The "Airgun" was the gun most of todays shooting enthusiasts cut their teeth on. Although once considered a "toy" they have come a long way since those days and can no longer be put into that category. The air powered guns of today are produced to any extremely high standard in most cases and are very sophisticated. Some of todays airguns are so powerful that the user must have them registered on a firearms certificate to comply with the law. The legal maximum muzzle pressure for any airgun not held on a certificate is 12 foot pounds per square inch. You do not need an extremely high powered air rifle to shoot small quarry, accuracy from an air rifle around the 12 foot pounds limit is all that is necessary, coupled with a clear understanding of the vital areas of your quarry. The maximum effective range of an air rifle should be taken as the distance in which the shooter can group his or her shots consistently in a circle 3/4" (20mm) to 1.1/2" (40mm) diameter.
A lot of todays air rifles are powerful enough to be used for hunting small quarry, this does not mean you can go and buy an air rifle and help yourself. Don't imagine for one moment that all air rifles or pistols are suitable for live quarry shooting, they are not, very few pistols if any are suitable for live quarry shooting. Give your quarry the respect it deserves whether a rat or a rabbit they both deserve to be despatched as humanely as possible, make sure your weapon is up to the task. Airguns are used by many enthusiasts throughout the UK for target shooting both indoors and outdoors as well as hunting small pest/vermin species.
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 all birds and animals are protected by law. Certain species are considered pests and only those species can be legally shot, and then only by authorised persons. An authorised person is one having permission from the land owner to control those species on his or her land. Suitable quarry in law for controlling using an airgun under 12 ftlb are as follows :- Birds :- Crows, Rooks, Magpies, Jays, Wood pigeons, Collared Doves and Feral Pigeons. Animals :- Rabbits, Rats (brown), Grey Squirrels, House mice, Mink have recently been added to the list. These are not always considered pests and only Authorised Persons can shoot them in all circumstances.
Have your air rifle and need a manual? Try the link below for a selection of manuals for some popular air rifles :
http://www.pyramydair.com/site/manuals/
Many airgun enthusiasts use telescopic sights on their guns to increase their accurancy these are available with different internal sighting aids the ones in common use are shown below. More and more airgun hunters are also using "night vision" sights which allow the user to shoot in almost total darkness, the image appearing in a greenish colour.
If you need help setting up your telescopic sight for best performance help is here
Many organisations exist within the UK where the beginner and experienced shooter alike can benefit. Whether you are a serious airgunner or a "plinker" the links below should help you locate any equipment you could ever need or perhaps find an Airgun shooting organisation in your area of the UK. If you need some targets to use for practice try the links at the foot of the page for free downloadable or printable targets.
THE LAW
The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 Sec 37 amended Section 19 of The Firearms Act 1968, which deals with possessing certain firearms in a public place.
A person commits an offence if, without lawful authority or reasonable excuse (the proof whereof lies on him) he has with him in a public place
(1) a loaded shotgun
(b) an airgun (whether loaded or not)
(c) any other firearm (whether loaded or not) together with ammunition suitable for use in that firearm, or
(d) an imitation firearm.
Airgun age limits: Previously, there were certain provisions, which allowed the possession of airguns by persons over the age of 14 years. The Anti-Social Behaviour Act 2003 Sec 38 affectively changes this age to 18 years
New laws are due to come into place in October 2007 under the Violent Crime Reduction Act (Sections 31, 32 & 33)
If you wish to continue selling air weapons by way of trade or business you must:· Be registered as a Registered Firearms Dealer by October 1st 2007.
· From October 1st all air weapon sales and transfers by a Registered Firearms Dealer must be entered into a Statutory Firearms Register.
· From October 1st air weapon sales by way of trade or business must be completed face to face (this means that mail order sales will be banned).
· From October 1st it will be an offence for anybody under 18 to purchase or hire an air weapon or ammunition for an air weapon.
· From October 1st it will be an offence to sell or let on hire an air weapon or ammunition for an air weapon to a person under the age of 18.
The Penalties for breaking current UK law with regard to airguns are outlined below (NB. these are only a guideline to the penalties and may be subject to change in the near future)
Carrying a loaded airgun in a public place 6
months imprisonment and / or £5,000 fine.
Trespassing with an airgun 3 months imprisonment and / or £2,500 fine.
Trespassing on private land with an airgun 3 months imprisonment and / or £2,500
fine.
Owning, possessing or using an airgun after being sentenced to 3 months or more
in custody 3 months imprisonment and / or £2,500 fine.
Sentenced for up to 3 years also carries a 5 year ban on use of firearms, if
the sentence is 3 years or more the ban on the use of firearms will be for life.
Killing or injuring any bird or protected animal unless authorised £5,000 fine.
Firing an airgun within 15m / 50ft of a public highway £1,000 fine.
Selling or hiring an airgun or ammunition to person under 18 6 months
imprisonment and / or £5,000 fine.
Making a gift of an airgun or ammunition to person under 18 £1,000 fine.
Having an airgun or ammunition with intent to damage property 10 years
imprisonment.
Having an airgun with intent to endanger life Life imprisonment and / or
appropriate fine.
Using an airgun to resist or prevent arrest Life imprisonment and / or
appropriate fine.
Threatening others with an airgun (even if unloaded) to cause them to fear
unlawful violence 10 years imprisonment and / or appropriate fine.
OTHER LINKS :- NATIONAL AND INTERNATIONAL ORGANISATIONS AND MANUFACTURERS
LINKS TO SITES CONTAINING DOWNLOADABLE TARGETS
Based in and around the Manchester area and offering a free pest control service
to the local farmers, landowners and others.
Staffordshire Custom Rifles - Air gun spares and repairs authorised repair
agents for Daystate, Logun and Crosman
Online shop offering chalk targets for the small bore shooter
and airgunner.
Online shop offering night vision equipment, day scopes,
cameras, binoculars and lots more
Redbeck Shooting Supplies based in Wakefield, West Yorkshire airguns, shotguns
and accessories
based in Wiltshire and run by shooters for shooters MTC offer top quality optics
at affordable prices.
based in Great Yarmouth Youngmans specialises in air rifle and scope
combinations.
Set
in 180 acres on a working
farm the society has
Disabled friendly access to 2 out of their 4 ranges.
One of the largest indoor clubs in the country. Based in
Cheshire, it's 35yd indoor range allows shooting all year round.
F.T. and H.F.T, zeroing and "plinking" range. Located
14 miles south of Bideford, 20 miles east
of Bude
in Devon
based in Scunthorpe. Shotguns, Airguns,
Firearms and accessories.
Rotherham based. Air
weapons, fishing tackle, accessories and weatherproof clothing.
Airguns specialists catering for all airgun enthusiasts. Everything you could
ever want in one place.
SD custom design, specialists catering for Crosman airgun customising and tuning.
based in Lincoln. Airgun
specialists and accessories for all types of shooting.
Based in
Christchurch Dorset, airgun gallery and a
woodland range also fullbore, military and sporting rifle, black powder and clay
pigeon shooting.
Parkstone
Gun Club small-bore and air-gun club based in the historic port and seaside town
of Poole in Dorset.
Based
in Pontefract Yorkshire. Non-firearms airguns only are allowed, rifles must be
under 12ft/lbs and pistols under 6ft/lbs
A well established air rifle and air pistol club
based near Bolton in Lancashire. The club runs
the air rifle section at B.A.S.C. young shots days and at Game and Country
fairs, the Introduction to Airgunning display, where the general public can try
out air rifle shooting for themselves, under our strict supervision.
A new Air gun club formed by air gunners for air gunners
based in Cambridge area.
Downloadable targets available.
Shooting for the average
airgun enthusiast from beginners upwards. Based near Paddock Wood
in Kent.
Based at Barling
Magna in Essex. A hunter, field target club catering for Air rifle and pistol
shooters.
Based in Newry Northern Ireland, night vision monoculars,
rifle scopes and binoculars.
Based in
Auchterhouse, Tayside, Scotland. Onsite restaurant also skeet shooting, off road
driving, quad bikes and Archery.
Welsh Airgun Association. The governing body in
Wales for Air Rifle and Air Pistol shooting
OTHERS :- Includes National and International organisations and manufacturers
New look Airgun shooting website, brought to you by Air Gunner
and Airgun World magazines
A new online forum dedicated to air rifles and air rifle
shooting. Chat and exchange ideas with other shooters
Webley Owners Club an online forum dedicated to air rifle
shooting, Webleys' in particular
BSA owners this is
the place to be for information, discussion and buying and selling
equipment.
The personal website of a shooting enthusiast Perry Babin.
Flash demos showing scope set up, recoil etc.
The personal website of an airgun hunting enthusiast who
wishes to share his experiences.
Burton on Trent area, offering a free rabbit control
service using air rifles
in the area covering Uttoxeter, Coalville and Derby
.
Steve Price is based in Kent and as well as airgun
hunting courses he also offers courses in unarmed combat and survival
techniques.
Lots of information on the American airgunners hunting
techniques, also a downloadable quarterly magazine with gun reviews etc.
Custom airgun stock making "How to" website. Hints and tips and help on
tools, methods and woods.
British
manufacturers of Air powered guns and accessories based in east
Sussex.
Online discussion forum for airgun users, a wealth of useful
information from a well informed group.
Air
Rifles and Pistols, Archery equipment, Scopes etc. Online
Ordering.
Air rifles and
accessories to suit all air gunners
British
Field Target Association. Promoting the safe and legal use of
Airguns in field target shooting.
"Knock Down" targets for air gunners both for home and
competition use. based in Basingstoke.
UK Hunter Field Target Association - Utilities and calculation software
available for download.
UK Hunter Field Target Association 2008 series fixtures
USA all
types of airguns, online ordering.
Everything you need to know about airguns and air gunning
in Spain.
LINKS TO SITES CONTAINING DOWNLOADABLE TARGETS
Need some targets for practice? try the Links below
http://www.tomgirling.co.uk/hobby/airgunning.php 6 yard targets conform to N.R.S.A specifications. The 10m Air rifle, 10m Air pistol and 50m Rifle targets all conform to Olympic specifications.
http://www.6mmbr.com/targets.html
http://www.patriotarmsinc.com/freetargets.htm
http://www.shootingtimes.com/targets/
http://www.reloadbench.com/pdf.html
http://www.gamecalls.net/free_stuff/52_free_targets.html
http://www.protargets.com/targets/index2.htm