Airgun Misconceptions Dispelled

This year, I developed an interest in airgunning. I have been greeted with funny, if not downright suspicious looks, from the very few people wo whom I have mentioned this. I strongly suspect that people think if you have an airgun (or any gun), you must be a violent person and are on the edge and are a stone's throw from being Columbine material. Nothing can be further from the truth.

While I have, at this point, not as much interest in getting a real gun licence (powder burners) due to the fact I have no interest in hunting, my interest in airguns is due to the fact that I've always wanted to target practice with an airgun, ever since I was a kid. I know growing up, my parents would have never bought me one, though had I gone to Scouts, I would have had some exposure. For me, airgun target practice is like going to the golf driving range (something else which I love to do). You set a target, aim for it, and it's really all about concentration, discipline and practice. I have no desire to hunt (except for backyard pest control), and I don't possess the arm and upper body strength to draw a real bow, so airguns are a good middle point for basic target practice. I go to a range in Scarborough, which is completely regulated, and safe (and one of the airgunning instructors there was an Olympic medalist back in 1988 - you did know they have airguns in the winter olympics, right?). Probably will go less, now that golf season is on, but it is a great way to relax on a lunch break or when I have a couple of free hours.

So...what's the difference between an airgun and a "real" gun. Now, I must qualify this by saying that some airguns are pretty powerful, but you will need a PAL (Possession and Acquisition Licence - formerly F.A.C.) to purchase them. In Canada, the line drawn between a firearm and a non-firearm is whether the projectile velocity is over 500 feet per second (FPS) AND produces a certain amount of energy (I think it's 4.2 f.p.e. - FPE stands for foot pounds energy or something like that - I can probably look it up). Most paintguns are around 300FPS and under, but of course, paintguns shoot paintballs which explode on contact with a water-soluable substance.

In Canada, you need to be 18 or over to buy an airgun.

Airguns come, just like any other gun, in pistol or rifle format. Rifles are heavy (for me anyway, since I'm a weakling), but obviously because of the longer barrel, it is good for distance shooting - if you want to pick off that squirrel that's been nibbling into your roof - wise choice. Generally, for target practice and offical tournament matches, I believe the standard distance is around 10 meters. As a result, you don't need a very powerful airgun at all - in fact, most match guns don't carry a lot of oomph, but they are accurate.

For airguns that are over 500FPS and require a PAL, they are treated like an actual firearm. Some airguns can go up to 1700FPS, but I've heard you start losing velocity at around 1050FPS. I don't have a PAL, nor do I desire to get one, since my application is pretty limited (basic target shooting). I often wonder if I would have joined Scouts, how my eyes would have been as a kid - since you know, Scouts and Cadets use airguns as part of their programs. Right now, I enjoy the occasional recreational shooting.

Airguns are powered by compressed air, and that comes in various forms - a spring loaded gun (often times these are single break-barrel rifles - the more powerful airguns), a pumped gun (which I have never understood since by the time you pump it 6-7 times, your arms are tired), and of course, my favourite, CO2-powered (they come in 12 or 88gram canisters) - generally CO2 guns are not as powerful as a break barrel.

There are different projectiles for airgunning, but for people like me in the under 500FPS crowd, it doesn't really what you use. For paper targets and match tournaments, the best type is the flat wadcutters - the flat head cuts clean holes through your paper target so you can easily inspect how you did. There are other projectiles use for hunting (pointed, domed, hollow point, etc.), but those are for the more powerful guns (over 500FPS). You can get them in .177 caliber, .20 caliber, .22 caliber, .25 caliber and there are other higher calibers as well, but those are the more common ones.

There is a huge audience out there that does modifications to their airguns, to get better accuracy, feel, performance, etc. Most of the standard airguns by in the store are pretty plasticky - generally, some wooden grips would be a welcome addition, etc. I am not into the whole modding thing - the stock options are adequate - though for whatever reason, I love tinkering with different scopes.

Oh, one other thing. You should know that airguns are not exactly the same as BB guns and airsoft guns. While I won't go into it in detail, airsoft uses plastic "BB" type of projectiles, while BBs are metallic balls. Most airgun ammo are in the form of pellets. Airsoft is huge in countries like Japan, which have fairly strict regulations on anything which fires a projectile.

One of the best airguns out there at a great cost is the Crosman 2240. That is a solid gun out of the box and it is probably the most modded gun in the world of hobby airgunning. Some other airguns are not as modular and you can't really take them apart to do anything - again, that is not my area of interest. Another good gun that is match-grade (can be used for tournaments) is the Daisy 7 x7 - it is a single side-pump airgun - really ugly, but good for professional target competitions. There are also some good match-grade guns made by Dianawerk (or Diana for short), but I haven't seen any in the Toronto area - their reputation preceeds them, though.

There are people out there who will say that why get into airgunning - why not collect stamps or something "safer". You ever collected stamps before? I have. BORRRRRRRING... Also, just like on the golf driving range, I get great satisfaction in knowing that with practice, you can get pretty good at target shooting. And airguns are fairly safe to use - lots of safety features and just like anything else, if you pratice good safety and take safety seriously, there is little to no risk for injury. It is people who think that people who use airguns will accidently shoot themselves, really show that they have no idea what an airgun is or how it works (same goes for a "real" gun). You see more serious injuries in kids hockey with slapshot pucks hitting people in the head, knocking out teeth, etc. Obviously, airguns are not toys and are not for kids, but in the hands of a responsible adult who practices safety, they can be a great source of skill development. That is the reason I am developing into an avid airgunner. I am hoping that if I get really good, I'll be able to enter competitive tournaments.

Some people also think guns and airguns are for either people who live in trailer parks or that you need to be a right-wing white person to qualify as an owner of firearms. Nothing can be further from the truth. Just like golf (which people still think is a white man's sport), airgunning has caught on big time amongst gun enthusiasts in the city who are more restricted on what they can shoot in their basements or backyards. I am on several airgun forums and OK, I'm one of few Asians there, but in going to the range, I am finding there are more Asians shooting guns than talking about them. Nothing wrong with that.

People also think gun enthusiasts are violent, uneducated people. I am usually not this forward, but I have a bachelor's degree, I have a family (wife and child), I have never been in trouble with the law, I am active in my church, volunteering in many capacities. I do not have a short fuse, I have a happy marriage, I don't abuse alcohol, I don't get into fights, I don't do drugs, etc. etc. In fact, in meeting other gun enthusiasts, I have found them far more educated on things like physics and other sciences than non-gun owners. Unfortunately, too many people have been watching too many TV shows...