TargetTalk

I will be retiring next year and intend buying an 10m air pistol in the near future.

My intention is (being the competitive person that I am) to achieve a place on the Canadian National Air Pistol Team.

I plan to buy the best pistol I can afford. The rational being:

* I can never blame the pistol for my bad shooting
* I can never blame the pistol for my bad shooting
* I can never blame the pistol for my bad shooting

With this in mind, I would appreciate any suggestions on the choice of a pistol, and some direction in finding Coaching books, material etc. (I do intend searching locally for a Pistol coach.)

I have a list of books that I have gleaned from reading the Target Talk forums, but most, if not all seem to be out of print, or just not available.

I have shot .22 rifle for many years, including shooting for my county in Wales, and several Welsh Trials. This is my first real try at air pistol.

I look forward to hearing from you.

"Oldfella"

text deleted by the idiot who wrote it.

"What is the best pistol for me?" or similar questions come up every couple of weeks on this forum.

IMHO anyone who gives you a specific model or manufacturer, making the choice for you, is an idiot.

Everyone is different and they will all react differently to different pistols. The best advice is to try as many as you can, for as long as you can, and then make a choice yourself. As a novice to pistol shooting you might make the wrong choice first time.

With apologies to any manufacturer I forget, Steyr, Morini, FWB, Matchguns, Walther, Pardini, FAS, etc all make extremely good pistols. Whether a particular model from each one will suit you is a totally different matter.

Your best bet is to try to find a local club. There are several Canadian contributors on this forum who might be able to help or you could also post on http://www.targetshooting.ca/wwwboard/index.html

There is a wealth of online coaching information, the 2 most comprehensive are probably on http://www.pilkguns.com/hhg.shtml and http://www.targetshooting.ca

Hope this helps.

Go to the Calgary Rifle and Pistol Club at the Steve Johnson Range - they are very welcoming, they have club pistols and they will be eager to help you with your quest.

Have a look at their website:

http://www.albertahandgun.ca/

By the way, I too started with pistol target shooting when I retired. Good luck!

OzzieM

This is an area I enjoy addressing, because I just went through it. As has been mentioned, you need to do this for a while and get to know what will be best for you.

But how do you do it without having a pistol? Two options. Join a club that has loaner pistols for members. One of ther clubs I'm with has several options, from Daisy 777's to IZH46's to Hammerli's. Borrow one and shoot. Get some basics down, go to matches. Start talking to other shooters, they will let you hold and try their pistols. Take your time.

If you must buy something, get quality that will allow you to compete. The IZH46 will cost around $350 new. It has recorded scores into the 580's. It's heavy and feels like a tank, but will not hold you back. Once you've shot for 9-12 months or so, (I refrain from saying shoot until you reach a certain score, that's an argument waiting to happen, but a 520 with an Izzy is not difficult if you're serious) you should know what pistol you believe will be best for you.

One final undeniable truth is the content of the post that was removed. Steyr and Morini are the brands that seem to be used by a lot of the top shooters. It can be argued that much of this is due to marketing and brand awareness. If you so desire, you could win with nearly ANY of the quality brands available. You should feel free to go win a medal with an Aeron; if that's the best pistol for you.

Go shoot and have fun! The amount of time you shoot and how hard you tune your technique are by far the most significant things to impact your scores!

I appreciate all your comments and suggestions.

I will endevour to keep you informed as to my progress

Thanks again

I think that any competition AP could make you a champion, it's really a personal test. However what ever you choose make sure that you try as many different grips as you can. A good grip is very important as well, and there are many type to choose from.

I'm in agreement with everyone who stated that if you could find a club that would let you try out a few different models, it would be easier for you to come to an informed decision before unloading a chunk of dough.

When I first started, I had a Daisy because it was inexpensive, plus I wasn't all freaked out about damaging it (much like driving a first car!)

I'm on my 4th air pistol and am happy with it.

Of course, it's like they say -- you can never own too many guns or have too much ammo -- lol

One comment about trying out a pistol.

If the grip does not fit at least decently, it can feel like the pistol won't fit. But that might be the fault of the grip on the pistol you are trying vs the gun in general.

Examples:
- I tried a Morini with a large grip. The large grip was just too big for me and did not fit, but rather than rejecting the pistol, I kept my mind open that maybe it was simply the grip size that caused the bad fit and feel. But even with a large grip, I could tell that the reach to the trigger would not be an issue.
- The other thing is some shooters don't want to adjust THEIR grip to fit YOU. This could simply be because they spent so much time getting it adjusted to fit THEM. The problem is grips don't have adjustment indicators to be able to easily return them to a specific configuration. For example, once I set my grip I don't want to change it, cuz it could take a bit of work to get it back to the way I want it. And if you can't fit the grip, worse case it could feel BAD and make the gun feel like it does not fit.

If you have short fingers like me, and thus a short trigger reach, I found that the Italian designed guns (Pardini & Morini) seem to fit better. The reach to the trigger is shorter. The disclaimer is I have not tried a Steyr with a SMALL grip, only a medium grip. Also a good grip man can custom fit the grip (within the limitations of the frame and grip).
Example, I have a Walther CPM-1. The stock reach to the trigger was just a bit too long for me. I had to stretch to reach the trigger, and did not feel like my finger was properly on the trigger shoe. I ground down the trigger shoe as thin as I could make it, and I had the grip fitted by grinding the back and side of the grip as far in as it could go (before breaking through the wood), and now it just barely fits. The stock grip on my Pardini K58 fits me fine w/o alteration.

Hi

If you're in the US, you should drive through Tennessee. Our sponsor, Pilkington is in Monteagle TN on the East side, and Champion's Choice also in the state, SOMEWHERE. I haven't been to Champion's choice. Between the two of them, you may be able to hold most of the available air pistols (new or used).

Mike
Wichita KS