TargetTalk

I just found this place after shooting my first five weeks in a sort of informal NRA Bullseye league. We only shoot .22's at 25 yards, 60 shots total, so 600 points possible. I've been shooting a long time but not this particular discipline.

I've improved steadily to where I just broke into the 500's (502) this week. The pistol is a Browning Buck Mark 5.5 Target with a 30mm BSA red dot and shooting some Federal "Match" ammo from Walmart (1200fps, 40grn).

I'm probably not maxing out the abilities of the pistol just yet, but I've been wondering how much better a purpose-built target pistol might be. How much of a step up is something like a Baikal, Walther, Pardini, FWB, etc...?

Work on technique.

Steve

Well, that's always the plan! :)

The Browning is just a pistol I've had for about 12 or so years. I bought it as an accurate plinker. I actually put the red dot on to make sighting easier for my wife so she would concentrate more on trigger pull. The pistol is definitely accurate, but I just keep wondering how much better the purpose built guns really are. There are a few guys that have them out there. I guess I should start asking them.

I started with a Trailside and earned Master in Bullseye with it and now I use an SP20. I also use that for Standard Pistol and have earned Master rank in that event as well. In a nutshell the SP20 has a slightly tighter group, but other than that, the unique purpose built features haven't really done anything to better my scores. I can shoot either equally as well. The SP20 does have a better recoil management which helps a little in the rapid fire stage, and the trigger is first class. But neither of these features I can really attribute to improving my score.

The best gun to buy for improving your score is a modern air pistol with virtually no recoil. You'll learn more about sight alignment and just how good your trigger squeeze is with that compared to any other pistol.

In your case, Steve is correct. You've got a lot more work on technique to pursue and a different gun isn't going to help much if at all.

The advantages of guns like a Pardini, Walther, FWB etc are mostly ergonomic. Which is certainly a good enough reason to step up. They allow for a whole host of changes to grip, sights, trigger etc. This can help in tailoring the gun to suite your tastes and they certainly are a joy to shoot as well.

Personally, I would stick with the Buckmark until you get into the Expert Class (> 90% avg) and you know that you're going to stick with the sport. Then as a reward for working hard go out a buy a new pistol.

I've got a few air pistols. One is a Daisy 717. That one is probably good for that kind of practice.

Ergonomics was the reason I started thinking about a different pistol than the Buckmark. The grips I have on it are wood finger groove type from browning. Even though I have pretty big hands the grips still seem on the big side. Not so much shooting two-handed, but with one hand it seems like my grip isn't staying consistent. I end up doing a lot of fiddling around trying to get comfortable. Are there any general guidelines out there for making your own grips?

Yardstick wrote: Ergonomics was the reason I started thinking about a different pistol than the Buckmark. The grips I have on it are wood finger groove type from browning. Even though I have pretty big hands the grips still seem on the big side. Not so much shooting two-handed, but with one hand it seems like my grip isn't staying consistent. I end up doing a lot of fiddling around trying to get comfortable. Are there any general guidelines out there for making your own grips?

Take a look at Don Nygord's notes:http://www.nygord-precision.com/

He wrote two articles on how to modify your grips. The other articles are also worth reading.

You might also talk with Herrett's stocks, they may have something with a better fit at a reasonable price.

I still think I'm going to work with what I've got, but I had a chance to try out another guy's Pardini the other night. That felt like a cheater-gun. I don't know why it would be any easier to hold that thing steady, but it definitely was.

I would surmise that the Pardini seemed stiller because it fit and balanced better in your hand. That still does not mean this gun is the best for you. Only extensive shooting will allow you to select the best and may take a considerable amount of time and ammo before you finally determine exactly what you need. In the meantime study everything you can get your hands on about shooting and other sports that emphasis one on one competition . Look for tips on the mental side and practise using your mind to establish confidence and the shot sequence that produces your best shots. You arent trying to learn how to shoot bad shots so ignore them and deal only with how you shoot the good ones. Have fun , Good Shooting Bill Horton