Harpenden Air Weapons Club
Types of airgun shooting in the U.K..
There are four main uses for Airguns:-1. Target Shooting to ISSF rules.
2. Field Target Shooting.
3. Pest Control or vermin hunting.
4. Plinking.
1. Target Shooting to ISSF rules
ISSF or 'Olympic style' target shooting is usually over a
distance of 10 metres, in a standing position. Pistol is always one handed.Target shooting at Harpenden Air Weapons is at 10 metres and 6 yards using NSRA targets. We aim at paper targets in special holders which also catch the pellets safely. It is always indoors and no correction for distance or windage is therefore required. Accuracy of a few millimetres over 10 metres will significantly affect the score. Weapons used are relatively low powered at around 6 ft lb of energy. The UK limit on airgun power is 12 ft lb for rifles and 6 ft lb for pistols. However, 10 metre target weapons are usually around half of that maximum power. They are usually heavy to reduce involuntary muscle movement by the shooter, have regulation size and weight, and are normally designed to be totally recoil free. Such weapons require no licence, but there are minimum age limits. ISSF target shooting requires concentration, dedication and practice. At HAWC we pride ourselves on our level of achievement within the BSSA, HSRA and NSRA competitions.
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2. Field Target Shooting.
Field Target (FT) is normally outside in fields or woods, is over
distances ranging from 15 to 55 metres, with the odd 10 metre and
70 metre target for a challenge. It is aimed at metal knock-down targets,
either of small metal disks, or life-size small animal shapes like
rabbits or rats. FT in the UK uses full power (12 ft lb) air rifles, usually
of the hunting design, with powerful telescopic sights which can be
used to estimate the distance to the target by focussing. Some
professional quality (£1000+) field target rifles are modified ISSF target rifles
using compressed air, but beefed up to 12 ft lbs. The skill is in
estimating distance, and correcting for distance and for windage by
adjusting the telescopic sights image height according to a table
created in practice sessions. To minimise pellet drop, .177 is
universally used in FT competition, usually with precharged
compressed air weapons. "Easier" competition classes exist for .22
and for spring rifles, and there are also "Hunter" field target
(HFT) competitions for "ordinary" air rifles. Such weapons again
require no licence, but there are minimum age limits. HAWC have no facilities for FT but you could try Broomhills Shooting Ground
Pictures courtesy of Target Sports magazine, copyright (c) 2005 Blaze Publishing. Not to be reproduced in any form without permission.
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3. Vermin Hunting.
Shooting vermin such as rat, magpie, wood-pigeon or rabbit, requires the permission of the landowner in the United Kingdom. Only a fool would shoot vermin without substantial insurance through membership of such bodies as BASC or BASA. As a minimum, vermin shooting needs full legal power (12 ft lb) rifles, or higher if a firearms certificate is held. Shooters are required to be able to kill vermin cleanly to avoid cruelty prosecutions. Nobody wants to wing a rabbit and have it run away to die slowly. That means being able to consistently hit a target the size of a two pence coin at various distances up to 35 metres in cross winds.Finding locations to shoot legally is very difficult in some parts of the country, particularly in urban areas. Hunters often have to advertise for places to hunt in magazines. They usually have to pay for the privilege, or else have to get to know the farmers or gamekeepers, for example by being a beater in the local game shoot. If the area has good edible shooting such as healthy rabbit, chances are someone already has the shooting rights.
Shooters also need to know what quarry is legal and what is protected, and must be able to tell the difference between, say, a hare and a rabbit. Local knowledge of footpaths and other dangers to people and livestock is essential.
Professional hunters or pest controllers may use weapons of considerably higher power, up to 70 ft lb, which are capable of killing a fox. These require a police Firearms certificate, proper secure storage and police inspections.
Magazines like Airgun World and Airgunner will give further information on hunting and FT
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4. Plinking
Out of the estimated four million air weapons in the UK, most of
them will be used for ad-hoc target practice in back gardens, called "plinking" simply because of the noise it makes.
Whilst fun, this is potentially the most hazardous use of air
weapons and leads to most prosecutions, often because of lack of
knowledge of the law. The law must be scrupulously adhered to. That
means...
1. Shooters must be of the minimum age for either unsupervised or supervised shooting. The new laws must be well understood.
2. Precautions must be taken to prevent children, pets or adults from walking in front of the airgun whilst in use.
3. Adequate non-elastic backstop such as a heavy steel plate, a paving slab or a straw bale must be placed behind the target. The target must not allow pellets to ricochet. Rubber and plastic are specially dangerous to shoot at and can return a pellet towards you or others at full velocity.
4. Hazardous targets such as bottles and jars must never be used.
5. Every care must be taken to avoid the pellet straying outside the boundaries of your land. Failure to do so may lead to heavy fines or imprisonment.
6. You must not cause unacceptable noise, disturbance, danger or intimidation to neighbours or passers by. There are minimum distances from paths and roads that you must observe before you can discharge an air weapon. Shooting on one's own land is a privilege that must be respected if it is not to be lost. The Police will often confiscate weapons that are being mis-used.
At HAWC we are happy to teach youngsters and adults how to shoot airguns safely in a protected environment.
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