Teaching people how to shoot can get complicated. It is easiest when you have a willing adult who is really motivated to learn. Even then, though, they may come in expecting blistering recoil and noise. If there’s one place where Hollywood underplays the power of traditional firearms, it is sound. No one ever wears hearing protection, and the guns are loud, but not too loud. The reality can take new shooters by surprise.
The world of airgunning has had many choices for a long time. What has filtered into most shooters hands out of convenience and economic feasibility has been spring powered rifles. PCP’s have been around… for a really long time, but due to their appetite for extremely high-pressure air, and the costs associated with building both the pumps and rifles, PCP shooting was typically reserved for activities where the utmost precision was required.
For many of us who work a longer afternoon shift, we’ve been coming home in the dark for months now. Even as we approached spring, there were only precious few minutes of light left to do any chores outside and zero time for outdoor recreation. If there was any shooting to do, it had to wait to the weekend, in between all the other winter chores, activities, and weather that can work to divert your attention.
In any given caliber or type of projectile launching device, there are three basic variables, the shape of the projectile, the mass of the projectile, and the force of the launch. Changing any of these variables results in different performance based upon the variable altered. The common .223 Remington cartridge is useful to demonstrate this point for all three variables.
Both CO2 and spring powered air guns do need some maintenance to help ensure a long life. Keeping them clean is a big part of that care, but you do need to be careful about what you are putting in and on your air gun. The valve assemblies in today’s CO2 powered air guns are fitted with silicone seals and O-rings.
For as many reasons as there are to shoot pellet pistols, there are at least as many reasons to shoot RWS Meisterkugeln Precision Pistol pellets in your air pistol. For starters, pellet pistols are typically low-velocity affairs. This limitation in velocity tends to direct the application of the gun to certain activities.
Shooting CO2 powered BB pistols has never been more fun. There are fantastic revolvers, double action, single action, blowback, and non-blowback style pistols available to suit your fancy. Some of these are fairly easy to load. Some, however, are a little harder to load than others. In this blog entry, I’ll offer some insight on loading your magazines with as little hassle as possible.