Steyr vs Steyr Bench Rest

BENCH REST - It can be easy and difficult at the same time.  It can be very fun and very frustrating at the same time.  It   also can be very addicting.  That in a nut shell is my personal opinion of Airgun Bench Rest.   What got me addicted, was how I could pick up a new gun, in this case a Steyr LG110, drop it on a single front bag, supported by a chunk of Styrofoam underneath and shoot a perfect  250 - 5X card?

Rick B - Shooting his Steyr LG110 Hunter

This is what happened last Sunday, shooting against my friend Rick B. also shooting a Steyr LG110 Hunter in .22cal, he managed a 249 - 6X, again using a forward single bag.  With our confidence high, we started trying different shooting positions and different ammo.  Each of us shooting three additional cards, I averaged in the 245 range, while Rick out shot me with his LG Hunter averaging 247, seems the harder I tried and lower my scores became, hence the frustrating part.

I'm finding that being able to take an accurate airgun and shoot nice little five or even ten shot groups is much different then hitting the same pin head size target 25 times in a row. There are so many factors involved. Position of the gun on the bag, consistent grip or lack of grip in some cases allowing for constant shot sequence, weather, temperature,  (some of the range is non heated), ammo quality, barrel harmonics, the list can go on and on.  

Rick B made it back out to the shop this Sunday for some more bench rest challenge.  Other than using a different pellet JSB 8.4/4.53 head size this weekend, I started out with my mono bag styro foam set up that gave me the 250 card the week before.  245 - 3X was all I could mustard.  Rick with his .22cal Stery Hunter beat me with 246 - 5X.

Rick was complaining about his cheek piece being in his way, so I suggested that he remove it, which he did, and he also quit using his pellet seeding tool, last time I give him advice.  He jumped up to a 250 - 3x!  I moved up to a 248 - 6X.  Perhaps it was the JSB 7.9's or the fact that I went to a improvised rear rest, yes, feel free to chuckle at the set up, as I said it was improvised.

However, my scores were moving in the right direction, so I stayed with it.  Our third cards tied with a 249 each, but my 4X to his 2X gave me the win on this card.  Fourth and final card, Whoop there it is! 250 - 7X with my 12ft/lb .177cal LG110, Rick threw 5 bad pellets which placed him at 245 - 6X.  

Rick and I both decided that we are totally hooked on Airgun Bench Rest.  Now we need to acquire the proper bench rest equipment, build some sturdy benches, and practice, practice, practice. With long Michigan winters, FT not yet an option and small game season over,  Indoor Bench Rest has proven to be another great alternative Airgun option.  

**To Clarify our range building is 25 yards long, which means actally indoor shooting distance is approximately 24 yards. The last six yards of the range on unheated.

** Ricks LG Hunter has been reduced from 30 to 22 ft/lbs, shooting 18g JSB's.

**Rick's gun scoped with Nikko 10-50x60
** Jim's gun scoped with Leupold 6.5-20x40 Dot Reticle

For those of you who would like to try Airgun BenchRest, join us this Thursday March 1, 2012 from 5:00pm - 9:00pm.  $5.00 for 3 cards.  RSVP's always appreciated. 248-969-0377 or precisionairguns@gmail.com  This is a non sanctioned event, where the focus is on fun.  Targets set at 50 feet, indoor range.

Theoben Sentinel Stock - Latest Design

We were excited to receive the latest version of the Theoben Rapid MKII Sentinel Stock.  This stock allows for clean and complete concealment of Theoben's Quick Fill System.  The gauge is located opposite side of quick fill cap directly under the barrel.  
Available in .22cal and .25cal
Starting at $1,860.95

February Indoor Bench Rest

Dave Lovio, Jim Stanis, John Marotzke, Rich Mendyka, Rickey Broughton

Thursday, February 9th Precision Airguns hosted it's second Indoor Bench Rest Event. Typically we shoot three cards at 50 feet. This is an informal shoot with the emphasis on Fun.  The event brought some familiar faces and some new ones.

John Marotzke, a dedicated firearms bench rest shooter showed up with an HW97 that Precision Airguns tuned and installed a Vortek Kit in.  John pulled out a quarter from his pocket and threw down a challenge. It was going to be Springer vs Springer  I said, "John, your on, let me pull my  HW77 off the rack".  Seriously this gun has to be at least 26 years old, has a 3x9 scope on it,  it does have a Vortek Kit in it also.  I was just not prepared to use this old squirrell getter in a bench rest competion.  Jim Hutchison helped set me up on his bench using a front and rear bag.  I've never done this before with a springer, but with the Votek Kit installed this gun is very forgiving.  I was actually pleased with how the HW77 shot, only dropp'ed one and it was all me.  I ended up with a 249 4X. John had some problems with the seat on his bench, he shot a 245 5X.  So the quarter he challenged me with is now on a shelf at the shop for future bragging rights, or until John wins it back, which I'm sure he will.  Johns scores progressed up, his 3rd and final target was a 249 3X.  Good Shooting John.

Top: Long Barrel HW77
Bottom: Jim Stanis' same model 26 years later, still a Top Shooter

HW77's on Special starting at $525.00

Jacob Goldstein with
Daystate Huntsman Classic .22cal

Father and Son shooters, Dave and Jacob Goldstein were using multiple guns. Huntsman Classic .22cal,  .22cal MRod Pistol, and Crosman Discovery Rifle.  Toward the end of the evening, it was clear they were both trying to hold onto the Huntsman Classic.
Dave finished with 727 12X and his son Jacob 637 1X

Steyr LG110 Hunter

Rickey Broughton shooting his Steyr LG110 Hunter had a loose muzzle break that he had custom made and installed which caused a weak first card.  His second 250 12X was actually the high target of the evening.  Rickeys third card was a 249 4X, would have had a good shot at the lead, if he wouldn't have had an issue with his muzzle break. When his first card was a 235 3x, that's hard to come back from.   You'll get um next time Rickey...

Dave Lovio and Rich Mendyka arrived later, they shared Dave's .22cal Daystates Tactical Air Wolf with Hawke 6.5 - 20 tactical scope.  Dave only shot one card but shot a 249 4X.

Left: Dave Goldstein, Right: Jim Hutchison

Overall High Shooter with a score of 749.22X was Mr. Jim Hutchison, a competitive firearm bench rest shooter.  Jim was shooting an AirArms MPR .177.  Congratulatons Jim!

Tom Harvath Receives the Long Haul Award

Of all the people that made it by the shop on Tuesday, Tom Harvath wins the long haul award.  Traveling nearly 200 miles and 3 1/2 hours from northern Michigan, he is shown here displaying his newest acquisition  , HW100 .22cal.  Tom's trip was well rewarded when we opened the box and found this beautiful tiger striped HW100.  

Tom installed his scope, zero'd it in on the indoor range.  It only took a few shots to get it on paper, 18g JSB's making a nice ragged hole.  Good Luck Tom with your new purchase.  Thank you for your business.