Rockhopper

I went to Park lodge on Friday afternoon to shoot for the first time since mid/late February. Thank god the place was virtually deserted so nobody could see how bad I was from lack of practice, but I did start to improve by the end of my session thankfully. At one point I was considering holding the gun by the pointy end and using it as a club instead

The alternative bushcraft show is getting more popular (it's in Edale,Derbyshire) as the main ones are becoming a bit of a rip-off.

Monkton is open again. I called in with a mate on our way back from Brandesburton and had a long chat with Alice - Mick's daughter who is now running it. You need to call her ahead on 07950253794 and book in. She can organise anything you want including a simulated driven game shoot for you and a few pals.

Spot on Mick, the Exocet is a springer, but the Dragon Claw bi-pod works really well for me. It clamps to the barrel and with the lower legs extended using the springs to take the weigth whilst getting comfy, I then take most of the weight of the gun when taking the shot. I just seem to be a lot more accurate shooting prone like this with the bi-pod than purely on my elbows......well, I was before I changed scopes :blink:

That's some pretty good shooting mate. I was out tonight trying to zero in my new(ish) scope on my 12 ft/lbs Webley Exocet with bi-pod (one of the last Webleys out of UK) and was all over the zero target for a while at 40 yards, started to come together a bit before the light went so will try to finish zeroing tomorrow. The larger rabbit at 42 yards is a cracking shot, mind the 24 ft/lbs would help a little :blink:

It's .22 for me. Always used .22 in air rifle and small bore rifle, and just got acustomed over the years to the way they shoot I suppose. I have shot with a friends .177 and to be honest after a few rounds to get my eye in on the zeroing there wasn't really any difference. I've just got used to the .22 calibre and like to stick with it. It's all down to personal preference at the end of that day, and as long as you have a clean kill that's what counts.

Bi Pods are not entireley useless on a springer. I use one with my Webley Exocet, especially when in prone postion shooting rabbits. I've had no adverse effects, and it's helped improve my accuracy over slightly longer ranges with good clean kills each time. There not expensive - about £18 to £20 for a decent one. Don't get the cheap **** ones like this, they break in minutes Invest ine one like this (it's the one I use).

I picked up some pellet lube from my local gun smith a couple of weekends back after talking to a couple of mates who recommended it, and had some very strange results. Gun = Webley Exocet in .22 calibre Pellets = Accupells and H&N FTT Range = 25 meter indoor shooting range I have been sticking to the Accupells and H&N's as they seem to suit my gun best of all, with the Accupells being the most consistant, and the H&N's generally hitting the target slightly lower and to the left. After using a small amount of pellet lube on a sample of each make of pellet, I got myself settled down into a comfortable position with the gun held firmly to avoid any deviations and started to shoot. I couldn't believe it. Both makes of pellet were flying all over the place completley randomly with no consistanacy. One would hit high to the right, the next would be low and right, next one would miss the target completley and the next would be at some other random point on the target. After the test I threw away the pellets I had lubed up, thoroughly cleaned the barrel to remove any trace of the lube and put about a dozen pellets through to finish off the cleaning. I set up the test firing again using the un-lubed Accupells and H&N's and the results were back to normal, i.e. Accupells right on the mark and the H&N's lower and to the left. I am certain I didn't use too much lube in the samples I used, and I used good quality pellets which I know the characteristics of when shot from my gun. Has anyone else had similar experiences?

I voted 21-25m. I am confident with my accuracy out to 35+ meters, but I prefer to be closer to ensure of a swift humane kill rather than risk winging the prey due variancies like the wind or me "wobbling a bit". I also enjoy the stalking challenge, but I'm more than a bit rusty after so many years away from the sport, so much room for improvement

Just signed it too. We can't let this "Nanny State" culture under Labour (or any other governing party for that matter) get it's hooks into our sport. The banning of hand guns after the Dunblane tragedy was the thin end of the wedge, and it seems to be progressing slowly, but inevitably, towards the banning of all guns in the UK.

Well guys, here's the update on the Webley Exocet. I went down to the range again last night......this time with the scope firmly tightened in it's mounts Sent off about 10 shots or so to re-zero the scope on the 25 meter small bore rifle range. When I was reasonably happy I then rattled off 20 shots (2 cards) of Accupells, and another with H&N Field and Target Trophy. The difference in accuracy was quite remarkable, with the H&N's being more accurate by far, consistently hitting the bullseye whilst the Accupells had a fair few fliers, and in general seemed to be hitting to the upper right most of the time. I then shot a third card alternating each shot between H&N and Accupell on each target which confirmed the H&N's were far better. I will try and get some pictures up of this last target card tomorrow when I'm back home just to show the difference. I appreciate that I will need to put a couple of hundred more pellets through the Exocet's barrel before it settles down, but the H&N FTT do seem more consistent and accurate.

Now now boys..... Well here's an update on the new Webley. I took it down to the range last night to get zeroed in properley at 30 yards. The first 20 to 30 shots wandered around a bit, but boy, did the barrel need some pulling to break. I had to give it a good slap the first few times until it loosened up a bit. After that the shots seemed fairly well grouped, but then started to wander off a bit. I thought it was me until I noticed that the scope had moved back about an inch in it's mounts and had twisted slightly....aaaaggh..I hadn't tightened it up enough so had to start over again. I tried a few different pellets, but the Accupels were the most accurate by far (14.6g IIRC ??). However, I am going to try and get some Webley Mosquito Express at 12.4g or there abouts IIRC for a comparison. I'll keep you updated as and when I can.

Thanks Snakebite, I have some carpet in the garage so I'll get it sorted. The pellets buried themselves into the the tree trunk I had the targets propped up against - I wasn't expecting that level of penetration.

Thanks for the advice Snakebite....which I took. I found a gunsmith who really knew his stuff, and told me I would be lucky to get 8 lbs from the Cometa 5. I was really peeved at this, but the guy suggested a trade-in and my interst picked up, especially when he also mentioned I could get a discount because I am a member of one of the clubs he supplies. So, after some negotiating, I handed over the Cometa 5...and my plastic.....and walked out with a brand new Webley Exocet. The difference is astonishing. The Webley is far better made, much more robust and the power it kicks out in comparison is massive. When zeroing my scope the Accupels went clean through the wood behind the target at about 30-35 yards. I am one very happy boy with a new toy.....

Firstly a big hello to all members. I've been a member for a while, and have been reading the many posts on this site researching various opinions on air rifles, with a view to a buying a new break barrel air rifle. I was initially looking for a good second hand HW80 or similar, or a Cometa 300 when I was given an unwanted, brand new Cometa 5 complete with a 3-9x50 scope and mounts by a friend. I have been target shooting with it and am getting excellent groupings at 25+ yards, and the power seems very reasonable by passing pellets straight through thick .75 ltr plastic drinking bottles filled with water and caps screwed on tight, and have also taken a few rabbits very cleanly on my newly aquired land, also at about 25 yards. However, at a local gunshop where I was enquiring about part exchanging the Cometa 5 for something a little better, the guy told me flat that he was not interested as the Cometa 5 only manages around 4.5 to 5 Ft Lbs. I was under the impression that the Cometa 5 was in the region of 9 to 10 Ft Lbs which is somewhat more. Based on my stated evidence above re: the rabbits and bottles, can anyone give me some advice on whether: A. The guy in the shop was taking the p**s, or B. If I have a higher than average powered Cometa 5? Any advice and thoughts from knowledgable people as yourselves would be much welcomed, including if its worth increasing the power if it less than 9 or 10 Ft Lbs ?