TargetTalk

Advice needed on getting 4H shooting education BB guns (Daisy 499) shooting tens. Guns are weighted to the full 6 pounds. Ammo is sorted by size and weight. Test shooting is done from rock solid sandbags/rest. I have 10 different shot tubes to tinker with. Triggers have been worked to one pound.

Have you cleaned the bores?

Yes, the shot tubes are clean. I use a nylon brush in hoppes elite to get the crud. Then a bit of JB to polish any rough spots. Then a patch with oil to protect the bore. Finish with a dry patch. One gun we received from a closed club went from shooting a 65 to shooting an 85 just by a good cleaning, so that is an important factor. Thanks!

If you have not already done so, the rear sight upgrade is important. Also, assure that you are using the largest front sight aperture available (all the others are too small for proper sighting).

I have always been told for years NEVER to use hoppes on air rifles. It doesn't do any good for the seals...

Thanks guys, I do have the sight upgrade. I'm shooting off sandbags and getting good groups with one gun but not the other. And when I switch the shot tubes I still can not get the 'bad' gun to group. A 5 shot group from good gun was .4" and the same tube in the bad gun was 1.3" The Hoppes product is being applied with the shot tube removed from the gun. So no bad stuff should be getting to the seals. Yeah, I agree it is best to keep the seals clean. Thanks!

What is this sight upgrade? I only know of two sights for the 499 - the metal bracket that requires tools to adjust and the plastic aperature sight with the adjustment knobs. Is there something else?

What is this sight upgrade? I only know of two sights for the 499 - the metal bracket that requires tools to adjust and the plastic aperature sight with the adjustment knobs. Is there something else?

the Daisy 499 B parts diagram refers to the 5899 as "499 UPGRADE SIGHT" I assume that is the sight that was referenced. My understanding of the rules is that "Metallic receiver sights, from any manufacturer may be substituted for factory sights mounted on the receiver of the gun" so I suppose a person could upgrade a loooong way! The 5899 is the only sight that came with our club guns this year.

Learned a few things about the abutment plug that is inside the barrel that the shot tube screws into. If it is not in there straight it can cause accuracy problems. It took 4 ties and a couple of alignment inventions to get the plug staked in there straight. It taught me not to over-tighten the shot tube for fear of spinning it loose. Also it seems that the shot tube should not bottom out in the abutment plug. I had to turn .015 off of a shot tubeto get it the right length. When it is correct the black coller on the shot tube tightens against the end of the barrel with no gap.

I break the end of the shot tube loose take the plastic end off, then using crazy glue fasten the end back on the tube. I've never had one come loose in competition or practise, I do test each shot tube untio I find one that will shoot at least 99 for the ten shot string. My top guns will hold ten ring for ten shots consistantly. I also weight the guns to just under six pounds each and balance the guns depending on what the shooters standing position appears to work best. I avoid oil in the piston area at all costs and clean after each training session. Triggers are adjusted for about two pounds with as smooth a let off as I can achieve, I also equip each shooter, gun combination with a 1 1/4 inch leather sling using the two buckle design popular with the high power shooters. I also share all information avalable with any other coach that is interested. Good Shooting Bill Horton

In the above post , I forgot about sawing the stock to demensions that match the shooters size and cross cutting the butt to reduce slipping in the firing positions. If I think of any thing else, I will post again. Good Shooting kids, Bill Horton

Bill, thanks for the advice. I am having a tough time finding shot tubes that will shoot in the ten ring. I went through 20 tubes last year and the best I can do is 94 on a consistant basis. How many shot tubes do you sort through to get a good one?

Reference the number of shot tubes gone through to find 99 s and 100 ten shot groups. It was nothing like the problem you are having as 15 shot tubes were sufecient to get ten rifles shooting up to par, Check your BB's next as a possible source of the problem. I stayed with the daisy steel competition BB and had good luck with them. One other problem I sometimes found was the tension around the plastic on the end of the tube. The fix was to place a small piece of electrictians tape around the tube to insure it stability in the front end of the rifle. Oil in the piston area is also a possibility. These problems must be driving you nuts. Good luck on finding the solution Bill Horton