TargetTalk

I am relatively new to the sport of air pistol. I have been shooting for about 8 months. I have a couple questions and would appreciate the input of you folks who have been playing this game longer than I.

I have a cheap trainer model pistol. I would like to upgrade, but don't have the funds at this point to go "top notch". Would it be better to get something cheaper (like an IZH46) or wait until I save enough pennies to get one of the better guns? My concern with waiting is that I think I am developing some bad habits with the pistol I use now.

Any suggestions on a mid range pistol?

I have read on other threads that the only way to decide on "the" gun is to try different models. How do you do that? It isn't like buying a car where you go to the dealer and drive what you want. Is there a place to rent/borrow different pistols so you can try them out?

How does one go about finding a coach? I live in an area that isn't exactly a hotbead of air pistol activity. I'm still at the level that I don't really want to spend a great deal of money until I see if I have the aptitude and desire, but I also realize that I need help if I'm going to get any better. Any books or videos that you have found useful?

Any training exercises that have been helpful?

Thanks for your input.

For the price of an IZH, you can get a used top of the line CO2 gun. You will give up nothing to the new PCP guns, many of which are the same.

Do a search (see top of page) and your questions will be answered.

"I live in an area that isn't exactly a hotbead of air pistol activity."
I hope you are not from the moon. ;) I heard that people occasionally can travel.

What is your motivation behind those activities? (Kill the time, socialize with club members, develop specific skills, achieve certain score level of the score performance or make National team… etc.)
I hope that buying "The Thing" and talk to the death is not your first priority at this point. ;)

Russ wrote: "I live in an area that isn't exactly a hotbead of air pistol activity."
I hope you are not from the moon. ;) I heard that people occasionally can travel.

What is your motivation behind those activities? (Kill the time, socialize with club members, develop specific skills, achieve certain score level of the score performance or make National team… etc.)
I hope that buying "The Thing" and talk to the death is not your first priority at this point. ;)

Yes, travel is nice and, if I continue to progress, will be necessary. Since I am still pretty new to it, I don't really want to spend the money at this point.

My motivation? I want to be one of those old fart olympic medalists like you talk about on your website.

No, I realize already that the limiting factor for my ability to score well is me not the pistol. If an LP10 (or similar) showed up in my mailbox tomorrow, I would still not yet be competitive. But I do believe that the current pistol I shoot is now holding me back rather than allowing me to progress.

"But I do believe that the current pistol I shoot is now holding me back rather than allowing me to progress."
It is true that nice piece of equipment is really an important part. I do not want to argue about it a lot.
There are other things not less important that you have not acknowledged at this moment, such as your goal, motivation, physical abilities, knowledge, successful competitive experience, and ect. At the time when you will figure out what was is missing in your performance, it can be late to aim to the real goal.

What can good coach do....
Julia Lipnitskaia FS 2012 Junior Figure Skating World Championships (CBC)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dKqCWCHkHtA

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UCh_JFfcZ_o

What gun are you shooting now ? Whilst a low end gun may not be totally limiting you, it wont help. Also you can't for example learn good trigger technique with a gun with a rubbish trigger.

Rob.

I have a Crosman 2300T. Yes, the trigger seems to be the biggest problem I have with it.

I recently sold one of those that I used with a rifle stock to shoot quail.

It is not even remotely competitive. Sell it and put the money to something more upscale. You can find many recommendations with a search.

What pistol do you have now? Ah, the 2300T. Indeed not a 100% targetpistol, but the heavier trigger cóuld be of help to teach you proper trigger control!
The IZH is an excellent pistol, even at very high competition levels! But not áll like ssp systems, I dont.
Nothing wrong with buing the IZH though. I'll outshoot you. ;)
I dont like CO2 bulk personally, only 12gr bulb guns.
For same reason I dont like pcp either, by the way, allthough air is far easier to get.
If yr looking new IZH vs sechand co2, dont forget that the co2 will have OLD seals by now, prone to leak, unless already serviced.

What we mean by feel yr self what gun fits you: go to a gunshop, pick up several brands of pistols, féél the grip suits you, hagup a card and aim to see wether you can hold it still and wether its balance and weight suits you.
Not all shops have facilities to really shoot. But if you líke, most pistols have dry fire facility, so you can feel how they cock and what the trigger feels like

tigerdoc wrote:I have a Crosman 2300T. Yes, the trigger seems to be the biggest problem I have with it.

Sounds to me like you know the gun needs to go. If you want to shoot target air pistol seriously then you need the right tool.

Rob.

I guess I was a good boy this year. My wife got me the Izzie for Christmas. It is a night and day difference from the Crosman. I was averaging about 505 with a high of 518. I still have some adjustment to do with the grip to make it fit right. The only full string I have had time to shoot was 527. I'm pretty sure when I get the grip "dialed in" my consistency will improve.

Couple of questions - The manual says to put a couple drops of oil on the piston occasionally. Pellgun oil ok for that or is there something better? Is there anywhere to get a bigger container of the stuff. I have only been able to find the little tube. It also says to clean and lube the barrel after you shoot. Pellgun oil for that too? Will a product like Breakfree mess up the seals?

I'm also having a hard time getting used to the sight picture. The front and rear sights are completely black and the target area is black so it all blurs together. I shoot outside usually in bright sunlight. Is that also a problem on the indoor ranges? Any solutions? Colored filters?

There is some debate whether Pellgun oil is required for a SSP piston. I don't think so - the Pellgun oil is designed to not diesel under the sudden heat and pressure of a spring piston, but an oil that is too light, i.e. volatile, might still diesel under the relatively mild conditions in a SSP compression tube. I would use a very thin layer of BreakFree, but then I use that on almost everything anyway. And an occasional fine drop of it on the joints of the cocking linkage occasionally would not be amiss.

Cleaning the barrel is unnecessary unless there is too much oil in the cylinder and it has deposited in the barrel. A couple of dry, cleaning felt pellets every now and then should do the job. After all, there is no burned powder residue and if you are getting leading you are doing something very, very wrong. I don't know anything about lubing the barrel - maybe that's a suggestion for storage, but I would definitely run a couple of felts before shooting if you do. Letting the pellets slide down a barrel that is getting progressively less oily is likely a recipe for a shifting point of impact.

As for sight picture, it sounds like you are trying to use a center hold. That is not really the best choice and I think you have learned why. Most shooters use a sub-six hold which aligns the sights with an area directly under the bull - the white of the target paper will give you much better contrast and with practice you will be able to find that zone with amazing consistency. You can search the forums for comments on sub-six as well as "area aiming" and find plenty of discussions that may help.

Roger

Listen to Random. I fought with center hold for a year or two just because I was able to make it work, poorly, and satisfy my desire to be mildly competitive. If you really want to shoot, you need the intense feedback of a sub-six hold, no questions asked.

I don't know that there's a lot wrong with an IZH trigger until you can score north of 560 or so; my personal belief is that the grips are far more a problem than the trigger or pneumatics.

First off, let me say that you're shooting great for a new shooter, especially without a coach!

A lot of folks on the airgun forums clean their barrels when new with hoppes and/or goo gone to get the layer of manufacturing oil out of the bore. Use a pull through, either a patch worm or just some 20 lb test fishing line and pull the patch through from the breech. You can use cleaning pellets to wipe the bore.

Good luck!

-John