Fliers in groups.

14 April 2004, 15:43

elkhntr

Fliers in groups.

I recently bought a .22 target rifle, and have noticed that I get fliers in my groups that are consistently low and left. Normally my rifle shoots good groups (.25" or less at 25 yards), but the occasional flier brings the groups up to 3/4 inch or more at 25 yards. I seem to get the same result with three different types of ammo. Is there something in my shooting form that could be causing this (I'm right handed if it matters)? The rifle has a good but not great trigger. Can someone recommend a book that discusses proper form for benchrest shooting?

15 April 2004, 15:10

steve y

I'm not an expert but assuming you speak of a rimfire, my first inclination would be to get a rim thickness gauge and use it. Sinclair has them.

16 April 2004, 04:04

Hot Core

Quote:

...I get fliers in my groups that are consistently low and left.

...

Is there something in my shooting form that could be causing this (I'm right handed if it matters)? The rifle has a good but not great trigger. ...

Hey elkhntr, Steve may be on the right track. I've never used one of the Rim Thickness Gauges, and don't personally know anyone who has. But, he may be exactly correct.

...

Your noticing the fliers always being in the same general position leads me to believe you are probably correct that it has to do with "shooting form". The reason I say this is because I've noticed a similar trait when I shoot heavy Loads in a pistol/revolver when I've not practiced for a good while. And I am Right Handed too.

If you hold your right hand in front of you as if you had a pistol in it and squeeze the 3 fingers below your trigger finger, you will notice a muscle on the bottom of your forearm flexing. At the same time, you will notice your trigger finger is moving slightly down and left even though you are trying to hold it still.

This is just a natural movement and it shows how improtant it is to "grip" the stock with the same amount of pressure from shot to shot. So, this could be part of the problem and a very accurate Target Rifle matched with Loads it likes would likely let you see this problem.

For darn sure though, get some good GunSmith to "Tune" the Trigger. That can be causing the "involuntary reflex" which causes your grip to vary from shot to shot, also known as a "Flinch". It doesn't have to be a BIG BOOMER to have a Flinch.

Wear ear plugs and muffs.

...

Since you seem to be serious about your shooting, you might want to consider strengthening your arm muscles. Get a piece of a broom handle, a piece of small rope and something 5-10 pounds to hang on the rope. Tie the weight(water filled 1 gallon jug, ammo can, etc.) to the rope and to the center of the broom handle.

The rope should be long enough that you can hold the broom handle straight out and the weight will just be off the ground. Holding your arms out, roll the weight up in one direction. Then roll it back down and back up in the other direction. Do 10-15 Sets at a time and do it 2-3 times a day. After a couple of weeks, you will notice your Off-Hand shooting will be much steadier because of the muscle tone.

Best of luck to you.

18 April 2004, 15:51

Hired Gun

Another easy fix I see on some of the other boards is to either ignore them or when showing off the targets you can claim them as a sighter/fouler or just tape a dime over them. I see the dime trick all the time. In all seriousness it sounds related to trigger pull as already suggested. Is this a 10/22?