Across the US, air rifle shooting is rapidly growing, and Fairfield Sportsmen’s Association supports an air rifle program for serious minded youth desiring to shoot competitively. With the support of organizations including the NRA, CMP, USA Shooting, 4H, JROTC, Boy Scouts, and others, air rifle is a fun, challenging shooting sport that allows shooters of all ages to enjoy precision marksmanship.
What is “air rifle”, exactly? A competition air rifle refers to a pellet gun with a rifled barrel that shoots 0.177 caliber pellets using compressed air. Shooters load one shot at a time and charge the gun with compressed air, usually by indexing a switch near the chamber. Air rifles are extremely accurate at 10 meters, the internationally-regulated distance for indoor competition. Shooters aim at circular targets with concentric scoring rings. A 10 is a perfect shot, and competitions are usually 60 shots, with a total score of 600 possible points. However, even with one good shot, the shooter has tangible feedback that they could do something perfectly with an air rifle!
Since an air rifle uses compressed air to propel the pellet, it is not technically a firearm. However, safety remains first and foremost on the range. All shooters must pass an approved firearms safety course before they may shoot on our air rifle range.
The contact person for FSA’s air rifle program is Jon Beyer.