Getting back into target air rifle...

[Geezer]

General tips, beyond using a good hold/position.

Practice your hold a lot with an unloaded rifle. And dry-fire a lot if your rifle allows it. Which, obvs, an LG55 doesn’t.

Practice this little and often. Ten practice holds five times a day, or five ten times, is better than fifty in one go. Even five or ten practice holds a day or a week is good. As soon as you feel tired, stressed, or distracted, STOP! Come back later, or tomorrow, or next week. Ten focussed minutes beats an unfocused hour. Practice success. Do not practice failure.

Rested shooting practice is good for (re)learning the trigger and sights. Don’t dismiss it.

Ten, twenty, or more practice holds (or dry fires) for each live shot, especially early on.

In addition, a good drill (with 10M rifle) is to shoot one 5-shot target card every day. No more, no less. Analyse what is and isn’t working. Score them and keep and study the scores.

I’m too old, busy, or lazy to do this these days, but it works.

Hope this helps.

[Steyr]

For standing, impatience and stubborness are the main enemies.

You havent shot for many years so muscle mass and memory will be shot to hell.

As stated. Little and often and good pace and a routine. If it doesnt feel right, come down. Relax, oxygenate with decent big breaths and restart.

Put the gun down, walk away and relax, and then come back for a few shots then walk away. Its not endurance... that will come but its gradual.

The target is a huge element. Start close and 40mm. As you get more fluid, go to 30 mm at same distance... then 20.... then a reducer.

When your reducer doesnt freak you out, go to 40mm again but push the target back a bit and repeat. Then push back again when that becomes more fluid.

I also did 5 shots each one at different distance and again going 40, 30 .....reducer.

Lots of ways.

Get used to weight SLOWLY. If you cannot shoulder, aim and squeeze of in a fluid movement, come down and start again and that will include putting rifle down, walking away, oxygenating and gently rotating, swing arms shoulders neck etc.

Rhythm is a great helper here.

Its not a race. Nobody wins if you fight the shakes. You get tired and frustrated and you go into a vicious circle.

[gsxrman]

I pretty much agree with everyone.
Good technique is essential but you also require the strength to deliver that technique.
You sound motivated enough so you need to train.
Treat your shooting muscles like you would going to the Gym.
Add a bit of weight to your rifle, not a lot though, then pick it up and train.
Aim high and hold for count of 3-5, aim straight and hold, aim low and hold etc, then straight back up high and hold, straight and hold etc.
You will have to your body, when it is fatigued put the rifle down for 2 mins and then start again.
I would do this Monday, Wednesday and Friday for about 20 minutes a session.
you will see a difference with your stability within weeks.
Good luck.

[tacfoley]

For standing, impatience and stubborness are the main enemies.

You havent shot for many years so muscle mass and memory will be shot to hell.

As stated. Little and often and good pace and a routine. If it doesnt feel right, come down. Relax, oxygenate with decent big breaths and restart.

Put the gun down, walk away and relax, and then come back for a few shots then walk away. Its not endurance... that will come but its gradual.

The target is a huge element. Start close and 40mm. As you get more fluid, go to 30 mm at same distance... then 20.... then a reducer.

When your reducer doesnt freak you out, go to 40mm again but push the target back a bit and repeat. Then push back again when that becomes more fluid.

I also did 5 shots each one at different distance and again going 40, 30 .....reducer.

Lots of ways.

Get used to weight SLOWLY. If you cannot shoulder, aim and squeeze of in a fluid movement, come down and start again and that will include putting rifle down, walking away, oxygenating and gently rotating, swing arms shoulders neck etc.

Rhythm is a great helper here.

Its not a race. Nobody wins if you fight the shakes. You get tired and frustrated and you go into a vicious circle.

Correction - I haven't shot standing with an air rifle for about five years. And thanks to the need to push our daughter around town three times a week, my muscles are in pretty good shape

Until our ranges were closed last October, I used to shoot rifle and pistol at least twice, sometimes three times, every week. And air pistol at home in our backyard.

[johnbaz]

I bought this Anschutz Match 250 a couple of weeks ago (Sorry Dave! ) and can say confidently that i've never held such a heavy lump of gun!!, Makes my 80's and 97 feel like lightweights!!







It's a fab bit of kit but I can't use it until i've resealed the damper unit or the action and stock will be damaged!

I also have a Watther mod55t, It's much easier to shoulder than the Annie!!




John

[Travis299]

My groups are improving BUT MOA at 25 yards with the HW95L .22 even from a picnic table is extremely difficult for me. Lots of fun shooting during these virus times though.

[TonyL]

Some excellent advice from Geezer, Steyr and gsxrman.

I just wish I could get into a training regime as I shoot so little these days.

Had an hour with the MercuryS down the garden during the week, about 60% standing, and my dodgy neck and arms were playing up for three days!

Hey John, I thought you were REDUCING the collection this year!

Loving that Anschutz.

[tacfoley]

General tips, beyond using a good hold/position.

Practice your hold a lot with an unloaded rifle. And dry-fire a lot if your rifle allows it. Which, obvs, an LG55 doesn’t.

Practice this little and often. Ten practice holds five times a day, or five ten times, is better than fifty in one go. Even five or ten practice holds a day or a week is good. As soon as you feel tired, stressed, or distracted, STOP! Come back later, or tomorrow, or next week. Ten focussed minutes beats an unfocused hour. Practice success. Do not practice failure.

Rested shooting practice is good for (re)learning the trigger and sights. Don’t dismiss it.

Ten, twenty, or more practice holds (or dry fires) for each live shot, especially early on.

In addition, a good drill (with 10M rifle) is to shoot one 5-shot target card every day. No more, no less. Analyse what is and isn’t working. Score them and keep and study the scores.

I’m too old, busy, or lazy to do this these days, but it works.

Hope this helps.

Thanks, as a former biathlete shooter, these are all the things that I'm doing, in fact, I've just come back in form my afternoon session. I'm not going down the specialised clothing route that I once followed for pistol, but I'm certainly remembering the way I was firmly trussed up - within the rules, of course - to aid the stance.

I'm also aching like crazy from using muscles that don;t get a work-out when using a pistol!

Thanks to all for the encouragement - I'll never be a winner again, except in my own mind, but for many of us right now, that's what matters.