Articles

• How to load pellets in airguns - Part 2: CO2 and pneumatic guns (February 2011)

  This is the second part of my "How to load pellets" series. Yes, there are several tips and things you need to know about loading pellets in pneumatic and CO2 guns. In fact, by improperly loading a pellet -- just that simple act, you can sabotage one of the finest precharged air rifles on the market! I know, because I was there when the whole thing began.

• How to load pellets in airguns - Part 1: spring-piston guns (November 2010)

  With a title like that, you must think I'm anal enough to want to teach you how to breathe, too. Well, think again. Loading pellets in airguns can easily influence how they shoot; and if you don't know it, you can actually cause some guns to completely malfunction. In this article, I'll tell you exactly what I mean. This is a subject worth understanding, especially if you're new to the world of airguns.

• Does the pivot point of a breakbarrel rifle make it potentially less accurate? (February 2010)

  Every now and then, I get asked this question: By repeatedly breaking open a breakbarrel rifle, could that lead to accuracy issues due to possible misalignment of the barrel with the action? There are some customer reviews on this site where shooters have stated that they know their rifle could never attain great accuracy because it's a breakbarrel. We also get similar comments on the blog. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth!

• How to hold an air pistol for greatest accuracy (September 2009)

  You can grab a pistol any old way if all you want to do is hold it while you pull the trigger, but if you want the BANG to mean something, then read this short article, watch the video and follow along.

• Airgun accuracy: It's not a given! Part 3--The sights (September 2009)

  Sights are an important component of an airgun's accuracy, and there has been a revolution in sighting over the last 20-30 years. Before the 1970s, optical sights on an airgun were rare, just as they were for firearms 10 years earlier. People just didn't trust optics back then, in much the same way new airgunners feel there must be some inherent inaccuracy in breakbarrel rifles today (there isn't). So, let's look at iron sights first and finish with optics.

• Airgun accuracy: It's not a given! Part 2--The projectile (September 2009)

  The first accurate airgun projectile was the dart. The lower-powered airguns of the 16th and 17th centuries used them because they were often the only projectiles those guns could launch at any velocity. According to authors like W.H.B. Smith, the early target airguns were accurate to about 50 feet, and shot placement was controlled by the removal of the hairs in the tail of the dart--one at a time. One dark strand of hair was put into the tail to serve as an alignment reference point.

• Airgun accuracy: It's not a given! Part 1--The barrel (September 2009)

  What is accuracy, and how do we get it? Accuracy is several things, all of which must be present for results to pay off. For starters, accuracy is consistency--the repeated striking of a shot in the same place. New shooters are sometimes surprised when a veteran is more pleased with a tight group of shots anywhere on the paper than with a random shot through the center of the bullseye. I can always move a tight group by adjusting the sights, but nothing I do can guarantee the repeat of a lucky shot.

• What is a flyer? (August 2009)

  Ever heard someone call a flyer? A flyer is a shot that goes wild, but the reason may be known. If a pellet with a bent skirt is knowingly loaded, shot and goes wild...it's a flyer and the shooter knows why. If the defect wasn't seen and the shot goes wild...it's still a flyer.

• Can you bend the barrel if you shoot a breakbarrel air rifle with the barrel broken open? (August 2009)

  This is a common problem with first-time owners of breakbarrel guns. In my experience, they always say the barrel closed accidentally until you press them. Then they admit they pulled the trigger with the barrel broken open "to see what would happen."

• A look inside the BB gun powerplant (August 2009)

  I discovered a few years ago that very few real airgunners are aware of just how a BB gun powerplant really works, so I thought I'd take the time to illustrate it.

• The artillery hold (June 2009)

  Want to become more accurate with your spring rifle? Want to equal those unbelieveable groups others seem to get? The secret is in how you hold the rifle, and the name for the proper hold is the "artillery hold."

• Helpful info for working with precharged pneumatics (May 2009)

  Here's some info that every PCP shooter should know. The first part is about high-pressure air vessels. The second part deals with something I call the "bathtub" curve of performance.

• How fast do pellets go? (March 2009)

  (At the end of this article is a video) This subject is confusing for new airgunners because many modern air rifles and a few air pistols are advertised to have velocities they cannot achieve. I've been testing this phenomenon for many years--ever since Gamo brought their 1250 Hurricane to market. That rifle was advertised as achieving 1,250 f.p.s., and the .177-caliber rifle I tested actually reached 1,257 f.p.s. when shooting RWS Hobby pellets.

• How to mount a scope - Part 1 (October 2008)

  This is the introduction to a special video I've prepared on scope mounting. I made the video all-inclusive, so no matter what kind of gun on which you're mounting your scope, you'll find the instructions here.

• Do changes in air pressure affect pellet velocity?

  The 2008 California Science & Engineering Fair included an airgun-related entry from Beau Bayless and Trevor Foss, eighth-grade students at All Saints' Episcopal Day School in Carmel. Their entry won first place in the Physics & Astronomy section. In a slightly different format than our usual articles, we present their project.

• Scope shift and barrel droop...two common problems (March 2008)

  Scope shift is the No. 1 problem shooters have with scopes. It's also called point-of-impact (POI) shift. There are several reasons for this and none of them are the scope's fault. They're problems that plague mostly new scope users, but they can also crop up when a veteran shooter starts using a scope in a new way. The reasons for scope shift are many, so I'll try to rank them by the commonality of occurrence.

• Telescopic Scopes & Mounts - Part 3

  This is the third installment in our tech article that outlines everything you wanted to know about telescopic sights and the mounts that hold them but were afraid to ask. In this third and final part, I am going to cover - overcoming drop, the lowdown on mounts, installation hints, the B-Square, Beeman, and RWS mounts.

• Telescopic Scopes & Mounts - Part 2

  This is the second installment in our tech article that outlines everything you wanted to know about telescopic sights but were afraid to ask. In part two I'm going to cover target and hunting knobs, what the terms waterproof and fogproof really mean and how to check you scope for both, plus adjustable objective lenses, what they do and why is parallax such a dreaded term. I think that if I can cover all of that we'll have a good chance of finishing up with Part III in the next edition.

• Telescopic Scopes & Mounts - Part 1

  Without a lengthy introduction about the history and background of telescopic sights, or scopes, as they are better know, I could get right into what you really want to know, and that is which one do I by and how do I make it work. But I think that if you understand how they are built and why one type will perform longer or better than another, you will have a better basis from which to make an informed buying decision.

• Field Target - Part 1: Starting a club (March 2007)

  No shooting sport captivates airgunners as much as field target. Even those who do not compete and have no plans to ever compete still make a large percentage of their choices to purchase based on this sport. They quote specifications and demand equipment that is field-target ready, even if they will never use it for that purpose.

• The SHOT Show 2007: Pyramyd Air goes shopping! (February 2007)

  Pyramyd Air attended the Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trade Shot (SHOT Show) in Orlando, Florida, January 9-12. This is one of the principal trade shows at which airguns are shown and sold to dealers and distributors. They were there to look at new products and to meet with their business partners from around the world.

• When you have an airgun, home IS the range! (October 2006)

  With the right airguns, it's not only possible to shoot at home, you'll wish you'd started years ago. I'm not talking about your backyard. Some folks have large private backyards that let them shoot without disturbing their neighbors. But many people are squeezed into closer quarters with neighbors who'll call the police if they see someone outside with a gun. However, a home is still a castle, and yours can have a shooting range inside.

• Airgun silencers: What's the big deal? (August 2006)

  The subject of airgun silencers is hotly debated on the airgun forums. There is no agreement about the legality of silencers on airguns in the U.S., and the issue is far more complex than it seems at first.

• BB History (February 2006)

  The airgun projectile we call a BB began in 1886 as common lead shotgun shot, sized BB or 0.180-inch diameter. It was selected for W.F. Markham's revolutionary new spring-piston gun that was made of maple wood and a minimum of metal parts. The probable inventor of the new airgun, George W. Sage, simply chose a commonly available projectile that produced good results in his creation...

• What does AO mean? (September 2005)

  We get more questions from customers about scopes than any other single item, including the airguns, themselves. Most of the questions involve scope terminology, which has been addressed in the article All about scopes. Part 1., but the term AO was not covered very well. And many of the better scopes have it, such as Leapers 4x32 Mini A.O. The Bug Buster. They figured if they were going to advertise them that way, someone should explain what AO is and why it matters to you.

• All about scopes. Part 3. (April 2005)

  Now that you know how to mount your scope let's learn out to sight it in.

• All about scopes. Part 2. (February 2005)

  Mounting a scope is easy! Four easy steps to scoping an air rifle. In this article we name the parts of scope mounting systems, present standards, and mount a scope, following simple step-by step instructions.

• All about scopes. Part 1. (January 2005)

  Scope terms and how to choose a scope
  
  No one scope is perfect for every job, so by understanding the terminology you can better understand which scope will best help you accomplish what you need. We will look at the common terms ...

• Airgun accuracy (June 2004)

  What should you expect from today's airguns?

• What About CO2?(December 2003)

  A plain look at an intriguing gun powerplant...

• What is Muzzle Energy?(August 2003)

  Muzzle energy is simply the energy of a projectile measured at the moment it exits the muzzle of a gun, which is when it is going fastest. Use our calculator to find out what is the muzzle energy of your gun!

• Airgun Calibers (June 2003)

  The lowdown on the four most popular airgun calibers, plus a quick look at BBs. There are four popular airgun calibers today - .177, .20 (also called 5mm), .22 and .25. In this article, we will look at each of those four calibers and see what it does best...

• Pellets vs Round Balls (May 2003)

  There is a controversy concerning the performance of pellets and round lead balls that has been around for more than a decade. The round ball advocates tell us that round lead balls out-penetrate lead pellets by a dramatic margin...

• Velocity and Pellets (April 2003)

  It seems fantastic that an air rifle can launch a pellet faster than 1,200 feet per second (f.p.s.), but some powerful rifles can. However, just because it's possible to do it doesn't mean that it's also desirable...

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