Am I doing something wrong here?

Also air rifles need their bore cleaned too. For my 22 I can use a regular 22 rod and brush but for the 177 I have an old solid car radio antenna with a bullet shaped bulb on the end. I wrap a piece of white T-Shirt around it and shove it down the bore. It will come out black with left over lead, Do this several times and accuracy will improve on my gun. Small bores are more sensitive to fouling than larger bores.
 
I must've spent about 3 hours with that air rifle today, not really focusing on the shot accuracy, but the consistency and the technique. I was pretty pleased. I can see now that it's the rifle's issues, not mine. I've seen your suggestions for more intermediate and accurate air rifles and might start looking for one soon. I bought a Hoppe's cleaning kit a while ago and cleaned and oiled down all my long guns. I went through the bores with a dry cloth and then some bore cleaner. I've heard that excessive bore cleaner is not good so I only use it once per a couple range days. I've taken down your suggestions on how to set up the range and will use that the next time I head out.
 
TheScout- I noticed early in the threat you mentioned a Sears Bolt Action Shotgun. I urge you to google "Sears bolt action shotgun recall". I don't recall all the ins and outs of it, but I do know there was a recall. Once upon a time, Sears would pay for bolts, then they went to coupons or Sears Buck, now that they are on their last leg I'm not sure what they are doing. I believe this only applied to the 12ga shotguns, but I could be wrong.

But for safety, google it and get the info from a reliable source.
 
TheScout- I noticed early in the threat you mentioned a Sears Bolt Action Shotgun. I urge you to google "Sears bolt action shotgun recall". I don't recall all the ins and outs of it, but I do know there was a recall. Once upon a time, Sears would pay for bolts, then they went to coupons or Sears Buck, now that they are on their last leg I'm not sure what they are doing. I believe this only applied to the 12ga shotguns, but I could be wrong.

But for safety, google it and get the info from a reliable source
Click to expand...
10-96, Thank you for the warning. I had read about that a while ago while researching the gun, but dismissed it for some reason. I didn't think old guns would actually be recalled. Good advice though, I will look into that for safety reasons.
 
Not a fan

Was never a fan of those old bolt action shotguns. Is anyone still making them?

Tho Hubel's 12 ga rifle from hell thread is always fascinating. To me that's about the only good use for a bolt action shotgun.

I would only hang on to a family heirloom. But that's me.
 
Sears Issues Voluntary Recall on J.C. Higgins Shotgun



HOFFMAN ESTATES, Ill., March 13 /PRNewswire/ -- Sears, Roebuck and Co.
(NYSE: S) today announced a voluntary recall of J.C. Higgins Bolt Action
12-Gauge shotguns, a product manufactured for and sold by the company during
the 1950s.
The shotguns are being voluntary recalled due to a potential problem with
the bolt latch assembly, which could cause the assembly to fail allowing it to
dislodge and strike the operator in the face. Sears is offering a $160
finders' fee for the return of the bolt, making the shotgun inoperable.
The shotguns were sold in Sears stores and through its catalog as the
"J.C. Higgins Bolt Action 12-Gauge Model 10 Shotgun" during the 1950s. It was carried under a number of product numbers: 583.13, 583.14, 583.15, 583.16, 583.17, 583.18, 583.19, 583.20, 583.21 and 583.22. The product model number is engraved on the barrel of the shotgun.
Consumers are advised to immediately stop using the shotgun. Call
800-817-9165 for identification verification and instructions on return
procedures.
Sears, Roebuck and Co. discontinued the sale of all firearms and
ammunition in the early 1980s. Through its network of more than 830 full-line
stores and 2,500 off-the-mall stores, Sears is a leading retailer of apparel,
home and automotive products and services, serving more than 50 million
households.



SOURCE Sears, Roebuck and Co.

If you do not have one the recalled guns, it is safe to shoot and as I understand...one of the better bolt action shotguns made.
 
I think you would do much better with an equipment upgrade. I have been able to cover three rounds with a quarter shooting a Crossman 1377 pistol freehand at 12 yards.

When I had access to better equipment than that I also shot better (of course I was younger then also).
 
Scout; The only thing you have to know about shooting accurately is concentrating on keeping the sight on the target(or the spot where you want the bullet to go) while squeezing it off. That's it. It's that simple. Don't think about trigger pull, breathing, etc. (all of that stuff takes care of itself) - Also try not shoot if your tired.
 
Scout; The only thing you have to know about shooting accurately is concentrating on keeping the sight on the target(or the spot where you want the bullet to go) while squeezing it off. That's it. It's that simple. Don't think about trigger pull, breathing, etc. (all of that stuff takes care of itself) - Also try not shoot if your tired.
Click to expand...

I agree in that sight picture and especially having that front sight in crystal clear focus is very important.

However, not knowing and not working on the other fundamentals will make most shooters able to rise to a level of mediocrity settling somewhere around average to just below it.
 
Thanks Erno86. That artillery hold helped a lot. The only problem for me is how much creep there is in the Poweline 880’s trigger. Even pulling the trigger slowly will caused the whole gun to move because of how heavy it is
 
Even pulling the trigger slowly will caused the whole gun to move because of how heavy it is
Click to expand...

I got here late but at least I made it :D

Adjust your finger position on the trigger on each pull until the rifle moves the least . First you need to pull the trigger straight back . Sometimes if your finger is all the way over the trigger to the first joint of the finger . You can actually pull the gun in the direction of what ever hand you are using . Or if you barely have just the tip of your finger on the trigger you can push the rifle in the opposite direction . With a heavy trigger , you really have to concentrate on pulling it straight back and if there's a bunch of take up before the break it's even harder .
 
Thanks for the tip. I’ll try that. Most of it I think, is that being a weaker guy like me fighting that heavy trigger, my hand starts to shake. Causing the whole gun to shake
 
Are you shooting pellets or BBs in the 880? BBs are problematic in rifled bores. They have to be undersized so that they don't jam in the rifling. An undersized steel ball rattling down a rifled bore is not a recipe for accuracy, and it's also not really good for the barrel either.

Get some decent pellets, and maybe experiment a little bit with different kinds of pellets. The 880 is not a premium airgun, but it should be able to group pretty well with pellets it "likes".

A heavy trigger won't make it impossible to shoot a gun accurately, but it does make it harder to get good accuracy. Unfortunately, people tend to focus on the trigger more and that's mostly unproductive. It took me years to realize that a heavy trigger only makes poor trigger technique more obvious. With proper technique, even a heavy trigger can be shot well.

If your hand is shaking, it's more because you're tensing up when pulling the trigger than it is because the trigger is too heavy.

In a rifle, the whole gun can't shake unless all of you shakes. You're holding it with your off hand and it's against your shoulder firmly. The trigger hand shouldn't be applying any significant force to the gun other than what it takes to move the trigger straight back into your shoulder.
 
"You have to treat your trigger finger as it's own entity."

Follow through on the trigger pull. Don't try to snatch the shot. Accept the wobble. Slight rearward pressure on the trigger hand. You can practice trigger pull with a top clicker ball point pen.

Work out with wrist and finger strengtheners equipment.
 
Thanks again for the advice. I'm working on trigger now. Random question: When learning rifle marksmanship, is it better to do it with a scope or iron sights? Or does it not matter and just depends on how capable your eyes are at the distance you're shooting.
 
For me with a scope from a bench of rest ( not free hand )as far as seeing what your trigger pull is doing to your point of aim (POA) and if it's moving off target as you pull the trigger . You can do it with irons but having the crosshairs magnified on the target makes it much easier to see the movement for me .

The further out your target is the better . It takes less movement to create a larger seeable POA shift the further away your target is . This does not mean you need to actually shoot 100 or 200 yds . I'm not sure if you can dry fire pellet guns but if you can that's how I'd practice . Pick something small to aim at 100+ yards away and practice pulling the trigger and see how your sights move off target or at all .

Once you've practiced that to the point of holding your sight picture steady . Then shoot a few at your normal distance and see how you do . Don't forget about cheeckweld and your breathing .

BASIC TRIGGER CONTROL
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8FcVrYqtnXE

ADVANCED
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=noGN55b-kVI
 
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