Rehabilitative Air Rifle/Pistol Program, need ideas

[Jimro]

The Warrior Transition Unit on my base I work is looking to stand up an air rifle and air pistol program as part of the rehabilitative sports program. They reached out to the JROTC air rifle coach, who directed them to me since he's smack dab in the middle of the busiest time of the season. I met with the director yesterday to ask about budgets and timeline, and came away with the following.

The background story is that a General in charge of the WTU has ordered that all WTU programs will submit scores for the next years Warrior Games (for wounded warriors across all branches of service including the Coast Guard). Currently they have no equipment, and have no coach, but have to comply with the order as given. The Warrior Games events are air rifle standing and prone, and air pistol standing. IPC rules for shooters with disability apply, and they will have their own class or compete in the open category, so those three events are what I would be working with shooters improve their scores.

The athletic director isn't so concerned about winning slots on the Army team so much as using air rifle and pistol as part of their rehabilitation program. Soldiers continually rotate through the WTU as they are evaluated, treated, and eventually transitioned to VA care, so there won't be any "building a long term program" options as the population of Soldiers won't be stable.

Equipment can be purchased through a request, but the equipment cannot be tailored to an individual Soldier athlete. Precision air rifles and pistols are too expensive to justify for a rehabilitative program so they were most interested in Single Stroke Pneumatic (SSP) rifles and pistols like the Daisy 853 and Daisy 747. Reocurring expenses for consumables such as pellets and targets, can be pushed into annual budgets.

The rehabilitative program must be conducted during duty hours, so using the JROTC range is out of the question. However they will find an indoord space where a 10 meter range can be set up during the duty day.

Since I've never been a head coach, or helped stand up a program from scratch, I need to build an equipment wish list that will be inexpensive enough to get them going but good enough that shooters stay interested, have fun, and can see progress.

Things that absolutely have to be purchased on the economy as far as I know:
5x Daisy 853
5x Daisy 747
2x Spotting Scope w/ Stand
2x Scoring Plugs

Things we can get through the Army supply channels
1x Range Box (footlocker for holding the non shooting gear)
5x Pellet Traps (can be made locally through the training aid support center)
12x Binders (one for each shooter plus a coach binder for rifle and pistol)
1x 3 hole punch for placing targets in shooters binders
1x weapons cage for storage
Laptop
Screwdrivers
Trimmer cord for CBI
Tables
Chairs

Things that will have recurring costs:
Pellets
Targets
Orion scanner and yearly subscription fee (not sure about this one, I'd really like it but I don't know if it is really necessary for what the athletic director wants)

Given the limitations of the budget request, is there any thing else that I should add?

Thank you in advance,
Jimro

[jhmartin]

Stay away from SSP type rifles & pistols. The impaired athletes have more than enough to worry about, especially those that need loaders. I'm afraid the 853's are just too much of a hassle and you would have to really think about safety if some shooters are shooting in supported (seated) position.
If you cannot afford the precision rifles, check into the Crosman 2009 and the Air Force Edge ... nicely adjustable to many types of shooters. Both are compressed air rifles.

Likewise on the pistols ... check and ask around for some Tau-7 pistols ... they are CO2, but do not require a forceful cocking action ...

Contact Bob Foth at USA Shooting for all the info you'll need, or maybe he can refer you to someone in your area to help out.
Also, check in with this boards forum "Disabled Shooters Chat".

As a Range Officer on the Para side of the line this past Winter Airgun, I can tell you it was one of the most inspiring few days of my life working and watching these shooters compete with as much (many times more!) focus and discipline as any other shooter on the line.

[Jimro]

I had the direct go through the list of precision and sporter air rifles offered through the CMP. The athletic director balked at the cost of a 600 dollar Alfa pistol and 840 dollar AR20, so PCP isn't exactly an option. Right now the most expensive piece of athletic equipment the rehabilitative program has is a few Mathews compound bows purchased at cost. Soldiers who can handle a compound bow can probably handle a SSP rifle or pistol, or if they can't then they'll have the same option they have right now in the rehabilititative athletics program which is nothing.

My experience with Daisy 887s has soured me on CO2. Just not going to go through that frustration, or set up a program that will have someone dealing with that frustration for years. Before anyone comments on how it really isn't that difficult, please realize this is in Germany, on an Army installation in the middle of nowhere Bavaria, and the people who will continue this program after I leave (or get deployed or whatever) don't get paid to drive to buy gas. PCP wouldn't be hard since a hand pump could be purchased, and there are sporting goods stores relatively local that provide filling services, but it is still an expense that is unsustainable unless someone starts coughing up money out of pocket and time out of their personal life.

I know the desire is to ask for the moon and then be happy with less, but the military budget hasn't been as generous as it has been (for very good reasons), so I don't want to waste my time asking for what I can't get. Right now the program has nothing but a requirement they can't meet.

I will send an email off to Mr. Foth to see if he has any wisdom to share.

Jimro

[jhmartin]

The AR20 is still a (intermediate) precision rifle.
CMP offers the T200 (sporter) for 525.

Your location says KY, but I understand now you're deployed.
The Army, Navy & MC JROTC cadet commands get the Crosman 2009s for the high schools across the USA ... any way to tap into that chain of supply?

[Jimro]

I guess I should update my location. I PCS'd to Germany this summer, and time really flies when you are busy.

No practical way to tap into JROTC/ROTC procurement programs since they fall under Cadet Command which is a part of Human Resource Command and the WTU falls under either AMEDD (I think) or FORSCOM or some other major command.

There might be ways to get grants from charitable organizations, but as it stands right now I expect to have to loan anyone who wants to shoot to submit a score my personal AR20, shoot my pellets, at my targets, just to meet the February deadline requirement. There is no long term value in that to anyone involved, but February is coming up very fast.

Jimro

[m1963]

Greetings-

We applaud your efforts to include wounded soldiers in the shooting sports as a rehabilitative measure.

It would seem reasonable that the CMP would fund your leadership approved project in some way.

[jjbduke2004]

I just saw this appear in my Facebook feed yesterday (shared by USAS and AMU):
http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/201 ... he-warrio/

No practical way to tap into JROTC/ROTC procurement programs since they fall under Cadet Command which is a part of Human Resource Command and the WTU falls under either AMEDD (I think) or FORSCOM or some other major command.

I work for DA/DoD but I'm not familiar with all of the acquisition & procurement rules, but sometimes there are ways for government orgs to transfer funds (e.g. MIPR). Might be worth checking out. Or it could be a typical government operation: they want you to do something but come up with a hundred regulations to tie your hands.

[Jimro]

That's the goal, rehabilitation. Working on balance, concentration, and focus. Giving the shooters a way to measure their progress and rebuild their confidence in mind and body.

I wish I were a world class coach with a world class facility to do that, but I'll be lucky to get a hallway to convert into a range a couple times a week.

I've never served outside of a FORSCOM unit (except for 3 years in AMEDD when I worked in a Reserve CSH), so all the property and funding transfers I've worked with have been DA/FORSCOM directed. I would have to ask the WTU S4 how they go about getting equipment, but at this point I know exactly two people who work in the WTU, so there are probably funding streams out there that I don't know about.

Jimro

[BigAl]

I know that the forces can be difficult at times, and of course you are based overseas too. I had one thought reading this thread, you are in the middle of nowhere in Bavaria, but its the home of 10m air rifle shooting. Do you have no contacts into the local communities out there? if shooters in Germany are like most of those that I have met from around the world (including some German teams) then I am sure that you might find some help from the locals, it's their game after all. Or is this a case of the military being completely insular and inwards looking?

I know that when I was in the RAF if I had been based in Germany I would have wanted to become involved in local German shooting clubs as well as what the RAF or British Forces might have provided.

Alan

[Jimro]

There are shooting clubs all over Bavaria, but that doesn't make them automatically available to assist. The shooting club hours for the two clubs that are almost within spitting distance of the gate do not meet during duty hours. For what it is worth I will try to join the closer of the two clubs in January. They meet Tuesday and Friday evenings.

Eventually I would like to build a team that can travel to local shooting clubs to experience that part of German life, but before that is a possibility I need to get equipment, shooters, and approval (using a TMP van after hours, coordinating for volunteer translators, etc). I hope that I can pass on my love for 10m shooting to others, because the going rate for a FWB 603 here is around 300 to 400 Euro, and that is a very sustainable precision SSP rifle if a shooter wants to get better equipment on their own dime. There are also charitable organizations that don't have the WTU funding restricions on buying personalized equipment to enable shooters to get the most out of their potential, but that is something for me to look into after any shooters are identified who want to train.

I'll find more out tomorrow when I follow up with the athletic director whether or not there are even any Soldiers currently interested in 10m shooting.

Jimro

[ghillieman]

As a disabled veteran of the Iraqi war I feel that I may have some insight to what would be beneficial to your wounded warriors. I spent my time soaking up the a/c in a field hospital in Rota Spain, no luxuries there, certainly no rifle range. I was placed oh high doses of pain killers that made it challenging to brush my teeth, I could not imagine trying to shoot precision air rifle or air pistol.

So I ask.
What is the intent of all of this? Is it to help reduce psychological stress from war? Is it to teach them to work around injuries? Is it some half brained high brass idea that turns something potentially fun into a dreaded chore? I would hate to see this dwindle down to just another required check mark on the return home check list.

I would like to suggest.
Instead of a precision event, offer an air rifle silhouette game. It's a one time target purchase so the only recurring cost would be the pellets. The targets are hit or miss so they are not stressing over supreme precision. This will also be more forgiving for the injured learning how to overcome their injuries. There is also a European version that is held in Germany, it is called Field Rifle or something similar.

Best of luck.

[Jimro]

The chain of command dictated that 10m air rifle/pistol scores be submitted for the 2015 Warrior Games, and the local WTU doesn't have any air rifle or pistol programs at all.

I have no experience with the silhouette game, I picked up air rifle to enhance my High Power training, so bull targets are all I've ever shot. I will ask the athletic director if that is something they want to offer when I speak with her next.

Jimro

[too2tuff]

Hi Jimro
I participated in the Warrior Games from 2011 through 2013. As a result of the experience I started an air rifle and air pistol program for Veterans in the Milwaukee WI area.

Just a little insight. You must get mid to high end PCP air rifles and air pistols to be competitive to try and make the teams. All of the teams have high end PCP air rifles for the games.

For my club I was able to get a NRA Foundation grant. Btw, I set the club up under the PVA Wisconsin Chapter. You have tremendous resources where you are. Get with local Veteran organizations and local shooting clubs.

I would suggest getting about 10-15 Crosman 2000 air rifles and 1-2 FWB 700 or Anschultz 8002.

If you would like more details on my program, pm me. I can also put you in contact with a few people who can help you.

Good luck

Gwen

[Jimro]

too2tuff,

The athletic director got back to me, so far they have exactly one person interested in air rifle. They'll ask again this coming week, so we might get a few more folks. I've already bought some cheep delrin cutting boards to use in pellet traps until we can get something more permanent set up.

I don't expect to go from nothing in January, submitting scores in February, to get anyone on the Army team, especially not if the other teams are shooting FWB700s or Walther 300s with real coaches and facilities. Here they have me as a volunteer coach, so keeping expectations low isn't necessarily a bad thing.

If money magically falls out of the sky, I can take a shooter, drive twenty minutes to Amberg and get them a complete suit and rifle in no time flat. So I'll get back to you once I start working with whoever wants to shoot.

Jimro