I SERIOUSLY underestimated sidelocks

dbowling said:

my comment wasn't directed at you.

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Dbowling , i already know you are a good guy . Im not angry with you . You dont find this kind of behaviors on the "modern inline threads" . This is WHY i REFUSE to own one .
Cooled a bit . Thanks dbowling .

dbowling.

I bought a nitro break barrel this last week. Having the time of my life. Just for the reason you stated. More shooting the better the shot. .177 Benjamin Prowler. Its my first. Goes through 2 stout tin cans. Kills squirrels dead where they are. Practice for just over a penny a shot.

snapbang said:

dbowling.

I bought a nitro break barrel this last week. Having the time of my life. Just for the reason you stated. More shooting the better the shot. .177 Benjamin Prowler. Its my first. Goes through 2 stout tin cans. Kills squirrels dead where they are. Practice for just over a penny a shot.

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Springer air rifles are about the best practice you can do for trigger/gun control, they are a lot harder to shoot consistently offhand then any modern centerfire only thing that comes close is a flintlock.
Have killed a ton of squirrels with various springers over the last 20 yrs or so, used to do pest control on a couple farms years ago sometimes killing a couple hundred Starlings, Pigeons and sparrows every morning.. on the hog farm the pigeons were eaten by the hogs as fast as they would hit the ground, same for the starlings I shot off the big ole sows backs while they were eating. They would eat them so quick it was just a blur.

I can only express what I have learned from personal experience. I've shot at everything from thumb tacks at 20yrds to bears at 200 yrds. I think a properly placed shot far outweighs the type of gun you are shooting when hunting.
I hunted most of my life using a .54cal. X 42" X 1an1/8" across the flats full stock rifle. It weighed 13# 3ozs. loaded. Killed many a deer with 90gr. 3f Goex and .535 ball. I only recovered one ball on the off side. It had mushroomed to about the size of a nickel. Most deer went less than 100 yrds. until death.
I did limit my shooting distance to 100/150 yards because I was shooting open sights. Always had a rest to shoot off of because I thought I owed it to the game I was shooting at.
I never missed a deer I shot at because I picked my shots, had complete confidence in the rifle and was very lucky!!
Big John

dbowling said:

.. on the hog farm the pigeons were eaten by the hogs as fast as they would hit the ground, same for the starlings I shot off the big ole sows backs while they were eating. They would eat them so quick it was just a blur.

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My goodness this brings back old memories from the mid 60's!
My cousin and I hid in a small hog house with a locust grove about 30 yrds away. Dad was complaining about the starlings flocking in and eating the hog feed. We removed a couple of the slats off the roof of the hog house and started shooting with 12ga. shotguns. They were confused for awhile but it didn't take long for them to figure out the range where they were safe. We probably shot a hundred or more and the hogs did gobble them up as fast as they hit the ground!
I sure wish I had owned a muzzleloading shotgun at the time!!

Big John

Cobweb said:

My goodness this brings back old memories from the mid 60's!
My cousin and I hid in a small hog house with a locust grove about 30 yrds away. Dad was complaining about the starlings flocking in and eating the hog feed. We removed a couple of the slats off the roof of the hog house and started shooting with 12ga. shotguns. They were confused for awhile but it didn't take long for them to figure out the range where they were safe. We probably shot a hundred or more and the hogs did gobble them up as fast as they hit the ground!
I sure wish I had owned a muzzleloading shotgun at the time!!

Big John

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I had to buy a pcp pellet gun cuz the starlings at my house figured out the range on my old airgun. They ain't stupid.

dbowling said:

Springer air rifles are about the best practice you can do for trigger/gun control, they are a lot harder to shoot consistently offhand then any modern centerfire only thing that comes close is a flintlock.
Have killed a ton of squirrels with various springers over the last 20 yrs or so, used to do pest control on a couple farms years ago sometimes killing a couple hundred Starlings, Pigeons and sparrows every morning.. on the hog farm the pigeons were eaten by the hogs as fast as they would hit the ground, same for the starlings I shot off the big ole sows backs while they were eating. They would eat them so quick it was just a blur.

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Ditto on practice with a springer. Also dry fire can help as well. The thing that's common across both is practice and that is what makes for becoming a better shot so long as you're not practicing bad habits.

My mom always had a thing for feeding song birds and those feeders would attract squirrels and other birds she didn't want. Everything we tried to keep the squirrels out failed except for a Benjamin pellet rifle. The feeders were about 20+yds out from the porch and that's where we shot from to make it sporting and offhand head shots only. Do it enough and an offhand head shot on a bluejay is easy. You learn trigger and breath control and those are key fundamentals to master in any shooting discipline.

Michiganmuzzy,
I smile as I read your post about getting a PCP. Now I know what excuse Ill use when im ready for one. Hope your ok with me following your lead.

Sidelock air rifles?! What will they think of next? I know! A rifle you load the bullet from the muzzle and charge from the breech! It'll have a non resueable cartridge and only 2 charge weights. Just to keep things simple...

I've never underestimated a sidelock. It's all i've used for the last 40 years. I only use a PRB though. I like the old stuff.

I've overestimated my shooting skills a couple times...

snapbang said:

Michiganmuzzy,
I smile as I read your post about getting a PCP. Now I know what excuse Ill use when im ready for one. Hope your ok with me following your lead.

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Absolutely. Those lil ******$ are smarter than me, I'm sure of it.

To the OP, You aren’t the only one that has Underestimated a Sidelock. I have educated MANY people on their Ability.