I'm retired and I love shooting but it's getting harder and harder to get to the range and the ranch, so I bought a TX200 to take out some squirrels in the yard and maintain trigger time. I have a S200T but I never got the compressor I wanted and I got tired of driving to the paintball store to fill up.
Springers are a new animal to me so I'm looking to learn. I'd appreciate your inputs!
-Slim-
i saw this post earlier today and had 2 thoughts, you would have tons of other posts or that the post was too broad
and that seems to be just that
so you know how to shoot, so you have to go through the dance of finding the best pellet or pellets and with the springers to get your hold down
and i would Google any question that come to mind and see what you can find
and after that repost your conclusions and any additional questions
Suggest RWS 54 or 56 high quality very accurate good power not hold sensitive like most springers are
Caliber? I have both 177 and 22 both putting out essentially the same energy the 177 kills-em the 22 flat out 'smites' em
If you want to scope it - remember it is a springer - but I have Weaver 4-16s on both of mine and thousands of shots through both with no scope problems - although the scope mounting base did come loose on one of them.
Best...……………..!
Jmo, but it seems that you have made excellent choices in both your pcp and springer. Just wring that TX out. The more you shoot it, the more you will appreciate it. Also, the 200 responds well to a hand pump. They have three and four stage ones now. just make sure you get a good moisture filter.
I'm retired and I love shooting but it's getting harder and harder to get to the range and the ranch, so I bought a TX200 to take out some squirrels in the yard and maintain trigger time. I have a S200T but I never got the compressor I wanted and I got tired of driving to the paintball store to fill up.
Springers are a new animal to me so I'm looking to learn. I'd appreciate your inputs!
-Slim-
A TX200 made for the American Market OoB may be a bit rough. Platform was really designed around the 12 ft-lbs power level parameters and though the Made-for USA guns do yield 14-15 ft-lbs, they loose their "gilt edge" when doing so.
The stock is also not really designed for bench shooting. It was designed as a field/hedge/supported offhand stock...IF you want to keep your TX200, I would suggest getting it tuned down, there are many ways to do it, from cutting spring coils to swapping compression chambers. Each method has its merits and its caveats.
If you do not feel comfortable getting into your gun and doing the tune-down, then get a Pro to do it, or sell the gun and get a different one. The TX is a sought after gun and it has a value, if you are not proficient, then better safeguard that value either into a trade/sell, or through a Pro tune.
SOME TX-200's I've had in the workshop have performed better with a medium hold than with the artillery hold, so the hold is something you might try changing, if you can bring yourself to that.
If you cannot change the way you shoot, then your best bet is a DIANA 54, or 56, the sled system will allow you to hold the gun in the same way you hold a PCP or a PB and still be accurate, as long as you are CONSISTENT.
HTH and keep us posted!
HM
Tropical Storm and new TX200 - day 2
It took me a little while to rearrange my indoor range. I haven't shot my PCP in months.
Once I'd done that I swapped my Aeon 8-32x50 to the TX200 and then I started searching where I'd hidden all my pellets.
After rummaging through a number of boxes I found where I'd stashed a couple of sleeves of pellets and I found some targets as well.
With TS Beta rumbling down the coast it looked like dusk all day long. I had to arrange some extra lighting for my target area.
I had to cheat a little on my targets due to poor lighting and old eyes. I got some WiteOut and put a drop on the 10 ring because the fine crosshairs on the Aeon were almost invisible. That worked pretty well and I was on target instantly.
I have to say the TX200 is a very fine rifle and it's good looking too. I struggled with the new firing drill; manually cocking, artillery hold, etc.
Had a minor skirmish with the beartrap release lever or rather my inexperience with holding the lever completely to the rear before engaging the release. That caused me to remove my stock, very straight forward and experience needed.
I then settled in to fire another nine shots. I will say one thing about the TX200. It is neither for the rapid fire, at least not yet, nor does it favor the hamfisted when it comes to loading. I assume both will improve with practice. Anyway the first 10 shots went inside the 8 ring and while I won't change that target on the wall it does show me the potential of the TX200!
I'm a happy camper today with my new rifle. I'll practice some more today and then reopen my hide and start taking out some squirrels in the yard.
I have the keys to a friend's farm where we go and shoot coyotes, coons, and skunks. There were a number of skunks spotted this past weekend sp they will probably be the next venue for the TX200?
Stay well, PS
@hector-j-medina-g Thanks for your reply. As I suspected a new muscle memory is in order shooting the TX200. I'm a 68 year old busted up old motorcycle guy. I've had both rotator cuffs operated on and enhanced in the last 10 years. The 34 lb draw weight is not going to be an issue, I need the exercise LOL. I won't be doing an Field Target competition so offhand shooting is moot point. Last night was my 1st time from the bench/Workmate and once I had the scope mounted and the lighting adjusted it was just a matter of learning a new order of arms. My biggest problem now is whether to load with my left or right hand. It seems more natural to cock the rifle and load left handed but my fingertips are so callused from guitar playing I can barely feel the pellet. This AM I used my right hand to better advantage, the pellets actually seemed to want to go into the breech?
I probably will have some questions about tuning/short stroking etc in the future but right now I have to find out how I need to operate my rifle. My groups from last night to this AM have shrunk from 8-ring size to one hole 9-rings. The TX200 is doing it's part I just need to up my game!! I also need to remember it's a TX200 and not a TW200 which is a Yamaha, old habits are hard to break.
One issue I've had this AM that I've not figured out is why the safety does not set sometimes. It's most likely something I'm doing incorrectly or insufficiently in cocking the rifle as was my issue yesterday with the beartrap. I doubt I'll need to remove the stock to cure the safety question?
Thanks again for your reply. Stay well, PS
PS.- You're welcome!
As long as your shoulders bear it, try to cock with the non-trigger hand and load with the trigger hand while holding the cocking lever in place. Yes there is an anti-bear-trap mechanism, but you should never trust your fingertips to a mechanism that is seldom actually used. Not used = untested. Hope I am making sense.
You should also try to pull not with your arm/elbow, but with the muscles on your back. This will preclude any tennis elbow or shoulder problem.
If you are shooting from a bench, hope you are using a soft rest. Whether you decide to use an old, rolled-up feather pillow, or a paint-roll, or some other sort of cushion, it's up to you, but the rest should not be hard. Sand bags, car-jacks and other hard rests make the gun bounce quite noticeably. Even if you use a soft rest, try to put your forward hand under the gun between forearm and rest. In that way, your POI will be closer to the field-ready position.
One thing you may want to try if you are going to use this gun for pesting is to shoot from crossed sticks. A pair of garden stakes 3/4" with some pipe insulation and a good Scout knot are enough to create a very workable crossed-sticks solution, you can then taylor the placeing of the knot to your needed height when in the expected field position. Sitting on the ground and shooting with crossed sticks is a great field position because you are higher than most grasses, yet low enough to be inconspicuous.
This will help a lot when you are actually taking some shots in anger.
The TX-200 can place 5 pellets completely inside a 1" circle at 55 yards, so that will give you an idea of what to expect when you try to hit a pest.
AA safeties are notoriouly noisy, so for hunting, you may want to take a deep, deep, look into that. They also fail to set completely if the cocking stroke has not been completely performed.
The TX-200 is NOT a candidate for short stroking, you're better off thinking about sleeved compression chambers, or thin-wire springs and hefty pre-loads with light pistons.
Hope you know the anatomy of the skunk well, because the only occasion I had to take one out, I made the mistake of taking a head shot. Shooting a pellet through the cerebellum meant an instant "lights out" shot, but it also meant that all muscles relaxed immediately.
We had to vacate the area rather fast. LOL!
For the sake of completeness (not yours), I must add here that under no circumstances would I consider the TX-200 a coyote rifle, even when calling. Coyotes are simply too smart and they will not give you the time to setup that "perfect" shot.
Anyway, have fun and keep us posted!
HM
If you're going to keep the TX200, you need to learn the "artillery hold". You can google that. And find the pellet the gun likes. I'd start with RWS pellets. And trigger time. I'm 69 and I don't pest. I saw enough dead stuff in the Army. I just shoot off a bench. A folding table and chair from Walmart turned at an angle to facilitate my firing elbow, three or four bricks with a shot bag on top. I suggest shoot and sees spatter targets. Saves a lot of walking down range to check targets. Enjoy.
@hector-j-medina-g Thanks again Hector. I think I've resolved most of my original questions. I still fumble with the pellet loading, mostly I believe due to finger callus. I'm only shooting 10m at home now but I will stretch it out when I return to the farm. I agree with your coyote call. WE have a dedicated band of anti-coyote shooters who stay awake way too late for me and dispatch them with some regularity with Gen 4 night vision equipped AR's.
Once I had my cocking and loading drill established it didn't take long for the TX to show it's worth. Less than 5 ten shot groups and it's placing them in a pencil eraser sized hole. Very similar to my S200 which was often described as boringly accurate. I'm still working on the best way for me to load the pellet. Whichever hand I use seems to block being able to view the inserting the pellet and using the left hand which is more callused takes tactile out of the process. Sometimes I load several in a row without issue and I surprise myself doing so. I have to look in the breech to confirm that the pellet is in fact loaded. Maybe I'm thinking too hard about it or I need to adapt a nonthinking "put some hair around it" attitude?
I wouldn't even consider of shooting a skunk any other place than through it's cranium. It just leaves too much to odoriferous chance. We had a somewhat humorous encounter with a skunk over the weekend. About 1am Sunday two of the three farm dogs took offense to a skunk wondering into the yard. Titan, a houndish mix, grabbed the skunk by the head while Phoebe, the tailless shepherd, grabbed the tail and both attempted to disjoint the skunk by vigorously skaking and tugging on said skunk. Titan managed to dispatch the skunk while Phoebe took a blast to the face. Fortunately we had the skunk bath (hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap) materials on hand and except for brief unpleasantness mostly to the dogs and their bathers the scent was soon eliminated.
I think I may have done in my AEON last evening while shooting. I suspect the springer recoil to be the culprit as I've lost adjust-ability to the right on the crosshairs. It does have a mildot reticle so correction is not an issue. I'm not scope-less I just prefer the nice little groups to be at POA. I'm one of those who views those pictures of other's groups with the dime used for perspective as "well you missed the dime"? ?
Well it's a beautiful sunny Sunday and I'm going to do some shooting.
Stay well everyone and thanks for all your responses!