Enjoying the Sport
Accuracy is key to shooting well and we might even add, and key to enjoying the sport. Not everyone picks up a pellet or BB gun and shoots accurately. If this is your experience, no reason to put them away and give up. There are fun ways to sharpen your aim, so if that’s what you want let’s get started.
First thing to consider is a safe place to shoot. A safe place to shoot really depends on what you’re shooting. If you’re shooting the Glock 17 Gen 5 MOS Blowback it only requires a ten yard range. If you’re shooting the JTS Airacuda PCP, you could use the same range as your Glock but I’d suggest a minimum of twenty-five yards.
Make It Safe
Just because you have the distance doesn’t mean it’s safe, be sure you have a proper backstop at the proper height and width. Also, not all targets are recommended with every airgun, for example, BB guns vs metal targets are a big no, no! Be safe!
What is going to help the shooter improve their aim the most is to practice! Practice can at times get boring, especially if you’re doing the same thing repetitively. How do you have fun at the same time you’re sharpening your skills?
An Endless Possibility of Fun
There are so many targets out there that mix things up for shooters that the possibility of fun is endless.
- Paper targets, include Birchwood Casey’s Checkered Flag Racing Game or Battleship Game Targets for a fun competition against a friend, that’s a great way to get some practice in!
- Resettable reactive pellet traps like the Gamo Rocker that allows the shooter to send as many pellets down range without getting up to reset the target.
- Spinners like the Air Venturi Spin O Matic give a reaction every time it’s hit.
- Field targets like the Gamo Interchangeable Field Target Squirrel that drop away when the kill zone is hit, giving a realistic hunting senario.
- Exploding targets may be the most reactive and popular.
A Drill For the Bench or Practical Shooter
Place three targets at your desired distance, name them target one, two, and three. Establish the bullseye on the three targets, the bullseye must be hit three times before moving on from targets one and two. When reaching the final target, target three you must hit the bullseye five times before completing the course.
A Drill For the Speed Shooter
It is always best to have a way to time the course giving the shooter a sense of whether they’re improving or not. The best type of targets for this drill are reactive targets, you could even use the Firebird M65 Moderated Targets. Set up a course of fire with the targets, practice your course of fire with an empty airgun. Choose the direction of the starting shot and don’t advance to the next target until you’ve hit the previous one. When you are ready, load the airgun and commence fire until all the targets have been hit.
A Drill For the Hunter
The best and most realistic targets for this drill are the animal knock down targets like the Gamo Squirrel, you can do this drill with just one or several. The kill zone for the squirrel is anywhere from 1 ? inch down to ? of an inch. Begin at the bench and with the largest kill zone aperture, knock the squirrel down three times before adding a more advanced bullseye ring, continue until you’ve mastered them all.
A relevant step for all the drills is to reload and repeat! If you want to maximize your fun while sharpening your aim, we recommend bringing a friend along for some friendly competition.
