Stoeger X5 air rifle
by B.B. Pelletier
Update on Tom/B.B.: (This is from Tom. He dictated this from his hospital bed this past weekend.) Well, I’ve been entertained a lot in the past 2 weeks in ways you couldn’t possibly imagine! As it turns out, when you get into the second half of your life, your reaction to general anesthesia leads to very bizarre mental behavior. It’s called Sundowner’s Syndrome, and it can be quite entertaining. When I went for my gallstone removal procedure, it was a success, but I didn’t come out of the anesthesia for 4 days. When I finally woke up, I was laying on my back looking at the ceiling. A green laser “X” symbol appeared on one side of the ceiling and 3 symbols that looked like alien lettering appeared on the other. As I watched this, I was asked this question: “Which one of these 2 is colder?” It was like a test for a college course I never signed up for and didn’t even know existed. My reaction was pretty quick. I think quicker than they anticipated because I threw some nurses around the room because I panicked and had to be tackled by a male nurse. What happened after that is a mystery, but I awoke in a tall skyscraper room 3 days later. The room was in an office building in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, and it was run by French terrorists. A voice asked me, “Where do you think you are?” I said, “I know where I am. I’m in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada.” And the voice replied, “No, you’re in Texas.” And I thought, “where in Texas do they have skyscrapers this tall? Must have been some place in Dallas.” But, no, I was only on the second floor of the Huguley Memorial Medical Center in Burleson.
I can’t give you an explanation as to why I got the facts so jumbled, but this is the humor that is called Sundowner’s Syndrome. One of the nights after that, I was given a very special “knock you out and drop you down” sleeping pill that allowed me to hear conversations in another building a mile away and actually see and pass things from myself to these people who were talking. The one person I remember was Larry The Pirate–the same one seen in the movie Dodgeball!
What I’m saying is that my cognition has not been absolutely 100% the past couple weeks. At times, it bordered on a Picasso. I have plenty of other stories that will have to wait until the darned bugs stop crawling on my window shade. But that’s not why we’re really here. I want to talk to you about a rifle I tested recently.
Pyramyd AIR sells the Stoeger X5 with either a wood stock or a synthetic stock. You can get the rifle with or without a 4×32 scope.
The Stoeger X5 is a real nice youth spring rifle. I’m not going to get into a discussion of whether or not this rifle is better than the Bronco or even how it compares. Just take my word that it’s just one more excellent youth rifle to add to a growing list. Yes, it’s Chinese, and yes, we know that to be in the price group the gun has to be made in China, Turkey, Mexico or Spain. But, the Chinese have proven that they can do wonderful work when they want to, and the Stoeger X5 is an example of that.
Wow!
Whenever that’s the first observation I make when testing an entirely new airgun line, I know things are going to be interesting. I’m looking at two of the four models Stoeger makes–the youth model X5 and the screaming X50 at the top of the line. All four models, which include the intermediate X10 and X20 rifles, are spring-piston breakbarrels, making them the salt of the airgunning earth. No technological surprises–just simple shooters. Today’s blog is about the X5. I’ll do the X50 on Tuesday.
A youth rifle…for shooters of all ages
I have a soft spot in my heart for youth model air rifles–not because I like kids more than the next guy, but because youth models are easy to cock and can have the smoothest-shooting powerplants of the entire spring-gun world. Those two attributes have been all but lost in the horsepower race that’s been ongoing in the spring-piston class for the past three-plus decades. But, at the end of the day, those two things are what make airgunning a rewarding pastime.
The first thing I did after taking the Stoeger X5 from its box was cock and load it and fire it into my office pellet trap. I prayed that it wouldn’t go buzz with the rattle of an ill-fitted mainspring and piston. Well, it didn’t! In fact, it didn’t buzz at all. It shot with a solid thunk that usually costs an extra $100 to $250 to achieve through an aftermarket tuneup. The only other air rifle in the world that shoots this smooth right from the box is the Air Arms TX200, which costs over $550.
Hence the “Wow!” To paraphrase the movie Jerry Maguire, “They had me at the first shot!”
The X5 is a large youth rifle, and that’s good, because a lot of the “yoots” who shoot it will be on the sunset side of 50. The pull measures a manly 14.25 inches, and the weight of 6.5 lbs. (scoped) is just right for an all-day shooter for just about anyone over 12. The overall length of 40.50 inches seems short, but the wood stock is thick and proportioned as an adult rifle. (I tested the wood stock only, but I assume the synthetic stock has the same dimensions.) What we have is a great compromise of adult size with a youthful ease of cocking.
Cocking effort is a mere 18 lbs. I rate all guns that stay under 20 lbs. as youth-ready, because that’s what it takes to pump a Daisy 853 target rifle, which is meant for youth competition. Guns this easy to cock can be shot hundreds of times in succession without feeling the strain. And for the 12-year-olds who want to shoot it, the X5 should be well within their capability.
There’s no anti-beartrap mechanism, so the X5 can be uncocked manually. Just restrain the barrel (which you should always do with a breakbarrel spring rifle), take off the safety off and pull the trigger. The barrel can then be safely brought back to the closed position and the rifle is no longer cocked.
All Stoeger X5 versions come with fiberoptic sights (adj. rear).
The 4×32 scope gave a sharp image at 25 yards.
Sights
Though the X5 has a nice set of adjustable fiberoptic open sights, my test gun also had a 4×32 scope and a 2-piece mount. This one comes out of the box ready to go, and they’ll like that in Oshkosh. I focused the ocular lens for a sharp image at 25 yards.
A heavy trigger is one of the few drawbacks on this otherwise-great youth rifle.
Heavy trigger
The X5 is a delight to shoot, except for an overly hard single-stage trigger. My RCBS analog trigger-pull gauge goes up to 8 lbs., and it’s possible to interpolate another pound–so 9 lbs. is the limit. The non-adjustable X5 trigger breaks at about 8.25 lbs. I think that’s too heavy for kids and even I had difficulty controlling the rifle for the best possible accuracy off the bench. We’re going to have our kids learning to pull triggers with two fingers if we give them guns with pull-weights this high.
Power
This is a youth rifle, so we don’t expect high velocity. In fact, it’s the lower power level that makes the gun feel so stable. Gamo Match wadcutter pellets averaged 607 f.p.s. at the muzzle, and the spread for 10 shots was from 596 to 619. RWS Club pellets weigh 7 grains and average 622 f.p.s., with a spread from 610 to 628. These numbers put the X5 on the fast end of youth rifles. Muzzle energy is just over 6 foot-pounds.
The X5 shot very well. This 5-shot 25-yard group with Gamo Match pellets is well under one inch (target has been enlarged).
Good accuracy
After overcoming the trigger, though, I found good accuracy at 25 yards. Because the X5 is a breakbarrel, it’s extremely hold-sensitive, so I had to use the artillery hold to let the gun recoil as much as possible when firing. And, of course, I did not allow any part of the gun to touch the sandbag. Laying the forearm on the flat of my open palm, it was possible to shoot five pellets into a group smaller than one inch. The smallest group measured 0.807 inches, center-to-center of the two widest shots. Given the heavy trigger I was fighting, I call that a great showing.
The bottom line
For less than $140 scoped, the X5 isn’t the cheapest scoped air rifle by far. It’s about $40 above some of the bargain-basement name brand combos. I think it’s worth it, though. I don’t buy airguns on price any more than I do firearms. First, they have to work properly and be accurate; then we look at the sticker. The X5 is well worth a look.
Good morning B.B.,
To say the least, it's very nice to say welcome back!
Mr B.
Edith please reasure BB that those symptoms are what most Britons experiance on a friday and Saturday night.
In fact a lot of week nights as well because of the new 24hour drinking laws.
I am only joking of course 🙂
All the very best to you both and keep fingers crossed for tuesday.
DaveUK.
BB: Glad to see that your getting better. On the round ball discussion from the weekend. There was someone who posted some groups over on the yellow forum, that he shot with the .25 Marauder using #3 buckshot. They were good groups and the crony numbers were also good. I have shot RB in all kinds of firearms and have used them in my .30-30 to hunt squirrels and believe me ,they are quite accurate under fifty yards. In one Martini Austalian Cadet rifle that was converted to accept 32-20 cases. I can fill the case with FFFG black powder and set a round ball (buck shot) in the case mouth and get less than 4" groups with this combination at 100yards. I used to use them for pest shooting as they share the same desirable short danger zone character that air rifles have, compared to a .22 RF load. Take care ,Robert
B.B.,
Is your gall bladder out? Or is that procedure still pending? If so I sure hope they don't have to put you all the way under again…
LSD is easier if you want those trips!
Good to have you back.
-AlanL
BB
Your description of Sundowner's Syndrome reminded me of a story Edith relayed about visiting you in the hospital. She wrote:
"When I told him that hundreds of people around the world are praying for him, he said, 'Really?' Yeah, Tom."
I wonder what it is you heard. I imagine it went something like this:
"Hunters of peep-holes are swirling around and preying on skin."
My mornings are complete once again.
Welcome back BB.
B.B,
I thought I would post my previous posts here as per your suggestion, I'll break it up into a few posts otherwise it will be a bit long:
At March 28, 2010 9:24 AM, Anonymous said…
Hi B.B,
I bought an Diana (RWS) Panther 31 (same as the 34) here in South Africa about three weeks ago, and after putting 1200 pellets of different kinds through it, it is still not grouping properly.
I'm only able to get 2.5-3" 10 shot groups with it at 25 yards, even using the artillery hold. I have a Leapers 3-9×50 mil dot scope on it and currently I am using JSB Exacts and JSB Heavies in it. I have also checked all the screws and scope mounts.
Any ideas on what I could try to improve the groups?
Thanks,
Michael
At March 28, 2010 9:34 AM, B.B. Pelletier said…
Michael,
I would try cleaning the barrel. Use JB Non-Embedding Bore Cleaning Compound, if you can get it. Scrub the bore 20 times in both directions with a brass brush loaded with JB paste. That usually fixes things for me.
B.B.
At March 28, 2010 9:42 AM, Mr B. said…
Michael,
Have you tried cleaning the barrel per B.B.'s intructions?/blog/2005/11/improving-accuracy-with-a-spring-piston-airgun/
Let us know if that helps.
Mr B.
At March 29, 2010 6:44 AM, Anonymous said…
Mr B,
I've ordered the JB paste that B.B recommended and I'll give it a try. Hopefully that will improve things a bit.
I'll let you know the results in due course.
Michael
At April 01, 2010 3:35 AM, Anonymous said…
Mr B & B.B,
Firstly I hope you (B.B) get better soon!
Well the JB compound and cleaning kit arrived and I scrubbed the barrel with the brass brush and the paste as per the instructions.
Unfortunately the jag that came with the kit was a wool mop and not one that I could use patches on to remove the paste.
I did the best I could to get most of it out, but couldn't get all of it.
The groups were terrible in the beginning. In the region of 8" at 20 yards.
They slowly started getting better the more I shot with it. I guess what was left of the paste was getting worked out by the pellets.
However, the best I could do was to get them down to around 2".
Yesterday I saw some CZ Diabolo Lux wadcutter pellets in the shop and decided to try them. Jackpot!
I am now get groups of around 0.3" with 5 shots at 20 yards. One nice hole. The JSB Exacts and the heavies still won't group any better than 1.5-2".
It seems any pellet (pointed, round nosed, hollow point) other than a wadcutter just will not group. Any ideas why?
I have never tried any wadcutters in the rifle before, so I'm not sure if it is specifically the pellet or a combination of the cleaning together with the different pellet that has made the difference.
If you have any other suggestions to get other types of pellet to group, I'd love to hear them.
Thanks,
Michael
At April 01, 2010 8:53 AM, Bobby Nations said…
Michael,
Each gun seems to have their own likes and dislikes when it comes to pellets. I've never heard of one liking only wadcutters, but there's a first for everything.
BTW, this is a great writeup on the frustrations of finding a pellet that will shoot well. I only wish that you had posted it on todays blog so that more folks could see it. Only a handful of us get notified to comments on older posts.
Happy shooting!
Bobby
At April 01, 2010 8:42 PM, Mr B. said…
Michael,
Bobby's right. Please repost yours at/blog//
It's weird though, almost like of the paste is still in tbe barrel–maybe. Can you buy the piece that holds a patch for the end of your cleaning rod?
Mr B.
April 12, 2010 7:08 AM
Mr B. said…
Michael,
You've got me on that one. My first thought was that it's caused by a difference in the diameter of the heads of the various pellets you've been shooting.
Second thought–You can try tying a piece of cloth to a piece of fishing line and feeding through the barrel and using it to clean out the rest of the bore paste.
Third thought–I think you'd get a more informed answer if you retell your problem on the current blog which is found at/blog// where you'll reach some very knowledgeable people.
Thanks for getting back to us and please keep us informed about your problem.
Thanks,
Mr B.
B.B,
I have been away on leave for the last 10 days or so since my last post. I've shot at least another 600 pellets through the rifle since I did the clean.
I'm pretty sure the paste should be out of the barrel by now, but it still will only group with wadcutters. Maybe it's just a peculiar trait of this particular rifle…
They seem to fit a lot more snug into the breech than any of the other pellets I have tried, you need to give them a firm push to get them flush. They average around 900fps as opposed to 850 fps of the JSB Exacts and 750fps of the JSB Exact Heavies.
I'm sure I can get a jag for the ramrod that I can use to clean any remaining paste out, or I can try the fishing line suggestion as well.
Thanks,
Michael
Slinging Lead,
I laughed so hard at your comment about what Tom might have heard, that tears ran down my face. Thanks for making my morning 🙂
Edith
Micheal,
For a breakbarrel, you can push a patch through with just about anything, including a bamboo skewer, a small wooden dowl, or just the rod without anything on it. Just push in one direction (from breech towards muzzle), remove the patch, pull out the stick, and repeat as necessary. May have to play with the size of the patch — if you don't trust the "rod" material, you don't want it too tight.
B.B.
It's sooooo good to have you back!
you worried us a bit:-) .. or should I say, the hospital's treatment of you worried us a lot!
Are you going home soon?
I agree that one should not choose a gun by the price…
The 8# plus trigger is a deal breaker for me. And I'm not into reworking it like some might do.
The Bronco on the other hand is ready to go out of the box, (in most cases) and has a great trigger to start.
Michael,
Can you get some Crosman Premier 10.5? They might settle your spring gun down. I've had trouble with the recent batch of JSB, as have other Field target folks on the forums. Same with the CPH, but if you weigh them, the new batch are grouping very good in my USFT#6, (one 1/4" hole 10 shots at 20 yards… even unweighed, they do OK… one 3/8" hole at 20 yards. The JSB use to do that for me too, but even weighed, no more.. and I don't know why.
Spring guns can also twist as the spring comes forward… do you notice a feeling like that? I gave up on spring guns and went PCP.. even a pump up Benji 397 might be a better choice than a springer for shooting with out the extra add on stuff for a PCP.
Anyway, good luck! and keep trying to figure it out… or sell it.. and try a PCP:-)
Wacky Wayne, Match Director, Ashland Air Rifle Range
The X5 looks interesting, but 8lbs. is too much trigger even for me. The power level isn't bad, seems to be about what most R7's make from what I've read. Vince needs to buy one and fix the trigger:). Until then I'll stick to the Hammerli 490 for my lightweight springer needs. I think the trigger pull is well below 3 lbs. now (moly) and crisp if you ignore the pseudo-1st-stage (its just a spring).
Tom…it was no dream.
As you may recall I am from Edmonton.
I'm not French, but I was one of the terrorists.
The implants worked well.
I expect to start seeing the shipments of free air rifles any day now.
Remember…everytime you see the words 'CowBoyStar Dad' you will send a rifle/pistol.
CowBoyStar Dad
p.s. really glad you're feeling better.
I just got back from visiting Tom, and the doctor said he'll be discharged Tuesday afternoon. Whoopee!
Edith
That's great News Edith, start planning YOUR vacation tonight!
Brian in Idaho
B.B.
Those dreams are kind of scary. I actually have a recurrent nightmare about sitting in an exam that I'm not prepared for and on which my whole future depends or walking into a class unprepared to teach. The legacy of too many years in school I suppose.
However, it's only paranoia if it's not true. In my last hospital stay, I had a nurse out of my worst nightmares. When I came out of anesthesia in the morning, she raised my bed up so that I had an attack of nausea and almost fainted. My reaction somehow convinced her that I was a malingerer. So, midway in the morning she told me that her boss was getting on her case about my not getting out of bed. As if I gave a damn. But not thinking clearly, I allowed myself to be guided out of bed and placed in a chair where I slowly degraded over 20 minutes or so until I was in such bad shape that the doctor had to give me a shot of demerol. The nurse had gone to lunch. When she returned, she laughed off the fact that yes, I really was in a pretty bad way wasn't I? Meanwhile, she told me that I had better void in the next couple of hours or she would replace the catheter that she had taken out. Here was an incentive. When I managed to do this with a certain amount of misery and told her I wanted some pain medication, she looked at me severely and said that I needed to accept the fact that there was going to pain in my recovery. And as long as I was up, how about a walk down the hall since her boss was still on her case about my supposed malingering.
After completing a rage-fueled walk down the hall, I got myself checked out of the hospital. Then after sleeping at home for the next three days or so, I spent a few more days laboring over an exhaustive report on this person's behavior to the quality control office of the hospital. They asked me if I wanted compensation. I told them no. The nurse was their problem, except that I did not ever want to be under the care of that disgrace to the nursing profession again and if her mug ever appeared in the same room with me in that hospital, I was going to tell her to get out.
So, Edith, do not give the medical professionals the benefit of the doubt. As much as anything else I hold against that nurse is not getting to eat from that tasty looking hospital menu. I always love checking off those boxes of whatever I want. Have felt the same about airplane food and mourn its passing.
Slinging Lead, the thumb sized business is a new one to me, but I think it shows, as has been the case with Tiger Woods, that the scorned women will strike back in an uninhibited way. Can't say that I blame them. One other interesting point I read from the Leckie book is that most if not all of the villainous leaders of the Axis power of WWII–Hitler, Stalin, Mussolini, and maybe Tojo–all had saintly, selfless mothers who did everything they could for their little boys. How they produced such monsters is kind of a mystery.
Regarding the bedding of airgun actions, I believe that was one of my first questions on the blog years ago. In accurizing firearms rifles, one of the first steps is bedding the action. Yet, one never hears about this with airguns even though, in the case of springers, there is significant recoil. Perhaps the firearms industry is presenting a new solution that is (as usual) represented by Savage firearms. Their newest sniper rifles have metal stocks as do certain upgraded versions of the M14 battle rifle. The action bolts right onto the metal stock so bedding is a non-issue.
Matt61
Stoeger X5… based on a BAM B-12, if I'm not mistaken.
http://www.xisico.us/images/products/65/608157_full.jpg
BG_Farmer, almost certainly it has the same basic trigger mechanism as the 490, but with a slightly different sear angle. Makes all the difference. Oh – and the 490 has less spring pressure, which also makes life easier for a direct sear.
Hi Tom and Edith,
I am glad Tom is feeling better and mostly back in this world. Dreams are weird enough without the extra stuff you have been encountering.
Hope you are home soon,
David Enoch
Vince,
I sure hope they didn't do anything fancy to achieve an 8# pull:).
Tom, please take it easy if you get discharged tomorrow. It's great that you underwent such a speedy and successful recovery. At 14, I have never been in a hospital overnight, but I can't imagine it would be a treat. This rifle sounds nice for someone like me, but I would like to get a tad more velocity just to be able to take out a bird here or there at a decent distance.
HK
Michael,
We all love a good mystery. First and foremost if we could accurately predict what pellets an individual rifle would like, we'd be using our powers of prognostication to pick lottery numbers not wasting such talent on a mundane task like picking a pellet. 😉
(1) BB has recommended JSB bore paste to clean barrels of new guns to avoid shooting about 1000 pellets to clean the bore. You could have had a dirtier than normal barrel, but since you've shot more than a 1000 pellets AND used the JSB bore paste with no improvement, a dirty barrel doesn't seem to be your problem.
(2) You didn't mention the caliber of your Diana (RWS) Panther 31. I'd guess that it is 0.177.
(3) found a webpage in Russian that had some information on the "CZ Diabolo Lux wadcutter pellets" pellets.
http://www.shooting-ua.com/arm-books/arm_book_104.htm
The webpage seems to indicate that the pellet has antimony in it.
The JSB pellets are generally great pellets. However I wonder if you're shooting the pellets so fast (large pressure surge) that the skirt in the soft "pure" lead pellets is getting blown out. That hurts accuracy downrange. So a harder lead pellet like the Crosman pellets might be a better choice.
Herb
BB,welcome back,we missed you and sure were worried!You were in our minds and prayers daily.As for your unpleasant dreams….I found similarities in reality[stay with me]You hear what is going on in rooms around the world…..via the blog.You speak and people can't hear you…..when you tell them to use Pellgun oil.You can reach into places miles away to put things in far away rooms…..my room is full of stuff you have touched,written about,etc…..Your presence in our lives has enriched us,that's what you need to know!!! Who the heck named it "sundown syndrome"?Since when does the sun set at a little after one in the afternoon??????
BB: Sometimes you have to enjoy the ride.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a1sf2CzEq0w
From the Ukrain with love:
http://www.bing.com/airgun-videos/watch/airgun-video/artist-creates-amazing-sand-drawing-for-audience/20b6goo9
B.B.
Glad to here you doing better. I'll have to talk to my psych. about that Sundowner's as it sounds like what I go through every night with all the meds I take. Never knew how to explain it before though.
rikib
Welcome back to the land of the confused, Tom!
I got a pile-o-pellet tins today! I'm restocked!
Matt61,
Sounds like the same nurse I had for my second hip replacement…. Absolute horrible woman!
/Dave
Bg farmer,
Pictures of the Benjamin Legacy SE, looks like number #30
http://www.network54.com/Forum/79574/message/1271120482/Benjamin
Volvo,
#30 should double your price:). Its not my style, but it looks like it has everything today's shooter needs (or thinks they need), exc. AO. Actually, even the camo is pretty attractive and that thumbhole (or is it a skeleton) is less bothersome than most.
Wayne,
I don't notice any twist in the rifle as it shoots.
I'll see if I can get my hands on some Crosman Premiers.
Herb,
This seems to be a pretty good mystery…:)
My Diana 31 Panther is .177.
The various pellets that I have tried so far are: Norica Killer, Norica Thor, Norica Apache, JSB Exact, JSB Exact Heavy, Marksman and the CZ Diabolo Lux.
I'm not sure if the others are also pure lead or not (like the JSBs) but I think it might be a good idea to try the Crosman's as Wayne also suggested.
Michael
Michael, try loading a pellet, closing the action, then opening it up again. Examine the bottom of the pellet skirt for deformities. If it's damaged, you're not seating the pellet sufficiently… although the .22 cal version has more of a problem with that.
The Diana's have a slanted breech. If you feed the pellet in so that the top of the pellet is flush with the breech, the bottom is sticking out and could easily get mangled when you close the action.
Vince,
I checked some pellets last night for deformities… strangely enough, the wadcutters get slightly deformed at the bottom no matter how flush they are seated and the JSBs don't as they fit more easily into the breech.
The strange thing is, the wadcutters are the only pellets that group.
Michael
Try seating the wadcutters in a bit more, using something with a rounded nose. See if that makes 'em even better.
What sort of groups are you getting with them?
Vince,
They are the only pellets that group at all in my rifle.
I can get 0.3" groups at 20 yards with 5 shots.
The best I have gotten with JSB Heavies or any other pellets is about 2" and they average closer to 3". The normal JSB Exacts are even worse.
Michael
BB,
Great review on the RWS LP8. Just received mine last week. Shot over 1000 Gamo Match through it already. I put it on a sandbag to see how precise it could be. 10 consistent shots, very good groupings, but consistently 3 clicks high from the black (on 10m pistol target). When I shoot free hand, I hit in the black consistently. Can you think of a reason this is happening? Thanks.
Loi
Anonymous,
The vibrations induced within your Stoeger X5 when it is fired affect the gun in different ways depending on how it is held.
Mr B.
Annonymous,
Oops change it to your RWS LP8. Sorry about that.
Mr B.
Loi,
Mr. B.'s explanation is spot on for accuracy. I just wanted to add that this phenomenon isn't limited to airguns as powder burners suffer from it also. My last range session with a .22 caliber rifle showed 2 inches of difference at 25 yards between shooting unsupported versus shooting with the fore-stock resting directly on the bags.
Sand bags or bench rests have their purpose when determining a rifle's inherent accuracy (i.e. how well it will group), but to get the best practical accuracy, your final sight-in session should be done in the same manner that you will use the firearm whether in hunting or in competition. One way to tell the seasoned hunters at the ranges from the new guys is that the old-timers will generally be shooting unsupported either standing or sitting at some point during the session. That way, they verify the point of impact under field conditions will be where they expect it to be.
Hope this helps,
Bobby
Bobby and Mr. B,
Thanks for the info. Very interesting about the same effect on firearms Bobby. I thought it was isolated only to spring pistons. I wanted to see how erratic the shots would be if I held the pistol in a death grip. All shots grouped very well but around 3 clicks below the black. It's interesting that the shots remained consistent. So I guess it makes sense that if a pistol is held very loosely (i.e. sand bags the effect would be opposite). Thanks again.
Loi
Loi,
Here are some links to posts that Tom has written documenting stance and hold to get the best repeatable accuracy from any rifle (airgun or firearm)
– How to Rest any Handgun for Accurate Shooting
– Shooting a Rifle Offhand
– How to Shoot an Airgun Accurately
BTW, the death grip thing might work for you, but it would probably be difficult to repeat consistently. So, you might see your POI shift from shooting session to shooting session when using that approach. The reason is that it's very difficult to consistently get the same tension in your muscles from one day to the next.
The reason why firearms shooters will grip a rifle (or handgun) with some force is to help control the recoil and keep the gun from jumping out of your hands. On soft recoiling firearms, such as .22 rimfires, you'll often see people using a very soft hold.
BTW, the best explanation that I've seen on the various positions used in shooting firearms comes from an hold army training film from the 1940s. It's long, but very instructive. They go into great detail in the film to get the soldiers to use their bones for supporting the rifle and absorbing the recoil of the same. The instructor deals with muscle fatigue and it's effect on repeatability in some detail as well.
Hope this helps,
Bobby
Hey Howdy!
hope all is well with Tom
Well here goes the up date with the Industry B3-2
So far I've read as follows'
Aside From Being Made in Shanghai,
They dump so much low grade motor oil in it it isn't funny Saturday I took apart the " Works" From the stock took a look under the receiver and sure Enough there's old motor oil caked up in side it
thus the poor velocity so I have to Tear it Down and get the Gunk out of it one guy i read from said to use wd 40 in the chamber to free up the piston and other moving parts because of the motor oil
I am leery of this After all Tom says this is a big no no!
That's all I have for now
I'll keep Tom and Bobby as well as the rest Of you posted!
Jerry D. Kittle
Tom/BB: i just got the same rifle, sold in Brazil as CBC Montenegro B12-6 6102. Got mine in.177 and it's a joy. yes the trigger isquite heavy, but I learned to cope with it. never chronied mine, but got a big pigeon these days @15m with easy, open sights. mine likes best the wadcutter style pellets.
valter from brazil
Valter,
Good to hear your report. Let us know how you like the rifle after you have fired a few hundred shots.
B.B.
I own the Stoeger x5 syn. and I love it! got it in late Nov and have been able to shot outside. Today,s Hi(lol) 14 but I have shot 50-60 shots in my garage with a make shift trap. I can say it does cock very easy and shoots very accurately with only minor adjustments for my failing vision. Very nice” starter or finisher” springer pellet gun.I try to post some grps and let you know how my new scope works out!
pete,
Welcome to the blog.
Hang in there. I’m certain the earth will swing back toward the sun any day now.
B.B.l