What kind of groups are you guys getting with your 48/52/54 sidelevers at 50+ yards? Just wondering about accuracy potential, as I'm looking to pick one of these up in .22. TIA.
I shoot my 54 .22cal at 50 yds a lot and the groups can vary, depending on pellet choice. I have found in my gun that the Beeman FTS round nose pellets which are the same as the H&N FTS are unbelievably accurate. At 50 yds I can acheive groups of around 1" and consistently less as the range decreases. This is not so for all pellets I shoot. I find for close range the RWS are not very good but at 50 yds I get about 2 inch groups which is the same for sbout 30 yards. The next best pellets I find are the JSB exacts round nose, these are also good at all ranges. I use RWS Meisterkugeln flat nose pellets for out to 25-30 yard shots for hunting as they have about 1-1/4" groups at 30 yards and hit with devastating whallop due the the flat nose pellet stopping so sudden. I find them more effectve at this range but out to 50 yds they sloww a little and accuracy suffers some what. 50 yds I use the Bemman or JSB pellets and they still have tremendous hitting power at this distance due to the speed and weight, but these tend to blow right through at close ranges not giving the instant energy kill I sometimes need.
At 20 yards, ragged hole groups, my 50 yard groups have been
July 17 2006, 9:11 AM
ugly due to swirling wind conditions every time I've tried...to elaborate, my 30FPE pcps which shoot also shoot ragged hole groups generated groups just a bit better than the 54's(I have 3 that I have tested, own 2 now)...
The 54's were getting 3+" groups at 50 yards...bear in mind, at 25 yards, the wind was blowing left, at 50 yards the wind was blowing right, talking about less than ideal conditions for first attempts at shooting beyond my normal 20 yards at home which is windfree...
Re: At 20 yards, ragged hole groups, my 50 yard groups have been
July 18 2006, 9:47 AM
Definitely, the wind is a big factor, the biggest if anything. My groups are fairly consistent if wind is low or non existent. If you have a slight breeze even, that will affect the pellet and the farhter you shoot the worse it is. I have tested my rifle in an indoor range and it is very consistent at about 5/8" at 33 yds with the H&N FTS. I have shot many a critter and targets at 60-70 yards and those are long, shots to be consitently accurate at, as the slightest movement or breeze will cause a large error down field. For the long range I always use my best accurate pellet due to the increase in chance for error. I also find from day to day whether it be me or the daily atmospheric condition that my grouping will change from time to time. I find the best practice is to shoot a lot, in the last year I have shot at least 7500 pellets and gone throught one spring and piston. All that use has made the gun seat in and shoot reall smooth.