March/April 1983 - American Handgunner

SI1UErASPHILIP C. BRIGGSSHOOT METALLIC SILHOUEnESINDOORS WITH AIR PISTOLSMention airguns to most American'shooters and they conjure up amental picture of a lever-action Daisy BBgun or a Benjamin pump pellet pistol.Guns of their youth. Fine for bugs in thebackyard, or starlings on the roof; or theneighbor's obnoxious dog-but for littleelse.When we were growing up with thesecasual plinkers, Europeans were growingup with precision airguns; now that theyare grown, they still shoot them.Europeans have been using airgunssince the l600s-and even before. As openland got scarcer, as people got thicker andas gun rules got stricter, those in the shootingsports turned to airguns. Not for hunting,as that always was the sport ofthe richand landed, but for competition; both formaland casual.As a result of the near total reliance ofcompetition shooters on airguns, they haveCustomize your handgun with precision-engineered Millett sights. Qualitycraftsmanship, smooth styling, fine click adjustments make Millett the handgunner'schoice for autos & revolvers. Ruggedly crafted in heat-treatedsteel. White outline or target rear. Blaze orange, white bar, serrated ramp, orplain post front sights for autos.Colt • Smith & Wesson • Ruger • Dan Wesson • Browning.,.Ask your local dealer-or send $1 for our complete accessory catalogMillett"Sights16131 GOTHARD ST, HUNTINGTON BEACH, CA 92647 (714) 842-5575achieved a high state of development inEurope. Pistols, for example, have evolvedto a level of precision and refinement thatsurpasses all but the finer, most expensivefirearms. Sophisticated free pistols featureorthopedic grips, fully adjustable triggers,large and distinct iron sights, various barrelweights, and accuracies that equal orexceed a silhouette shooter's unlimitedgun.SHOOTING COST IS LOWThese airguns are far removed fromthose of our youth and have a place in theshooting sports in America much the sameas they do in Europe. Airgun shooting opportunitiesare unlimited; your own homeor backyard has enough space for the tinypaper targets normally used, and the noiseis virtually nil. With the ready availabilityof places to practice, airgun shooting op­'portunities are many and increased skillthrough frequent practice will comerapidly. Airguns are safe to shoot and requireeasy-to-construct backstops. Theyare safe to own and safer still for training.Shooting cost is low; even the best airgunpellets cost but a fraction of the price of.22 LR ammo.The NRA has established bullseye competitionprograms for air pistols at bothnational and international levels. Airguncompetition has even become an Olympicevent.Airgun silhouette pistol competitionalso is covered by NRA-sanctioned programs.Targets, available from at least twoairgun suppliers, are scaled down to but atenth of the size of long-range targets.Shooting distances for air pistol competitionare 15, 20, 25 and 30 meters. Matchesare fired from the standing position. Any.177 or .22 caliber air pistol can be used.The NRA has altered its freestyle longrangematch to require the use of the halfsizehunters pistol targets for freestylecompetition. Just visualize how those firstContinued on page 2818AMERICAN HANDGUNNER . MARCH/APRIL 1983