.B.

  29. Art,

    The FAS 604 is probably a fine air pistol. I’m sure it is a lot like a Gamo Compact, only with a better trigger.

    I’m sure you know that this is not a true 10-meter pistol and will not do the things I mention about 10 meter pistols, but it’s probably a very nice-shooting sport pistol for informal target practice.

    The one probem with a gun like this is where do you get it repaired? You will have to become the expert on the gun.

    B.B.

  30. “With the M190, you can build up the front sight with JB Weld and it will look good after careful finishing.”

    Good idea; I’d never thought of that. But it seems like it would then be too high for the closer shots. I remember reading that Elmer Keith imbedded fine gold wires in the front sight of a 1911 for shooting at different distances, back in WWII. Perhaps I could imbed something similar in the M190 built up sights.

    Joe B.

  31. BB, Have you ever heard of someone successfully using an airsoft gun for self-defense? This idea came to me after reading a blog by a teenager in a skirmish, who claimed to have forced another teenager to drop his gun by shooting the player’s gun hand with several stinging BBs. I don’t believe I’d ever choose airsoft over a shotgun with buckshot against an armed intruder, but I’d like to hear any stories people have about using airsoft for defense…either by bluffing or use of the BBs. It occurs to me that my AEG Thompson submachine gun is sufficiently powerful and fast enough to blind or disarm an attacker.

    -Joe B.

  32. BB,

    OK, 3rd question and then I’ll quit. Do you know if they make an electric magazine of any sort for the AEG Thompson smg? I was a bit disappointed to learn that I had to keep turning the little wheel under the 300 rd magazine to push the BB’s up into the Thompson’s chamber (30 turns of the wheel will give about fifty continuous shots on full auto). Seems to me that full auto rock-n-roll would be tons more fun if the rock-n-roll mechanism was battery fed.

    -Joe B.

    OK–stopping now with the questions….

  33. Joe,

    There are two schools of thought about the “spray and pray” airsoft gun. One, like you, wants to hold down on the trigger until the ammo is gone. The other wants to be more realistic. The airsoft M4s they make for law enforcement sometimes only hold 20 or 30 rounds.

    Back to spray and pray. You can’t do that with a real full-auto gun for a very long time before you will have accuracy problems from the barrel burning out. So the military teaches ammo conservation – even with a machine gun.

    No, I’ve not heard of the mag you refer to.

    B.B.

  34. “There are two schools of thought about the “spray and pray” airsoft gun. One, like you, wants to hold down on the trigger until the ammo is gone. The other wants to be more realistic. The airsoft M4s they make for law enforcement sometimes only hold 20 or 30 rounds.”

    That makes sense, of course. You don’t want to go into a gun battle and expect to have 300 rnds at your disposal – say, when you’re assaulting an enemy position and you run out of ammo and you’re in clear sight and you go…oops! (and you suddenly remember your Kevlar vest is still at the cleaners).

    “Back to spray and pray. You can’t do that with a real full-auto gun for a very long time before you will have accuracy problems from the barrel burning out. So the military teaches ammo conservation – even with a machine gun.”

    Several of the people at my airsoft class would hold down the trigger of the AAA-battery machine gun until all the BBs were fired. This seemed to go on for a long time and made my military-experienced mind uncomfortable. These people, with no such military experience whatsoever, just wanted to see what would happen. I don’t want the electric mag so I can empty the whole mag at once -I prefer bursts- but so I don’t have to stop and twiddle with little knurled knobs under the mag when I’d rather be shooting.

    -Joe B.

  35. I need to call PA about returning the broken Crosman P70, so I’ll ask about electric mags for the Thompson at the same time.

    Do you know off-hand of any AAA battery semi-auto pistols that would be good for airsoft training? I’d prefer clear (the see-through models look less like real guns and allow the nervous nellies less anxiety over using one for the first time). Ideally they should be in the $20-35 range, as I’ll need a number of them.

    -Joe B.

  36. BB,

    Where can we watch Olympic clips of shooting events? most are awarding ceremonies. I think it is more interesting to watch the competition than the medals.

    Maybe you can please post links of olympic shooting here.

    Dave

  37. Dave,

    They almost never broadcast the shooting events. It’s not because they are using guns, but because they are boring to watch. And nothing is more boring than watching 10-meter airguns, because on TV you can’t hear them fire.

    Best we can hope for is a recap embedded in another sport’s coverage. Shooting is usually the first event at the games.

    B.B.

  38. Hi B.B.,

    I’m not sure this is the right way to post a question, but I didn’t find an e-mail address while looking through your blog. Also, I have read and appreciate your post about using the correct language; however, English is not my mother tongue, so I’ll just do the best I can and please don’t hesitate to correct any errors.

    I’m having quite a bit of trouble sighting in a scope. I fact, I can’t even get it into rough alignment and I’m wondering whether I’ve inadvertently destroyed it or whether it was defective from the start.
    I recently got my hands on a second-hand Diana 35 spring gun with a BSA 4x32AO air rifle scope on it. I tried it out at 10 yards for starters since I was quite unsure of my “skills” (I merely did some plinking at soda cans as a boy, I was happy if I hit more than I missed at 30yards with a cheap chinese air rifle with open sights, and many years without shooting have passed since – so the quotes are appropriate). The grouping seemed good enough considering my poor marksmanship, but the shots landed a bit high and to the right. I’m not sure by how much anymore but I’m guessing about two inches. Okay I thought, I’ll roughly sight the scope at 10 yards and then fine-tune at a longer distance later (that was before I read about first and second intersection points on your blog, I have since evolved from complete ignorance to at least awareness of the complexity of the issue). I started fiddling with the windage and elevation adjustment turrets and the shots moved a little in the right direction. Then it was time for dinner.

    Next day I’m trying again and the pellets don’t even land on the target. After some investigation, I found that I was shooting about 8 in. high and to the right. So I’m perplexed, I start winding the turrets furiously but I can’t get the shots to land even remotely where they ended up the day before. Even more perplexed, I clamp the gun to a workbench with the open sights aligned on a target and I notice that the crosshairs are WAY off, about 8 in. down and to the left at 10 yds. – indeed the perfect mirror of the POI error described above.

    In order to ascertain the cause for the misalignment, I untightened the mount rings and rotated the scope within the rings. The crosshairs indeed describe a 16” wide circle around the target, so to say that the line of sight and the tube are not quite concentric would be the understatement of the year. I cannot correct this with the windage / elevation turrets. In fact I don’t see the reticle moving at all, even when adjusting the turrets over their full range. This would be about 9 turns of 72 clicks each, each click supposedly meaning 1/4″ at 100 yds, so totalling what should be about 16 in. at 10 yds where my target is. Since this is about the cenetring error, it looks like the reticle somehow got stuck at the very extreme of the adjustment range. The turrets move without binding mind you, but nothing seems to happen…

    I’m hoping your opinion on the matter wil enlighten me.

    Dou you have an idea of what might have caused this problem? Did the springer’s famous “reverse recoil” damage te scope? Could I inadvertently have ruined the scope by winding the turrets too far? I have to say that the original owner already made a fine mess of mounting the scope in the first place, including some grinding on the dovetail track on the rifle, crushing the 1in. Scope tube down to 25mm dia. while tightening the mount rings, and securing the scope against recoil with a screw-tightened plastic ring that looks like an inexpensive bike accessory. Could it be that the lenses inside the scope are misaligned beyond repair because of the crushed tube, or that the tube was bent in the process? Might there be another reason for the reticle to go completely out of alignment?

    Can this be remedied or is the scope beyond repair? If bent, could I try to straighten the scope tube? Is it worth the time to try to shim the scope into “alignment” as it is, and would that mean that it will only work for a given range and that there will probably be huge parallax errors at any other range? I have some experience with shimming woodworking machines into alignment so I think I could probably find a way to get the scope to sight the same spot as the open sights, but is this even worth trying since I probably won’t be able to make fine adjusments after that? The open sights are adjustable as well, so I would have to try to zero these first before using them as a reference point. Judging from some of your other posts, trying to clamp the gun and fire some pellets from the clamped position and zero in on these would be about teh worst possible idea.

    Should I just buy a new scope? That makes no sense if I am more than likely to damage a new scope as well…

    Many thanks for your time and expertise and best regards!

    Thomas

  39. Thomas,

    I think your scope is broken. The way you describe how it behaves, it sounds like the erector tube inside isn’t moving. I have had this happen on a dozen cheap scope, and that BSA is definitely a cheap scope.

    The crushing of the scope tube is probably what did it. And this scope is beyond repair.

    If you mount a new scope properly, it shouldn’t be a problem. Have you read my articles on mounting a scope? They’re here:

    /article/All_about_scopes_Part_2_February_2005/21/

    /article/All_about_scopes_Part_3_April_2005/22

    Try shooting the rifle with the open sights. You should be able to hit scans at 25 yards every time with that rifle.

    B.B.

  40. Hi B.B.,

    Thanks for your fast reply.

    Clearly, it doesn’t make any sense to start shimming a broken scope.
    I’ll try shooting the rifle with open sights for now as you suggest and improve my technique a little before I go any further.
    My eyesight is not as good as it used to be however, so once I start aiming for targets 20+ yards away, I definitely will need a scope. With the profuse information on your blog, mounting it should be no problem. I’ll either have to drill a stopper hole first or use a mount that overhangs the dovetail track though, beacuse there are no provisions for a stop on the rifle as it is.

    Thomas

  41. Mr. Pelletier,
    Your 10 Meter pistol shooting is awesome. I have read parts 1-6.

    It is like getting a book for free.

    Thank You for writing it so well.

    John Cooper

    New York State

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