Safety Airgun Shooting

SAFETY RULES

The following 6 safety rules a shooter should always observe when using an air rifle:

1. Aim the barrel in a safe direction at all times.
2. Treat every air rifle as if it were loaded.
3. Wear hearing and eye protection at all times when shooting.
4. Do not load your air rifle until you are ready to shoot.
5. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until you have the target in sight and are ready to shoot.
6. Make sure at all times that you have a safe backstop and that you are aware of where the projectile may end up after shooting if, for example, you miss the backstop or the backstop lets the projectile through.

If you keep these safety rules in mind while shooting, almost all accidents can be prevented. In addition, before shooting an airgun, always think carefully about the shooting distance, the power of your rifle and the environment! To give an example; if you miss your target and backstop, this can create a very dangerous situation not only for yourself, but also for persons or animals in the vicinity at that unfortunate moment.

THE POWER OF AN AIR RIFLE

Where people often go wrong is in underestimating the forces and speeds achieved with modern rifles. It is important to educate yourself about the power of your air rifle before you start shooting with it. This way, you can assess whether the air gun suits your needs and whether it is suitable for e.g. use in the garden or on your shooting range.

Air guns today are extremely powerful. The most powerful airgun at the moment is a PCP rifle that shoots with a force of 2000 Joules in calibre .72 (18mm). An average firearm shooting with a 9mm bullet achieves an energy of around 450 - 500 Joules. So these devices are very powerful and therefore dangerous when handled in the wrong way. Even rifles in lighter calibres are a lot more powerful nowadays than they used to be, with an average 4.5mm or 5.5mm rifle you will soon shoot between 25 and 45 Joules. This is hard enough to shoot through a fence or single glass, for example.

STORING AIRGUNS SAFELY

It is hugely important to always store an air rifle properly after shooting, so that it can never be taken and used by others. So it is not sufficient to put away an airgun in a cupboard, shed or bag without locking it with a lock. Therefore, most accidents happen when someone picks up a weapon that is put away loaded or unauthorised people start shooting with the air rifle. You should never put a spring-loaded rifle away while it is cocked. Besides being dangerous, the strength of the spring will decrease significantly over time. Store your air rifle in a gun case or pouch with a lock and lock it in a closet. You can also fit your air rifle with a trigger guard lock with key or combination lock. Such a lock ensures that your trigger is locked and thus the rifle cannot be fired. This way, you can be sure that only designated people have access to your air rifle. Want to be completely safe? Then you can store your airguns in a gun safe.

TRANSPORTING AIR GUNS SAFELY

When transporting an airgun, it is important that it can NEVER be used directly. This means that it must be transported in proper packaging. You are also only allowed to transport an air rifle if you are transporting it to and from a friend, a potential buyer, an authorised firearms dealer or a shooting range, for example. If you cannot explain to the police why you are carrying an airgun when you are stopped, they will draw their conclusions. In this case too; better safe than sorry.

MAKING A SAFE SHOOTING RANGE

The lucky among us have a large garden or a nearby shooting range that allows air rifle shooting. Most of us, however, have to settle for the backyard or garage. Your bullet catch and backstop are the core of the shooting range, these should catch the pellets or slugs. A backstop is a surface behind the firing box that catches the bullet when you miss the firing box.

As a starting point, we recommend securing 1 metre around your chosen target (shooting box, plinking target, etc.) with a safe backstop. The strength of this backstop obviously depends on the power of your rifle. For example, a RAM Maverick CO2 pistol (±3 Joule) requires a much weaker backstop than a powerful Gamo G-Magnum Jungle (±45 Joule). It is important that the backstop is not made of too hard material, as this can cause the pellet to bounce back. Therefore, use soft materials such as lead, or pine/spruce wood to make a backstop so that the pellet is slowed down and, in addition, always shoot on a shooting box that allows the pellet to bounce down.

As for the target you choose, here too you have to pay attention to the maximum use of force. For example, the RAM 14 x 14cm pellet case is not as strong as the RAM Power shooting case 14 x 14cm. If you use a PCP rifle with a force of over 100 Joule, such bullet catchers are already no longer sturdy enough and you need to find an alternative.

It is also possible to make your own firing box/pellet trap for heavy air rifles. You can easily reinforce a pellet trap, for example, by putting a sock or piece of cloth in it; these slow down the bullet before it hits the steel and in many cases prevent damage to the pellet trap. Do you shoot with great force and want the bullet to be captured by a shooting box? Then make sure you make a box that is at least 4mm steel, has a deep bullet catch and an inlay of sand or rubber granulate, so that this will slow the bullet down before it reaches the end of the box.

TIP: If you use an aluminium plate or other hard material as a ball catcher yourself, place it at an angle and pointed downwards. This way, the shot pellet will bounce down instead of towards the shooter.

SHOOTING DISTANCE AND THE POWER OF AN AIR RIFLE

The distance at which you shoot is as important as the target or backstop. Is your yard no bigger than 5 metres? Then we recommend an articulated air rifle that doesn't shoot too hard, such as a Weihrauch HW57, HW50, Crosman Vital or Hammerli Hunter Force 750 Combo. These rifles shoot quietly (16 Joule), do not make much noise and are extremely well suited to shooting nice groups on the map at this distance. In addition, the Weihrauch brand air rifle in particular is also great for shooting long distances (100m).

The Co2 air rifle is also good for shooting at short range. Co2 rifles, such as the Umarex 850 M2 XT, Crosman 1077 or Diana Trailscout, shoot very quietly (no recoil), make little noise and are very clean at shorter distances. You can also fit a Co2 rifle with a silencer. An ideal solution for shooters who want to shoot in the back garden of an inhabited area or in the attic.

Do you have little space in your garden, but plan to visit a shooting range or have the ambition to compete in national competitions? Then you are looking for a powerful PCP rifle, as these rifles shoot cleanly at long range. You can think of (PCP) rifles from Daystate, RAW, FX, Taipan, Weihrauch and RTI Arms. Are you interested in competing in airgun competitions? Then check out the website of the 100-metre crew. This is a KNSA-accepted discipline in air rifle sport that organises several national competitions every year.

OWN SAFETY

Besides your surroundings, shooting range, target and backstop, your own safety is of course super important too. Wearing safety glasses and hearing protection is therefore something we at Shogun always recommend. Even if you are shooting at a distance where there is very little chance of a pellet, slug or BB bouncing back, wear goggles, your eyes will be extremely grateful. Urge bystanders to do so as well, even if they are not shooting, rebounding projectiles do not become any less dangerous.

So while shooting, always make sure you take into account:

• Safety rules
• Distance & power
• Shooting range
• Bullet catch
• Backstop
• Surroundings

Also watch our instruction video for more information on how to safely handle, store and transport an air rifle.