For all those aspiring Air Pistol shooters here's some general 'Gyan' that may come handy.
SELECTING THE RIGHT AIR PISTOL
Selecting the right air pistol is not as easy as buying something off the shelf. It’s worth considering the following points simply because it has to suit you. Its weight, grip and a certain comfort level when you point and aim. But where do you find one of these contraptions? They can be kind of strange-looking when compared with most air pistols. Your best bet is to keep searching, to find exactly what you need. Here are some points to consider:
1. Minimum Weight: 1500gms (3.31 lbs) including all accessories (balancing weights, unloaded magazine, etc.
2. Minimum Trigger Pull Weight: 500gms (1.1 lbs)
3. Ported barrels and perforated barrel attachments are allowed.
4. Grips may be adjustable, but no part of the gun or grip may touch any part of the wrist.
5. The heel rest must extend at an angle of not less than 90 degrees to the grip.
6. Any upward curvature of the heel and/or thumb rest and/or a downward curvature of the side opposite the thumb is prohibited.
7. The thumb rest must allow free upward movement of the thumb.
8.The grip must not encircle the hand.
9. Curved surfaces on the grips or frame in the longitudinal direction of the pistol are permitted.
GRIPPING THE PISTOL
Your grips must provide you with firm purchase on (and good control of) the gun, and must be comfortable. Many grips are adjustable so you can customize the fit to your hand. This is very important, since you will be shooting with only one hand, and must be able to hold the gun steady. Your grip must also be consistent, because the slightest variation in the strength of your grip may cause substantial loss of accuracy.
TRIGGER CONTROL
As in all types of shooting, the way you squeeze the trigger can greatly affect your accuracy. You may want to experiment, placing your finger a little differently on the trigger until you find a position that gives you the utmost control and consistency.
BLINDERS
When you use sights to shoot a pistol, you use only one eye, and the other eye can be a problem. Squinting tires you fast, causing tension in your facial muscles and resulting in loss of concentration and consistency. For that reason, many shooters wear special glasses or blinders, to cover their non-aiming eye. To give this a try you can simply cover one side of your shooting glasses with something like dark paper or opaque tape. You need to be wearing eye protection anyhow, so a simple modification to the glasses ought to be very easy. You may also wear a cap, visor, or headband with a side blinder on it, no more than 40mm (1.57") deep.
PELLET SELECTION
For precise shooting such as this, you will likely want to get some high quality pellets for your air pistol. Points to consider include consistency in a number of areas, such as diameter, weight, and shape. Try a variety of pellets, to discover what works best in your particular gun.
GET THE RIGHT TARGETS
For practice, you can often find downloadable/printable targets online at little or no cost. Print them out, make sure they printed at the correct size, and get busy practicing. For official events you will need to make sure the targets you use are "official," and conform entirely with guidelines specific to that event.
PRACTICE
You will need to find a suitable place to practice your shooting. It's going to take a lot of practice to become good enough for any serious shooting competition and finding the right place for that is essential. A good place to begin would be one of the member clubs associated with Competition Shooting, since they can help you to "get started". It's likely that you could receive instruction at these facilities, from a qualified instructor to guide you in the right direction.
COMPETE
Once you have learned how to shoot your pistol accurately, you're going to want to start competing with others. This will help you learn just how good you are. If your dreams include shooting in the Olympic Games, start with local matches, and then you can progress to regional and national competitions.
ENJOY!
Shooting is a wonderful activity, which hones such skills as concentration, muscle control, and breathing control. At the same time, you get to have fun and meet good people who share your interests.
Have fun!
Briha
