Thread: Does a new air rifle get more accurate with use?

Hi, forgive the stupid question...but does an air rifle get more accurate once its had a bit of use, say 100 pellets or so through it?

Reason being I have just bought one of those Benjamin Varmints .22 (Crosman) on sale, as an extra for rat shooting.

Have put over 50 Accu Pell pellets though it, but still the grouping is the size of a large grapefruit..in other words I may as well throw Bananas at the rats. About 15 yards distance.

Is this normal? Or is it the rubbish CentrePoint scope, basic as hell with no AO etc causing issues? My last Stoeger was much more accurate, although it had a quality scope with AO etc fitted to it.

I'm supporting the rifle on a stool, so no movement.

Seems to have the same power as the Stoeger A30, and quieter I reckon. Nice air rifle to use.

Am I being too hasty, should I put another hundred pellets through it before I expect to sort out accuracy?

Thanks guys.

Could be worth trying different pellets first? Lighter/heavier/different brand. Might find one that suits the barrel better..

With every rifle I bought I'd have a cold sweat moment:

"Have I bought a lemon? this thing shoots like rubbish"

Then I realised that it was just me getting used to the rifle.

Air rifles are said to be really tough on scopes, so if you have a rubbish setup on top, you'll likely get rubbish results.

Yup - try another sort of pellet. Check all the scope screws are done up correctly (but don't "ham-fist" them to stripping point)

Tighten scope.
Clean your barrel.
Try other pellets.

Thanks guys
Scope tight, but it is a rubbish one, actually one on TradeMe right now with torch and laser off same gun, guy probably had problems like me.
Tried Barracuda Hunter Extreme 19grain, worse than the 14grain Accu Pell. Maybe the barracudas are meant for PCP?
I'll give it a rest and try again later, maybe when I don't feel like shoving the gun up the sellers ar#e, I'll be more accurate....
Will buy a different pellet during the week too, when I get to H&F. The Stoeger X hunt were brilliant in my Stoeger, will try them. Pointed, but will still kill a rat!

Does your springer have open sights? Why not just get super proficient with them instead?

A spring piston air rifle recoils both backwards and side to side (unlike a firearm) from what I know, and this can place undue stress on a scope. Spending the extra money on a specialized scope designed for airguns may not be worth it.

Practicing shooting your air rifle with open sights, off-hand, will allow you to grow a lot more as a marksman (in my opinion). That would be utilizing your airgun to your full advantage. If you've got an opportunity to practice shooting cheaply, then I reckon it's worth challenging yourself as much as possible!

That's what I would do, anyway. I'd love to get another airgun sometime down the line. Good fun.

apparently some of the gruntier new air rifles do take a few hundred or more pellets to settle down and burn whats left of the oil out of the barrel.
But yes try other pellets. Just like a 22rf. it will like some way more than another.

Apparently its a nitro piston, no spring? And it has no sights at all, just the rail for the scope.

https://www.huntingandfishing.co.nz/...r-pack-22.html but I paid $370 for mine new online.

Just put another 100 or so pellets through it, but it is no better.

I'll just keep throwing pellets through it for now, just in case. Will get some different pellets during the week too.

Should have bought a dearer one I guess, but at the moment can't justify $700 plus for rats. Fingers crossed it gets better, or its a $370 ornament.

Here's an amazon review.

The 2 good reviews I read said the trigger needed to be replaced with something better to make the thing hum.

https://airgunmaniac.com/benjamin-va...-scope-review/

nikko stirling make airgun rated scopes called air king they are good for the money I run 2 1 on my 222 and one on a 22 hornet hunting and outdoor supplies has them

I have a Crosman nitro .22 started to shoot better after 1000 or more pellets. Did the trigger mod and dumped the Centre Point scope. Very fussy about pellet brand and weight. Now shoots 1 inch or better at 30 yds which is a head shot and dead rabbit.

Cheers guys for all that info, makes me feel better about it.
Gets a pretty good review, and yep I hate the trigger, if it was smoother it would help, but I'm a novice with guns so wouldn't be brave enough to pull it apart to replace it.

Yeah I'll be looking round at scopes I think, just looked at the Stoeger I gave my brother, that came with a 3-9X40 AO scope which I loved, will try to get something like that.
Scopeuout website has a few, plus I'll look at Outdoor Supplies.
I want to kill the rats as humanely as possible so want accuracy, I know they are scum but I despise cruelty.

Will have to invest in a "borestring" thing to clean out the bore, should I spray WD40 etc BEFORE I clean it, or don't add anything?
Thanks again guys, appreciate your advice on this, feel dumb being a novice, but hey...everyone starts somewhere!

Originally Posted by altair

everyone starts somewhere!

We all started out as lousy shots, knowing nothing.

Except for me, I'm perfect.