What to Shoot At?

Shooting is a great past time that requires a minimum of equipment.....your air gun or bb gun, some ammo, a power source if it is a CO2 or PCP, and of course.....a target.

Now my personal favorite target is a self-renewing, year-round legal target called the European starling. But lets face it, that little avian pest isn't always present when I want to shoot. So I do shoot at inanimate objects quite often to hone my skills for when the starlings do come by the house and deserve my attention.

For the first couple of years of my air gun addiction, I shot in the basement of my house into a metal trap I bought at Compasseco. Click this link to view the product I am referring to:

Metal Trap

This trap is great for medium-to-light powered airguns. And Compasseco also carries a pre-cut, already-sized insert for this trap.

Precut target

This combination of products allowed me to practice in the dead of winter, with snow on the ground, or when the wind outside made it fruitless to attempt any accuracy trials when testing a new air gun.

Now if you are into reactive targets, targets that move or shatter when you hit them, you have several options available to you. Gamo offers several items that allow the airgunner to practice inside or out, with targets that respond to your accurate shooting skills.

Gamo Rocker Pellet Trap

Gamo Moving Target System

Gamo Metallic Squirrel Field Target

The last target link you see above is a neat item in that it gives you an animal target to shoot at, with the ability to reset it without trotting out to it, and helps train you in the discipline of Field Target Shooting, which is a growing competition that allows shooters to shoot at metallic animal targets with varying degrees of difficulty based on how big a kill zone is provided for each target. There are area and regional shoots, and national-level shoots each year that have airgunners coming from all over to participate. It is a great way to enjoy the airgunning fraternity with some good wholesome fun and fellowship.

For kids, don't forget the Shatterblast targets from Daisy. Watching a target disintegrate into dust is a big kick for young shooters (and some old ones, as well), and these targets give an instant gratification to the shooter who is on target.

So don't let the oncoming winter that is just around the corner keep you from your shooting enjoyment. Grab some of these targets that would work inside and keep the shooting instincts honed and sharpened so that you can really wring the most use out of your bb guns and air gun enjoyment.

Umarex's Colt 1911 Air Pistol

Everyone who has been born since the last century, and who has even a passing interest in firearms, will recognize the Colt 1911 pistol. It is a classic that has been copied so many times that I'm not sure there is an accurate count as to the number of variations on this gun. And if you enjoy shooting airguns, you now have a very good copy that is powered by CO2 that allows you to practice inside the house or in your yard with a realistic copy of the firearm version.

Umarex has been putting out quite a few firearm copies lately, and they serve a purpose for the shooting enthusiast. Just imagine, in the dead of winter, with snow on the ground, you can practice your drawing and shooting disciplines with a very close copy of the firearm this gun copies from the comfort of your own home.

With an 8-shot revolver-style magazine, the Model 1911 will copy the shot count of the original firearm. All the safety and magazine buttons are present, though they do different things. The slide release on the CO2 gun actually opens the slide for the magazine to be released. The magazine release pops off the right-side pistol grip, allowing one to insert a new CO2 cartridge.

In the kit that I received to review, there was a mock suppressor included, as well as a Walther reddot sight. Batteries are included for the sight, and the mock suppressor screws on like a real one, giving a military/special forces look to the ensemble.



The velocity readings on the gun I tested were in the mid 300's, though the manual states that pellets will approach the low 400's. With lighter pellets and a warmer day, I see no reason to disbelieve this claim. I was shooting outside in cooler weather with mid-weight .177 caliber pellets.

The reddot sight was useful. I prefer open sights on pistols, but this one came installed, and it worked just fine. This gun isn't meant for target shooting, but for quick plinking and practice. Accuracy is reasonable for such activities, but I wouldn't use the gun for anything but practice. It is a little low in power for pest control and small game hunting, so refrain from using it for those purposes.



So all you Colt 1911 fans out there....here's a good copy you can shoot indoors with minimal fuss to stay in good shooting condition for the competition season, or for practicing self-defense scenarios. And for the rest of us....well, it's just plain fun to shoot!

New Magazine for Airgun Hunters....and it's FREE!

In the last six to eight months, avid airgun hunter Jim Chapman from The American Airgun Hunter website ( www.americanairgunhunter.com )has published free to the public an online magazine that is geared towards hunting with airguns, both here in the United States and abroad. Articles on gear, guns, tactics, and legal issues in certain states are addressed in an effort to aid hunters who want to hunt with airguns. You will find great tips on traveling with air guns, what ammo is needed for certain types of game....an enormous amount of info available for FREE!

Simply go to the following link and download the first and second quarterly issues.

http://www.americanairgunhunter.com/agquart.html

Compasseco carries many of the guns that are used in the articles, such as the TF-78/QB-78 PCP conversion that was originally purchased as a CO2 gun from Compasseco. On page 73 of the second issue, you will find a page full of videos that are available to the consumer, some of which are available from Compasseco.

To order, just call 1-800-726-1696 and speak with Tina, Leah, or Eric about obtaining some of these great products. And don't forget to pick up the other stuff we airgunners are always needing....pellets, targets, scope mounts....you name it, it's probably there somewhere!

I have had the privilege of writing for this FREE magazine, and enjoy sharing my hunting stories with others. If you enjoy hunting with airguns and want to submit a story, simply contact Jim Chapman via his website and inquire as to how to submit your story or questions for the editors of this great e-zine.