AOA Blog

Airgunning has a lot going for it.

Probably at the top of the list is convenience. Airguns can be shot in many places where discharging firearms is strictly forbidden. Of course, check with your local authorities and always, always, ALWAYS observe safe shooting and gun handling procedures, but there is a decent chance that you can avoid a trip to the range and shoot airguns where you live. I have heard countless stories of “closet” airgunners who shoot in the basements or in some clandestine fashion at their homes.

Airguns also deliver the addictive challenges of an accuracy sport. Can you hit that target? Can you place the shot exactly where you want it? Can you knock down that soda can, plastic dinosaur, or spent cartridge? Can you put five pellets into a teeny, tiny group at a particular distance? These are the kinds of questions that fascinate shooters of all ages and keep them coming back for more. I maintain that, in many ways, shooting an airgun is no different than shooting baskets – you’re trying to control the arc of the projectile so that it hits the target with accuracy.

Airguns also offer pride of ownership. The fit and finish on many airguns is impressive, and some of the least expensive airguns can be endlessly customized to make them your own. The end result is that, whether you bought it gorgeous or made it gorgeous, it’s a bit of a thrill to pull your gun from its case and have someone say: “Wow, that’s nice! What is it?”

On a cost-per-shot basis, airguns can be very kind to your wallet. Pellets are generally just pennies apiece, and they are readily available.

Your Humble Correspondent, shooting an air pistol from his SteadyAim harness.

Recently, I was reminded that airguns deliver another benefit: often they get us outside to enjoy what is going on around it. A while back, I had an amazing moment while testing an air rifle. I was shooting from my SteadyAim harness. The SteadyAim is a harness that buckles around your shoulders and chest and has a couple of loops for your knees. You sit down or the ground or on a cushion, place the loops over your knees, and lean back. The weight of your legs in the loops counterbalances against the mass of your torso so that you can maintain a very comfortable, stable sitting position for long periods. I find it very relaxing, like sitting in an easy chair.

Sometimes airgunning allows you to see amazing things.

So I’m sitting my yard, relaxing in the harness with an air rifle across my knees, when I slowly become aware that it is one of those “Goldilocks” days: not too hot, not too cold, a bit of breeze, but not too windy. In short, it was very, very pleasant. I sat there, taking it all in, listening to the scrabble of the squirrels in the trees, the rustle of the leaves, the birdsong. Then it happened: a deer stepped out the woods on the other side of the lane from our house, walked the length of the side yard, and disappeared into the trees at the other end of the yard. If I had not been outside, messing around with an airgun, I wouldn’t have seen it.

On another occasion, I stepped onto our back deck, intent on shooting a CO2 revolver at a resettable target I had attached to a tree in the back yard with a couple of bungee cords. I was struck by the serenity of the scene as I looked through the trees, down the slope, to the little brook that runs through the ravine behind the house. I was peering through the leaves, trying to see if any ducks were visiting the brook, when a movement caught my eye. A doe was leading a pair of fawns along the brook. I watched them until they wandered out of sight.

Sometimes the best thing about airgunning is the spaces in between.

Til next time, aim true and shoot straight.

–          Jock Elliott