SurvivalBlog reader recommends airgun practice

A SurvivalBlog reader recently wrote in to recommend other firearms shooters use airguns in their training to save on ammo cost, and also for days when getting to the range is out of the question.

He got the idea from his brother who shoots airguns at home, indoors.

Firearms shooters are now waking up to truths airgunners were aware of decades ago. The cost factor aside, airguns are much quieter, and therefore can be shot indoors without disturbing the neighbours (unless you lived in a thin-walled apartment building). Also, it's just good fun, while building an important skill, that is easily transferable to firearms.

Try practicing with your favourite 9mm pistol at home, and see how quickly the Organised Crime Narcotics and Firearms Bureau (ONFCB) arrive at through your door. Our laws prohibit us from shooting a firearm "within forty metres of any public road" (16:01Firearms Act 11-1). Fortunately, no such prohibition extends to airguns.

Another plus is we aren’t forced to take our guns down to the T&T Forensics Science Centre and have its ballistic fingerprint taken, logged and placed in a database for other sovereign governments to access, over the internet, at will.

So, to all T&T firearms owners who are just waking up to the benefits of airguns, we say welcome aboard. It’s a fun journey.

Airgun Pellet Damage

Ever wonder what damage an airgun pellet will do?. Notice the entry and exit on this paint can as-the energy still not spent-the pellets continued through the zinc sheets behind. The range was about 17 yards, with 10.5 gr pellets.

Email me any interesting pix you have of pellet damage, and it may get posted.

Republic Day morning shoot

Shooting was ok yesterday. We managed to make a fairly mature bamboo collapse under it’s own weight after the onslaught of about 40 extra heavy 10.5 grain Baracuda pellets. It gave it’s life so that airgunners can have fun, and display creativity in target selection and acquisition.

Number one son asked to shoot a rifle. This was surprising, as he would only shoot my rifle if I insisted. Dave has a rifle with a black synthetic stock a.k.a. an Evil Black Rifle (EBR). Maybe in the eyes of a 12 year old boy, my wooden-stocked rifle is ‘old school’. Properly maintained, my rifle would still be taking down small game 90-100 years from now though. It’s a German engineered classic. Perhaps when he’s older and wiser, he’ll appreciate it. Especially when he realizes it was willed to his brother.

- Trini Funshooter

Backyard shooting fun

Today, Kev, Dave and I had some fun backyard shooting. Dave brought paper targets and we shot to our hearts content. Finally shot some of the much touted ‘Baracuda’ pellets. It’s fairly heavy (10.5 gr) and suitable for our powerful rifles (the ads hype quote 1250 fps). Liked them enough to immediately buy a tin of 500 and stashed them away in my preps. Dave was kind enough to sell me from his stash. The paper targets were used to zero the rifles.

Dave shot 2 birds, 1 zandolee, 1 Julie mango (at the stem) 2 coins, 2 plastic bottle covers and a number of baby oranges. One of those birds was a pigeon shot from about +100 metres away. I admire both his speed and accuracy. He even skinned and gutted the birds for our education. There’s no doubt that in a grid-down disaster situation, he’ll be able to survive on his own by stocking the larder with game. He’ll also be an asset to any group that can use those skills. Fortunately the man lives merely a few blocks from me. A pharm tech in training, he hunts, fishes and yes, shoots air guns.

Between the 3 of us we shot about 100-120 pellets.

Beach, bake and shark, flooding

The beach was great yesterday. Warm water, with very few people. The recently bought Frisbee provided fun and exercise. The ladies had their bakes and shark, with copious amounts of mango chutney, shadon beni sauce, tomatoes, cucumbers, pineapple slices, curried mango, garlic sauce, lettuce and shredded cabbage from the famous Richards Bake and Shark.

On our return journey, we attempted to pass through Santa Cruz, but were turned back by rising flood waters on the Santa Cruz Main Road. Through Maraval we encountered a similar challenge just at the WASA water treatment plant opposite Hilsboro. A truck stalled in the water, with drivers of high-clearance vehicles such as SUVs and brand new pickups choosing to wait out the flood. That caused a 25-30 minute delay while flood waters receded.

We arrived home around 3 pm, tired, but happy.

Backyard air gun shooting

Went to our friends home yesterday evening and had some shooting fun. We didn’t bring any paper targets so we improvised. Beer bottles, tiles, metal paint cans, clay blocks, old oil plastic bottles. Set them at 44 ft on top of an old drum, with a corrugated metal sheet as backing and concrete wall as backstop. The only non-fun was cleaning up broken beer bottles afterwards.

Both husband and wife carry firearms in their daily life, but only get range practice once a year. Shooting air guns in their own backyard was a welcome fun practice session. After shooting we picked oranges and soursop buds. I had the buds as my nightcap and slept like a baby.

We plan to go to the beach today, and the wives indicated they both want bake and shark. Maybe we can squeeze in some ‘air time’…