Good news, the Air Rifle team, at the school I teach at, is a go!

[Hasaf]

For a couple of years, the idea of fielding an air rifle team at the public middle school has been floating. As it happens, this year it is confirmed and is on.

I will not be the coach and I already coach a different team (robotics league). No, I am not going to say what school, as I am concerned that I might say something that might turn on me. But I am glad to see this happening.

 

[Starter52]

Middle school?
I expect that your school will be swamped with boys wanting to shoot. Some girls too.

 

[Spats McGee]

Outstanding!

 

[Dunross]

Really hope the new team is a success!

 

[jmohme]

I think this is a great Idea! I have always thought that schools should at the very least, offer a firearms safety course.
Are there other schools in your area with teams to compete against?

 

[22250Rem]

That's great news. Glad to hear it and wishing you the best of luck. Don't be surprised if more girls than expected show up. The 3 years 2017 thru 2019 my step grand daughter was in a youth archery program. Every year the girls outnumbered the boys.

 

[MedWheeler]

I'm curious if they'll be using a uniform rifle furnished by the school, a uniform rifle purchased by the shooters, or "run-what-you-brung" rifles furnished by the shooters.

Definitely going (back) in a good direction.

 

[whughett]

What type of rifles.?

 

[Hasaf]

What type of rifles.?

I don't know, I will try to remember to ask the coach.

 

[whughett]

Youngest son bought a new break barrel. Instead of a spring it uses a piston (?). Quieter, smoother and easier to cock he claims.

 

[MedWheeler]

whughett writes:

Youngest son bought a new break barrel. Instead of a spring it uses a piston (?). Quieter, smoother and easier to cock he claims.

Springers use pistons. The spring drives the piston, which pushes the column of air behind the projectile forward. Can you expand on what he has? I'm thinking single-pump pneumatic. Each pump (only one on a single-pump) pressurizes a small air reservoir; pulling the trigger releases that pressure behind the projectile.
They usually are easier to cock (pump.) They also don't recoil like a spring-piston gun does.

 

[Hasaf]

whughett writes:



Springers use pistons. The spring drives the piston, which pushes the column of air behind the projectile forward. Can you expand on what he has? I'm thinking single-pump pneumatic. Each pump (only one on a single-pump) pressurizes a small air reservoir; pulling the trigger releases that pressure behind the projectile.
They usually are easier to cock (pump.) They also don't recoil like a spring-piston gun does.

I read that as a gas-piston instead of a spring-piston. I may have misunderstood him, but that is the way I read it.

Airgun Depot describes it this way:

Welcome to the new world of gas piston air rifles! At the heart of this new technological breakthrough is a nitrogen filled gas piston instead of a coiled steel spring which makes it unique in a few ways. The gas piston short stroke will not be adversely affected by temperature and allows for much easier cocking force. These airguns can be cocked for long periods of time without degrading or losing velocity like steel springs. Learn more about the benefits of a gas piston airgun. Gas piston technology dramatically reduces felt recoil by eliminating the double hit and spring torque associated with steel spring guns. While reducing recoil, gas piston airguns are generally much quieter than their spring counterparts. Some manufacturers claim as much as 70% noise reduction compared to spring air rifles.

 

[MedWheeler]

^^ That's certainly possible.

 

[Speedo66]

That's great, nice to see a little open mindedness.

Believe it or not, my NYC public HS had a .22 rifle team, class of '64. No doubt that sport is long gone there.

I wish your team good luck!

 

[troy fairweather]

I shot in air rifle team when I was in high school, I was living in Alabama at the time. I did very well then life happened, it was great to shoot with the team it was just the thing to get my mind off school when I needed it. It is great your school is doing this, my normal school in New York shut down there rifle team in 2002-2003 so I had no chance to shoot. Only because a divorce I got a chance.

 

[Riomouse911]

I bought my son a Crosman Challenger PCP for his JROTC team. Champions Choice had them for under $600 bucks.

A bit pricy, but 10-shots through one .177 cal hole at 10 M is the standard.

Stay safe..

 

[Briantllb]

That's great, nice to see a little open mindedness.

Believe it or not, my NYC public HS had a .22 rifle team, class of '64. No doubt that sport is long gone there.

I wish your team good luck!

My School in Brisbane had its own .22 rifle range on the school grounds in the 60's along with 3 seperate armouries, one for each of the cadet units. I was Naval cadets but the Army cadets had the coolest weapons.

 

[kBob]

From 1968 to 1976 all the high schools in my county had 50 foot .22 LR teams that shot outdoors. We had individual steel traps in front of either a sand bagged wall or Concrete block depending on the school.

1976 the US Army decided the .22 should be replaced by air rifles and the functional M-14 rifles should be replaced with welded up 1903a3 drill rifles ( watching them “murder” a factory new looking 03 a3 almost made me cry as I had just come home from my enlisted service and was visiting when they change was made. The rifles were demilled at the school from the back of an armorer’s truck)

Oddly a school I taught at in 1984 in a different part of the state still had JROTC supplied Winchester 52D and Remington 513T like I had in the late 1960’s at my school.

while teaching there I shot weekdays at home with a FWB 124 and weekends sometimes “real rifles” I tried to coach at school a few sessions but the old retired Sargent went to the old retired Major and complained I was usurping his authority…. I had in two sessions got two of the “third string guys “ to unseat two of his first stringers. The retired Sargent had a decent grasp of “Basic Rifle Marksmanship” to get troops through a annual qualification but no rifle team coaching skills.

later when he found out I was using a hand held sight picture and Sight alignment guide to coach kids that came to me over lunch he was pissed, saying I should not confuse them by teaching “his” subject. Right at the end of the year when one of his best shots commented that his Kneeling scores were higher than everyone else’s because he had followed my advice and watched TV at home from a good kneeling position for several months, the old Sarge was P.O.Ed again.

I moved on from that job after that school year.

I did not want the guy’s coaching stipend, just wanted the kids to shoot better. It was fun volunteer time for me.