I don't know how interesting this is, but it's an old lesson relearned mostly with a happy, but somewhat costly outcome...and I kept repeating it!
Buy once, cry once!
I hadn't had a pellet gun since the 60's and figured one would fill a void for those times I wanted to shoot, but was too lazy to go to the club. I tried three, yes three lower end break-barrel .22 pellet rifles that included a Crosman with a fancy name, a Hatsen vortek, and finally an RWS 34. Of course of those three, the RWS was by far the most accurate, if a 1'' or a little more group was the goal for happiness. I knew better and knew what I wanted, but in my mind I just couldn't justify the cost of a decent centerfire rifle for a pellet rifle. What it was I wanted was a Weihrauch HW97k with the blue laminant stock.
I watched videos and read reviews on the HW97k and was convinced it was indeed worth the money, but alas I had fumbled around too long to get one with the blue laminate stock...until one Sunday I decided to search for a used one. As luck would have it I found a posting on an airgun site for one, and it was only a day old! Not being a member all that was visable was the area code of the phone number to call. I quickly joined the forum and called the gent. Turned out the gun was for all purposes new, (he was in his 80's and found the gun too difficult to cock after firing only 20-some pellets) and the price was a full $200.00 less than what a new one would cost IF they were still available in blue laminate. We did a pay-pal deal over the phone and I had my dream gun in just two days!
Now off to the Potterfield Plantation for a scope and maybe some better pellets than the wally-world Crosman HP's. The scope I selected was an Athlon Talos 4-14x44 BTR Mil ( after getting assurance from , Dan at Athlon the scope would hold up on a ''springer'') on sale just under $200, AND ol' Lar had H&N Field Target Trophy pellets on sale for less than the wally-world HP's!
Another 4-5 days and the rifle was scoped and ready to sight in! Of course being the cheap-skate I am, I sighted it in with the Crosman HP's. Switched cardboard and shot for group off the bench at 25yds. with the Crosman HP's which rendered a somewhat respectable grouping of under an inch with many touching in a cluster, but with about as many making their own hole just off the cluster. Next I shot some RWS ''Match'' pellets, worse-a lot worse than the Crosman HP's! Okay, let's bust out the H&N FTT. Now this whole grouping thing was done with a blank sheet of cardboard. I would shoot a pellet into the cardboard and use that hole as my aiming point. No real happiness until I switched over to the H&N's. I fired a shot through the cardboard near the middle with the Crosman groups to the left and the RWS clusters to the right. I lost count of how many shots I fired with the H&N's, musta been 20+ until I realized what I was doing was no longer productive. I had a less than 1/2'' hole just above my aiming hole and all my pellets were simply going through that hole and not making a difference in the group. I had finally found euphoria! Happiness even! Yeah, after I wasted probably over $1,000.00 on JUNK pellet rifles and scopes! Anybody wanna buy a Hatsen 95 or an RWS-34? I gave the Crosman to my grandson, he seems happy with it.
Attachment 306103
Attachment 306104
RWS pellet ''grouping'' to the right, bottom hole on the left is the aiming point for the H&N FTT group. It measures .485'' at it's widest point, and I have no idea how many shots are in it, probably 25+. Aim small, miss small as someone has on their signature line here.
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Originally Posted by MusicMan
