Maybe a case for airguns?

I often practice using a Steyr LP50 compact at 10m in my barn.  It's a lot like shooting my Pardini SP at 25yds both in feel and performance.  With all of the current hassles involved in obtaining reloading supplies, driving to the range to use a firearm, regulatory restrictions, loading ammo, etc. I find myself asking why not spend more time with airguns where most of those hassles go away.  Competition could still be just as challenging.  Anyone else thinking along these lines?

beeser wrote:With all of the current hassles involved in obtaining reloading supplies, driving to the range to use a firearm, regulatory restrictions, loading ammo, etc. I find myself asking why not spend more time with airguns where most of those hassles go away.  Competition could still be just as challenging.

 
Hello beeser,

The foregoing sounds like most of Europe.  Perhaps that is someone's plan?  Not for me.

Jim

x1000

Modern Pentathlon switched to laser pistols...…..commie bastards!
They all want to take our guns away. Free Pistol (50M Pistol) went bye bye as well.
Jon

Jon Eulette wrote:x1000

Modern Pentathlon switched to laser pistols...…..commie bastards!
They all want to take our guns away. Free Pistol (50M Pistol) went bye bye as well.
Jon

Wasn't aware of that.  Simply deplorable!

This sort of thing was in the back of my mind while typing the question although not the reason for my post.  Maybe it is all part of the plan to make shooting firearms so difficult that one just eventually gives up.  While I think airguns have a place I don't intend to give up shooting firearms.

I got started in airguns with Field Target -- at the time, an air rifle sport. I then got into 10M air pistol. Only when I moved to an area where neither existed did I start CMP and then Bullseye. I've never been able to get much interest in airguns shooting where I live, but I would be very willing to go back. There is an added challenge in shooting something with a recoil, but airguns have other challenges like wind that don't affect most games that go BANG. 

Part of the problem is that very few shooters are interested in accurate shooting with any 'weapon.' [Airguns are not defined as weapons in the US.]

Laser pistols aren't bad... just need to bump the power up a bit... or a lot... we could have a rack of batteries thst we integrate into a mag well and change them after every few shots like mags for live ammo...starwars... here we come...

Install thermal lasers, bump up the power to a few thousand megajoules and burn holes in the target.

The loads in my laser pistol quite hot...I can get 982,080,000 fps MV with almost no discernible ES or SD.

Lasers Make Modern Pentathlon More Modern | WIRED

Air Pistols are the future of the sport

xman wrote:Install thermal lasers, bump up the power to a few thousand megajoules and burn holes in the target.

That would make for some interesting sliders.

Bill

mhayford45 wrote:Air Pistols are the future of the sport

Hello mhayford45,

I can't defend my family with an air pistol.  Again, not for me.

Jim

I like shooting my air pistols.  I can do it inside my house whenever I want.  As mentioned above lots of people don't seem to enjoy shooting for accuracy - it is more difficult than mag dumps.   Then again, I enjoy shooting almost anything that launches a projectile!  I don't have a problem doing it in addition to my "regular" shooting, but I don't want airguns to replace it.
Jeff

JNW1 wrote:I like shooting my air pistols.  I can do it inside my house whenever I want.  As mentioned above lots of people don't seem to enjoy shooting for accuracy - it is more difficult than mag dumps.   Then again, I enjoy shooting almost anything that launches a projectile!  I don't have a problem doing it in addition to my "regular" shooting, but I don't want airguns to replace it.
Jeff

I agree.  Over the past year I've acquired two air pistols and set up a 10m range in my basement for practice.  The most recent a Feinwerkbau 65 that I've refurbished with new seals and spring, nice air pistol.  It has been useful while in NY going through the arduous process of obtaining a pistol permit.

beeser wrote:I often practice using a Steyr LP50 compact at 10m in my barn.  It's a lot like shooting my Pardini SP at 25yds both in feel and performance.  With all of the current hassles involved in obtaining reloading supplies, driving to the range to use a firearm, regulatory restrictions, loading ammo, etc. I find myself asking why not spend more time with airguns where most of those hassles go away.  Competition could still be just as challenging.  Anyone else thinking along these lines?

In my opinion air pistols are good for practicing the fundamentals of shooting one shot, they´re particularly good for practicing ISSF 10m air pistol... ;-)

However since you can shoot air pistol kind of limp wristed it doesn´t necessarily translate into good habits for all shooting.

I know plenty of people that like air pistol practice in the winter, the again I know plenty of people that feel that too much air pistol practice detracts from their performance with "real" pistols. Which here in Sweden means .22lr up to .45ACP (9mm para is by far the most popular "large" bore pistol though).

/Anders

>> However since you can shoot air pistol kind of limp wristed it doesn´t necessarily translate into good habits for all shooting.

yes - that's actually a reason that I don't try to match the ergonomics of an AP with my BE pistols. AP is for working on focus, sight concentration, and trigger to a degree but I don't treat it as 'trainer' pistol. And that distinction isn't hard to ignore, given the ergo's of most AP's.

One AP that's actually a decent proxy for a 22 match pistol is the Drulov DU10 - a 5 shot w/ auto-cocking. They're a bit rough, but amenable to improvements and have the balance and a grip angle more typical of a 22lr firearm. I've had others AP semi's, like the LP50 but the balance and refinement actually detracted from their utility as timed a/o rapid fire practice IMO. And the 1911 grip for the LP50 adds nothing except discomfort.

If you mention the DU10 to an AP aficionado, they'll probably shake their head - they take a bit of polishing and cleaning up to get the most out of them, but the fundamentals are there.