From: "Alex Hamilton", [EMAIL PROTECTED]
The problem with air rifles and pistols, Jim, is that people can shoot
them without having to belong to clubs, yet without club competitions
target shooting in its purest form soon becomes boring.
We have a 10 metre air range and 25 metre pistol calibre and small bore
rifle range. The club has 2 Finewerkbau pistols, an air rifle, Ruger
10/22 and a Rossi in 357Mag - all available for new members to use.
Yet we have great difficulty in recruiting new members and those that
joined the club since the ban were mostly existing FAC holders and
members of other clubs that did not survive the ban. Before the ban the
club had 120 members and not one of them was a child of existing member.
Our experience is that when the sons follow fathers into the sport (and
many did) they do not stay with shooting once they become financially
independent. I believe that the record in field shooting is rather
better.
I don't think that the prizes have anything to do with the popularity of
the sport, but I disagree with some of the other contributors that wrote
that the cost was not a factor. If you want to compete seriously in
Target or Match Rifle disciplines, you need to be prepared to spend
L3,000 on a rifle, scope, and accessories and then be prepared to pay
L30 - L45 per 100 rds of target quality ammunition. For the majority,
shooting full bore rifle means journeys of 50 - 100 miles to the few
remaining military ranges and the frustration of having ones bookings
cancelled by the military.
I think these are serious "obstacles"! I started shooting at school,
mostly with service rifles, and I was good at it and I enjoyed it
tremendously, but when I was 16 I gave it up, because at that age I
could not afford it and there were other more attractive "opportunities"
for the capital needed for the target rifle and the gear.
I did not return to shooting until I was in my late twenties and I think
little has changed since then. But I never did return to air rifle
shooting, except for practice at home. Somehow, having shot at 200 and
300 yds and later up to 1,000 yds, I could not raise much enthusiasm for
shooting at 10 metres. I have the same problem with gallery rifles
now - shooting rifles at 20 yds and I can almost see the muzzle flashes
scorching the target - at these close ranges, shooting a pistol is far
more challenging.
Alex.
--
I agree so much with that last sentence, GR puts me into a coma, I'm
sorry to say it but gee whiz is it dull. And the NRA seems hell bent
on keeping it as dull as possible by banning speed loaders and so on.
This is why I'm rather keen on promoting 100m shooting with proper rifles.
Okay, prone at 100m is pretty easy but kneeling and standing are harder
than GR.
The sad thing is that when I actually set up my own course of fire
with GR I actually find it more interesting, but I was never much
interested in ISSF or 1500 and shooting bullseyes at 25m with a GR
is dull for me. I mean I went to the range last weekend and standing,
shooting ata PL12 all my shots were inside the nine ring easily, and
more than half were inside the ten ring. I doubt the rifle is much more
mechanically accurate than that. It looks pretty but putting bullets
through the same hole all day is boring. Others may have a different
opinion but I'm going to try and develop some more interesting courses
of fire.
I heard UKPSA were going to try practical with GRs, I hope they do
soon!
Steve.
Cybershooters website: http://www.cybershooters.org
List admin: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
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