How many of you practice with air rifles?

[JFrame]

I have a Beeman P1 and some model RWS break-action air pistols that I use in the basement with a pellet trap. I definitely think they help in keeping honed on sight and trigger discipline. The air guns just have to be inherently accurate enough to provide positive feedback.

I also occasionally use a RWS 52 air rifle in .22 to harvest tree rats.


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[kozak6]

It makes a big difference, and it's a lot more convenient than the range.

I'm pleased to see so much support for it here. On other forums, it tends to be ridiculed.

 

[Stavrogin]

You make a good point, Kozak. I started shooting with air rifles, and I actually got the Slavia to practice 10M competitive style shooting. That's what started it. Now I'm more into what you could call "practical" shooting and less interested in the rigid competitive forms, but I still love going back to the air rifle. I'm sure I put more rounds through that rifle than any of my others.

As a side story, some years ago I met Lynda Hare, who lived here in Edmonton at the time, and is on the Canadian National Shooting team (she does mostly air and sport pistol), and I started following the sport a little more closely. Today, I have autographed photos from Lynda, Katerina Emmons (an Olympic Gold Medal holder AND an Olympic Record holder in women's 10M Air Rifle), and her husband Matt Emmons (another gold medalist, in 50M smallbore, I think, but he does air rifle as well).

 

[dubbleA]

I get quite a bit of trigger time weekly with an air rifle. My favorite is a RWS 350 Magnum. It spits out .177's out at a pretty good clip, is very accurate and has a decent adjustable trigger.

Spend alot of time shooting this little steel deer at 30 yards. This is a typical 10 shot group.



Practice paid off this morning. Tree rats raise havok with our patio, leaving chards of hickory nuts on our patio to a point we cant walk barefooted there.

Bang/flop

 

[mainmech48]

I have three currently which are in regular use:

Russian Baikal IZH-61. Side-lever springer, .177, 5-shot mag/clip, ca. 500 f/s. Kept by the door to run the 'possums off when they try to get into the garbage cans and/or the "barn" cats' kibble.

Chinese side-lever springer, make and model ukn, as all markings are in Chinese characters. .177 cal, ca.800 f/s. Used for general playing around and for when the dang 'possums need stronger persuasion.

RWS M48. Side-lever springer (is there a pattern here?), .22 ca. 825 f/s. Used to hunt squirrels in area woodlots adjacent to housing developments where the report of a .22 RF has been known to send some of the more "delicate" denizens into full-goose panic mode. Also for presenting Darwin Awards to the 'possums who disregard the above hints.

 

[rodinal220]

Feinwerbau 300s for target informal 10m.I use a RWS 52 in .22 for pests,small game.