Rifle for new shooter
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963
Rifle for new shooter
My son will be participating in a youth silhouette winter league in which the club provides the air rifles. At some point he will want his own equipment (probably sooner rather than later!) and I could benefit from what you have already learned.. The club is using .177 cal. pellet rifles, CO2 powered.. I'm not sure of the brand. I'm at a bit of a loss as to what type of .177 cal rifle I should be looking into. I know everyone prefers certain brands but price, durability, accuracy and parts availability are important . I'd be looking at something in the $300 range that he could "grow into" as his skill level increases. I was thinking that either an air or CO2 powered rifle would be best as in the past he has had some trouble cocking my Crossman Quest (two weeks ago he shot a blackpowder buffalo rifle at an NRA Outdoor Youth Day outing, did not flinch and no problem with the weight - go figure.. must be something with the angle needed to cock the Quest). Thank you in advance...
A few questions:
1) Is this a 4-H program (reason: there are only certain rifles allowed in the 4-H AR silhouette)
2) Full or half distance.
You noted that it was indoor. A Daisy 887 is a good rifle here. (just a different stock than the 888). It is a CO2 powered rifle and has plenty of power to topple Air Rifle silhouette RAMS at out to 60 meters. (AR full distance is only 45 yards)
If you scope the rifle, a 3-9X is plenty, but note that changing the zoom is not recommended due to parallax point-of-impact changes as such a close distance.
The best advise, whether scoped or not, is to use a constant setting and teach them to hold under/over at the different distances.
If there are no rifle restrictions, other than .177, then the Anschutz 8002 is a VERY nice rifle to use (but that will run you about $1500)
1) Is this a 4-H program (reason: there are only certain rifles allowed in the 4-H AR silhouette)
2) Full or half distance.
You noted that it was indoor. A Daisy 887 is a good rifle here. (just a different stock than the 888). It is a CO2 powered rifle and has plenty of power to topple Air Rifle silhouette RAMS at out to 60 meters. (AR full distance is only 45 yards)
If you scope the rifle, a 3-9X is plenty, but note that changing the zoom is not recommended due to parallax point-of-impact changes as such a close distance.
The best advise, whether scoped or not, is to use a constant setting and teach them to hold under/over at the different distances.
If there are no rifle restrictions, other than .177, then the Anschutz 8002 is a VERY nice rifle to use (but that will run you about $1500)
rifle for new shooter
Thank you for your response.. From what I understand so far (crash course...) the Youth Silhouette course is shot at 10,12.5,15 & 18 yards. My son may also want to participate in Field Target which is shot using AAFTA rules and guidelines. Both courses are "informal" events and not part of the 4-H program. The Youth Silhouette program is shot from an enclosed/heated range in the winter. In the spring / summer the enclosed range is opened up and just becomes a covered range. I'd like the rifle we choose to be capable of being used for both silhouette and field target....
The club in question is currently using Daisy 853's and Avanti 888's with scopes. thanks for your time..
The club in question is currently using Daisy 853's and Avanti 888's with scopes. thanks for your time..
OK ..... Your league is shooting Air PISTOL distances .... just under 1/2 distance that you would "normally" shoot for 1/2 distance Air Rifle.
The 853's and 888's are more than adequate for those distances ..... I would probably even go without the scope, zero at 10 yards and you'll still be able to hold on the RAM at 18 and hit it. The 853's you might need a 1/4" higher hold.
Now FT is something else ... that does require accuracy and repeatability out to 50 yds or so .... outdoors.
The issue with the 888's and 887's (CO2 rifles)outdoors, especially on sunny & hot days, if if the cylinder gets too warm (say about 90 degrees F) the pressure in the tank will get so high that the hammer/spring in the rifles cannot actuate the valving mechanism. You must keep those rifles covered and out of the sun as much as possible.
That is why the compressed air rifles really dominate there ... no temperature worries. Before 4-H changed the rules, my club had purchased 2 Anschutz 8002's just for this reason ... outdoor silhouette. We now use them for our precision shooters.
If you are looking for a dual-purpose rifle, I'd recommend a CA rifle ... even the XSV-40 types (S-200 & T200's) will do well. FT is very popular over in Europe, so some of those shooters might pipe in here too.
If you're only looking at indoors, then the CO2 rifles are fine.
Hopefully that helps a bit more.
The 853's and 888's are more than adequate for those distances ..... I would probably even go without the scope, zero at 10 yards and you'll still be able to hold on the RAM at 18 and hit it. The 853's you might need a 1/4" higher hold.
Now FT is something else ... that does require accuracy and repeatability out to 50 yds or so .... outdoors.
The issue with the 888's and 887's (CO2 rifles)outdoors, especially on sunny & hot days, if if the cylinder gets too warm (say about 90 degrees F) the pressure in the tank will get so high that the hammer/spring in the rifles cannot actuate the valving mechanism. You must keep those rifles covered and out of the sun as much as possible.
That is why the compressed air rifles really dominate there ... no temperature worries. Before 4-H changed the rules, my club had purchased 2 Anschutz 8002's just for this reason ... outdoor silhouette. We now use them for our precision shooters.
If you are looking for a dual-purpose rifle, I'd recommend a CA rifle ... even the XSV-40 types (S-200 & T200's) will do well. FT is very popular over in Europe, so some of those shooters might pipe in here too.
If you're only looking at indoors, then the CO2 rifles are fine.
Hopefully that helps a bit more.
Rifle for new shooter
Thanks.. I'll take a look at the rifles you recommended.. I did take a look at the Anschutz 8002 and it is a fine looking rifle. I really do appreciate your input as I'm not well versed on this sport. I'm more of a .22 target shooter / trap/skeet/sporting clays person. My son however loves target shooting and is involved in a winter archery league. I see how serious he is and how much he enjoys precision shooting. The youth silhouette, outdoor silhouette and basement practice is right up his alley.. I already have a 10 yard / 15 yard archery range set up in the basement that can do dual duty.
I would also like to learn a bit about postal matches so he can get more use out of his rifle. I would be interested in the dual purpose rifle which should give us more opportunity for shooting.
This new interest builds on his love of shooting plus let us spend time together... as most boys are today, my son is 10 years old going on 20..
I'm also making arrangements to have a sportsman club provide air rifle safety training and a day of silhouette shooting plus awards for my Cub Scout Pack. That's (52) new shooters... I'll bet a lot of them will stay interested once they give it a try...
I would also like to learn a bit about postal matches so he can get more use out of his rifle. I would be interested in the dual purpose rifle which should give us more opportunity for shooting.
This new interest builds on his love of shooting plus let us spend time together... as most boys are today, my son is 10 years old going on 20..
I'm also making arrangements to have a sportsman club provide air rifle safety training and a day of silhouette shooting plus awards for my Cub Scout Pack. That's (52) new shooters... I'll bet a lot of them will stay interested once they give it a try...
-
WRC
about those Cub Scouts
It's a great idea to get kids interested and off to a safe, fun start.
However ...
Just a word (more like a paragraph) of reminder, Cub Scouts as a Pack, can only shoot BB guns as an activity in an approved district/council event (day camp, camporall, etc). If they are going to do any other type of shooting activity, it will need to be outside of the pack, or Scouting umbrella. In other words, do it as just a group of interested kids & parents - that just happen to know each other from Scouting.
However ...
Just a word (more like a paragraph) of reminder, Cub Scouts as a Pack, can only shoot BB guns as an activity in an approved district/council event (day camp, camporall, etc). If they are going to do any other type of shooting activity, it will need to be outside of the pack, or Scouting umbrella. In other words, do it as just a group of interested kids & parents - that just happen to know each other from Scouting.
Rifle for new shooter
Thanks for the advice.. yes, BSA rules are BSA rules.. I always make my "special outings" a family & friends event. It's a lot of fun for the boys, parents can try their hand at shooting, siblings are able to shoot also. Most of all LOTS of safety talk... Sorry to get off topic, but I do enjoy Scouting!
Go to the NRA website and under the competitions area there is a postal area ... BSA, 4-H, Royal Rangers ... all have their own specific postals, and then there are the "generic" JR AR & SBR postals.I would also like to learn a bit about postal matches so he can get more use out of his rifle. I would be interested in the dual purpose rifle which should give us more opportunity for shooting.
If you are looking for a good dual purpose (indoor/outdoor) AR and Silhouette, check out the T200/S200 type rifles. it is a compressed air rifle and is sized well for the younger shooters