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slander · New Member

I bought a Beeman rifle from Wal Mart the other day. Right out of the box I could tell the scope was pretty much junk, so I replaced it with a better quality scope.

I can get decent groupings for the most part with the new scope, but I can never get it properly zero'd in where it should be. I should be able to hit a 3 inch bullseye at 60 feet every time if you ask me.

At the time of purchase, the only tin of pellets in .22 caliber was hollow points. They are "Premium" brand, assuming by Crossman.

Could it be the cheap pellets I'm using? Or the fact they are hollow points that are causing them to fly oddly?

What do you recommend? And tips and tricks?

oddtodd · Silver Status Member

Well, I use crosman premieres,and I have pretty good accuracy with all my guns. I'm not trying to punch paper. I use all of my guns on starlings, english sparrows,rats in my barn, and I dont use paper much unless I'm sighting it in. after that it's just a combination of mildot windage and hold. I don 't know if you know this but there is a specific way of holding a springer rifle. you don' hold it tight, you just cradle it in your hands. Hold it just hard enough to get a good aim, and be light on the trigger. The harder you squeeze the trigger the more you are going to move that hand and you don't want that. Don't worry there will be more people around later on to add more. Crazy LOL

Alstone · Moderator & Site Supporter

Hollow points are not the best of pellets to try a gun out, get a tin of RWS super dome's these will give you a good idea of what your gun is capable of.

If things improve then try other domed pellets such as H&N
Baracuda or any other quality domed pellet and see which suites best.

BTW Welcome to AirGunHome

AL

slander · New Member

I'm paper shooting it at the moment only to get it sighted in. I bought this rifle to start cleaning house on crows and jays that plague the yard. I use a burlap sandbag for sighting in all of my rifles, so I'm not even holding the rifle when sighting in, good suggestion though.

I'm hoping most of my problem is just these damn hollow points. So I'm going to pick up a set of other domed pellets and start over, see where that gets me.

Thanks for the replies, the help is much appreciated! Keep the suggestions coming if you have them! Thanks guys and gals!

Mark5043 · Silver Status Member

Crosman140 · Senior Member

Run about 300-500 pellets through it to break it in. You're groups will tighten the more rounds you shoot and the better you master your support of the gun.

LittleRickie · Member

FYI All I can get locally are Crosman Premier 22 Hollow Points. I'm still looking around at gun shops but expect to buy some kind of solid dome for consistance purposes on line. My gun and I are still on our first 500 so I'm not to concerned but will get something different for the second 500.

For me it is to shoot a lot and have some fun. Accuracy, I expect/hope, will come in after a few thousand shots. If it's fun I'll shoot a lot like my beer can challange. I got home from work and shot a bunch and had fun ripping the beer can in half and I got to work on my trigger control and my muscles felt the weight of the gun when breaking the barrel.

Seems like good fun practice to me.

slander · New Member

I've been shooting most of the day now. I've shot probably 150 rounds, and I'm very close to giving up. The odd thing is, is once in awhile I can start to gather a small grouping of about 4 or 5 shots, then I'll be all over the paper. I could be at 6 oclock 2 inches out to 9 oclock at 4 inches out. Wide array of "where the hell did that pellet go" shots as well.

I'm an avid shooter with high power rifles, and it never takes me more than a box or two to get a rifle sighted in, but wow, this air rifle stuff is beyond me.

I got much of the same results from the original scope that came on the rifle, the new scope is working better, but inconsistent none the less. I've been practicing the artillery hold since it was suggested as well, and I'm not getting any better results. I should take a picture of my targets to show you what I'm saying...

packrat · Senior Member

In my 3 crosmans, the 14.3 HP's shoot as accurately as the 14.3 Ultra mags..talking about the Crosman Premiers here.....alwyas have had good accuracy with either version of those....
As has been suggested, I'd say practice,practice, practice.....the "artillery hold" is NOT something that can be perfected ( at least it wasn't for me!! ) in one shooting session..Even if you're BR shooting, your hand must be under the fore-arm of the rifle..took me a LOT of practice to get proficient with the "hold"..so, just keep shooting and concentrating your hold of the rifle, and trigger control...that's my advice-FWIW...hope it helps.

Dukemeister · Member

Hi slander. Don't give up yet!
Another couple things to check: 1, make sure you have a scope stop and it's working, and 2, Check all the stock screws and scope screws and make sure they are tight. If any were loose, shoot 50-100 pellets and check again, If loose again then you need to fix them with blue locktite.
It's not un common for stock & scope screws to vibrate loose on a springer, and the result is often shifting POI, inconsistent POI, and flyers. Good luck.

fritz · Silver Status Member

You very likely got a Chinese Beeman (IE piece of junk with Beeman name on it).

The real Beemans are made in Germany by Weirhauch. And the price reflects it.

None the less, the gun should still shoot decently. Did you do any kind of cleaning when you got it? Is the scope mounted properly? Is the scope airgun-rated? Does it have an adjustable objective (parallax problems)?

Are the pellets in good shape? No bent skirts or major scrapes, gouges, extra bits stuck in the skirt? How does the muzzle crown look? What about the throat/lead-in? Breech seal? Is the barrel locking up solidly after cocking?

Any of these things would be apparently damaged, nothing special to figure out if they are in good shape. You should know what a good lead-in and crown looks like, being a 'burner shooter.

Crosman140 · Senior Member

Also, since you are used to shooting powder burners, you are used to grabbing the gun and ramming it into your shoulder with both hands grasping the stock tightly and firmly.

With a springer, you want to cradle it gently, allowing your front support arm to do no more than to support the weight of the gun. Do not grab the gun with your front support arm, but allow the gun to rest there on its own.

Springers like to just rest there and then shoot without you holding them.

Try it and see if your groups tighten.

rsterne · Moderator

slander · New Member

fritz · Silver Status Member

You probably broke that scope already.

As other members pointed out, the grip is also another thing that you are going to have problems with. Google "artillery hold". It's very important to let the gun do its thing in your hands, otherwise it will never cooperate.