I managed to get that overdue plink in today!
The day started with a slight panic when I suddenly thought, "The Fiesta MOT must be about due". When I checked, it expired yesterday. Luckily, I rang my local, friendly mechanic man and he said he could do it straight away. So drove it up to him and walked into town to do a few bits.
Once home and sorted, the cats were duly lobbed outside. Shooting from the kitchen into the hallway gives me a nice, cosy 11 yards range.
Dunno if you boys can remember, but I'm quite fond of the little Gamo Vipermax which I was given last Spring. And that was today's toy, mainly as it's the quickest one to get out.
I'd be extremely wary of the Gamo models with the synthetic breech arrangement, but I do feel that these steel ones are a little underrated and get a hard time from some. When I got it last year, it cocked smoothly but Boinged like a mad frenzied thing, although recoil was mild and sight picture disturbance minimal.
If many of you have used your boingers indoors, they always seem to boing more (if you have a boingy boinger
), compared to shooting them outdoors. Now, I've always said that this needs to come apart to de-boing it, but you know what? The boing has lessened. I think that when it came to me it had had hardly any use. So maybe as it's running itself in it's just sweetening itself up. To the point where I might well leave it as is for now. Even the trigger, although no Rekord or CD, is getting better and is entirely usable and predictable.
And that minimal sight picture disturbance I mentioned really helps with follow through. From the first shot, they were all dropping into a circle no bigger than 10mm with effortless ease. And you know once you get into that zone? You know, where you just click and hardly have to try? Well, that's what the little Spaniard was doing. Only had about 70 or 80 shots, with every one putting a smile on my face, with only the one flyer. I'd called this anyway, as it wasn't exactly well lit down the hallway and the sight picture went a bit milky and blurred for that shot. A quick breather soon sorted the dodgy vision out.
So, all in all, a most enjoyable and therapeutic little session. I made sure to thank the missus for allowing me the time and pointed out how chilled it had made me feel, planting that little seed so that she might say, "Oh, just go and have half an hour's boingering therapy" more often!
And if you boys ever get the chance of a cheap Gamo 440 type rifle in good nick, welcome it into your collection with open arms!
Originally Posted by TonyL
I managed to get that overdue plink in today!
