An introduction to air rifles
BEFORE BUYING FOR THE FIRST TIME COME ALONG TO THE CLUB AND WE CAN LOAN YOU ONE TO TRY
This is a guide to people considering buying their very first air rifle. It is biased toward the sport of HFT (Hunter Field Target) shooting, but most of what is here will apply to other air rifle shooting. If in doubt please ask a committee member for more help.
So you would like to buy an air rifle?
Should you go straight to the gun shop and get one?
No, stop right there, there are many different rifles of all types, sizes, calibres and price. You want the one that is going to be the most suitable for yourself and for your intended activity.
A good idea would be to first come over to your local air rifle club and get firsthand experience from people that will listen to your questions and give you impartial advice. They will also run you through the important and necessary safety related information that will keep you and your fellow shooters safe.
But let's give you the most important rules here so you know in advance. These apply to all firearms as well as air rifles and air pistols. It may seem like common sense, but we are often amazed that even people that work with firearms as part of their job, often forget some of these vital rules. People often think that because air rifles only shoot pellets they are not very dangerous, but fatal accidents have occurred and they should be treated with the exact same respect as a shotgun or cartridge based rifle would be. This applies to air pistols as well, especially the part about controlling the direction the muzzle is pointing, as it is a lot easier to inadvertently point a pistol in the wrong direction due to their short length.
The 1st Law of Gun Safety - The Gun Is Always Loaded!
EVERY TIME you pick up a gun, inspect it in a safe manner, control your muzzle, and always treat it as a loaded gun.
The 2nd Law of Gun Safety - Never Point A Gun At Something You're Not Prepared To Destroy!
The best way to handle a gun is to imagine the worst case scenario: Assume your "empty" gun is loaded and that it's going to function PERFECTLY! When you press the trigger it will FIRE! Since you are prepared for that, you should only point the gun in a safe direction - never allowing the muzzle to sweep you or someone else. That way, if "brain-fade" does result in a Negligent Discharge (ND) , it will be into a safe impact area and there won't be an accident.
The 3rd Law of Gun Safety - Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!
Pellets can penetrate lots of things, many of which may surprise you. Identify your target before firing - even before dry-firing. If you are not sure, DON'T FIRE! Just as important, make sure there's a safe impact area behind your target. Even though you have checked and double-checked your gun, you should still treat your gun as though it's loaded and functional.
The 4th Law of Gun Safety - Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target!
KEEP YOUR FINGER OUTSIDE THE TRIGGER GUARD! Almost all Negligent Discharges (ND) are caused by placing the finger on the trigger when you aren't prepared to fire. A finger on the trigger during reloading. It's difficult to isolate the trigger finger from the muscles required to hold the gun firmly - they all want to contract together. Therefore, THE FINGER SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE TRIGGER UNTIL THE INSTANT YOU ARE PREPARED TO SHOOT!
So now we can move onto the air rifles themselves. The first question is what do you want it for?
Do you want to use it for hunting, target shooting or just fun plinking? No one rifle does all of these tasks in the best or the most cost effective manner.
Our club is focussed around target shooting and fun plinking. So that is probably the type of rifles that most club members will own. That said some of them hunt as well, so you should be able to get lots of advice on each discipline.
So what types of air rifle are there and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
1.) Spring powered or gas ram
A spring powered air rifle is powered by a large coil spring or gas ram (like on your car boot strut). To use it requires you to first compress the spring. This is done by breaking the barrel or using the cocking handle. When you pull the trigger the spring is released and it compresses a piston a bit like a syringe. The air compressed by the piston is then used to propel the pellet down the barrel of the rifle.
Advantages :- Self contained, usually lower cost than a PCP, normally single shot.
Disadvantages :- Can be heavy, hold sensitive, rifle recoils when shot, difficult to operate for smaller shooters. Greater skill required to shoot it accurately compared with the average PCP rifle.
2.) Air Powered or PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic).
This type of rifle is powered by very high pressure compressed air. They run at around 160 to 200 Bar or 2320 to 2900 PSI or about 100 times the pressure in your car tyres. They store this air in a cylinder usually under the barrel of the rifle. This cylinder usually stores enough air for 30 to 400 (normally 60-80) shots depending on the design of rifle. When you pull the trigger a small hammer hits an air release valve and lets some of the air out of the main cylinder. This then propels the pellet down the barrel of the rifle.
Advantages :- Recoil free, can be hard rested without affecting accuracy, lighter weight than the average spring powered rifle, can be magazine fed (sometimes a disadvantage for target shooting)
Disadvantages :- Relatively expensive (Consider £350 a starting point), They require additional equipment for charging them with HPA (High Pressure Air). This is usually in the form of a 232 or 300 Bar SCUBA cylinder or a special HPA stirrup pump specifically made for charging air rifles (Another £200 -£270 on your start-up costs).
A Modern PCP riflle
I know there are also additional rifle types that use CO2 gas to propel the pellets. These can be good way to get started and do make fun rifles to plink with. Be aware that they can be expensive to run though with the 12gram and 88gram CO2 cartridges not being refillable. They also tend to be lower power than the spring or air powered types above, this can make target shooting over 25 yards with them difficult! CO2 powered pistols can also be a lot of fun and they are usually used at far closer ranges, so the disadvantages of the CO2 rifles do not apply so much, although you will still get through a lot of 12gram CO2 bulbs and pellets!
Most people shooting at the club will shoot a PCP rifle (60-70%) , the rest may shoot a Springer or both. For a total beginner the PCP will help give you instant results once setup correctly. The springer will teach you a better overall technique as bad technique on a springer results in shots all over the place. I think you need to try both and see which one you prefer, before you buy anything.
Which calibre should I pick?
Air Rifles come in various calibres, the two most common are 0.177 (4.5mm) and 0.22 (5.5mm) The debate on which is better could go on forever so let's not go there. Each is good for certain tasks. Because the law limits the energy an air rifle can legally produce before it becomes a firearm and needs a licence, to be under 12 ft/lbs. So because of this limit and the fact that we have two different sized and weight pellets. If two rifles are for instance both set at 11.2 ft/lbs (a sensible precaution) the 0.177 pellet will be able to travel at a higher speed than the 0.22 pellet (Because of the energy limit allowed). This means it will get to the target faster and this will result in less overall fall due to gravity. The 0.22 pellet moves at a slower rate so has more time to fall.
The pellet follows a ballistic trajectory. It looks like the flattened curve of a rainbow. Because of the way the cross hairs of the scope is set in relation to the barrel the pellet effectively rises from the end of the barrel and towards the cross hairs of the scope, it then passes this point and continues to rise relative to the cross hairs until it reaches the apogee or top of the curve, then it falls down back towards the cross hairs crossing them again.
This curve is therefore steeper on the slower moving 0.22 pellet and flatter on the 0.177 one.
So what does this mean in a practical sense? With a 0.177 pellet you have to remember less points on the curve over the 8 to 45 yards you are shooting over to hit a point within a say 40mm target.
A scope is set up to be on ZERO at a particular range. This is the point that the pellet is on the centre of the crosshairs on its downward fall. For a 0.177 air rifle this point is normally 30 or 35yards for many people shooting HFT (Hunter Field Target). The pellet will then also align with the crosshair on the first part of its flight, usually around 15-16 yards if ZEROed at 30yards. At other distances the pellet will be above or below the cross hairs in the scope.
Thus it is vital to know where the pellet is in relation to the crosshair at different ranges, so you can aim to compensate.
A lot of people put targets out at 5 yard intervals and make a note of where each pellet falls on the target. You can then make a range card with your ranges and a little drawing of your scope cross hair and where the pellets will land on it in relation to the aim point.
Many scopes have additional markings on the horizontal and vertical lines to aid with the aiming off. These are sometimes called Mil Dots.
What telescopic sight or Scope should I buy?
Assuming you have found a rifle type that you like above, you will have most probably been using it with a telescopic sight or Scope as it is more commonly called. Just like rifles a scope can come in many different sizes, magnifications and prices. Plus we all have different eyesight requirements. What works for one person, may not work for another.
For target shooting (Specifically for Hunter Field Target (HFT)) most people will choose a scope that is between 8-12 magnification with a front lens diameter of no more than 44mm. A scope for hunting or for Field Target (FT) will have a different set of requirements.
I will try and explain the HFT requirements and why we need them on the scope. In HFT the rules state that you cannot touch the settings on the scope after the first shot. So we need a scope that will be as clear as possible from 8yards to 45yards. This is not really possible with even the most expensive equipment. So we must compromise. A smaller front lens will increase the depth of the objects in focus (The depth of field) but make it too small and less light enters and shots in dark areas (Under bushes and in woodland) will be hard to see. A reduced magnification will also give you a better depth of field, but then you may struggle to aim at some of the smaller targets with any accuracy!
The scope is usually ZEROed at 30 or 35 yards (See above) but the parallax or focus point also needs to be set. Some scopes have adjustable focus, some are fixed. The focus point is the one at which the cross hairs should remain in focus and perfectly over the aim point even if you eye position changes. For HFT this is usually set around 22-28 yards and is again a compromise. Set it too near and you won't be able to see the 45 yard target. Set it too far and the 10-15 yards targets are fuzzy!
But this also introduces a possible cause of error. If you shoot at a target further away or closer than the focus point then you may get what is called parallax error occurring. The cross hair may look like it is in the correct place, but moving your eye position causes it to wonder over the target. How do you fix this then? Well only by getting a consistent and repeatable head position between your rifle and scope. This is fine until HFT course setters deliberately force you into awkward positions!
What will I be shooting at?
A HFT (Hunter Field Target) course is made up of 30 individual steel targets. These are usually all of the nockover type. The front plate is normally shaped to resemble the silhouette of an animal or bird such as a crow or squirrel, or even a geometric shape. On this plate will be a hole, this can vary in size from 15 to 45mm. If you shoot through this hole a paddle behind it will move backwards and cause the entire front plate of the target to fall over. To reset the target you just pull on the attached string that will be next to the firing point.
A typical Nockover Target
You are only allowed 1 shot at each target.
The targets are scored as 1 for a hit on the plate and 2 for knocking it over with a zero for a miss. A perfect score for knocking over every target would be 60 out of 60.
Targets are usually set between 8 and 45 yards (Extreme courses may break these rules) and contain kill sizes from 15 to 45 mm. Certain rules apply to what size can be used at which distances. Learn these and it will help you range find the distances.
Shots are taken from behind a firing line. Each target will have its own peg or disc to shoot from. The shooter or their rifle must be in contact with the peg or disc when the shot is taken with the trigger behind the firing line.
When shooting on the HFT course the rifle can ONLY be loaded when the shooter is at the peg ready to shoot. After the shot it taken any magazine fed rifles MUST have the magazine removed before moving to the next peg.
You may find a beanbag useful for placing your rifle down on between shots. Rifles MUST be carried muzzle down at ALL times. Do not rest the muzzle of you rifle on your foot. If rested on bean bags the muzzle must point across the firing line towards the targets. The muzzle is only raised when it is pointing down range towards the targets.
Three positions are allowed for taking your shots, standing, kneeling and prone (laying down). Certain pegs may have a forced position stated on them. You have to shoot the target in this position else you score zero. Some shots may force the shooter to move their rifle away from the peg so they have to touch it with their foot or something, if this is the case be careful that your trigger does not cross the firing line.
Only the very rear of the rifle butt may rest on the ground while taking a shot.
So can you recommend particular rifle and scope for HFT?
This is where is get complicated as each of us is different and will probably have a different idea of how much they would like to spend on their new rifle and scope.
I would often recommend a new shooter looks to try and purchase a good second hand rifle from a club member. This will often let you get into the sport for reasonable costs and you get to shoot straight away without waiting for various bits of kit. You can also buy second hand from various internet airgun forums. But I would advise you to only deal face to face if you don't know the person very well.
But some people like new stuff! No problem, but again please talk with people beforehand as many will let you have a go with their pride and joy and you can get a feel what fits you. Please remember that some of us maybe a little biased to one particular make or another. LOL Talk to several people and look to see what people are actually using, you will soon get a feel for what you do and don't like.
As you can no longer buy new rifles via mail order you are at some point going to have to visit a gun shop for a new rifle. Please again talk to members for recommendations of good places to go and of any deals that can be found. It would be a good idea to check out the gun magazines and the internet to see what the best prices are from various dealers.
Hopefully this will have helped to answer a few questions and get you on the right track to the wonderful sport of air rifle shooting.
BEFORE BUYING FOR THE FIRST TIME COME ALONG TO THE CLUB AND WE CAN LOAN YOU ONE TO TRY
This is a guide to people considering buying their very first air rifle. It is biased toward the sport of HFT (Hunter Field Target) shooting, but most of what is here will apply to other air rifle shooting. If in doubt please ask a committee member for more help.
So you would like to buy an air rifle?
Should you go straight to the gun shop and get one?
No, stop right there, there are many different rifles of all types, sizes, calibres and price. You want the one that is going to be the most suitable for yourself and for your intended activity.
A good idea would be to first come over to your local air rifle club and get firsthand experience from people that will listen to your questions and give you impartial advice. They will also run you through the important and necessary safety related information that will keep you and your fellow shooters safe.
But let's give you the most important rules here so you know in advance. These apply to all firearms as well as air rifles and air pistols. It may seem like common sense, but we are often amazed that even people that work with firearms as part of their job, often forget some of these vital rules. People often think that because air rifles only shoot pellets they are not very dangerous, but fatal accidents have occurred and they should be treated with the exact same respect as a shotgun or cartridge based rifle would be. This applies to air pistols as well, especially the part about controlling the direction the muzzle is pointing, as it is a lot easier to inadvertently point a pistol in the wrong direction due to their short length.
The 1st Law of Gun Safety - The Gun Is Always Loaded!
EVERY TIME you pick up a gun, inspect it in a safe manner, control your muzzle, and always treat it as a loaded gun.
The 2nd Law of Gun Safety - Never Point A Gun At Something You're Not Prepared To Destroy!
The best way to handle a gun is to imagine the worst case scenario: Assume your "empty" gun is loaded and that it's going to function PERFECTLY! When you press the trigger it will FIRE! Since you are prepared for that, you should only point the gun in a safe direction - never allowing the muzzle to sweep you or someone else. That way, if "brain-fade" does result in a Negligent Discharge (ND) , it will be into a safe impact area and there won't be an accident.
The 3rd Law of Gun Safety - Always Be Sure Of Your Target And What Is Behind It!
Pellets can penetrate lots of things, many of which may surprise you. Identify your target before firing - even before dry-firing. If you are not sure, DON'T FIRE! Just as important, make sure there's a safe impact area behind your target. Even though you have checked and double-checked your gun, you should still treat your gun as though it's loaded and functional.
The 4th Law of Gun Safety - Keep Your Finger Off The Trigger Until Your Sights Are On The Target!
KEEP YOUR FINGER OUTSIDE THE TRIGGER GUARD! Almost all Negligent Discharges (ND) are caused by placing the finger on the trigger when you aren't prepared to fire. A finger on the trigger during reloading. It's difficult to isolate the trigger finger from the muscles required to hold the gun firmly - they all want to contract together. Therefore, THE FINGER SHOULD NOT TOUCH THE TRIGGER UNTIL THE INSTANT YOU ARE PREPARED TO SHOOT!
So now we can move onto the air rifles themselves. The first question is what do you want it for?
Do you want to use it for hunting, target shooting or just fun plinking? No one rifle does all of these tasks in the best or the most cost effective manner.
Our club is focussed around target shooting and fun plinking. So that is probably the type of rifles that most club members will own. That said some of them hunt as well, so you should be able to get lots of advice on each discipline.
So what types of air rifle are there and what are their advantages and disadvantages?
1.) Spring powered or gas ram
A spring powered air rifle is powered by a large coil spring or gas ram (like on your car boot strut). To use it requires you to first compress the spring. This is done by breaking the barrel or using the cocking handle. When you pull the trigger the spring is released and it compresses a piston a bit like a syringe. The air compressed by the piston is then used to propel the pellet down the barrel of the rifle.
Advantages :- Self contained, usually lower cost than a PCP, normally single shot.
Disadvantages :- Can be heavy, hold sensitive, rifle recoils when shot, difficult to operate for smaller shooters. Greater skill required to shoot it accurately compared with the average PCP rifle.
2.) Air Powered or PCP (Pre-Charged Pneumatic).
This type of rifle is powered by very high pressure compressed air. They run at around 160 to 200 Bar or 2320 to 2900 PSI or about 100 times the pressure in your car tyres. They store this air in a cylinder usually under the barrel of the rifle. This cylinder usually stores enough air for 30 to 400 (normally 60-80) shots depending on the design of rifle. When you pull the trigger a small hammer hits an air release valve and lets some of the air out of the main cylinder. This then propels the pellet down the barrel of the rifle.
Advantages :- Recoil free, can be hard rested without affecting accuracy, lighter weight than the average spring powered rifle, can be magazine fed (sometimes a disadvantage for target shooting)
Disadvantages :- Relatively expensive (Consider £350 a starting point), They require additional equipment for charging them with HPA (High Pressure Air). This is usually in the form of a 232 or 300 Bar SCUBA cylinder or a special HPA stirrup pump specifically made for charging air rifles (Another £200 -£270 on your start-up costs).
A Modern PCP riflle
I know there are also additional rifle types that use CO2 gas to propel the pellets. These can be good way to get started and do make fun rifles to plink with. Be aware that they can be expensive to run though with the 12gram and 88gram CO2 cartridges not being refillable. They also tend to be lower power than the spring or air powered types above, this can make target shooting over 25 yards with them difficult! CO2 powered pistols can also be a lot of fun and they are usually used at far closer ranges, so the disadvantages of the CO2 rifles do not apply so much, although you will still get through a lot of 12gram CO2 bulbs and pellets!
Most people shooting at the club will shoot a PCP rifle (60-70%) , the rest may shoot a Springer or both. For a total beginner the PCP will help give you instant results once setup correctly. The springer will teach you a better overall technique as bad technique on a springer results in shots all over the place. I think you need to try both and see which one you prefer, before you buy anything.
Which calibre should I pick?
Air Rifles come in various calibres, the two most common are 0.177 (4.5mm) and 0.22 (5.5mm) The debate on which is better could go on forever so let's not go there. Each is good for certain tasks. Because the law limits the energy an air rifle can legally produce before it becomes a firearm and needs a licence, to be under 12 ft/lbs. So because of this limit and the fact that we have two different sized and weight pellets. If two rifles are for instance both set at 11.2 ft/lbs (a sensible precaution) the 0.177 pellet will be able to travel at a higher speed than the 0.22 pellet (Because of the energy limit allowed). This means it will get to the target faster and this will result in less overall fall due to gravity. The 0.22 pellet moves at a slower rate so has more time to fall.
The pellet follows a ballistic trajectory. It looks like the flattened curve of a rainbow. Because of the way the cross hairs of the scope is set in relation to the barrel the pellet effectively rises from the end of the barrel and towards the cross hairs of the scope, it then passes this point and continues to rise relative to the cross hairs until it reaches the apogee or top of the curve, then it falls down back towards the cross hairs crossing them again.
This curve is therefore steeper on the slower moving 0.22 pellet and flatter on the 0.177 one.
So what does this mean in a practical sense? With a 0.177 pellet you have to remember less points on the curve over the 8 to 45 yards you are shooting over to hit a point within a say 40mm target.
A scope is set up to be on ZERO at a particular range. This is the point that the pellet is on the centre of the crosshairs on its downward fall. For a 0.177 air rifle this point is normally 30 or 35yards for many people shooting HFT (Hunter Field Target). The pellet will then also align with the crosshair on the first part of its flight, usually around 15-16 yards if ZEROed at 30yards. At other distances the pellet will be above or below the cross hairs in the scope.
Thus it is vital to know where the pellet is in relation to the crosshair at different ranges, so you can aim to compensate.
A lot of people put targets out at 5 yard intervals and make a note of where each pellet falls on the target. You can then make a range card with your ranges and a little drawing of your scope cross hair and where the pellets will land on it in relation to the aim point.
Many scopes have additional markings on the horizontal and vertical lines to aid with the aiming off. These are sometimes called Mil Dots.
What telescopic sight or Scope should I buy?
Assuming you have found a rifle type that you like above, you will have most probably been using it with a telescopic sight or Scope as it is more commonly called. Just like rifles a scope can come in many different sizes, magnifications and prices. Plus we all have different eyesight requirements. What works for one person, may not work for another.
For target shooting (Specifically for Hunter Field Target (HFT)) most people will choose a scope that is between 8-12 magnification with a front lens diameter of no more than 44mm. A scope for hunting or for Field Target (FT) will have a different set of requirements.
I will try and explain the HFT requirements and why we need them on the scope. In HFT the rules state that you cannot touch the settings on the scope after the first shot. So we need a scope that will be as clear as possible from 8yards to 45yards. This is not really possible with even the most expensive equipment. So we must compromise. A smaller front lens will increase the depth of the objects in focus (The depth of field) but make it too small and less light enters and shots in dark areas (Under bushes and in woodland) will be hard to see. A reduced magnification will also give you a better depth of field, but then you may struggle to aim at some of the smaller targets with any accuracy!
The scope is usually ZEROed at 30 or 35 yards (See above) but the parallax or focus point also needs to be set. Some scopes have adjustable focus, some are fixed. The focus point is the one at which the cross hairs should remain in focus and perfectly over the aim point even if you eye position changes. For HFT this is usually set around 22-28 yards and is again a compromise. Set it too near and you won't be able to see the 45 yard target. Set it too far and the 10-15 yards targets are fuzzy!
But this also introduces a possible cause of error. If you shoot at a target further away or closer than the focus point then you may get what is called parallax error occurring. The cross hair may look like it is in the correct place, but moving your eye position causes it to wonder over the target. How do you fix this then? Well only by getting a consistent and repeatable head position between your rifle and scope. This is fine until HFT course setters deliberately force you into awkward positions!
What will I be shooting at?
A HFT (Hunter Field Target) course is made up of 30 individual steel targets. These are usually all of the nockover type. The front plate is normally shaped to resemble the silhouette of an animal or bird such as a crow or squirrel, or even a geometric shape. On this plate will be a hole, this can vary in size from 15 to 45mm. If you shoot through this hole a paddle behind it will move backwards and cause the entire front plate of the target to fall over. To reset the target you just pull on the attached string that will be next to the firing point.
A typical Nockover Target
You are only allowed 1 shot at each target.
The targets are scored as 1 for a hit on the plate and 2 for knocking it over with a zero for a miss. A perfect score for knocking over every target would be 60 out of 60.
Targets are usually set between 8 and 45 yards (Extreme courses may break these rules) and contain kill sizes from 15 to 45 mm. Certain rules apply to what size can be used at which distances. Learn these and it will help you range find the distances.
Shots are taken from behind a firing line. Each target will have its own peg or disc to shoot from. The shooter or their rifle must be in contact with the peg or disc when the shot is taken with the trigger behind the firing line.
When shooting on the HFT course the rifle can ONLY be loaded when the shooter is at the peg ready to shoot. After the shot it taken any magazine fed rifles MUST have the magazine removed before moving to the next peg.
You may find a beanbag useful for placing your rifle down on between shots. Rifles MUST be carried muzzle down at ALL times. Do not rest the muzzle of you rifle on your foot. If rested on bean bags the muzzle must point across the firing line towards the targets. The muzzle is only raised when it is pointing down range towards the targets.
Three positions are allowed for taking your shots, standing, kneeling and prone (laying down). Certain pegs may have a forced position stated on them. You have to shoot the target in this position else you score zero. Some shots may force the shooter to move their rifle away from the peg so they have to touch it with their foot or something, if this is the case be careful that your trigger does not cross the firing line.
Only the very rear of the rifle butt may rest on the ground while taking a shot.
So can you recommend particular rifle and scope for HFT?
This is where is get complicated as each of us is different and will probably have a different idea of how much they would like to spend on their new rifle and scope.
I would often recommend a new shooter looks to try and purchase a good second hand rifle from a club member. This will often let you get into the sport for reasonable costs and you get to shoot straight away without waiting for various bits of kit. You can also buy second hand from various internet airgun forums. But I would advise you to only deal face to face if you don't know the person very well.
But some people like new stuff! No problem, but again please talk with people beforehand as many will let you have a go with their pride and joy and you can get a feel what fits you. Please remember that some of us maybe a little biased to one particular make or another. LOL Talk to several people and look to see what people are actually using, you will soon get a feel for what you do and don't like.
As you can no longer buy new rifles via mail order you are at some point going to have to visit a gun shop for a new rifle. Please again talk to members for recommendations of good places to go and of any deals that can be found. It would be a good idea to check out the gun magazines and the internet to see what the best prices are from various dealers.
Hopefully this will have helped to answer a few questions and get you on the right track to the wonderful sport of air rifle shooting.