How to break into Olympic competitive pistol shooting

[beepbbeeb]

I've been watching the Olympics, and sparked an interest in shooting. I am a complete newbie, just going into college in NC and want to get into competitive shooting, specifically on pistol. Unfortunately, Im not rich nor do i have a pool of disposable income, so im working on a tight budget. I want to get to the Olympic level hopefully as soon as I can. Where do I start? What do I start with, what steps should I take next, and how can I go about achieving my dreams? any tips or insight is appreciated!

[fc60]

Greetings,

Buy a used Air Pistol. The type that has a lever to compress the air. Feinwerkbau 65 comes to mind. There are also offering from Pardini. Even a Baikal IZH-46. Avoid the ones that require charging with SCUBA or CO2 tanks for now.

Then buy some quality pellets and start shooting.

It's only 10 meters (33 feet) and you could probably set up a target trap in your apartment.

Cheers,

Dave

[KDZ]

Also see if your college has a shooting team or club. If not maybe try to find other students interested in shooting and start a club!

[Gwhite]

If you just start shooting, you will likely develop all sorts of bad habits that will be hard to break. Try to find a local club where they hold regular matches, and see if anyone can provide even a little coaching to get you started right.

Buy this book: https://oberleenterprises.com/product/m ... ines-book/

Read it.

There's lots of good info available on-line (especially on this forum), but there's also a lot of nonsense. Hopefully the info in the book will help you learn which is which. Olympic shooting has very little to do with self-defense shooting, which is what about 90% of the on-line stuff is all about.

[BobGee]

If you just start shooting, you will likely develop all sorts of bad habits that will be hard to break. Try to find a local club where they hold regular matches, and see if anyone can provide even a little coaching to get you started right.

Gwhite's point is very important - bad habits are very hard to break. There are also online coaching and couching courses. They cost, of course, but are available if all else fails. Bookwise, a fairly recent publication by a giant of Olympic style shooting is: “Master Competitive Pistol Shooting" by Ragnar Skanaker. It is available as a hardback or ebook, hardcopy from: https://sportshootingdepot.com/product/ ... -shooting/ The Shooting Depot is in West Bloomfield, MI, USA. OR directly from Skanaker: https://www.facebook.com/pistolshooting/.

Good luck with your shooting career!

Bob

[BrazosbyNemo]

I was going to suggest the book above linked at Oberle. Something that helped me was shooting closer than 10M/33ft. Maybe start off at 25’ and once you are shooting pretty good move back a couple feet. Repeat until you are at 33’. It really helped me but not advice I think I have seen given before. Outside of that buy a nice pistol if you have the funds. Really not much gear to buy for this sport. In my case, in my early 50’s, I had to get some shooting glasses to be able to see the front sight clearly.

[Scrimshott]

Hi! I'm also looking to break into Olympic pistol shooting as a result of Paris 2024. I'll be looking into the book above, but I'm curious about the entry-level viability of the "Air Venturi V10 Match Pistol .177 Cal"

Does anyone have any experience with this one? I'm on a bit of a tight budget, but it seems like whether I'm going into centerfire, standard, or air pistol, everything is super expensive.

Thanks in advance!

Scrim

[PirateJohn]

I'm curious about the entry-level viability of the "Air Venturi V10 Match Pistol .177 Cal"

Don't do it!

You'd be better off with a used match pistol. The Air Venturi is awful.

[Scrimshott]

You'd be better off with a used match pistol. The Air Venturi is awful.

Is there somewhere in Canada that sells used match pistols online? I'm afraid I live quite a distance from the nearest ISSF associated club, and as such the airgun world around here is nonexistent, as far as I can find.

I'm also challenged with learning this type of shooting on my own from books and youtube, so there's that lol

[Gwhite]

You can check with dealers that sell new ones. Sometimes they will have used ones that have been traded in. They will probably be more expensive than a private sale. There is a Canadian company that occasionally sells used gear on eBay: https://targets.ca/shop/

You can also try contacting the Shooting Federation of Canada to see if they can help. https://www.sfc-ftc.ca/

[Hamster]

Personally, I started by learning to shoot 2 handed with a decent rimfire pistol (S&W Model 41) at shorter ranges. For most of us (certainly for me) it is very difficult to start by trying to shoot one handed at ISSF rimfire distances (ideally 25m, more often 20 yards on reduced targets). That worked because I got some coaching from others at the club who shot IPSC (etc) which gave me a foundation. Then I switched to one handed, and found a local ISSF rules league. But I wouldn't have been able to start off in that league, because it took me a few months first to develop the skill to shoot well enough to enjoy an ISSF one handed match. By well enough, I mean 350/600 or thereabouts. I've seen other, younger shooters surmount the learning curve much faster, becoming proficient (into the 500s) in a few weeks. I didn't come to ISSF competition thru air pistol. Partly because decent 22LR pistols were much less costly and more available -- CDN$800 for the S&W, $500 for a (noticeably better) Unique DES 69, more recently $1200 for an older Pardini SP (which is the best pistol I expect to ever deserve).

[Mike M.]

Equipment: As others have mentioned, an Izh-46 or FWB 65 is a really good start. Keep your eyes peeled here, and on the GunBroker auction site. Having said that, you can often get secondhand Olympic-grade guns for $1k-$1300.

Reading: Skanaker's book is excellent. The Targettalk 10P Files have a lot of useful information. If you can find a copy, A.A. Yuryev's "Competitive Shooting" is another outstanding resource - it's got all the Soviet research in it. But just about ANY book on pistol shooting written before the mid-1980s will have useful information. And get a copy of Bassham's "With Winning In Mind".

Practice: Dry fire against a blank white wall. Work on releasing the shot without disturbing the sights. This is essential. Then work on shooting against a target...you might find it easier to color in the scoring rings, just think of Shot to Black and Shot Out of Black.

Competition: You must compete whenever possible. This may involve travel. One good thing about air pistol is that it's relatively common. Check USA Shooting, the NRA, and CMP...air pistol matches are being run through all three organizations. Then ask around the local clubs. One problem we have is that there doesn't seem to be a centralized match list.

The good news: There's a spike in interest! Maybe we can keep it up! And shooting is a true lifetime sport - the oldest competitor in any given Olympics is almost always a shooter.

[Scrimshott]

Personally, I started by learning to shoot 2 handed with a decent rimfire pistol (S&W Model 41) at shorter ranges. For most of us (certainly for me) it is very difficult to start by trying to shoot one handed at ISSF rimfire distances (ideally 25m, more often 20 yards on reduced targets). That worked because I got some coaching from others at the club who shot IPSC (etc) which gave me a foundation. Then I switched to one handed, and found a local ISSF rules league. But I wouldn't have been able to start off in that league, because it took me a few months first to develop the skill to shoot well enough to enjoy an ISSF one handed match. By well enough, I mean 350/600 or thereabouts. I've seen other, younger shooters surmount the learning curve much faster, becoming proficient (into the 500s) in a few weeks. I didn't come to ISSF competition thru air pistol. Partly because decent 22LR pistols were much less costly and more available -- CDN$800 for the S&W, $500 for a (noticeably better) Unique DES 69, more recently $1200 for an older Pardini SP (which is the best pistol I expect to ever deserve).

I'm not necessarily trained as a target shooter, but I have spent significant time at 25-30m with .22LR, and 7.62x25TT. I'm not an ace shot, by any means, but I also wasn't training for competition; I told myself I was training for IPSC or IDPA, but the entry requirements for IPSC at the nearest club to me are just a bit outside my means, scheduling wise. Something about spending a season showing up before they'll sign off on taking the Black Diamond course, and my work schedule doesn't allow me to do that. I'm familiar, if not proficient, with 2-handed stances, and I used to coach DCRA prone air-rifle with the Cadet program. Some of that training and experience carries over, and that was why I got bored when I wasn't competing anymore :P

Equipment: As others have mentioned, an Izh-46 or FWB 65 is a really good start. Keep your eyes peeled here, and on the GunBroker auction site. Having said that, you can often get secondhand Olympic-grade guns for $1k-$1300.

Reading: Skanaker's book is excellent. The Targettalk 10P Files have a lot of useful information. If you can find a copy, A.A. Yuryev's "Competitive Shooting" is another outstanding resource - it's got all the Soviet research in it. But just about ANY book on pistol shooting written before the mid-1980s will have useful information. And get a copy of Bassham's "With Winning In Mind".

Practice: Dry fire against a blank white wall. Work on releasing the shot without disturbing the sights. This is essential. Then work on shooting against a target...you might find it easier to color in the scoring rings, just think of Shot to Black and Shot Out of Black.

Competition: You must compete whenever possible. This may involve travel. One good thing about air pistol is that it's relatively common. Check USA Shooting, the NRA, and CMP...air pistol matches are being run through all three organizations. Then ask around the local clubs. One problem we have is that there doesn't seem to be a centralized match list.

The good news: There's a spike in interest! Maybe we can keep it up! And shooting is a true lifetime sport - the oldest competitor in any given Olympics is almost always a shooter.

I may be coming into some cash shortly, with which I might be able to afford a used olympic gun. I'll be honest, I was hoping there was something in the $600 CAD range for entry level training. In the meantime, I'll grab copies of those books and read them as I can. I'll resume dry-fire practice. I have some tools for dry-fire with centrefire pistols, so I'll practice with them for a while. Regarding the clubs, the local club doesn't do target competition. Only IPSC and the general culture around firearms and competition here is less than welcoming. The next nearest club is an hour and a half away (147km specifically) and makes a practice or meeting into a day-long venture, which isn't feasible with my work schedule. I'm super excited about the spike in interest, and while I think it's two decades overdue, I think it may just have momentum, considering one of the only exceptions to the Canadian ban on handgun sales is for ISSF or associated target competition use. I've been far too long away from my first passion, chasing dreams I had little to no hope of achieving, and my family has put my interests in perspective for me. My family has a long heritage of marksmanship excellence, and I intend to pass that on to my kids, but to do that I have to regain the skills I once had, and ideally improve them.

Thank you all for your input! Anything else you can add is deeply appreciated, and I'll do my best to follow your advice!

[Gwhite]

A Hammerli AP20 is close to the price level you are interested in, but it's PCP, and will require investment in a tank. The IZH is probably your best bet. It's accurate, and has good sights & trigger. It's a bit muzzle heavy for many shooters, and you've got to pump it yourself, but as far as learning the fundamentals, it's fine.

Even if you can't get to a range very often, dry firing religiously will take you a long way. If you've shot before without coaching for precision, you are VERY likely to have bad habits to undo, most of which can be dealt with dry firing a LOT.

I help coach a college team, and only about 10% to 20% of the students who've shot informally before they showed up ever get to the level the new shooters achieve. Hitting the center of an air pistol target at 10 meters is a world away from IPSC & IDPA. It's doable, but it won't be easy.

[Mike M.]

It's doable, but it won't be easy.

If it were easy, would it be worth the effort? The good news is that this is a true lifetime sport.

[Scrimshott]

Well, it's a good thing I've loved target shooting for most of my life.

I'm sure I have some bad habits. I've never coached someone, experienced or not, who didn't have bad habits. I don't harbour any delusions that I'll ever actually be an olympic level competitor, but I enjoy the competition. If I can get back to 80% of my rifle proficiency when I was competing in air rifle and smallbore, I'll be ecstatic!

[JamesH]

First step - find a competent coach/instructor who can train you in the right technique from day one.
This probably means finding a good club with some competent members and a good coach.
Read some books.

Set goals, formulate a rounded training plan - physical training, mental training, shooting exercises, work up to matches.

[Scrimshott]

First step - find a competent coach/instructor who can train you in the right technique from day one.
This probably means finding a good club with some competent members and a good coach.
Read some books.

Set goals, formulate a rounded training plan - physical training, mental training, shooting exercises, work up to matches.

I have one gun club in my city, and another in the next city, 147 km from me. The nearest gun club that does ISSF shooting is 1155 km from me (717 miles). Am I doomed to never compete?

[Gwhite]

Maybe after all the Olympic buzz, you could find some like minded folks at your local club & start something.

[Scrimshott]

Maybe after all the Olympic buzz, you could find some like minded folks at your local club & start something.

That’s what I’m hoping.

I want to compete again. Maybe pistol won’t be for me, but building new habits is easier than changing old ones. I’ll do air rifle or smallbore if I have to.