air guns, bb guns, air rifles

[Racer x]

Anyone shoot air guns? Like field target competition. Or Olympic style 10 meter target shooting?

The world of airguns is really taking off.

[rasta]

Back in high school, we would have airsoft gun wars. But that didn't last long because the neighbors called the cops, because some airsoft guns looked quite real.

I don't think this is quite what you were talking about

[subxero]

Yeah I think some of the high end air rifles are pretty cool. I wish I could justify spending that much money on an air rifle but I just can't bring myself to do it.

A far cry from the little lever action bb guns from back in the day or the basic pump ones.

[Jono]

[Racer x]

Air guns and air soft guns have really changed.
Air soft guns are exact reproductions of powder burning guns. Same weight same action. Law enforcement military and rein actors use these guns for training. Some people just collect them.

Air guns and pellet guns have changed. Since the gun restriction in other countries and in the US have gotten tougher. And Ammo is expensive and hard to get. A lot of shooters turned to air guns. By the way air guns have been around for two hundred years. Used by the navy because wet powder is not over good at killing pirates.

The quality has gone through the roof and the cost is reasonable for what you get.

Plus you can shoot in the basement or back yard with minimal cost. About ten dollars for 500 pellets.

They say there are 25-50,000 people shooting today. They expect 5,000,000 to take up the sport over the next few years.

Check out Pyramid air WWW.pyramidair.com

[ChaoSS]

I've been getting into it lately. I'm amazed at some of these things that are coming out. I'll be sticking to the cheaper stuff for now though.

[Racer x]

Just to update this thread. I am getting into Field Target shooting. http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Field_target

The US Nationals are in October six hours from me. So I have a year to get ready. It is a challenging sport. An endurance sport. The type that taxes your mind and mussels.

[dcj13]

I still have my Crossman 760 pump gun that I got for my birthday in '68.

Need to re-do the seals, though.

[Racer x]

I have a 710 pump from when I was nine. But what I don't have is the Daisy 1894 I wish I could find one now.

[greenaero]

I own 5 airguns : a Benjamin .177 pump pistol and 4 Chinese rifles that vary from barely adequate to very accurate. They are great fun to shoot and I used them to teach my daughter the fun of marksmanship. It's great to be able to target shoot and plink in the backyard and avoid driving to a gun range.
There have been very accurate airguns for many years but lately there have been some big developments to increase the power of hunting airguns to point that they can be used to hunt some pretty large animals. Pretty amazing stuff.

[salcuta88]

Don't have any and never played with any. A co-worker of mine is a huge fan of those things. He's got tons of them.

[Racer x]

I only have a couples airguns, mostly junk. But one I tuned to be very accurate. I am going to compete Saturday. It's the last competition of the year. I am really looking forward to it.

[jkv45]

I have shot both 10M airguns (Steyr LP-1 pistol) as well as firearms (High Standard .22 and 1911 .45) competitively, and started a Olympic-style 10M airgun shooting club in the Chicago area in 2001.

It started as an adult club of about 5 members, and grew to about 30 at present. In 2002 we added a Junior Olympic 10M air rifle program and later a Junior Olympic air pistol program. The junior program currently has about 35 members and has produced 2 National Champions. Junior members regularly compete at the Olympic Training Center in CO and have also recently traveled to Germany and Italy to compete with the U.S. Development Team.

I'm no longer the President of the club, as I've moved out of the Chicago area, but the club is still going strong.

Shooting airguns is almost more challenging than shooting firearms, as it requires a lighter touch and extreme precision. In 10M air rifle shooting, the "10-ring" is actually a dot - just slightly bigger than the period at the end of this sentence.

It's also clean and relatively quiet, and provides a great atmosphere for teaching concentration and skill development to young people (and us old people too).

This is the club's website - http://www.aiac-airguns.org/

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Racer x

I only have a couples airguns, mostly junk. But one I tuned to be very accurate. I am going to compete Saturday. It's the last competition of the year. I am really looking forward to it.

will they let you wear a gopro? i'd love to see it

[Racer x]

They might, but I would not want to do that. It would be funny though. I could dress like a nascar with sponsor stickers.
Firld target is challenging. But watching grass grow is way more exciting.

[alex.s]

Originally Posted by Racer x

But watching grass grow is way more exciting.

haha! i see.

[csmith12]

Originally Posted by Racer x

They might, but I would not want to do that. It would be funny though. I could dress like a nascar with sponsor stickers.
Firld target is challenging. But watching grass grow is way more exciting.

I feel that. I would love to get into competition archery (similar) but jeeezzzz.... so boring, but I love to shoot. It's more of a highlight reel thang than a FPS perspective. Maybe a couple of good shoots can be added for thrill, but that is about it.

Summarize it and you got yourself a winner.

[Racer x]

We have to knock down steel targets. So it is actually a thrill when they fall. We are grouped in squads and keep score for each other. I come from motorcycle racing. So sitting on a bucket watching someone shoot a BB gun for seven hours is , shall we say ,relaxing

[Geezer-60]

I have an old CZ Slavia 631. Accurate enough and fits me like a glove.

[Racer x]

Is that the pistol? I have one of those

[Geezer-60]

No the 631's a rifle. Not sure if they are still imported...
http://www.czub.cz/en/catalog/84-air...a_631_LUX.aspx

[Hero Danny]

I've always wanted a bolt action sniper rifle bb gun but there doesn't seem to be any.... :/

[dcj13]

My 1968 Crossman 760 pump gun is a bolt action BB gun. What does it take to be a "sniper rifle"? I'm pretty accurate with the old 760.

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by dcj13

My 1968 Crossman 760 pump gun is a bolt action BB gun. What does it take to be a "sniper rifle"? I'm pretty accurate with the old 760.

It's just what I want, I'd like for an old wooden looking sniper rifle that's bolt action. Something that looks like this. I know lower-end scopes are terribly inaccurate but they're essential for the overall look.

[misfitsailor]

I collect airguns, mostly CO2 but also others. Here is my best one, I converted a Benjamin .25 Marauder to bullpup style. A guy in the midwest makes the stocks (wood). It is a 3300 psi PCP gun and is accurate beyond 100 yards. These use 8 round repeater magazines and shoot pellets up to 41 grains. Shrouded barrel is almost silent! At my present power setting I get 32 shots per fill of air.

[Racer x]

Originally Posted by Hero Danny

I've always wanted a bolt action sniper rifle bb gun but there doesn't seem to be any.... :/

O yes there is.


http://www.inovairtech.com

[Geezer-60]

Every year I almost get one of these. Look and feel like a real one.
Kinda like some people say about 250's!

http://www.pyramydair.com/product-al..._Air_Rifle/870

[Racer x]

I just ordered a TX 200mk III. I can't wait to get it. I am going to compete next year. This is the most beautiful airgun

[Geezer-60]

That is pretty! Nice specs too!

[Hero Danny]

Originally Posted by Geezer-60

Every year I almost get one of these. Look and feel like a real one.
Kinda like some people say about 250's!

http://www.pyramydair.com/product-al..._Air_Rifle/870

I had a break barrel gun before, I wasn't a fan...

[Geezer-60]

I know what you mean Danny. Levers seem to age better. I use mine for plinking so it works OK for me. The cat takes care of the pests.

[CynicalC]

Never got into airsoft. When I was a kid I had a handful of air rifles. Hands down best was a Daisy 2002 Single Pump Action 35 shot repeater. They discontinued it the same year. I fudged mine up and couldn't get parts for it.

[csmith12]

^^^ somebody else had da good. Ahhhh, the good ole days.

[worker1]

I used to have an automatic bb gun. It went through co2 cartridges really quick so I modded it to use bigger canisters but it didn't work right after that. That was about 10 years ago.

[Racer x]

http://youtu.be/AFnm7Zn7nNE

I want one of these.

[Racer x]

Update
I went to the US FIeld Target Nationals.
It was a lot of fun. I was as prepaired as I could be. And when I arrived in Ennis North Carolina I discovered a problem. I could hit the target(1/4 inch at 25 meters) but out to 55 yards the pellets hit three inches high.

The game of field target is about range finding and then adjusting the scope and hitting a small target from 8 to 55 yards . So missing by three inches is a problem. But what was the problem???. I practice every day for a year and now with one day before the Nationals I have a problem. Panic set in. I checked then adjusted my gun. But it mad little difference.
I adjusted my scope and still was not working.

The morning of the first day was rain . By noon it was raining sideways . Monsoon conditions. Clothing soaking wet. Equipment drenched , just miserable. But the same conditions for everyone. So I was in second place at the end of it. And I talked to some people that helped me.
Ennis NC is at 2600 feet above sea level. I practice at sea level. The coefficient of drag on the pellet is very different. Les air allows the pellet to hold altitude longer. So I was hitting high at long range.
I readjusted the gun and bought new dry clothing.
The next day was beautiful.
We shot a very close competition. Changing leads multiple times during the day. At the end I dropped a couple shots in the last lane and ended the day and the weekend in second place in Open Piston class.

[jkv45]

Congrats Eric!

Did you mean Open Pistol Class?

[VaFish]

Congrats Eric,

As we talked about when I picked up the bikes, I coach Junior Air Rifle teams. We shoot 3 position and International (standing only) air rifle at 10 meters.

2 of my former junior shooters will be shooting in the 2016 Olympic selection match in June.

[VaFish]

Originally Posted by jkv45

Congrats Eric!

Did you mean Open Pistol Class?

Nope he shoots a rifle.

Piston refers to what powers the pellets. Guns like Eric shoot use a spring or gas piston that has to be cocked for every shot. Other competitors use a PCP or Pre-Charged Pneumatic gun that uses 3,000 or 4,500 PSI air cylinder filled from a scuba tank or pump.

[Racer x]

Originally Posted by jkv45

Congrats Eric!

Did you mean Open Pistol Class?

I finished dead last in the pistol competition. That sounds bad but I was the only one shooting a pistol. Apairantly the class has become a cut down rifle with a short stock and barrel. It was a lot of fun and I hit seven targets.