Cost of entering into air rifle shooting goes up 10 fold

[fantumfan2003]

Yes that's right.

Unless you are a school going student, the new entry level air rifle in Indian target shooting is no longer the venerable IHP Model 25. Its the Walther LG30 which costs only Rs. 50000/-

You might want to ask NRAI, as to why it has been made so.....and by whose consent ?

M.

[dev]

Hi,

Serious competition in air rifle or pistol has always been with match weapons. The open sight fun category hasn't been an NRAI or ISSF priority for years. Most beginners work their way up with club weapons. Maybe you should shoot air pistol as that will be less than a lakh for a match pistol. And you can source Morini air pistols quite easily in Delhi and Mumbai.

[fantumfan2003]

Dev,

For me even an FWB700 is within reach. But its not about me.

If opensight is not on someone's list of priorities, then what is being done by that someone for novice target shooters to move up the ladder ? Subsidised rates for weapons like CMP in US ? Match air rifle on EMI ? What ?

In clubs here, outsiders are not allowed to use club match weapons and getting membership of bigger ones is also an expensive and time consuming affair. So the way I see it is, this is shutting out new beginners unless they have deep pockets. Put yourself in that beginner's shoes and imagine what it will be like to convince dad to buy a Rs. 50000/- gun.

Get my point ?

M.

[fantumfan2003]

Third para on the first page

http://mra.org.in/downloads/MAWC%20may% ... 20form.pdf

M.

[essdee1972]

Fantumfan, sir, hope our Japa type outings don't have this requirement!

However, you are right, to reach a serious level, you will now need 50K instead of 5K or so, to start with. Meaning that, till the time you find that you have an aptitude to reach a higher level, or not, you would have spent a lac or two! Not every dad's cuppa, I opine! So, another sport becomes "reserved" for the khandaani elite, just as it was in the good old days of the Raj. Funny, we call ourselves independent!

And as for club weapons, for many Mumbaikars, just reaching MRA at Worli would take away half the energy required to shoot, plus the cab fare (unless you are ready to be frisked / checked / interrogated by carrying the gun in a local train)! Those that can reach MRA easily are the South Mumbai types, again, many of them "khandaani"!

On a lighter note, does the ubiquitous cricket lobby have anything to do with this? First they make ladies playing badminton to wear skirts (just when our ladies were winning a few medals in baddie), and now, when our shooters have been winning medals.... this!

God bless India!

EssDee

[fantumfan2003]

SD

Apart from the "khandani" label, I pretty much agree with you. Yup its probably heading towards becoming a sport only for the ones with deep pockets. As far as MFTA is concerned we will be always open minded as we all want to enjoy their shooting. Opensight air rifle owners will now be able to shoot on a course with a maximum range of 25mtrs which is doable.

MRA does not allow you to use their weapons unless you are an MRA member.

M.

Fantumfan, sir, hope our Japa type outings don't have this requirement!

However, you are right, to reach a serious level, you will now need 50K instead of 5K or so, to start with. Meaning that, till the time you find that you have an aptitude to reach a higher level, or not, you would have spent a lac or two! Not every dad's cuppa, I opine! So, another sport becomes "reserved" for the khandaani elite, just as it was in the good old days of the Raj. Funny, we call ourselves independent!

And as for club weapons, for many Mumbaikars, just reaching MRA at Worli would take away half the energy required to shoot, plus the cab fare (unless you are ready to be frisked / checked / interrogated by carrying the gun in a local train)! Those that can reach MRA easily are the South Mumbai types, again, many of them "khandaani"!

On a lighter note, does the ubiquitous cricket lobby have anything to do with this? First they make ladies playing badminton to wear skirts (just when our ladies were winning a few medals in baddie), and now, when our shooters have been winning medals.... this!

God bless India!

EssDee

[gverma]

Lets get realistic this was a sport always for the ones with deep pockets.

Lets look at some facts

In the open sight competetions there were people playing with LG 30 along with people with people with IHP 25. The guys using IHP never had a chance.

In higher order of this sport, ISSF matches require someone to shell out Rs 2 L to start with Air guns
.22 / shot gun / big bore become even more expensive

Finally open sight will die because it is not being promoted and not even being taught.

[manu]

dear gverma,

well said. recently open sight air rifle competetion is out of list in national level competetion.

regards

manu

[airgun_novice]

"If the poor cannot come to education, education must reach them"- Swami Vivekananda.

Guess, something similar can not be said about shooting sports, right ? Unless, they have State Sponsors. But now the point will be how will the talented havenots even make to the pool to prove their merit so that the Sponsors can identify them, invest in them and try them out for future.

[fantumfan2003]

gverma,

You might want to ask Anjali Bhagwat, Teju Sawant and Deepali Deshpande if the shooting sport really has always been one for the well off ones.

Here is a realistic piece of information.

Anschutz Match PCPs costing more than a couple of thousand dollars can be bought for about a thousand dollars as part of the Civilian Marksman Program in the US

And here is a fact.

IHP 25 has always been and still is a foundation base of shooting sports in our country. It been for the past twenty five odd years.

So I do not buy your arguments.

If people were playing with LG30 and IHP25 in the same match then I say, I pity the intelligence of the match organisers, they don't belong there....

Open sight is far from dead. Its is still being taught here. Google for 3P Sporter air rifle and see for yourself.

I strongly believe there are selfish and vested interests involved in the recent moves about changing technical specifications of shooting equipment.

M.

Lets get realistic this was a sport always for the ones with deep pockets.

Lets look at some facts

In the open sight competetions there were people playing with LG 30 along with people with people with IHP 25. The guys using IHP never had a chance.

In higher order of this sport, ISSF matches require someone to shell out Rs 2 L to start with Air guns
.22 / shot gun / big bore become even more expensive

Finally open sight will die because it is not being promoted and not even being taught.

-- Thu May 05, 2011 12:09 --

Manu,

Was the shooting community consulted before such a major decision was taken ? Can you come up with or share one document from the apex shooting body which proposed and then finally made it a rule ?
That's the point I am making.

M.

dear gverma,

well said. recently open sight air rifle competetion is out of list in national level competetion.

regards

manu

[sniper22]

Fantumfan, sir, hope our Japa type outings don't have this requirement!

However, you are right, to reach a serious level, you will now need 50K instead of 5K or so, to start with. Meaning that, till the time you find that you have an aptitude to reach a higher level, or not, you would have spent a lac or two! Not every dad's cuppa, I opine! So, another sport becomes "reserved" for the khandaani elite, just as it was in the good old days of the Raj. Funny, we call ourselves independent!

And as for club weapons, for many Mumbaikars, just reaching MRA at Worli would take away half the energy required to shoot, plus the cab fare (unless you are ready to be frisked / checked / interrogated by carrying the gun in a local train)! Those that can reach MRA easily are the South Mumbai types, again, many of them "khandaani"!

On a lighter note, does the ubiquitous cricket lobby have anything to do with this? First they make ladies playing badminton to wear skirts (just when our ladies were winning a few medals in baddie), and now, when our shooters have been winning medals.... this!

God bless India!

EssDee

Dear Essdee1972,

I can understand your frustration over the rules being changed but your comments of generalizing are in very poor taste. You make it sound like people living in south Mumbai do nothing and have everything made available to them because of their family wealth. Being on a public forum I would urge you to rethink your comments.

sniper22

[slingshot]

Manish,

This is a really sorry episode.

My brother and I grew up shooting an air rifle that we could afford. And there were some chaps I know who could afford a match air rifle and some of us who could afford a springer. In fact, it completely depended on the spending capability of the parent.

But most importantly, it was about enjoying the sport. We enjoyed playing football and hockey and cricket and martial arts. Similarly we enjoyed shooting. It was within reach. And if we wanted, we had the ability to pursue any of these sports to the next level. The next level is always more expensive for any sport. However, there was no large financial impediment to start enjoying a sport and competing in it.

This is sad. Shooting ability is now equated to financial ability ?

[fantumfan2003]

Its not necessarily so. But is being made out that way in our country.

I know specific examples of making shooting more accessible in countries like the US, UK and Germany

In the US and UK there is a sporter category for 10mtr air rifle with a variation for 3 position air rifle shooting.

This category expressly forbids match weapons, shooting jackets and trousers and allows only regular sporting class air rifles.

No reason why we cannot have that here.

I believe the above, new and affordable avenues to shooting are unknown to our shooting bodies and the same should be marketed to them. The impression I get is that our shooting bodies do not take the effort to apprise themselves of the new developments happening in the shooting community.

M.

Shooting ability is now equated to financial ability ?

[essdee1972]

Dear Sniper,

My apologies.

[hvj1]

Hello FF,

With all due respect to your views and opinions, no doubt you have a substantial point. However, may I draw your attention to another perspective on "Why opens sight was PROBABLY removed" ?

1. The very fact that open sight guns are easily available, masses take up this sport through this cost effective avenue. For the organisers of any Competition, regardless whether it is state or national level, the sheer quantum of entries and conduct of the open sight event attain unmanagable proportions!

2. The NRAI like the sport itself, has moved on, their focus is obviously to create the wherewithals for the development of talented shooters, who would go on to bring laurels for India. With the limited amount of funding received from the Central Govt., the allocation of resources is obviously going to be in the direction of events, which are participated at the international level.

3. Frankly, it is the function of District level associations to hold these type of open sight competitions and it makes sense, since the associated infrastructure cost (range, ammo, targets etc) is lower, which would suit not only aspiring shooters but also fun level shooters.

So why is this not happening? Take a closer look at the all the District SHooting associations in Maharashtra itself. MOST of them, exist only on paper. So QUO VADIS open sight shooting and shooters.

BR