How can I make my airgun shoot more accurately? It’s a question we all ask ourselves from time to time in our constant pursuit of increasingly precise shot placement.
Modern airguns are more accurate than ever, and most are capable of hitting tiny targets at 25 yards or more. The first step towards getting optimum accuracy from your air rifle is to pair it with the right pellet – after that, hitting targets depends very much on being able to hold your gun still.
When it comes stable shooting, the human body will always be the weak link in the chain. The fact is that we tend to wobble a lot. And, even when we think we’re standing or sitting dead still, tiny factors such as the gentle thump of our pulse can affect our ability to shoot targets with consistent accuracy.
Thankfully, pre-charged (PCP) airguns can be shot from a rest without loss of zero. This is down to the lack of recoil, which means they don’t kick unpredictably when supported in different ways as recoiling spring and gas-ram airguns can.
Taking supported shots can start with something as simple as using a fence or tree trunk to steady yourself or your airgun when lining up for a shot. There are also more sophisticated gun support solutions you can take advantage of – let’s take a look at some of them.
Shooting from the prone position (on your belly) and using a bipod to support your airgun will certainly result in tighter groups than you’re likely to achieve with standing shots. Not only is your airgun supported when shooting in this way, but your centre of gravity is as close to the ground as it can possibly get.
One great tip when shooting from a bipod is to place what would usually be your leading hand beneath the butt of the gun rather than on the forend or bipod. Clenched into a fist, this hand provides support for the rear of the gun and can also be used to adjust aim by tiny increments.
There are some very cheap bipods on the market, and some very expensive ones too. The Bisley Swivel Top Bipod, is a good middle of the road option. It’s a quality piece of kit that should last for years. There are other size options available, but I really like the smallest 6-9in option, and it’s my first choice when hunkering down to ambush rabbits in fields where the grass is closely cropped as a result of their nibbling.
This bipod’s key feature is, as its name suggests, its swivel top. That swivel feature gives you movement to rock your airgun from left to right, so you can always keep it upright and avoid loss of accuracy through canting the gun – even when shooting on very uneven ground. The swivel mechanism incorporates a lever which enables you to set just how tight the swivel function is – you can even lock it right out.
This rifle bipod attaches via Quick Detach (QD) stud, although you can get adaptors for Picatinny attachment. Its legs fold up for transportation and are also height adjustable, which is a really handy feature on sloping ground or when you need more elevation to keep shots clear of grass stems and other obstructions.
Getting yourself flat on the ground and shooting from the support of a bipod isn’t always practical, and that is when shooting sticks come into play. Shooting sticks can be anything from a couple of canes strapped together to sophisticated purpose-made models. If you watch my hunting videos, you will see that I use the Primos Trigger Stick Gen 3 Tripod a lot. Mine have survived years of heavy use and I wonder how I’d get by without the versatile gun support they provide.
The great thing about the Primos Trigger Stick Gen3 Tripod is that it provides a means of gun support that is easy to carry in the field, and you can very quickly adjust their height to use them from different stances for sitting, kneeling and standing shots. Just like a bipod, it helps to eliminate those frustrating human wobbles and will help to keep your shots on target.
In its collapsed state, the Primos Trigger Stick Gen3 Tripod is just over a metre long and weighs less than 1.4 kilos. I use it a lot for static hunting – especially for hide shooting and ratting – but I also carry it around on roving sessions.
This tripod’s main feature is the trigger from which it takes its name. Give it a squeeze and the legs telescope in and out to adjust height. Release the trigger and they lock securely in position, giving you gun support up to more than 160cm for standing shots. The mechanism is near-silent and drops down to 60cm for sitting and kneeling shots.
The Primos Trigger Stick Gen3 Tripod has a clever locking mechanism which prevents the legs from slipping and splaying out on slippery surfaces like the wet, mucky concrete often encountered when shooting rats around the farmyard. Its colours blend in well with the countryside, and the top section can be rotated through 360 degrees and incorporates a rest with a soft rubber inner to cradle your airgun.
If your budget doesn’t quite stretch to the Trigger Stick Gen 3, the Primos Trigger Stick Vital Tripod is a more affordable option. It has most of the Trigger Stick Gen3’s features – the only obvious omission being the leg angle lock. At 1.2 kilos, this simplified version is lighter than the Gen 3 and is also a tiny bit shorter when packed down.
The Trigger Stick Vital Tripod has the same near-silent, trigger-operated height adjustment system. At minimum height, the gun rest stands at around 57cm and it extends up to 157cm. It is incredibly versatile, providing easy-to-carry gun support from a variety of stances to keep you shooting accurately when you’re out in the field and away from the comfort of the bench.
If you have more to spend, and want to shoot from absolute stability, devices like the Primos Trigger Stick Apex Carbon Fibre Tripod are well worth considering. These sturdy tripods are not cheap, but they will certainly keep your shots steady.
The Trigger Stick Apex Tripod provides a more solid shooting platform than the other Trigger Stick options and has the same neat trigger mechanism. I regard this tripod as being more for static shooting, although at under 3.4 kg, it isn’t too cumbersome to carry, and its three-piece legs carbon legs enable it to pack down to just 95cm. Those chunky legs also mean that this is a very rigid shooting platform, and they can be locked in a variety of different angles, depending on the height you want to shoot from.
As with the other Trigger Stick models, the trigger mechanism enables the legs to quietly slide in and out with a quick squeeze (as long as the catch on the lower sections of the legs is unlocked) and lock in position when you let it go. Lowest shooting height is 48cm and highest is 168cm, so they really do cover everything from sitting and kneeling to standing shots.
The standard Primos Trigger Stick Apex Carbon Fibre Tripod comes with a quick-release gun clamp that can be swapped out for other attachments, including a camera bracket. If you want the ultimate shooting support, you can swap out the clamp for the Spartan Head with MagnaSwitch attachment. This super-quick mounting system incorporates a ball-joint for absolute freedom of movement and cant-free shooting.
These are some of the main options to consider when taking supported shots with your airgun. Some people might say that taking rested shots is cheating – it is not. Using a bipod or shooting sticks to stabilise your airgun gun is simply taking advantage of a simple opportunity to instantly improve your accuracy. If you are a hunter targeting live quarry, that extra precision results in more humane pest control with less risk of wounding. Taking supported shots is also a great way to topple more targets if you’re just starting out in airgun shooting or if you’re an older shooter and not as steady on the aim as you used to be.
Primos Trigger Stick Gen3 Tall Tripod
Primos Trigger Stick Vital Tripod
Primos Trigger Stick Apex Carbon Fibre Tripod
Article first published 12th February 2025
