Target shooting is a wonderful sport for gun enthusiasts. Whether you just enjoy sharpening your aim or have ambitions to win competitions, everyone’s journey with air rifle plinking starts somewhere.
Tips on making an air gun more accurate are amongst the most common requests by people taking their first shots at a target. A lot goes into the accuracy of a shot, from the quality of the air rifle to shooting stances. However, here are some tips that we’ve found can provide a lot of value specifically to beginners at the start of their shooting journey.
Try Different Rifles
This point only applies if you’re at the very beginning of your shooting journey, but it’s still worth mentioning. If you’re yet to purchase an air rifle (or are hoping to buy one specifically for target shooting), hold off until you’ve tried a couple of options.
Sites like us at Surplus Store provide detailed descriptions to help you understand what each air rifle has to offer, but there’s nothing quite like getting them in your hand and firing a few shots first.
Ask nicely at your local shooting club and people will often let you have a trial shot or two with different weapons to get a feel for various options out there. You may find that a certain style or weight feels more comfortable for you, and then you can make a better purchase.
Understand Wind and Distance
These are often the biggest factors forcing a shot to sail off target and also two of the easiest to overcome once you learn the fundamentals.
You may be surprised to hear that pellets rarely travel out of your barrel in a perfectly straight line. The type of pellet you’re using, the barrel’s design, the wind factor and more all have an impact, meaning your shots can turn, twist and vibrate on their way to the target.
There are many pieces of guidance out there about zeroing your scope, the process by which you analyse the flight path of your pellets to ensure your sights are calibrated correctly. This process takes into account many factors that can impact flight paths, and once you get used to analysing them, your regular shooting will become much more accurate.
Trial Different Pellets
It should go without saying that the pellet – the actual thing smashing into the target – will impact the accuracy of your shot. However, beginners may put this fairly low on their priorities list.
Pellets can be surprisingly temperamental things. There’s no go-to pellet for all air rifles; different pellets will work for different weapons, and it can be hard to judge without trying different ones out.
If you feel you’re doing everything right for accurate shots, experiment with a couple of different weights and brands of pellets. Just make sure you’re buying quality pellets from a recognisable brand, as these will offer better consistency between each pellet in the pack.
Once you find the one that suits your gun best, stick with that brand and style as much as you can.
Control Your Breathing
Breathing is a part of shooting form that is often underestimated by beginners. The most minuscule of movements during the shooting action can cause your pellets to fly off course, and that includes any sudden anticipatory shifts in your breathing pattern.
Different shooters have different breathing techniques as part of their routine. Some will fully exhale before firing the rifle, while others will hold their breath at a certain point before firing. The key is to be in a position where you’re completely still, focused and comfortable when it’s time to pull the trigger.
Use a Softer Touch
Firing a shot never gets boring, particularly for beginners. There is often a lot of adrenaline coursing through your body before and at the moment when you pull the trigger, which can cause bad shooting forms to creep into unexpected places.
If your shots are flying off target despite following all advice to the letter, it might be worth looking at how you’re gripping the rifle. Beginners can sometimes let the adrenaline take over and start death-gripping their weapon or yanking the trigger hard enough to throw their accuracy.
Breathing is not just good for stilling ourselves during the shooting action, it also helps to reduce some of that tension that might be building in the body. So breathe and ensure you’re holding the rifle with a soft grip and good form before lightly pulling the trigger.
Repeat, Repeat, Repeat
If you ever need an excuse to visit the shooting range, this is it! Once you’ve got the basics down, there’s nothing better for improving your aim than repetition. There’s also no substitute – the most accurate shooters will be the ones who shoot with good form and patience regularly.
The key to shooting repetition, however, is not to experiment with different styles. Once you have a shooting form, breathing style, pellet and more that you’re happy with, don’t change them. Use the same forms and processes every time until it becomes second nature, and you’ll soon see your average shot accuracy improving.
With these tips and plenty of repetition, you’ll hopefully be on your way to becoming a master sharpshooter.