I love springers ❤

Scrappy

Scrappy

Busy member
Joined
Sep 23, 2025
Messages
511
Reaction score
1,823
Location
Northamptonshire UK
I had a couple of hours at the range (indoor 25 yards) this morning, shooting my BSA R12 and HW77 both in .22

Results with the PCP R12 were ok, but nothing special - 5 shot groups on the left.

IMG_20251129_132022490 - Copy.webp


But I was pretty pleased with my HW77, it may not be anywhere near the standard of many of you others, but it made me happy 😁 - I've only been properly shooting springers for 3 months, and I'm hooked.

Five shot groups on the left, with a poor first shot. Then 10 shot groups on the right, which were better than the 5.

IMG_20251129_131341475 - Copy.webp


IMG_20251129_133204016 - Copy.webp


All the 10 shots groups fit under a 5p piece, apart from the first which just creaps out a bit

IMG_20251129_133246762 - Copy.webp


I'm shooting my .177 springers tomorrow 😊
 
norseman said:
Unfortunately age takes it's toll.

A decade ago I could group like that off-hand at 25m with a black powder revolver !
Now, like David, I'd be over the moon achieving it with my HW35K in .177 & the 'scope .. how sad is that?
Click to expand...

Sadly , as you say, age takes its toll !!!

I'm over 70, and getting a sub 1 inch at 30 yards is always a challenge now days .

Eyes , shakes , and I guess lack of upper body strength all account for poor groups !
 
GerryB said:
Sadly , as you say, age takes its toll !!!

I'm over 70, and getting a sub 1 inch at 30 yards is always a challenge now days .

Eyes , shakes , and I guess lack of upper body strength all account for poor groups !
Click to expand...
That’s fantastic Gerry, at least your trying and don’t think sub 1 inch is shabby at all.
 
norseman said:
Unfortunately age takes it's toll.

A decade ago I could group like that off-hand at 25m with a black powder revolver !
Now, like David, I'd be over the moon achieving it with my HW35K in .177 & the 'scope .. how sad is that?
Click to expand...
Time and tide wait for no one, the older i get the less energy i seem to have its quite pathetic but at 68i am struggling after a half busy morning to stir my stumps in the PM by 3pm i am about done these days i end up loosing consentration strangely shooting is about all i can muster the motivation to participate ill venture out on evening flights on duck but do i know it after i get home i am gone by 9pm just dont have the stamina anymore, and anything physical like splitting logs i used to be a dab hand smashing away barely pausing for breath and yet now i am acheing on my knees like agony after 15mins now have to stop and sit down. yep it is not good growing old but my grandad always said this "better to burn out than rust", just keep going its the only way to go as i see it.
 
om606 said:
Time and tide wait for no one, the older i get the less energy i seem to have its quite pathetic but at 68i am struggling after a half busy morning to stir my stumps in the PM by 3pm i am about done these days i end up loosing consentration strangely shooting is about all i can muster the motivation to participate ill venture out on evening flights on duck but do i know it after i get home i am gone by 9pm just dont have the stamina anymore, and anything physical like splitting logs i used to be a dab hand smashing away barely pausing for breath and yet now i am acheing on my knees like agony after 15mins now have to stop and sit down. yep it is not good growing old but my grandad always said this "better to burn out than rust", just keep going its the only way to go as i see it.
Click to expand...
Keep going but pace yourself, time flies by so fast, even more so the older you get it seems, I’m 60 next year watching shrek only because theirs nothing on tele, didn’t realise it came out 24yrs ago, I was 35 not much older than my lads are now, I still keep quiet active and feel fairly good all things considered (heart attack, surviving cancer) I’m going fishing, riding motorbikes when I can now shooting, it’s good to have something to look forward to every week even at our age, you keep plodding on at your own pace as long as you can 👍
 
David1 said:
Keep going but pace yourself, time flies by so fast, even more so the older you get it seems, I’m 60 next year watching shrek only because theirs nothing on tele, didn’t realise it came out 24yrs ago, I was 35 not much older than my lads are now, I still keep quiet active and feel fairly good all things considered (heart attack, surviving cancer) I’m going fishing, riding motorbikes when I can now shooting, it’s good to have something to look forward to every week even at our age, you keep plodding on at your own pace as long as you can 👍
Click to expand...
You are of course right gotta keep going, as for the bikes i still have a kawasaki en500 bobberised i keep taxed its small light pretty fast for a toy and bad knees its low and easy to get on and off belt no chain i do big days on it runs up scotland all over on it, i have a 600 and a 900 but that cheap butchered cruiser its really all i need now and gets me out in the wind which is what its all about i guess.
 
om606 said:
You are of course right gotta keep going, as for the bikes i still have a kawasaki en500 bobberised i keep taxed its small light pretty fast for a toy and bad knees its low and easy to get on and off belt no chain i do big days on it runs up scotland all over on it, i have a 600 and a 900 but that cheap butchered cruiser its really all i need now and gets me out in the wind which is what its all about i guess.
Click to expand...
I bought a new triumph scrambler 400x in May, sold my Harley iron 1200 as was getting to heavy and not enjoyable to ride, the so called little triumph is the best bike I’ve ever owned, it’s as tall as the scrambler 1200 does 100mph and can cruise at 80 all day, not that I go fast tbh I just plod on with it, but at my age now it’s absolutely perfect oh and 84 to the gallon, got a 15 yr old bonneville T100 from new, I’d never get rid of that though, for me nothing beats a summer evening riding to Whitchurch and that includes hitting 50 bulls eyes in a row
 
Nice to read the replies to my post & confirmation that I'm not the only one afflicted, though turning 81 years next month may have something to do with it.

14 years of off-hand BP shooting & a few trophies to show for it confirm my preference for iron sights & that's why I bought the HW35K. Although I'm really not a fan of 'scopes I had to fit one eventually as despite experimenting with the alternative foresight blades my eyesight just isn't up to the task without it.
 
Spring piston air rifles are addictive there is no question about this just came back in from two hours on crows round sheds on a beautiful sunny morning with my young fox red lab who is coming on great, he is a bit confused that i dont want him to move after the shot or in anyway atempt retrieve which was one of my key reasons for taking him today.
He was getting just a bit too automatic the other night in a deluge retrieving teal i thought nice morning labs use eyesight too much IMO i bneed him on crows with an air rifle,, IDEAL!
Ok i know you had no joy with your last HW57 , but i was out with my hw57.22 and it worked flawless fed on Milbro caledonians 13.3grain, only shot two all we saw and zero rats this AM.
Walking back up the track to the yard the HW57s weight and baalance were just incredible i like this little springer so much its just a nice thing to use, i like hw97s and heavier air rifles generaly they all have their place but for off lines or shed roofs trees etc walking about the HW57 is right up there for me anyway, the ginger lab was a good boy he twitched just the once first shot told him no he was spot on rock steady eddy the second shot , briliant day out loved it and no rain today what is not to like in all that awesome, ok i could have done same with say my AAS400 but sorry the springers have my vote for such outings . YOMV.
 
I’m 60 this year and I can feel it for sure the other week I was ratting and some times I pull myself up on to a bale stack it’s better than being low down on a shitty cow shed floor but I really struggled to pull myself up in fact I gave up went and got an old bucket and used that as a step I still shoot till about 3am but I can feel my body changing, I also did the motorbike thing born again biker passed my test got an old school XJR 1300 in Barry Sheen livery ridden for 2 years then got taken out by scrotes in a BMW lucky to be alive after that broken shoulder / neck / all my ribs / punctured Lung / cardiac arrest was very scary and then told by the Boss Lady ‘I told you so’ so no more bikes lol

Andy
 
Sid60 said:
I’m 60 this year and I can feel it for sure the other week I was ratting and some times I pull myself up on to a bale stack it’s better than being low down on a shitty cow shed floor but I really struggled to pull myself up in fact I gave up went and got an old bucket and used that as a step I still shoot till about 3am but I can feel my body changing, I also did the motorbike thing born again biker passed my test got an old school XJR 1300 in Barry Sheen livery ridden for 2 years then got taken out by scrotes in a BMW lucky to be alive after that broken shoulder / neck / all my ribs / punctured Lung / cardiac arrest was very scary and then told by the Boss Lady ‘I told you so’ so no more bikes lol

Andy
Click to expand...

I'm 60 in January, and still riding bikes (Ducati and two Indians) but I fear being taken out by some idiot, as I'm fully aware that we don't heal as well or quickly with age 😒. It sounds like you had a very nasty off, but thankfully survived to tell the tale (y)
 
Scrappy said:
I'm 60 in January, and still riding bikes (Ducati and two Indians) but I fear being taken out by some idiot, as I'm fully aware that we don't heal as well or quickly with age 😒. It sounds like you had a very nasty off, but thankfully survived to tell the tale (y)
Click to expand...
Mate it happened so fast I was doing 50 in outside lane of dule B road approaching a roundabout they came out of nowhere sliced me I went airborne and landed in the roundabout they left me for dead police didn’t follow through and they got away with it
 

Attachments

  • IMG_6233.webp
    IMG_6233.webp
    749.4 KB · Views: 43
om606 said:
Time and tide wait for no one, the older i get the less energy i seem to have its quite pathetic but at 68i am struggling after a half busy morning to stir my stumps in the PM by 3pm i am about done these days i end up loosing consentration strangely shooting is about all i can muster the motivation to participate ill venture out on evening flights on duck but do i know it after i get home i am gone by 9pm just dont have the stamina anymore, and anything physical like splitting logs i used to be a dab hand smashing away barely pausing for breath and yet now i am acheing on my knees like agony after 15mins now have to stop and sit down. yep it is not good growing old but my grandad always said this "better to burn out than rust", just keep going its the only way to go as i see it.
Click to expand...
I just turned 80 last month. Sometimes I want to get out and shoot but come up with excuses, too hot, too cold, too wind. I just don't have the energy I had ten or 15 years ago. I have some match rifles, but they are getting too heavy to hold up and shoot offhand, so more often it is sitting in a chair or on a bench rest.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top