Shooting Range

Test Your Shooting Skills with Skeet

September 28, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Skeet shooting is a gun shooting game that is much like the sport of trap shooting. With skeet shooting you use two trap houses instead of one, like in trap shooting. It uses the same “birds”, also known as, clay pellets as the targets. There is a trap house at the left of the trap field and one at the right of the trap field. They are respectively called the “high house” and the “low house”.

The way the targets are thrown out is at a set angle. The low-house clay birds start at about three feet from the ground and the high-house birds are thrown ten feet from he ground. They each fly in opposite directions.

Like, the sport of trap, there are groups or squads of five shooters. There are eight positions on the field of skeet. Seven of the positions are numbered one through seven starting from the left and moving towards the right. They are stationed in a half circle on the field. The last position, eight, is in the center between the high house and the low house. This position is the most difficult to hit the birds, but it’s also the positions that most shooters love because of the challenge.

There are 25 targets that are thrown in one round of skeet. You don’t know if you are going to get a single target in your position or double targets from both trap houses. Two targets are thrown from each house, resulting in 16 single birds. Now, here is where things get a little tricky. One round can also be a total of eight clay targets being thrown as four double-targets. This happens from the first, second, sixth and seventh position. If you miss the first target you can repeat it and this is called, “the optional.” After 24 shots, if there are no misses, then the optional that was repeated is considered a single target. This usually happens from the eighth position.

Skeet is a very popular shooting sport and it’s rewarding too because the challenge is pretty intense.

Like a Challenge When Shooting? Try the Game of Sporting Clays

September 25, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Sporting clays is a great game for those who love a challenge and those who are shooters that are looking to get better experience at field shooting. With sporting clays, the shooter is thrown into a mix of clay target situations on the field. There are many ways the targets are thrown to simulate what real game birds would do. Game birds will cross each other, come will come in at sharp angles and some will come in flushing. There are a huge variety of flight paths and this game will give you the best experience at shooting these birds.

There are at least five stations for shooting in this game and the game is set in a field, where the shooter moves from station to station until they have finished the entire course. The fun and very challenging part is that the shooter has no idea how the target will be thrown. Some targets may be thrown right after one another; some will be thrown in pairs at the same time or pairs that come right after one another. Still, the shooter may get thrown a single target as well. It’s unpredictable, which makes it just as real as game birds.

The challenges don’t stop there. In other games, the target is usually a standard size. But, in sporting clays, the targets can be smaller and vary in size and they might be shaped to fly differently as well. For example, one target might skitter once it hits the ground.

A full round in sporting clays consists of 50 to 100 clay targets. This depends, of course, on whether there are only five stations or if there are more. It also depends on whether there are single targets or pairs. With sporting clays you can use a low gun approach or you can choose to use a pre-mounted approach.
If you are serious about this sport and you want to improve your sharpness and ability to react, then this is the game to get there. It’s challenging, but like anything” just practice!

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: Recreation, shooting, Sporting clays

The Art of Rifle Gun Sports and a Review of the Games

September 21, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Most rifle gun sports are considered to be a work of precise marksmanship. Bench rest shooting is one that falls into this category without question.

In a bench rest match, a rifle sits on a front and rear rest and is fired from a shooting bench. There are about 5 to 10 rounds in a match. Each round is a single target that creates a considerable group.

The significant part of the match is the size of the group. The game is not scored by targets on the ring. The goal of bench rest is to get five consistent shots into one hole. The “commence fire” order is announced and then the shooter has seven minutes to shoot the round. They get twelve minutes if it is a 10 round. The hole is the same diameter as the bullet, so you can see how the game requires such precision.

Then there is the rifle gun game of silhouette. Most target games will use targets made of paper and they will have scoring rings. But, with silhouette the targets are metallic and they come in different shapes. They are shot at many distances and can go as far as 500 meters.

With silhouette, the targets make direct results. Even if there is a miss, you can see the result. In this game, the shooter gets up to two and half minutes for their five round.

Position shooting is another game. In this game, the shooters have to fire from different positions during the match. There are various match stages as well. Generally, a position shooting match will have various distances shot from each position.
The target in position shooting is a bull’s eye and it is scored with rings that have numbers. There is a variety of time that the shooter has depending on were the shooter is firing from.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: Gun, Recreation, Rifle

The Challenge of Handgun Sports

September 18, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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There is a thrill that comes with shooting along with confidence and pride of skill. When it comes to shooting and especially handgun shooting, the shooter must have patience, determination and excellent precision. Shooting requires concentration and the ability to take on anything. There are three main games that those who are skilled at handguns will participate in. They are Action shooting, Silhouette shooting and Precision shooting.

In action shooting the speed that the shooters can hit the targets are calculated. The competitor starts from a stage where the handgun is steadily secured. With action shooting the targets may still or moving. In the actual action matches there can be scored targets as well as falling targets in the same game.

Silhouette shooting is done with metallic targets that are a put at various measurements. It’s like a shooting range on a really big scale. To score this game, the shooter is simply calculated by how they hit the targets off the stand.

In precision shooting, the game is just as it sounds… precise! This is a very insistent and challenging sport and it is why most handgun shooters love it. With precision handgun shooting, the competitors can only use one hand to shoot. With other shooting sports, like rifle gun shooting, the shooter uses both hands. This is why handgun precision shooting is often considered the most trying.

The targets fly from 10 meters to 50 meters. It is very difficult, as only one hand is allowed for use. Precision shooting ranks as one of the most well-liked handgun sports now.

With all of these sports, there are newcomer programs for those that are just beginning. There are various guns to shoot with as well as games. Many shooting ranges will offer newbie competitions and programs at all levels.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range, Sports Tagged With: Gun, Handgun, Recreation

A Brush Up on the Safety Rules In Shooting Sports

September 14, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

These are simple rules and most are commonsensical, but sometimes they are forgotten. This is a quick reminder on the rules that will allow you to continue to enjoy shooting sports, while staying safe.

Most of the shooting sports have the same rules. If you are new to shooting or a frequent shooter, you will have taken classes and reviewed these in more depth. The rules below will apply to most skeet, sporting clays, rifle, handgun and trapshooting games.

1. Keep you rifle, handgun, or shotgun aimed in a safe direction at all times.
2. Remember that a gun may still be loaded, so check the chambers when you pick up a gun to be sure its empty.
3. The actions on rifles and shotguns should always be open, unloaded and aimed in a direction away from others.
4. Have a holster for your handgun and make sure that is strongly secured within it.
5. When you load your gun, be sure you are at a loading station and nowhere else! Also, be careful to load the RIGHT ammunition as the wrong type can cause an explosion.
6. If you are using a trapshooter, then load at the post and leave the action open when leaving.
7. When you are at the range, be sure your eyes and ears are protected with safety goggles and ear protection.
8. Always unload your gun when you leave the station, field, shooting house or range.
9. Keep your fingers away from the trigger until you are commanded to shoot.

Last but not least, in the event there is a misfire, be sure to keep the gun pointed downward and wait at least 30 seconds before continuing to avoid a dangerous situation.

Shooting is fun, challenging sport, but it some with great danger if it is not approached in a safe, responsible manner. Following these rules will allow you a more enjoyable time on the range. Happy shooting!

Filed Under: Safety Precautions, Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: Gun, Recreation, sport shooting

Safety Issues with Gun Locks

September 7, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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Gun locks, also referred to as trigger locks are the locks that keep the trigger from going off. The intent of these locks is to keep the gun from firing in the event a child or youn inexperienced user gets a hold of the gun. They are rising in popularity, especially since so many people are carrying guns in their homes for protection. But, some people are feeling that gun locks might have a dangerous side to them.

It’s not common, but it does happen that accidental firings go off and kills someone. When it does happen, it is spread all over the news and you hear of it. But, it’s not so often that you hear of these cases. There are many more car incidents, fire accidents, and drowning accidents noted with children then there are firearm incidents.

In fact, it’s more likely that an adult will accidentally fire a gun than a child will. The cause of these accidents is largely due to substance abuse. This is where the problem with gun locks lie. They don’t prevent an adult from using the gun.
Even further than that is when an adult does need to use the gun. In an emergency case, like a burglar breaking into the home, the gun lock may stall the time it takes for the victim to protect himself. First off, most guns must be unloaded to put the gun lock on. Secondly, the time it takes to remove the gun lock and then load the gun may be valuable time that the burglar can make a real threat. Because of this delay, police officers find themselves getting to the scene when it is too late and the burglar has already committed the crime.

Gun locks are great to use as a protection against children firing the guns accidentally. But, another option is a gun safe that allows you to keep your kids from seeing the gun, but also allows you quick access to a gun that is ready to go when needed.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: Gun, Gun Control, Trigger lock

The Birth of Clay Shooting

September 3, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

In the mid 1800s, people in England were drawn to the fame of glass ball. It was also played in various parts of America. But, it never took off like clay shooting did.

In the later 1800s the most popular shooting games were pheasant shooting and grouse shooting. They were mostly played in the United Kingdom. Then came the birth of clay shooting, which is the sport of being able to shoot at specific flying targets. These targets are the clay. It’s since become a huge popular shooting sport and comes with great history.

It was around 1885 that the first clay target was brought into the game of shooting. This was considered to be a great shift in shooting.

In the Victorian gatherings, shooters would use birds as their targets for shooting. At this time, they began to shoot birds and commence the shooting of clay targets into their hunting games.

But, not only did people play shooting games as a fun sport, they began to practice their shooting and develop their shooting as a skill. They even had schools and organizations where people could practice. The shooting schools that were in London were the first to create the traps and stations that most shooting ranges and fields have today. They did this so that random firings could go off without being predicted, just like real hunting. The sport became so popular that there were tournaments. It was in London that these tournaments became a sport event that crowds were coming to view.

From then on, clay shooting grew to all parts of the world, including France and the U.S. By 1927, more and more contraptions were being made to facilitate the sport. The challenge of the sport is so appealing to people that more games were created from clay shooting and it still continues to grow.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: France, London, sport shooting

Shooting Glasses with a Prescription

September 1, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

Any shooter knows that it can feel like a big inconvenience to wear their regular prescription glasses and then find appropriate shooting glasses to fit over them. It’s not an easy task. When the sport you are playing requires such precision and coordination, you need your vision and you need to feel comfortable.

So, the better way to go is to get shooting glasses with a prescription in them already. They can be expensive and they can be hard to find, but hopefully this article will make it easier for you.

You have a few choices to make. You can get shooting glasses made custom with your prescription by going to an eye center that makes glasses or even going to the manufacturer of the shooting glasses of your choice. This is the more expensive option and can run you a couple hundred dollars at the least. It can even go as high as five hundred dollars depending on the style you choose. Many glasses are designed for a specific shooting sport, so the price can be affected there as well.

You can also get an insert in the shooting glasses that you can take on and off where the line of vision is. For this, you can use any pair of shooting glasses that you can find in the store, rather than having them specially made.

If you go with the shooting glasses that are produced in large quantities for stores, it will be less expensive and the changeable insert will be less as well.

Like most regular glasses, you can have them made for whatever your vision correction needs. People have different needs based on what kind of gun they are shooting and what sport. The type of vision they have is also a concern. Some have standard issues to be corrected and some have anything from bi-focal to tri-focal needs to be fixed. Whatever your needs are, get them taken care of so you can have the most enjoyable shooting experience.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: eyeglasses, Shopping, Vision

Airsoft Gun Basics–Airsoft Shotguns

August 15, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

In real life, shotguns are used by SWAT teams, hunters, and prison guards. They’re only good over a short range, and are designed to do lots of damage over a short, wide range. This makes for a mental perception of shotguns that is hard to shake: shotguns are street sweepers, not precision weapons. However, with airsoft guns, that is decidedly false.

It’s easy for airsoft players to have misconceptions about shotguns. Given the pre-battle choice between say, an M-16 assault rifle and a Hardball II pump shotgun, many amateurs would go for the rifle synonymous with frontline action, over the short barreled shotgun. But take a look at the stats:

An M-16 airsoft rifle fires .12 gram bbs at a velocity of roughly 200 feet per second (FPS). It’s magazine can hold up to 200 rounds. The rifle weighs 2.75 lbs, and is 38 inches long. Firing is achieved by pulling a spring handle located above and behind the trigger, just above the butt of the gun.

A Super Hardball II shotgun fires .20 gram bbs at between 220 and 263 FPS. The smaller .12 bbs are lighter, and hence are more susceptible to wind and less accurate. .20 bbs are heavier and fly straighter. The Hardball only holds 30 rounds in it’s magazine, and weighs 1.75 lbs, with a length of 21 inches. Easier to wield, it’s rate of fire is three times faster than that of the M-16, even if it does hold fewer rounds. The Hardball has the added bonus of multiple shots. Each time the gun is pumped, another round is chambered. If the shotgun is pumped three times and then fired, three bbs will be fired. It can operate as a stereotypical sweeper or a precision weapon.

Rifles usually have longer range, but are clumsy and often awkward to carry into an airsoft battle. Spring rifles don’t have nearly the rate of fire needed to mount an assault. The smaller, faster shotgun makes for a much better weapon to carry into combat. Shooting hard and quick, it’s a sure way to victory.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: Airsoft, Assault rifle, Guns

Airsoft Gun Basics–Gas Pistols

August 13, 2010 By admin Leave a Comment

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In airsoft, spring-powered guns are the weapon of choice, especially in recreational use. “professionals” tend to utilize high-powered AEGs (automatic electric guns), powered by serious battery packs. The middle of the road however, is gas-powered airsoft guns.

While there are as many types of gas guns as there are of any other kind of airsoft guns, this article focuses of handguns; pistols, powered by gas. The most common propellants used are CO2, carbon dioxide, and Green Gas (propane). Green Gas is favored in low-temperature climates, because it allows guns to cycle faster. Other propellants tend to bog down. CO2 is much easier to come by, and and cheaper. The cartridges are more manageable as well. Less commonly used is Red Gas, chlorodifluoromethane in reality., which is harder to find. The first airsoft guns made out of Japan in the 1980s utilized a liquid propellant, dichlorodifluoromethane, (commonly called R-12, or known by Freon-12, it’s brand name).

Even the lowest-end gas gun is more effective than the best spring rifle on the airsoft field. The WE 1911, a gas pistol using Green Gas, fires a bb at 320 feet per second. A top-grade spring sniper rifle fires at 400 FPS, just 80 FPS faster.

Gas powered pistols have two extras working in their favor on the playing field. One, gas guns are semi-automatic; unlike spring guns, they don’t have to be cocked for each shot. This makes for a much higher rate of fire. Two, they make a very audible noise when they are fired, especially if they are blowback guns (the slide recoils, the same as a real pistol), striking fear in opponents’ hearts. It’s one thing to hear the click of a spring gun firing a round off; quite another to hear the blam blam blam of a gas gun.

Games that feature players with spring, gas, or electric weapons tend to be decidedly unfair, but often do happen in amateur skirmishes. While victory still comes down to being a better shot than an opponent, stronger and faster guns can often take the day. It’s important to remember that airsoft is still an “on your honor” game, and that packing a stronger gun in a low-power game in unfriendly.

Filed Under: Shooting, Shooting Range Tagged With: Airsoft gun, Handgun, Semi-automatic firearm