My smallbore coach advised me if i want to get onto a college rifle team, that i should shoot air rifle or they wont really consider me as much. I would love to shoot in college so i will start shooting air and smallbore soon.
Does anyone have any advice for air rifle? I hear it is different than smallbore just a little but not by much. I understand that the shooting is done at 10m also. a friend recommended that i shoot in my house if possible, using a pellet or bullet trap. I have 10m measured out in my basement so it is possible for me to do it. Another question, should i buy a bullet/pellet trap or could i make one myself? they seem pretty simple, but also expensive, so i would like to try to save some money on that.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks.
New to Air Rifle
Moderators: pilkguns, Marcus, m1963, David Levene, Spencer
-
PatrickS916
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:20 pm
- Location: Central Virginia
Patrick,
Most colleges seem to want you shoot both, although most athletes tend to be better at one or the other.
Air rifle for college is International air rifle, for men, 60 shots standing. Smallbore is 3X40 3 position, and 60 shot prone.
3P air rifle training can be useful for 3P smallbore training. But you will still need to spend a lot time with the smallbore. It is just different. There is recoil to manage, ammo and accuracy issues, etc....
As for traps, we have used commercial ones available at Champions choice, they work well. I also built one out of plywood. It is basically a shallow box, 48" high X 24" wide X 3" deep, with short legs to make it stand vertical. That is wide enough for two targets side by side in all thee positions. The back is 3/4" plywood with a thin piece of sheet metal layered over it. I cover the front with a sheet of cardboard and replace every few weeks as needed. Pellets go through the cardboard, flatten on the sheet metal and fall to the bottom trapped by the cardboard. I saw several local JROTC high school teams using similar home made stands and built one myself. Works great. Not sure if you really save a lot of money though unless you have the materials just laying around. A Daisy Trap is around $75. You will spend most of that on materials to build the one I described. You will just eliminate the problem of having to move it up and down for the three positions if you plan to do 3P training with the air rifle.
Most colleges seem to want you shoot both, although most athletes tend to be better at one or the other.
Air rifle for college is International air rifle, for men, 60 shots standing. Smallbore is 3X40 3 position, and 60 shot prone.
3P air rifle training can be useful for 3P smallbore training. But you will still need to spend a lot time with the smallbore. It is just different. There is recoil to manage, ammo and accuracy issues, etc....
As for traps, we have used commercial ones available at Champions choice, they work well. I also built one out of plywood. It is basically a shallow box, 48" high X 24" wide X 3" deep, with short legs to make it stand vertical. That is wide enough for two targets side by side in all thee positions. The back is 3/4" plywood with a thin piece of sheet metal layered over it. I cover the front with a sheet of cardboard and replace every few weeks as needed. Pellets go through the cardboard, flatten on the sheet metal and fall to the bottom trapped by the cardboard. I saw several local JROTC high school teams using similar home made stands and built one myself. Works great. Not sure if you really save a lot of money though unless you have the materials just laying around. A Daisy Trap is around $75. You will spend most of that on materials to build the one I described. You will just eliminate the problem of having to move it up and down for the three positions if you plan to do 3P training with the air rifle.
-
PatrickS916
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:20 pm
- Location: Central Virginia
Thanks, i will mainly focus on smallbore, but i will also practice air in my basement once i get the equipment and a pellet trap. Thanks for the suggestions too, it sounds like a good way to shoot positions too.rmarsh wrote:Patrick,
Most colleges seem to want you shoot both, although most athletes tend to be better at one or the other.
Air rifle for college is International air rifle, for men, 60 shots standing. Smallbore is 3X40 3 position, and 60 shot prone.
3P air rifle training can be useful for 3P smallbore training. But you will still need to spend a lot time with the smallbore. It is just different. There is recoil to manage, ammo and accuracy issues, etc....
As for traps, we have used commercial ones available at Champions choice, they work well. I also built one out of plywood. It is basically a shallow box, 48" high X 24" wide X 3" deep, with short legs to make it stand vertical. That is wide enough for two targets side by side in all thee positions. The back is 3/4" plywood with a thin piece of sheet metal layered over it. I cover the front with a sheet of cardboard and replace every few weeks as needed. Pellets go through the cardboard, flatten on the sheet metal and fall to the bottom trapped by the cardboard. I saw several local JROTC high school teams using similar home made stands and built one myself. Works great. Not sure if you really save a lot of money though unless you have the materials just laying around. A Daisy Trap is around $75. You will spend most of that on materials to build the one I described. You will just eliminate the problem of having to move it up and down for the three positions if you plan to do 3P training with the air rifle.
Also, what types of targets are used usually? i have seen 1 bull, 5 bull and 12 bull but forgot to ask my coach.
In the few matches that I've seen:
- 1 bull for the standing 10m AR
- 10 bull is used for 3P AR
Practicing on the 5 bull AR target is easier, because you don't have to change targets as often as if you were shooting 1 bull targets. But this also depends on the trap. Small traps may not hold the 5 bull target.
Tip, don't put the outer bulls close to the edge of the trap. I did once on a small trap. A pellet hit the frame of the trap, and a pellet fragment bounced back and hit me in the face. Good reminder of why I wear safety glasses. Or you could miss the trap itself and put a hole in the wall. After that, I now only use a 1 bull target in the small trap.
And I changed to a larger trap for 10m AP and AR, it is a 10x10 electrical box with a layer of duct seal. That isn't large enough for the 10 bull AR target, but large enough for the 1 bull AP target and the 5 bull AR target. My wife appreciates the quiet of the duct seal trap, as it is located right below where her TV is located. The sound of the pellet hitting the old metal trap bothered her TV watching.
- 1 bull for the standing 10m AR
- 10 bull is used for 3P AR
Practicing on the 5 bull AR target is easier, because you don't have to change targets as often as if you were shooting 1 bull targets. But this also depends on the trap. Small traps may not hold the 5 bull target.
Tip, don't put the outer bulls close to the edge of the trap. I did once on a small trap. A pellet hit the frame of the trap, and a pellet fragment bounced back and hit me in the face. Good reminder of why I wear safety glasses. Or you could miss the trap itself and put a hole in the wall. After that, I now only use a 1 bull target in the small trap.
And I changed to a larger trap for 10m AP and AR, it is a 10x10 electrical box with a layer of duct seal. That isn't large enough for the 10 bull AR target, but large enough for the 1 bull AP target and the 5 bull AR target. My wife appreciates the quiet of the duct seal trap, as it is located right below where her TV is located. The sound of the pellet hitting the old metal trap bothered her TV watching.
-
PatrickS916
- Posts: 52
- Joined: Mon Jun 03, 2013 3:20 pm
- Location: Central Virginia
Thanks, i made a trap today with some leftover wood and about 11 pounds of duct seal. it works surprisingly well compared to what i expected. also very quiet.GaryN wrote:In the few matches that I've seen:
- 1 bull for the standing 10m AR
- 10 bull is used for 3P AR
Practicing on the 5 bull AR target is easier, because you don't have to change targets as often as if you were shooting 1 bull targets. But this also depends on the trap. Small traps may not hold the 5 bull target.
Tip, don't put the outer bulls close to the edge of the trap. I did once on a small trap. A pellet hit the frame of the trap, and a pellet fragment bounced back and hit me in the face. Good reminder of why I wear safety glasses. Or you could miss the trap itself and put a hole in the wall. After that, I now only use a 1 bull target in the small trap.
And I changed to a larger trap for 10m AP and AR, it is a 10x10 electrical box with a layer of duct seal. That isn't large enough for the 10 bull AR target, but large enough for the 1 bull AP target and the 5 bull AR target. My wife appreciates the quiet of the duct seal trap, as it is located right below where her TV is located. The sound of the pellet hitting the old metal trap bothered her TV watching.
-
davidjohngoode
- Posts: 54
- Joined: Wed Aug 29, 2012 2:06 am
- Location: Cambridge
Practicing air rifle in your home on your own is great. But it cannot replace competition. college coaches will want to see how you perform in air rifle in shoulder to shoulder competition.
You should try to go to some area matches and get your feet wet.
You also should attend a Junior Olympic qualifying match every year you are eligible to do so. If you earn an invitation to the National Junior Olympics, there are many college coaches there who are recruiting for their teams.
You should try to go to some area matches and get your feet wet.
You also should attend a Junior Olympic qualifying match every year you are eligible to do so. If you earn an invitation to the National Junior Olympics, there are many college coaches there who are recruiting for their teams.