How to get your shots bang on target!

You have your air rifle. You have your scope. Now what? Well, a big part of cracking off a humane killing shot is the pellet itself. You can use low quality pellets for plinking in the garden, by all means, but when it comes to hunting you must pick the pellet which will give you the best accuracy for the cleanest kill.

These are the .22 RWS Superdome pellets,
in the tin that they come in.

The pellets I use for hunting are the .22 RWS superdomes, 14.95 grain, so they are a fairly hefty pellet. They are all machined very precisely, and I have yet to find a faulty or misshapen pellet. They also have a nice coat of lubrication on each pellet. I have found these pellets to be very accurate and have recently tested them while zeroing my scope and
was able to hit a drawing pin from twenty meters away.

Of course, as with most things in air rifling, there are many alternatives. If you are using a PCP air rifle, then there are many good reviews of the Bisley Magnums. They are a tad expensive, but if it means extra accuracy, the choice should be a no brainer.

BSA is another good brand for pellets. When using a breakbarrel it is a good idea to use domed pellets, as the aerodynamic shape allows for better accuracy in the field. The domed shape also delivers a crushing blow on impact with the quarry.

If you want cheaper pellets, however, I dont recommend using them for hunting. The reason for this is that the quality control on cheaper pellets, such as Marksman or Spitfire, is not as good as on more expensive pellets. this means that there will be more deformations, causing fluctuations in where the pellets land. They also have worse or no lubrication, meaning they dont travel as well, and the weight of the pellets is much lighter, so may be affected more by the wind, and may also create a cracking sound as they come out of the barrel, from them travelling so fast.

A good scope is key for hunting. BSA make a good line of scopes, including the one I have reviewed on my page (3-9 x 40 BSA Essential). You want a nice, clear scope, which will last you a while and stay zeroed. That is why, when it comes to scopes, you cant skimp. You also need to ensure your scope mounts are up to the job. They may not seem as important at first glance, but I recommend getting one with a anti-slip screw, which decends into a hole into your rail, stopping the scope moving backwards from recoil.As well as this, make sure to zero your scope properly before hunting, this will be covered in another post, so stay tuned!

The gun itself should never be used if it is too weak, or unsuited for hunting. Many older, badly looked after guns will suffer a loss from accuracy and power, and junior air rifles should never be used for hunting as they are often much too weak (Around 6 or 7 ft/lbs). I bought my gun brand new, and it is still less than a year old, and because it is IGT (Inert Gas Technology, see my Hunter IGT review for more information on what it is) the shots have more consistant power output than spring.

Your shooting position is also crucial in attaining the perfect shot. If you are holding your gun at an uncomfortable angle, you are going to find it more difficult to keep a steady shot. It is also a good idea to invest in some waterproofs, just so that you feel comfortable lying down in the field. Lying down and using a rest is often the most comfortable and accurate way of shooting. Bipods are a good idea for PCP air rifles, but spring powered air rifles (And possible IGT) rely on the recoil of the gun to keep the shots on target. I use a shooting stick which I purchased. It is adjustable in height, and comfortable for walking with too! If you can use the terrain to help position yourself, don't hesitate. Anything from farm gates to low hanging branches of a tree, it will all help you steady your aim.

Remember, never practice on live quarry. If you are unsure of your accuracy, the best way to ensure a clean and precise shot is practice on targets. Keep on trying different shooting positions, pellet types, etc. and find the best types for you!

I hope this helps you out if you are new to this!

Be safe, and happy hunting!

Ben.

New Author in the Field!

Hello Everybody!

I am Alex Ottley and I shall be writing some of the articles on this blog alongside your resident hunter, Ben Thomas. I will soon be aquiring a Gamo Hunter IGT and will be joining Ben on his travels, and I will be updating the blog with my reviews, experiences and the odd tip! So I hope you all enjoy what I have to say, and I will update you soon!

Happy hunting!

Alex.

Check out my other blog: myspitfireresto.blogspot.co.uk

BASC - The British Association for Shooting and Conservation!

BASC is the main body for shooting in the united kingdom, and many new hunters could benefit a lot from checking them out! If you need information about any laws to do with air rifles or your quarry, you should definitely consult the BASC website.

You can also become a member, as I have. This gives you access to air rifle insurance, and a few other extra features! These include a newsletter, advertisements that you can print off and a good helpline. The insurance is sure to boost the chances of people offering you permission, and it is a good idea in general.

To check out the BASC website, go to: http://basc.org.uk/

For air rifle specific information, head to: http://basc.org.uk/cop/air-rifles-code-of-practice/

I hope this has helped any newer readers find some more information to do with the sport.

Be safe, and happy hunting.

Ben.

A quick review of the BSA Essentials 3-9 x 40 Scope!

I have already done a review of the gun I use, which is the Gamo Hunter IGT. Now for the scope!

I learnt a lesson about purchasing scopes the hard way when first setting up my air rifle. I went for a cheap, unbranded scope. It was a 12-24 x 40 scope, so I was enticed by the cheap price tag for such a seemingly decent scope. This sight, however, was ridiculously big, stupidly blurry and almost ruined my dovetail mount! However, I soon realised that sometimes you need to spend a little extra to get the quality you need.

There is another knob on the other side for reticule illumination.

This is why I went for BSA. BSA have been in the air rifle business a fair amount of time, and make a lot of quality products! The scope was a lot smaller than my first scope, and therefor it fitted a lot better onto my gun, with less risk of shearing my dovetail rail. I was given a pair of higher quality scope mounts by my local gun store at a decent price! These ensured it fitted nicely onto my gun with no slipping, and incorporate a non slip screw for better hold.

When I looked down the scope for the first time I was amazed! The scope is crystal clear, and so are the crosshairs! The £58 I spent on this scope was well worth it! Even if it goes out of focus you can easily adjust it by twisting the rear rim of the
eyepiece.

This scope also has illuminating crosshairs, which you can set to different brightness levels, which is good for low light hunting, or when you are aiming at something which makes the crosshairs more difficult to see. As well as this the turrets for height and windage are very responsive. Each click of the turret is shown with an audible click.

One tip I would share with you is, even though sometimes it may be a bit more expensive, it is usually better buying well know brands. However, if you don't have a clue what to buy (Like me!), then you can always head to your local gun shop and ask for a hand! It is more than likely they will be happy to help you, and that way you can try and haggle yourself a bit of a deal too!

Thanks again for reading!

Ben.

A quick review of the Gamo Hunter IGT .22 Air Rifle!

To anyone who might be interested in the type of gun I own, I will make this short review of it!

The gun itself is made by the brand Gamo, which is actually a Spanish company. It is the Hunter IGT, one of the few rifles in Gamo's Inert Gas Technology range. This means that, instead of compressing a spring when you break the barrel, you are instead compressing a chamber full of gas, creating potential energy, which is turned into kinetic energy when transferred into the pellet! This type of mechanism provides more consistent power output in comparison to spring.

The rifle itself is, I find, very aesthetically pleasing. The wooden stock is engraved near the rear of the gun with the IGT logo, and the black, adjustable face-plate is not only a nice addition to the visuals of the gun, but also very comfortable!

The Gamo Hunter IGT, sporting fiber optic standard sights.

The gun itself comes with fiber optic sights already included, which are great for plinking in the back garden, but if you plan on hunting with this type of rifle then I would highly recommend a scope (I currently have the BSA Essentials 3-9 x 40 Scope). One thing I found with the base fiber optic sight is that the front optic is very weak, and if you hit it on anything it is liable to break, very easily. I know this first hand as it happened to me on the second day of having the gun! Since then I was able to locate another front optic, but have decided to leave it off while using the scope, which I would recommend, so it doesn't get damaged. Removing it is simple. You just push it out of its hold on the barrel shroud on the front of the gun. I have yet to remove the back optics, but they don't interfere with the scope so I may leave them on.

One downside I have found with this gun is the noise. The gun itself is very loud, and could use a silencer (Such as the one on the Gamo Whisper IGT) to moderate the sound a bit. However, I have researched this on the internet and a lot of forums informed me that the noise is mostly made by the mechanism, and (If the pellets you are using are too light) the sound of the pellets breaking the sound barrier.

This is the piston used in the IGT mechanism.

The power output of this gun is within the legal limit of 12 ft/lbs of power. This said, I have only shot a couple of birds with this gun, but it seemed more than powerful enough to get a clean kill at short to medium range! The accuracy on this gun is also good for a first gun, and I managed to achieve a clean neck shot on the first bird I shot, killing it before it left the perch. But a lot of the accuracy is also due to the BSA scope, which I will make a separate review on.

The price tag on this gun when I bought it last year was £200, but when I went into the shop, they managed to do me a deal of the gun, a gun lock, a gun bag, and a pack of superdome .22 pellets at that price. Although this may vary in your local gun store.

Thank you for reading this short review on the .22 Gamo Hunter IGT. I hope it has been helpful to anyone contemplating getting this gun, or looking for a first gun!


Ben.

An introduction to my blog!

Hi, my name is Ben, and I have recently taken up hunting as a hobby. I currently own a Gamo Hunter IGT, which, for the purposes I need it for, is a nice beginner rifle (All be it a tad loud!). I have gained permission at a couple of places, but will not mention any locations on my blog, as this is more to do with the stories, tips and tricks I pick up when I am out and about!

If anyone decides to give me any constructive criticism, advice or tips, I would gladly take these comments into account, as I am still new to air rifle hunting and I am keen to learn more about it. However, I will ask for any anti-hunting comments to be taken elsewhere, or to be kept as mild as is possible. I will try to make it obvious that this channel contains hunting, so that anyone against hunting can avoid it.

Thank you for reading this short introduction post!

I hope you stay tuned in for stories, tips and tricks!

Ben.

The Gamo Hunter IGT (Inert Gas Technology)