BB Gun Shooting Competition

Also, is there an official target height for the different shooting positions?

Not for kids.

Essentially, the target center should be as close as possible to the height of the muzzle of the gun above the floor.

So, in the Prone Position, I try to have the target center at/about 8 to 10 inches.

In the Kneeling and Sitting Positions, I put the target traps on the seats of folding chairs.

In the Standing Position, I put the target traps on white folding tables.

These work out pretty well.  I strongly recommend that you have a 4x4 foot or 4x8 foot piece of thin plywood or cheap paneling behind the target traps, or "someone" will chip the paint on the wall.

In the standing position, I put the back of the table up against the wall in the Fellowship Hall, so that I can put the plywood "Oopsie-Stop" on the table, leaning against the wall.

Remember, Safety is First! It is most important that it is insured that the BB's will safely go into the BB Trap.

Also:

The shooting distance of 5 meters/16 1/2 feet is from the target to the SHOOTER'S BODY, not the Gun.

So I put a tape line on the floor at 16 1/2 feet, and the barrel of the gun and supporting hand can/should extend past the line, but no part of the shooter's body may touch the floor beyond the firing line.  

Example: In the Prone Firing Position, the Barrel of the Gun and the Shooter's Support hand should extend past the Firing Line, but his Elbows may not.

(At 5 Meters, that can actually shorten the distance from the gun to the target by about 10%.)

I don't that you are shooting Co-Ed, but if you do.............


I noticed that, when going for Shooting Glasses, the boys were most interested in getting glasses that didn't have any mars or scratches.

The girls were checking to see if the stems and nose-pieces matched their shoes. (I am NOT kidding!)

Ah yes. The shooting glasses. This is the part that I've got to force the do. Everything else (for the most part) I've definitely agreed with and do, but shooting glasses??? I've just never worn them to shoot.

In all seriousness, what are the odds that a gun is going to blow up in your face if it's in proper working condition, and you're using correct loads? I'll teach it anyway, but it's not something I wholeheartedly believe in. Same as storing your gun and ammo in separate locations... I flat out told the boys on that one that while that may be decent advice for most of your guns, your personal carry and home defense firearms need to be loaded because you won't have time to do it when a criminal breaks into the house. I've just never had the ability to "teach" anyone something that I don't truly believe in.

I've had some BB's bounce back. If one hits the frame of the BB-Trap just right, it can return at you.

Now if they are hitting anywhere near the target, this should not happen, but with kids never rule anything out. And an eye injury with a BB would be a good candidate to end your program.

I have gotten my best quality glasses for the money through ebay. I put them in Zip-Lock bags to keep them from getting scratched up while in the storage box.

Also, get a target "plug". It is .177", and you put it into the bullet hole of a BB that looks close to the upper scoring ring. If it "breaks" the ring at all, the shooter gets the next higher score.

You can get them from competition dealers, or make one by epoxying a BB or .177 pellet onto the end of a thin metal rod.

You will see your kids' scores go up about 10%, when using a scoring plug.

Good advice. Thank you sir!

I was thinking, you could even make a .177" "plug" by taking a round tooth-pick, cutting off part of the sharp end (making it flat), and epoxying a BB or .177 pellet to it.  

That would be a pretty handy length (about 2 1/2").

A pellet may not be as good as a BB, because the "skirt" may be over .177" in diameter.

I am looking forward to summer!
we can finally do some BB gun shooting in the back yard!

The kids & I are figuring on doing BB gun merit at home this summer

Just your own kids, or the whole outpost?

Just my kids
The other 2 (1 Rk & 1 DR) their parents wont even let them play with toy guns.

commies....

Phillip Gross wrote:Also, which aperture do you like best for the 499?  When I look through the rear peep sight down through the front donut aperture, the whole target is inside the front aperture.

Sorry, I missed this question.

I had originally wanted the kids to get used to a "Post" front sight, because it is what they will be shooting with when hunting or informal shooting.

However, they can be much more precise with the ring front aperture. I think that it comes with a couple of ring apertures. You want the one that leaves a noticeable sliver of white around the black scoring rings.

You do not want the black to be floating in a sea of white, but there has to be a little bit, so that the boys can "center" the bull in their front sight.

So we now use the "Ring" aperture as above.

However, I do require that they occasionally shoot with our Red Ryder BB-Guns, so that they remember how to use "open" sights.

ccm2361 wrote:Just my kids
The other 2  (1 Rk & 1 DR) their parents wont even let them play with toy guns.

You only have four, now?

Where do the boys legally need to be on the firing line in relation to the lone for the 5 meter competition? I would assume their feet need to be behind the line in the standing position, but what about prone? Tonight we just made sure their elbows were behind the line. Is that correct?

Correct. No part of the body may TOUCH the FLOOR forward of the firing line.

However, barrels, hands, forearms, etc may extend over the firing line, so long as they do not touch the floor/ground.

Phillip Gross wrote:  commies....

or are they just Canadians?

Canadarangers wrote:

Phillip Gross wrote:  commies....

or are they just Canadians?

Michigan/Canada...........

Same-Same, give-or-take 30 miles.

Canadarangers wrote:

Phillip Gross wrote:  commies....

or are they just Canadians?

Is there a difference?

ouch.. well at least you didn't call me an american . I might have had to throw empty beer cans at you (after I found some somewhere cause I don't actually have any)

Canadarangers wrote:ouch.. well at least you didn't call me an american   .  I might have had to throw empty beer cans at you....................................

Phillip,

How many qualifying targets did your kids shoot?

Last night was there first night shooting and the Avanti course starts them out in the prone position with three rounds each turn. The first two waves shot on the same targets with us just marking the previous hole with a marker before the second wave came to the line. After everyone shot once as a practice we gave them their own target of three shots. Some of our boys had nice groupings. The rifles still need to be dialed in slightly, but they grouped nicely. A couple boys were a little more sporadic, and then there was our resident [video] gamer. He didn't hit paper once...

That's why you need to get one or two kids (even your own) to win their first Marksmanship Medals, make it a big deal, and allow the boys to wear them "Locally".

Peer Pressure and Envy are powerful incentives for an adolescent boy.

Also, until that boy can hit the target with some consistency, he will not qualify for his "Marksmanship" Merit.

Phillip Gross wrote: and then there was our resident [video] gamer. He didn't hit paper once...

Well, there's never a consequence for losing a video game. Always more lives to use up, so there's no motivation to really improve your craft. An endless supply of rounds and lives. Kind of like the Chinese when they streamed across the Yalu River.

Actually a sad case. No father. On meds in the morning to wake him up and other meds to make him calm. Then meds at night to make him go to sleep and a couple other pills too (that I don't know what for).