For the past several months you may have noticed some activity in the woods just across the road from the trap range and asked yourself “What are those airgunners up to now?”
The answer, in a nutshell is -All of the work that has been going on is for the creation of an airgun range for our Field Target competitions. Field Target is basically a small game hunter simulation course. In Field Target, the shooter progresses through 10 or more shooting stations and fires at targets that look like typical airgun quarry such as rats, mice, rabbits, squirrels, snakes, and frogs.
Each target is made of steel and is attached to a mechanism that causes the target to fall only when the shooter’s pellet hits a hole in the target known as the ‘kill zone’. Kill zones vary in size from 3/8 to 1 ˝ inches in diameter and targets are placed at various distances that range from 10-55 yards over the course of fire. Some targets are placed in trees to add difficulty to the course and different shooting stations can require the shooter to fire from a standing or kneeling position. Most of the course of fire, however, is shot from a sitting or prone position. Courses of fire vary from 40 – 80 total shots and overall course difficulty is determined by a rating formula that takes both kill zone size and downrange distance of the target into consideration. At WLOPA, most of our field target competitions are rated ‘moderate’ in difficulty so that everyone who shoots is assured of hitting a number of targets.
The first reaction of many who hear about Field Target competition is “There is no way anyone is going to hit a 3/8” kill zone at 30 yards with an airgun. They just aren’t that accurate.” This is an unfortunate belief that is based on most shooters’ early experiences with BB guns and pellet guns made by firms such as Daisy and Crosman. These companies design low powered, inexpensive products for the youth market as a relatively safe way of teaching children the fundamentals of gun safety before introduction to firearms.
The airguns that are used by Field Target shooters are very different from the airguns that you would find at your local Walmart . The guns used by serious airgun shooters are typically of German or British origin and are manufactured by companies such as Walther, Steyr, Anschutz, Feinwerkbau, Weihrauch, and Air-Arms. These companies build airguns to the same quality standards as firearms with match adjustable triggers, ergonomic walnut or laminate stocks, and highly blued steel actions and barrels. As a consequence, these airguns are exceptionally accurate and rival the best match .22 long rifle firearms in quality and performance.
TX200 HC – spring piston underlever cocking airgun
Beeman R-1 – spring piston barrel cocking airgun
Falcon FN –19 pre-charged pneumatic airgun
A Little History
The development of high quality airguns is an interesting story. Airguns are nothing new. They were first developed as an alternative to firearms in the 1600’s and were used by sharpshooters in the Napoleonic wars because they offered a high rate of fire relative to muzzleloaders of the era. A .69 caliber air rifle of that period was lethal to a range of about 150 yards. Also, because they did not use combustible propellants that needed to stay dry, airguns were considered good backup weapons during long expeditions. For this reason, Lewis and Clark used a .31 caliber airgun during their famous Louisiana Purchase expedition.
Barlock Ball Flask Airgun (mid 1700’s)
As firearms evolved and self-contained cartridges became commonplace, it became difficult to justify the added cost of building airguns that relied upon relatively complex internal mechanisms. So, during the late 1800’s and early 1900’s the airgun sank into obscurity and evolved into inexpensive spring-powered ‘gallery guns’ that were popular at fairs and carnivals for many years. The Daisy airguns are a modern day example of the gallery guns of that period.
But the airgun’s future changed dramatically when the Allies achieved victory in World War II and Germany was forced to abandon its firearms production. No longer being able to produce firearms, several German gun manufacturers turned their attention to the development of highly refined airguns as we know them today. When the UK enacted its nation-wide ban on private firearms ownership, a number of manufacturers in that country also followed Germany’s lead in airgun development. As a result of this developmental effort and the UK/Germany manufacturing competition, the modern airgun evolved into a powerful and accurate shooting tool capable of producing 3/8” 10 shot groups at 30 yards at muzzle velocities just under the speed of sound (1080 feet per second).
FWB P-700 – a ‘state of the art’ pre-charged pneumatic airgun
As the airgun was being refined to its present state, pellets also saw their fair share of improvement in both design and production standards. Todays pellets can be had in multiple configurations, weights, and calibers of .177, .20, .22. and .25. Popular configurations of pellets are the wadcutter for paper-punching, pointed and hollow point pellets for hunting, and Diablo or round-nose pellets for serious accuracy work at extended ranges and in competitions such as Field Target. Like match firearms, each airgun seems to prefer its own brand of pellets and gun to gun ammunition preference has resulted in a wide array of pellets available to the serious airgun shooter. This is particularly true of the .177 caliber airguns where over 60 types of pellets are available.
Pellet sizes and types
Today’s airguns are of either the pre-charged pneumatic air or spring piston design. Pre-charged pneumatic airguns offer the ability to shoot many rounds (25-50) before a recharge of air is required. They also produce little felt recoil. Spring piston airguns are self-contained one cock – one shot design and have recoil similar to that of a firearm. Because pre-charged and spring piston airguns shoot differently in the recoil department and spring-piston airguns have a considerably slower lock time, most shooters agree that spring-piston airguns require a little more attention to hold and follow through to be shot with consistency. This is the reason why shooters who are proficient with the use of spring-piston airguns always tend to be excellent firearms shooters while proficiency in firearms rifle shooting does not necessarily translate into ability to shoot a spring-piston airgun well.
Because of differences in shooting characteristics between pre-charged and spring-piston airguns, Field Target competition is divided into two shooting classes based on type of airgun used. Spring-piston shooters typically shoot in the ‘Piston’ class while pre-charged pneumatic shooters shoot in the ‘Open’ class. Both of these classes allow telescopic sights of unlimited magnification. Most shooters use scopes with magnification levels of 18X or greater as an aid in accurately determining range to the intended target. Estimation of range is critical to success in Field Target because of the pellets pronounced trajectory at distances beyond 35 yards.
Traditional ‘sitting’ field target postition
Recently, a new class called ‘Hunter’ has become popular in field target competition. Hunter class is more of a true hunting simulation than the Open and Piston classes as it allows the shooter to use any available support such as trees and rocks when taking shots. But hunter class has its challenges too. The use of telescopic sights beyond 12 X is not allowed in Hunter class and scopes cannot be used to estimate range to the target. In Hunter class determination of range is just like hunting – pure guesstimation.
Hunter class is also very popular with new shooters who are just getting into the airgun shooting and want to do so with minimal cost. To be competitive in the Open class requires a significant financial commitment for both scope and gun. It is not uncommon to see shooters using equipment in open class that costs upwards of $2,500. Piston class is less pricey and a shooter can achieve success in this class with equipment investments of as little as $500 (including scope). In Hunter class, equipment investments can vary considerably but are usually in the $300 - $500 range.
An additional class of fire sponsored at Field Target events conducted at WLOPA is junior class. Children up to 16 years old compete in their own class so that recognition can be given that will help increase youth participation in the shooting sports.
What to buy (and avoid)
Many people who are just getting started in airguns make a common mistake of getting the bare minimum they think they can get by with and end up being disappointed. Airguns from Daisy, Benjamin, Sheridan, and Crosman are geared to introducing youth to the shooting sports and their products lack the power, accuracy and general refinements required for success in Field Target.
Airguns from Gamo and RWS should also be avoided for Field Target application. Guns from these companies certainly have enough power and accuracy potential to consistently knock down field targets at long distances, but to achieve their attractive price points, many plastic parts are used, internal tolerances are poor, and triggers are only adjustable in a crude sense. RWS and Gamo spring-piston guns also have very harsh firing characteristics with a lot of vibration and ‘twang’ compared to many other European airguns. CO2-powered airguns, regardless of quality, should also be avoided because it is hard to maintain their velocity and subsequent accuracy as temperature varies throughout the shooting day.
In the long run, it is better to spend a little more money on a quality product that will result in greater shooting pleasure and opportunity for success at the Field Target game. If after trying the sport you should decide that airgunning is not for you, a good airgun can be easily sold for almost its entire new purchase value on one of several websites that exist specifically to sell used airguns. On the contrary, beginner airguns from the above-mentioned companies are more difficult to resell for near-full value on the used market.
If it is spring-piston airgun that you are interested in, products from companies like Beeman and Webley (other than the GS and Vulcan series of airguns which are meant to compete with RWS and Gamo) are good choices. Guns like the Beeman R-9 and R-11 are excellent for Hunter class field target. However, their break-barrel design restricts scope magnification to about 12X. If you would want to start in Hunter class and progress into Piston class at some time, a fixed barrel under-lever model like the Beeman HW 97 or Air-Arms TX 200 may be a better first choice for a Field Target airgun. In the pre-charged pneumatic category, guns like the Air-Arms S200, S410, Daystate Harrier, and the whole line of Falcon airguns are suitable for both Hunter class and Open class Field Target.
Beeman R-11
Beeman HW97
Air Arms S410
As far as caliber is concerned, .177 caliber is the way to go for a first airgun intended for use in Field Target shooting. The reason for this is that a .177 caliber pellet will produce the highest velocity in an airgun and therefore the flattest possible trajectory. This provides an advantage over other calibers, especially when shooting at targets at long distances where accuracy in range estimation is all important. A good strategy for determining which airgun to shoot is to show up at a WLOPA match and try out other shooters’ airguns. Almost all airgunners are eager to show-off their equipment and have others try it out. There are always extra guns available for use at matches for those who are still thinking about buying an airgun. This is a good way to learn what you want in an airgun before going out and buying something that you will ultimately decide is not the best fit for your shooting preferences. (Note however that this is a good way to obtain a collection of many airguns in a short period of time as many experienced airgunners will readily admit to anyone other than their spouses).
The choice of a scope to mount on an airgun also requires some careful thought. Because airguns are typically used over shorter distances than firearms, the scope must be able to focus down to 10 yards. If your airgun is a pre-charged pneumatic model, once this focusing requirement is met, any firearms scope will do. However, if you are going to mount a scope on a spring-piston gun, the scope MUST be rated for airgun use. Even a moderately powered spring-piston gun can quickly destroy the best firearms scopes that are not airgun rated. The reason for this is because spring-piston airguns recoil rearward (like a regular firearm) but at the end of the firing cycle as the piston rebounds, recoil is reversed and the gun recoils FORWARD. Many scopes that are intended for use on firearms have optics that are reinforced only on their back side to manage the rearward recoil of firearms. When placed on a spring-piston gun, if the scope does not have reinforcement on the front of each optic, the forward recoil produced by the airgun’s powerplant will literally cause the optical elements to loosen and break in just a few shots.
Swift 6-24X scope – note the adjustable objective that focuses to 10 yards and target turrets
Another important point to remember is that your typical firearms dealer is probably not the best place to buy a serious airgun. For starters, firearms dealers typically do not take the time to learn all of the nuances of airguns. Also, experience has shown that most firearms dealers who carry airguns typically stock products from companies like Gamo and RWS. Without a lot of knowledge in the area, most firearms dealers will tell you that these guns are European air rifles with high velocity and good accuracy. This may be true, but without experience in comparing these lines of airguns to the higher quality airguns, you’d be as well off going to a grocery store to seek advice in buying your next car or truck.
A good place to shop for high quality airguns is through dealers who deal in airguns as their primary business. Many such dealers can be found on the internet. Firms such as Straightshooters, Airguns of Arizona, Airgun Express, and Pomona Airguns deal strictly with airguns and most salespersons at these companies are very knowledgeable in airgun features. Be forewarned, however, that prices vary considerably from dealer to dealer and because most high quality airguns are imported from Europe, prices may vary considerably over time due to exchange rate changes between the Dollar and the Euro.
At WLOPA, Field Target matches are held on a monthly basis from April through October. WLOPA also hosts the Connecticut State Field Target championships annually in October. The entry fee for non-members at WLOPA is $5 per match and all WLOPA members shoot for free. Most of the matches are held on Saturdays before hunting season and on Sundays during hunting season. Matches typically start at 10AM and the range is open for practice at 8:30AM. The WLOPA airgunning calendar of events (also includes NRA-approved airgun silhouette matches) is posted in the clubhouse and on-line at www.wlopa.com.
Before closing, there is one additional point of consideration that needs to be given to airgun events at WLOPA. That is the issue of noise. As shooting times for the airgun events overlap with the trap program, all of the shotgunners should feel free to let the airgunners know when they are creating too much noise that it disturbs their concentration! Just a quick walk across the road, and a friendly reminder will quiet the airgunners down so the shotgunners can hear their scatter guns go off!!! This would also be a good opportunity to give air powered shooting a try.
Seriously though, silence is one of the airguns’ biggest advantages over firearms as it allows their unobtrusive use in basements and backyards. If it were not for the occasional ping of a pellet toppling a target, most would never know that WLOPA has an active airgun program! That aside, we’d like to make a little more noise, at least on paper, and encourage everyone to come out and give Field Target a try.
For more information contact:
David Day
203-254-2204
davidlday@yahoo.com