Spring gun revival (again.....)

[LESS THAN FORTUITOUS KENNETH]

I too have seen shooters with very expensive FT PCP rigs who missed a big 25yd kill even after spending ages fiddling with range finding and scope fiddling. But hey ... they were having fun in their chosen sport.
Cheers, Phil

Didn't know you'd ever seen me shoot Phil?

[Phil Russell]

Didn't know you'd ever seen me shoot Phil?

If I had known it was you I would have said 'hello'.
Seriously though, all shooting is a challenge and it is more of a challenge to some than others. I have no doubt that PCPs are more forgiving of positional changes than springers but I still love shooting a springer despite the yoga positions I am forced into at an HFT shoot resulting in a less than perfect hold. Yes, there are times when I wish I did not have to do it; when the back creaks, the bones groan and it takes me longer to get up after the shot. But in a way it is enjoyable and seeing others in the same predicament somehow eases the pains (!!).
It is also enjoyable watching a true master of the craft knocking targets down in bad conditions.
Cheers, Phil

[bozzer]

It is also enjoyable watching a true master of the craft knocking targets down in bad conditions.

That's probably my main point Phil. I'm not sure there are any.

[Amac]

Not sure about that Col. I still think that there are one or two shooters around who are capable of competing with the top PCP shooters occasionally. I would agree though that it is indeed much more of a challenge even for the best springer shooters to nail many of the tricky targets found on today's national level courses. I intend to try this myself during 2018, only because I have finally realised that the challenge and personal enjoyment of shooting a spring powered gun far outweighs any desire to just get a good score with a PCP.

Many of us have used springers in the field for a long time with similarly good results Clarky. The problem is that with the difficulty associated with competition course were you have to take the shot, that 15mm kill zone with a gusting 15 mph wind take some dropping, particularly with a springer as you will know.

Phil, it is clear that you are experiencing similar physical woes to myself as we amble around a course displaying all sorts of strange body positions! Those youngsters have it all to look forward to.

Have a great and successful new year everybody!

Andy

[bozzer]

Happy New Year Andy to yourself, James and all of your loved ones. Be happy and be well.

Aye ... My last comment was a tad harsh.

Good luck to all the springer shooters in 2018. Just enjoy.

[poison dwarf]

anyone have contact details for Paul short please?

[Amac]

Paul Short has a Facebook page apparently and you will be able to contact him via that. If that fails his contact details can be found on STB (via some research.)

Phil Russel made an excellent point regarding how many of us like to try and maximise the performance of all of our guns, particularly springers, by tuning, fitting custom stocks and generally attempting to make them as recoil friendly as possible. I am as guilty as most other enthusiasts I suspect of trying to iron out the very thing that makes the springer so challenging to shoot, recoil. There again, is it really the recoil that we are trying to remove? The more I think about it, what I am after personally is an improved shot cycle that makes the gun more enjoyable to shoot I reckon. The reason i mention this is due to me recently acquiring myself a brand new TX. Out of the box, the gun is an absolute joy to shoot. So much so that rather than purchase the usual set of upgraded internals from one of the many tuning houses, I have decided to leave it absolutely standard and haven't even had to adjust the trigger.

My reason for mentioning this is that for anybody considering the purchase of a springer, do not presume that it is necessary to spend more on getting it shooting well. Most of the decent quality guns are more than capable of providing the owner with an enjoyable gun that is more than accurate enough for anything required of it.

I also own a couple of highly tuned springers that are also very nice to shoot. Both cost more than a standard gun, but that doesn't mean a standard gun is any less enjoyable to use.

I still think that there appears to be a genuine resurgence in the use of spring powered rifles. If I hadnt spent so many decades hunting rabbits with an HW80, I might have discovered target shooting at an age when I would have been able to at least try to approach the leading shots of the day. Is it just me trying to rekindle my youth with my promotion of spring powered rifles? I think the majority of shooters, particularly those new to the sport, appreciate the available accuracy of a PCP as has been mentioned many times on this thread. It would appear that the manufacturers think that springers are very much enjoying an upturn in popularity as not a month seems to go by without another release, particularly in the medium and lower price points. I think it is time for one of the "big" spring gun manufacturers to release something new for us old hands. The last one of note I can remember was the Walther LGU/LGV.

Anyway, I hope you all enjoy your shooting as much as I have been doing recently!

Andy