Pyramyd Air, the leading online airgun retailer, has developed two smart phone Apps for airgun shooters and airsoft shooters. Pyramyd’s FREE Air Wizard App is offered for both Apple iPhones (go to: iTunes Store) and Android OS phones (go to: Android App Market).
Pyramid Apps Calculate Projectile Energy, and Do Conversions
The Air Wizard Apps calculate muzzle energy (based on projectile weight and observed velocity). The Apps can do a host of conversions: foot-pounds to joules, joules to foot-pounds, grams to grains and grains to grams, pounds to pounds and ounces, feet to yards, yards to feet, meters to yards, yards to meters, Fahrenheit to Celsius, Celsius to Fahrenheit, FPS (feet per second) to MPS (meters per second) and MPS to FPS. Most of these calculations work for all gun types — airguns, firearms and airsoft.
Special Functions for Airsoft Guns
For airsoft guns, the Apps offer additional computations including determining joules, meters per second (MPS), feet per second (FPS), kilometers per hour and battery time for auto-electric guns (AEG).
Additional Air Rifle Information from Pyramyd Air
Pyramyd Air provides professional product videos from Airgun Reporter Paul Capello. Pyramyd’s Tom Gaylord, a.k.a. B.B. Pelletier writes a highly respected daily Blog, the Pyramyd Air Report. Pyramyd also provides instructional videos through its online Airgun Academy.
American Airgunner is the first and only television show about airgun shooting sports. This cable TV show features a wide range of airgunning interests, including hunting, competitive shooting, and plinking. American Airgunner has signed a 52-week 2013 agreement with Pursuit Channel to help anchor its “Friday Night Firepower” line-up of shows with all-new episodes. American Airgunner will air Friday at 8:30 pm (EST), and again Wednesdays at 4:30 pm (EST). (Check local listings for other times.)
“2013 is already a good year for American Airgunner. We have a primetime slot on America’s largest outdoors network” said Justin Biddle, exec. producer of the show. Episodes this year will include airguns for Olympic-style competition, large- and small-game hunting, training, and backyard fun shooting. This year’s shows will also feature industry experts explaining airgun technologies and airgun history.
Airgunner Challenge — Test Your Skills
American Airgunner TV Show is seeking competitors “with strong personalities” for the 2013 Airgunner Challenge. Chosen challengers will vie for a $5000.00 top prize. You don’t need professional training in the shooting sports, just be in good physical shape and confident in your shooting abilities. Apply soon — Deadline is February 22, 2013. CLICK HERE for more information.
Congrats to 2012 Olympian Sarah Scherer who set an NCAA record with a 597 in smallbore this past weekend in a showdown with UTEP Rifle Team. She also tied the NCAA record with a 1,195 aggregate in leading the defending NCAA Champion TCU Women’s Rifle Team to their 22nd consecutive victory.
Sarah shot her record scores at a match at UTEP on Saturday. The TCU Horned Frogs topped the UTEP Miners 4,694-4,511. Sarah Scherer set an NCAA record in smallbore, firing a 597. Scherer added a 598 in air rifle to tie the NCAA Aggregate record with a combined 1,195. In smallbore, Sarah shot a perfect 200 in prone, a 199 in standing and a 198 in kneeling. In air rifle, she fired five perfect strings of 100, including the final four strings. Her lone 9s came in the second string of shots when she shot a 98.
Scherer’s record-breaking smallbore shooting lead TCU to victory in the rimfire competition, with the Horned Frogs winning 2,335-2,223 over UTEP. TCU had the top four smallbore shooters, and TCU also boasted five of the top six shooters in air rifle to help TCU to a 2,359-2,288 win. TCU will fire one more match before the NCAA Championships in March.
SHOT Show 2013 has been underway since Monday. This show seems bigger than ever, and the sheer number of noteworthy products on display is mind-boggling. We’ve seen some remarkable new scopes from Nightforce, Kahles, and IOR-Valdada. Dave Kiff at PT&G has some “game-changing” new products. Winchester’s new 17 Win Super Mag rimfire cartridge has generated lots of interest, and Savage showed off its new B.MAG bolt action chambered for the new cartridge.
Here’s a quick sample of some cool or interesting products we saw in action on Media Day or on display inside the Sands Convention Center. We’ll do more complete write-ups/reviews once we “back to the office” and have a change to digest spec sheets and edit video. But please enjoy this photo “sampler” from SHOT Show 2013.
New Kahles 10-50X Competition Scope, with Central (big wheel) Parallax Adjustment
New Savage B.MAG Rifle Chambered in 17 Win Super Mag Rimfire
Prototype “Tinkertoy” Benchrest Rifle from McMillan Built on “Alias” Action
New Datum Dial Ammunition Measurement System from Forster Products
New .338 Lapua Magnum Action and Complete .338 LM Rifles from Kelbly’s
New Savage Bolt from PT&G with User-Adjustable Spring Tension
Futuristic $22K Tracking-Point Rifle System with Automatic Ranging, Ballistic Calculation, and Aiming Solution
New .375 Caliber, 350 grain, ultra-high-BC Match-King Bullet from Sierra
Vectronix Laser Rangefinder Units ($1995.00 – $8510.00)
Air Arms S400 Multi-Purpose Rifles (Regular and Biathlon Models)
Accuracy Int’l PSR Multi-Caliber Rifle System — ‘Takedown Edition’ in .338 LM
Kruger of Germany produces match targets for the ISSF and major World Championships. Kruger’s quality control is second to none. Now officially-licensed NRA targets are available from Kruger Premium Targets in the USA. With elite competitions being decided by thousandths of an inch in shot placement, shouldn’t your club use the best-quality targets available? Kruger targets are made from premium-grade paper to permit precise, reliable measurements. For example, to ensure that target holes do not have irregular edges, Kruger’s NRA Air Rifle and Air Pistol targets are printed on machine-smoothed 210 gram board made from short-fiber materials. Mike Krei, Director of the NRA’s Competitive Shooting Division, has stated: “It is generally accepted that Kruger has the best heavy pulp target paper in the world and that directly relates to the excellent clean bullet holes which are essential for precise scoring.”
Kruger offers the full array of official NRA air rifle, air pistol, international pistol, and smallbore targets. In addition, Kruger sells photo-realistic Animal Targets, plus a cool series of Fun Targets for plinking and informal practice. Kruger targets can be ordered online through www.Kruger-US-Targets.com or you can call Kruger’s USA distributor, MK Tactical, at (503) 746-6816. MK Tactical is located in Hillsborough, OR.
Our friend and product tester Joe Friedrich is the proud owner of a spectacular front rest from James Pappas. This rest is used for both air rifle and rimfire benchrest matches. The fancy Pappas front rest is a shortened, front-support-only version of the Pappas one-piece rest, which is popular with rimfire benchresters. Pappas engineered this rest to comply with air rifle benchrest rules which do not allow use of integrated (one-piece) front and rear rests. The end result was a 30.8-lb masterpiece of machining.
The workmanship on this Pappas front rest is astounding. Accurately described as a “work of art” by Joe Friedrich, this rest, crafted of aircraft-grade aluminum, sets new standards for “Benchrest BLING”. It looks like it should be on display in an art museum. Nearly all components of this rest, including the adjustment controls, have been polished to a mirror finish.
Convenient Rear Windage and Elevation Controls
The Pappas front rest features separate fine-tuning controls for windage and elevation, plus a central gross-elevation control. Normally, once the rest is centered-up on the target, you can make all needed elevation and windage adjustments with the rear (fine-adjustment) controls. In the video below, Joe explains how the controls work as he practices with his modified Theoben Rapid MFR air rifle. Joe hopes to use this new Pappas rest in the upcoming Air Rifle Benchrest Worlds to be held in South Carolina this summer. (Note: In the last minute of the video, the back-lighting was so intensely bright that we lost detail in the foreground. We apologize for that flaw, but you can still hear the audio.)
Price for this Masterpiece? Don’t Ask…
If you are interested in getting a similar rest, visit PappasRimfireProducts.com, or call James Pappas directly at (817) 735-9883. Be forewarned — James said “If you need to ask about the price, you probably can’t afford it.” This is truly the “Rolls-Royce” of front rests, and it will be priced accordingly.
Airguns are fun and inexpensive to shoot. During the winter you can practice indoors, developing skills you can use in smallbore and centerfire competition. If you want to get a quality air rifle for fun shooting or competition, save money by ordering through Pyramid Air, which has the largest inventory of air guns in the USA.
10% Off for Clubs, Camps, and Trainers
Pyramid Air currently offers a 10% off promotion for NRA clubs, camps, and trainers. The 10% discount applies to quality air guns, ammo, and accessories. To get the 10% discount, qualified purchasers simply enter coupon code PYRAMYD-NRA during the check-out process. You can choose from a huge selection of top brands such as: Evanix, Hammerli, Beeman, Air Arms, AirForce Airguns, IZH-Baikal, Walther, RWS, Gamo, Crosman, Daisy, Benjamin, Sheridan, Marksman, Mendoza, Remington, Beretta, Colt, S&W, Winchester, Sam Yang, Sumatra, Webley & Scott, Weihrauch, Feinwerkbau (FWB) and many more. NOTE: This 10% discount cannot be combined with free shipping and some items are excluded.
The great thing about shooting a precision air rifle is that you can practice indoors, for example in your garage or basement. All you need is a lighted room with an uninterrupted run of 10 meters (32.8 feet) and a secure backstop. Champion’s Choice, www.champchoice.com, has a neat, turn-key solution for Airgun shooters. The Gehmann 10 meter Target Set (item 180LP) offers everything you need for your own 10 meter shooting station. The set includes:
– Target holder (attaches to transport lines)
– Pellet trap with transporter wheel
– Transporter drive and cables
– Crank Drive wheel, v-belt, and mount
You can place the pellet trap against any solid backstop, and mount the drive wheel to a secure bench or platform at a convenient height. The entire manual system shown above costs $175.00. Note, Gehmann also makes a motorized 10m airgun target changer (model 182). It’s made for 230v only, and to get one in the USA, you’d probably have to special order it. Still, it’s pretty slick as you can see:
Better Targets for Better Airgun Scores
Champion’s Choice and PilkGuns.com also sell German-made Edelmann 10m air rifle and air pistol targets, the best available. These high-grade targets are printed on the finest cross-grain card stock so pellets punch clean, clear holes. This allows easier, more reliable scoring.
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson in NRAblog
Earlier this month, junior air rifle shooters from Georgia faced off against counterparts in Germany during an “internet match” that allowed both teams to keep track of their opponents scores in real-time. The two teams were 4,000 miles apart, but they competed simultaneously, with scores from both countries posted instantly (in both venues) via internet connections.
Each shooter was ranked and paired against the corresponding member of the opposing team – like golf’s Ryder Cup. Instead of a team aggregate determining the outcome, countries earned points for beating their opponents.
The US team was set up at the Ole Mill Range in Griffin, Georgia, while their German opponents were shooting from from Untergrombach, Baden-Wuerttemberg, in southern Germany. American and German teams, separated by 4,000 miles and a six hour time difference, came together on a fall day to shoot a fun match between one another – simultaneously. Instead of waiting for results from one another and shooting on different days, it was great to see the two groups work out schedules that allowed competition as if they were all at the same range.
Instead of a normal 60-shot standing match, the two ranges agreed to tweak the rules to the head-to-head format for a little international fun. All shooters still shot in the same relay with scores reported as they came in and “wins” were counted after each pair had finished.
How did the US team fare? I’m sure they’ve seen better days. Outshot in all but one match, the United States lost to Germany 3-1. Despite the defeat, this match was a great example of the shooting sport’s international strength. This “internet match” opened all kinds of doors for future matches between not only different countries, but different states within the USA. The ease of communication through computers can really help the shooting sports expand with a web of competitions the world over.
The 9th edition of the National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules has just been released. The new 2012-2014 rulebook goes into effect immediately. Digital versions of the new Rulebook can be downloaded from the CMP website in eZine Format or Adobe PDF Format. NOTE: All changes from the previous rules are underlined in the Rulebook so new rules can easily be identified.
The 2012-2014 National Standard Rulebook has several rules that were changed to keep national 3-position air rifle rules in line with what competitors will see in USAS/ISSF rules at larger competitions. The ISSF is changing its rules for 10m and 50m rifle and pistol events to have separate “preparation and sighting” periods before record or competition firing begins. Since this will become the new international standard, the Council decided that junior position air rifle competitors in the U. S. should use the same procedures.
Here are some of the other notable rule changes (this is only a partial list; consult Rulebook for all changes!):
Rule 2.4 – LOAD
The command “LOAD” is no longer given before “START” in regular competitions. The command “LOAD” is still given prior to “START” in finals. This change reflects the fact that there is a separate preparation and sighting time before record fire. The command “START” allows competitors to continue to prepare their positions and then load and fire when they are ready to start firing sighters.
Rule 4.1.7 – 600 FPS Velocity Restriction
The new rules clarify that match directors do not have to check rifle velocities unless they feel a rifle was altered to be a “high velocity” rifle. It also recognized that using non-lead pellets may produce velocities slightly above the 600 fps maximum.
Rule 7.16 – Malfunctions
No extra time will be given for a malfunction or malfunction repair. An athlete may repair a rifle after notifying the Range Officer or a replacement rifle may be authorized by the Range Officer if there is physical evidence that the malfunction cannot be repaired. Additional sighting shots may be allowed if the athlete must get out of position to facilitate the repair, but only within the remaining shooting time. This change is [made] to eliminate delays caused by giving shooters extra time for malfunctions that frequently throw matches off schedule.
Pyramyd Air, the leading online airgun retailer, has developed two smart phone Apps for airgun shooters and airsoft shooters. Pyramyd’s FREE Air Wizard App is offered for both Apple iPhones (go to: iTunes Store) and Android OS phones (go to: Android App Market).
Kruger of Germany produces match targets for the ISSF and major World Championships. Kruger’s quality control is second to none. Now officially-licensed NRA targets are available from 
Airguns are fun and inexpensive to shoot. During the winter you can practice indoors, developing skills you can use in smallbore and centerfire competition. If you want to get a quality air rifle for fun shooting or competition, save money by ordering through 
Story based on report by Kyle Jillson in 
The 9th edition of the National Standard 
