How to Shoot a Spring Piston (Springer) Air Rifle - theGunLocker 

Absolutely spot on. I have been shooting for over 50 years and I`ve fired evrything from air, 7.62, machine guns, up to anti-tank weapons and what you say is absolutely correct. My wife and I love our springers. At the end of the day, how can you be shooting wrong if you are hitting the target with every shot!!!

I'm not saying what's right or wrong but this is interesting: I use a Primos tripod, it comes with a rubbery V rest which is ok for PCP but I found it didn't work very well with my HW98 so I tried putting pipe lagging all over it covered with a chamois leather to give a FLAT soft surface to shoot off. This improved grouping no end. I can only summise it's because the V retricts or affects the recoil somewhat but whatever, it's a lot better.

Excellent video. Many thanks!

Where the hand between the gun and rest comes from is what your resting the gun on. I use a green Caldwell shooting bag and some airguns bounce off the bag opening the groups. It really depends on what your rest is made out of and the gun your shooting. Most guns in the mid power rage will bounce more and magnums even more. I've tried it both ways and even rolled up towels and some of my springer just don't like it. I was just out today with my Walther's shooting with front and rear bags in the wind and they didn't do bad. Their both sub 12 FPE guns, weight 12-13 pounds scoped and have a very nice shot cycle. My Gamo swarm magnum will get decent groups off the front bag, but around dime size at 25 yards with my hand under it. Some guns need that little side to side support of laying in a cupped hand or they'll jump off to the left or right a bit. I'm trying to eliminate my hand needing to be under the front as much as I can, but some guns I have just ain't having no part of it with the rests I've tried so far.

This is brilliant video I've always been saying there is no right way or wrong when it comes to springers... Glad you posted this up.. It comes with feel and feels best for you

Well said, great viewing. Thanks for the tips.

I agree that each shooter should find what techniques work best for them and their given situation, after all no two people (or rifles for that matter) are exactly the same and shooting targets from a bench can be quite different to hunting. At the same time it's interesting to hear other peoples experience of what works for them and it can be helpful to have some guiding principles, tips or general rules to apply for improving safety and enjoyment of springer shooting, especially for a new shooter. Holding on to the barrel/underlever while loading for example and not trying to grip the stock like a vice are good tips. Presumably, the conventional wisdom of resting the rifle on your hand rather than directly on something else is about staying consistent and supporting the rifle on something with sufficient padding or 'give' to allow the recoil motion to happen in a repeatable way. In my experience if you try to shoot from a hard rest like the back of a garden chair or fence post your groups will open up, but as ever there have been other factors at play, not least the wind. What might be interesting would be to test one or more spring rifles and shoot several groups with each rifle from different types of rest or very similar rests with different 'firmness'. Maybe from a plywood rest with no padding, then very thin padding eg a layer of cotton/denim over the plywood, then a chamois over the plywood, then a towel, then a folded towel, then a sandbag only, then your hand on a sandbag to see how the groups compare. Questioning conventional wisdom and challenging long held assumptions is no bad thing.

I do agree with what you're saying,I shoot two high power (over 30 joules)Diana nitro piston full power HW 80 HW 77 k and use a shooting stick and I learnt it's Best to place it right at the balance point on the stick , what is most important to be consistent and using the same method zeroing your rifles.

If you are hitting the target with that level of accuracy, its very difficult to argue that you aren't shooting properly. Why are people so petty.

Young man l received hold instruction from my father over 60 years ago which was in essence; pull the rifle into your shoulder and then relax the hold, with your left hand support it and grip it sufficiently to prevent it twisting. His other words of wisdom were; do not pull the trigger, merely squeeze it, let the shot go, pause then come of target. So for the next fifty years that is precisely how I shot springers with satisfactory results. And then health issues forced me to try using sticks and to my surprise l found resting the fore end on a soft surface ( towel, foam etc ) had no adverse effect on accuracy. So these results seemed to be contrary to what the so called experts have been saying for some years and which I had thought were words of wisdom. WRONG. The correct hold is the one that works for you, replication of the hold is key, everything else, trigger squeeze etc is all about muscle memory. l hope we can put this subject to bed before all the world champions, military shooting experts and next doors cat tells us we are all wrong.

Thats a lovely '77 you have there, very unique stock.

thank you every thig you have said makes sense so i went and tryed it 30mtr half inch with my Diana 460 magnum love it thanks again

Agree, find a method that works for you and practice so it's second nature to promote consistency.

I've always felt as though the concept of natural point shooting hasn't been given its due credit. You see the lack of tension in a unreferenced body to target acquisition only compounds an unstable platform. I shoot springers quite well thank you,, due in part I believe to the the fact when first deciding to engage a target I turn my body to that target so as there isn't any sprung tension in my body, I pull up tight enough to insure all my clothing is compressed and I am in the best ergonomically possible position then and only then do I begin to "lighten" my hold by beginning my breathing sequence prior to releasing the shot. Works for me but whatever.

I must say I employ a very similar shooting style to you with springers, I find that the artillery hold does shift the POI but my consistency isn't as good. I think whatever shooting technique you use as long as you can do it consistently and it suits you, go for gold.

Ive got 3 springers Tx200hc Hw95k and Lgv master pro all 3 require different methods of holding. As you ssys what works gor the gun. Great channel many thanks keep it up Trevor

Looks like you seem to shoot very well based on the results! Afterall is not that the goal? Please keep up the videos and the good content. Thanks!

All that I know about springers are that they jump . We need control in the someway every shoot this jump ... how? .. well... this is the fun part whith spring arms. I have got a hw97k whithout any kind of hamster that rest directly in my knee when practicce FT. I use my front hand in the same way that you employ your rear hand, only to "let-drive" the jump, Some bubbys insist in that I need put my front hand between my knee and forened, but when I hit the target whith "my style" at 5o meters.... well... this reafirm that "my style" maybe could be correct, works fine for me . Sorry for my bad english. Nice chanel man, Cheers from Spain

Annie Oakley used to place the rifle on her shoulder, pointing behind her towards the target and used a mirror to see the target behind her. Never missed. …..so…shoot your own way.

Enjoyed that. Makes me want to get my Remington express out and try again. This time with a range of pellets to see what it prefers. Think I’ve been locking the but in my shoulder 😮

Spot on, whatever suits you and if you get results you're not wrong. Doesn't matter what others think.

Consistency of hold - same recoil effects every shot + fast lock time must be beneficial?

the age old argument. how do you shoot a spring gun . it’s easy how ever it works for you

Great practical advice!

Good on you Mark, never listen to the haters in this world, because they just hate on anything they dont like, its their way or the high way.. imagine having one of them as a Father or a Mother or both of them.. that would only create another self centred person in this world..😂😂😂 anyway as a new shooter I will try any good and decent advice I can find..and give it a try.. you shoot great and your videos are the most indepth I've seen in any videos on RU-vid... so hats off to you Mark..👌👍🤘

Whatever works👍 Your bench is very unstable table😂, i think your a great shot considering the bench, rest, and the wind. No sarcasm either 👍

You take the safety off before you've rested the gun. Best practice is to be rested and on target first.

Thanks for the advice 👍

A nice considered response - well done

If the butt stock had a surface parallel to the forend you could rest on both surfaces. Since the butt stock is angled that surface tends to throw the shot high when it slides. Resting the trigger guard on a leather sand bag seems to work. Would rather have flat surface on butt stock. Just my thought & experience you shoot great.

LOL...like telling a home run hitter how to hit a ball. 🤣 I just discovered this channel today and it's my second video I've watched I can tell this mans an ideal airgun shooter. Greetings from the USA!

When you place the gun on the rest. Is that rest padded? I have noticed my shots can be off if placed on a hard surface.

Another good video, love the 77k too. There are a lot of keyboard warriors out there for sure, willing to knock down anything that goes against their ideas cos they're always right of course. Keep em coming, just wish the flaming rain would stop for a day or two.

Hi everyone, looking to get my first hw, I really don't know what to get, I'm leaning towards 98k. However, I do like the idea of the hw 90 gas ram. Any suggestion.

Once you publish the haters come out, just something you have to live with.

Great video a usual

People picking on our Mark will be dodgy air gun manufacturers. Baz.

OCD nerd trolls don't have any space in their heads for fun, don't let them get you!

Your hand under the back of the rifle is not a good rest. I never have used the artillery hold on a rifle and I have been shooting for over 60 years.

Mark proof's int'pudding eh? Your shooting is as good as any I've seen with only one exception - Si and his mate at 'Vermin Hunters' (ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-f3lZ5DzObB8.html). This, you particularly displayed via PCP with the Weihrauch HW100 and springer - the Walther LGV (I have an LGV Pro and it's Rolls-Royce- like compared to any other spring gun and can shoot the eyebrows of a gnat). Immensely thorough and enjoyable as always Mark.

Don’t rise to the keyboard warriors, plenty of them on the AGF, horses for courses my friend. Btw don’t tell them you’re 10mm off target for live quarry they’ll string you up!

and thanks for clearing things up good video

damn good shootin i dont care if your standing on your head and yeah you dont half to have one of your paws under the friggin forend of the gun i use a sponge or bag or rest