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April 6th, 2015
What’s the best part about the NRA Annual Meetings & Exhibits? Well, if you’re a kid (or a kid at heart), the answer is the indoor shooting range. Every year, the first place we visit at the NRA Show is the Air Gun Range operated by Pyramyd Air. There you can try out, for a nominal fee, many different kinds of air pistols and air rifles. It’s fun, and its great to see so many young people learning about marksmanship is a safe, supervised setting. (Photos courtesy Pyramyd Air.)
Arsenal of Air Guns
A host of air guns will be available to shoot under the guidance of qualified instructors. You can get your hands on new models from Air Arms, Air Venturi, AirForce, Beeman, Beretta, Benjamin, Crosman, Remington, Swiss Arms, Stoeger, Umarex USA, and Walther.
One of the rifles at the Air Gun Range, the Stoeger Arms X20S, even has a suppressor.
Pyramid Air-Sponsored Air Gun Range Hours and Location
The “Pyramyd Air” Air Gun range will be located in room 103 in Music City Center. The air gun range will be open the following hours:
Thursday, April 9: 2:00 p.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Friday, April 10: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Saturday, April 11: 8:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m.
Sunday, April 12: 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
March 22nd, 2015
Just a week after securing a third straight NCAA Rifle Championship, the West Virginia University (WVU) Rifle team has notched another impressive team victory. At the 2015 NRA Intercollegiate Rifle Club Championships, the Mountaineers just won the Smallbore Rifle competition, compiling an aggregate 2116 team score (out of a possible 2400). Now WVU hopes to win the combined Smallbore and Air Rifle events to secure the overall Championship.
After clenching the Smallbore Championship, the Mountaineers carry a 17-point lead into today’s Air Rifle competition at the USAMU’s facility at Fort Benning, Georgia. In second, with their eyes still on the Championship trophy, is Clemson University at 2099. Penn State rounds out the top three with 2084.
Photos courtesy NRA Competitive Shooting
March 19th, 2015
With the high price of reloading components, and the limited availability of .22 LR rimfire ammo, perhaps it’s time to consider an air rifle. Modern air rifles can be very accurate, and, the last time we checked, air was still free (the government hasn’t figured out how to tax air yet).
In the world of air rifles, you’ll find a huge range of products, from low-cost plinkers to $5000.00+ Olympic-class position rifles. If you’re looking for a high-quality air rifle in the $1200.00 range, consider the Air Arms S510 Xtra FAC. This versatile rifle received exceptionally high marks from Hard Air Magazine (HAM), a specialty website for air gunners. HAM’s editors gave the Air Arms S510 a 93% total score, the highest score of any air rifle the magazine has tested to date. Accuracy was outstanding with the heavier pellets in the standard HAM test range. HAM tested a .22 caliber version, but Air Arms also offers the S510 in .177 or .25 caliber. The .177 version is suitable for Field Target Competition.
CLICK HERE to Read Full Air Arms S510 Review. (Very Comprehensive).
February 19th, 2015
Here’s the best use of a convention center we’ve seen yet, thanks to the CMP. A section of the Phoenix Convention Center was transformed into an indoor shooting range for the 2015 JROTC Service Championship. This week (February 19-21), approximately 231 JROTC cadets will compete in Phoenix utilizing the CMP “Mobile Range”. This is a complete 60-station air rifle range that can be trucked from venue to venue and set up in a few hours. That’s pretty slick. Concurrently with the Phoenix event, USMC and NAVY JROTC cadets will be competing in Anniston, Alabama. Results from Phoenix and Anniston will be posted at on the CMP Competition Tracker webpage.
The CMP’s state-of-the art, mobile air gun range boasts 60 electronic MEGAlink targets produced in Norway. MEGAlink is the same target system used at CMP North and South stationary air ranges. The MEGAlink target “boxes” are each connected to a lift system than can raise and lower the targets for 3-position shooting. All of the components are designed so that the range can be quickly assembled by 3-4 workers. A large trailer can haul all 60 targets plus all the related monitors, computers, tables, chairs, and hardware in one load-out.
January 16th, 2015
It may be cold and wintry in Camp Perry, Ohio. But it’s warm inside — inside the Gary Anderson CMP Competition Center that is. And dozens of competitors will be there for the next three days (Jan. 16-18) at the Ninth Annual Camp Perry Open Air Gun Tournament.
The Camp Perry Open is one of the biggest mid-winter air gun events in the nation. This year’s match will include a three-position air rifle competition, a 60-shot standing air rifle event, a 60-shot Air Pistol event as well as a Clinic. The 3X20 plus final three-position air rifle competition will take place on Friday, 16 January 2015. A clinic for interested junior shooters will be held on Saturday afternoon. The 60-shot international events will be fired on Saturday and Sunday (January 17th and 18th).
Electronic Targets with Results Streamed Online
The Gary Anderson Center boasts state-of-the-art electronic targets that record scores the instant each shot is fired. Shot-by-shot feeds are then displayed online through as Live Target Images that can be viewed anywhere there is an Internet connection. CLICK HERE to See Live Target Feeds
How Electronic Targets Work
Each electronic target is equipped with four microphones — one in each corner of the target. As the pellet strikes the target, it generates a sound wave that propagates to the microphones. The sound waves are used to determine the shot location by calculating the amount of time it takes for the sound to reach the microphones. That’s physics so the results are precise — machine-calculated shot locations are accurate to one hundredth of a millimeter.
January 10th, 2015
Mark your calendars for the “Mother of all Airgun Matches”. The 33rd Annual Canadian Airgun Grand Prix, the largest airgun competition in North America, will be held in Toronto on February 6 – 8, 2015. Competitors from several countries will be in attendance. All events will take place in the International Plaza Hotel conveniently located only 5 kms from the Toronto Pearson airport.
70-Position Shooting Range with Electronic Targets for Finals
The main shooting range for the Canadian Airgun Grand Prix features 70 positions for air rifle and air pistol, including positions designated for access by adaptive athletes, with electric target carriers on all positions. This will provide state-of-the-art hardware for the competitors.
See How Electronic Targets Work:
The Grand Prix Finals will be shot on SIUS electronic targets and will follow the new ISSF format. The top 8 in each of the Men’s and the Women’s events, including International Juniors and Sub-juniors will compete in Finals to determine the “Open” winners. For more info and updates, visit the Canadian Airgun Grand Prix Facebook Page. Competitors can register at: http://nfap.ca/cagp/cagp.nsf.
December 12th, 2014
Think 3-position shooting is a dull game? You may think differently after watching this “must-see” video from the 2014 European Shooting Championship in Moscow. Great imagery, superb editing, and a stirring sound-track combine into one of the most uplifting shooting videos we’ve seen. If you love competitive shooting, you should watch this video, which features dynamic movement and fast cuts, like a movie trailer. Most footage is from the Women’s Air Rifle competition, but Men’s Air Pistol events are also featured. We recommend viewing in Full-Screen HD. Enjoy!
Watch Video from European Shooting Championship (Movie Trailer Style):
NOTE: Click the Full-Screen Icon to Watch in 720p or 1080p High-Definition.
This video was compiled for the 2014 European Shooting Confederation Championship in Moscow, Russia. This video was posted on the Russian Shooting Union (RSU) YouTube Channel. Music is “Fire of Zeus” by Ryan Amon.
December 9th, 2014
 Do you shoot an air rifle or air pistol? Want to test your skills against other shooters across the country? Then sign up for a fun new “Aces” postal match in January. The CMP’s inaugural “Aces” postal match offers airgun marksman a nation-wide competition with Air Rifle, Air Pistol, and Para-Air Rifle/Air Pistol events. Match Registration opens on January 1, 2015 for the initial January-March (Q1) match period.
COURSE OF FIRE
All 3×20 courses of fire are 20 shots prone, 20 shots standing, and 20 shots kneeling in integer format while all other rifle courses of fire are 60 shots in decimal format. All PPP courses of fire are 40 shots with the rest of the pistol events in 60 shots, both in integer format.
Special “Aces” Event Poker Chips — One Per Quarter
Every competitor in the CMP “Aces” Postal Match will receive a specially- designed participation poker chip. There will be a different color each quarter, so collect all four!
Quarterly matches can be shot on Orion paper targets or electronic targets. Orion targets must be requested from the CMP and will be mailed to participants. All Orion targets must be returned for scoring at CMP. Current National Standard Three-Position Air Rifle Rules and USA Shooting Air Rifle and Pistol rules apply. CLICK HERE for more information and schedules.
Modern competition air rifles are decidedly high-tech. Check out this Feinwerkbau:
December 3rd, 2014
The 2015 NRA National Indoor Rifle & Pistol Championships start January 1, 2015. Unlike the NRA’s National Matches at Camp Perry, the Indoor Championships are shot as a postal match, through multiple sectional tournaments all across the country. This means you can join the action from the comfort of your local range. The scores from shooters around the nation are compared by the NRA, which names the winners in each classification.
The Indoor Rifle & Pistol Championships include a variety of disciplines: Air Pistol, Rimfire Pistol, Air Rifle, and Rimfire Rifles. There is even a BB gun class for Juniors. The Indoor Championships involve multiple sectional tournaments, held in a variety of states from January through mid-April. This is like a super-duper postal match. Winners will be announced by the NRA in late May. There will be nearly 300 sectionals in 2014, so you’ll probably find an event close to home. Here are dates for 2013:
Open Sectionals: 1/1 – 3/18 | Collegiate Sectionals: 1/1 – 2/12 | JR. Sectionals: 1/1 – 4/15
The 50m Free Pistol is one of the events in the NRA National Indoor Championship. It takes skill — the pistol is shot one-handed, with iron sights, and the Ten-Ring is only 50mm (about 1.97″) in diameter. A competitive world-class score is 560 or better out of 600 possible points. Learn more about this challenging discipline in this USA Shooting video:
Story based on report in NRA Blog.
November 6th, 2014
Here’s an interesting video about three-position shooting. Produced by GOnra Media, this video demonstrates rifle hold and body alignment for prone, standing, sitting, and kneeling positions. Olympic Gold Medalist Jamie Gray demonstrates the proper stance and position of arms and legs for each of the positions. Ideally, in all of the shooting positions, the shooter takes advantage of skeletal support. The shooter should align the bones of his/her arms and legs to provide a solid foundation. A shooter’s legs and arms form vertical planes helping the body remain stable in the shooting position.
Olympic Gold Medalist Jamie Gray Demonstrates Shooting Positions
Images are stills from GOnraMedia video linked above.
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