Where can I practice with .177 air gun / rifles

[nubgun]

Novice here. Where can I practice with .177 air gun / rifles? Places permitted / prohibited. Where can i find the guidelines? Someone please lead me. Or write briefly.

Thanks.

[partheus]

If you want to get into competitive shooting, then you will need to join a range/club. If you just want to plink, then even your backyard will suffice, provided you don't live in a city or have homes around you where your pellets might unintentionally wander or bounce of to.

[nubgun]

hi partheus,

Thanks. I live in a town tamil nadu, in a dense area, i am planning to play in my terrace. Is there any specific govt. guidelines regarding this?

[Vikram]

You need to ensure that you have a proper backstop to your target. That means your pellets should not fly off beyond the target and land elsewhere or injure others. You need to make sure that your shooting does not disturb your neighbours. Also, being seen wielding an air rifle may cause problems if someone not familiar with them, or if they are troublesome neighbours, reports you for it.

You need to exercise commonsense basically.

[nubgun]

Thanks Vikram

[partheus]

hi partheus,

Thanks. I live in a town tamil nadu, in a dense area, i am planning to play in my terrace. Is there any specific govt. guidelines regarding this?

I am unaware of any Govt guidelines for practicing at home. Hopefully, another member will be able to guide you to a resource if it is available. But, shooting on a terrace is generally speaking, a bad idea. You have to factor in the occasional missed shot or accidental trigger pull. That happens even with experienced shooters. Also, your neighbors might not like seeing you shoot from your terrace, particularly those who have terraces facing your gun's muzzle. If they were to report you to the police, then you can land in trouble.

Since you will be at a considerable elevation, if your pellet(s) do miss the target and go flying off, they could be travelling for quite a distance which increases the chances of someone getting injured.

Instead, an empty garage or unused hallway would make for a better place provided you have ample space. You will also need to install a pellet catcher otherwise you will find them bouncing back at you. Some people I know make do with targets taped on to old pillows or sacks filled with old clothes, too

[Vikram]

Partheus makes excellent suggestions.

[nubgun]

hi partheus,

Thanks.

Is there any specific law saying one should not practice (for fun / targeting) within town limits except in licensed clubs or ranges?

I think, Owner's Pride, neighbor's envy is a perfect say for airguns.

My terrace has one side facing a waste land without traffic. So I planned it.

[partheus]

Honestly, I have no idea firing airguns is strictly prohibited unless you're doing so inside a registered range. You might want to pm Mundaire or another senior member here for more info on this.

I will still err on the side of caution if I were you. It wouldn't matter even if the law allowed it because states and cities can have their own view as can your friendly neighborhood police officer. The central govt could have a plane write that "it is legal to shoot airguns in a city" in the sky with a plane over your home and it still probably won't help you much.

The takeaway here is that you don't want to get into the tedious task of convincing everyone that what you're doing is legal because that can take years and several trips to the court. Now if there was no other way and your rights were being infringed, then that would be a battle worth fighting for, but you probably do have a recourse here - just don't practice openly.

Finally, do remember we're going through a pandemic right now. People will already be suspicious and on edge as it is. In my view - the whole thing just isn't worth the risk.

[SMJ]

hi partheus,

Thanks.

Is there any specific law saying one should not practice (for fun / targeting) within town limits except in licensed clubs or ranges?

I think, Owner's Pride, neighbor's envy is a perfect say for airguns.

My terrace has one side facing a waste land without traffic. So I planned it.

As was pointed out it may not be wise to use your terrace for a number of reasons.

Suggest you go through the forum to read about the experience of a member who decided to use his terrace similarly and was threatened with being charged under the arms act by the authorities, who had been notified by one of the neighbours.


Sent from my SM-G950F using Tapatalk

[nubgun]

Thanks partheus and SMJ for cautioning me.