10 Meter Air Rifle
US International shooter Jamie Gray
10 Meter Air Rifle can be separated into three main categories: Men's 60 Shot Air Rifle, Women's 40 Shot Air Rifle, and 3-Position Air Rifle. The latter is a discipline shot by juniors (18 and younger) and is the discipline shot by high-schools and clubs around the country. Men's and Women's Air Rifle are both shot at the Olympics and differentiated by the number of shots taken and the time allowed; Men receive 105 minutes to shoot 60 record shots and women receive 75 minutes to shoot 40 record shots. For those who know anything about the international circuit, you probably know that the rules were recently changed (there will be a blog post about this at some other time), but I will be focusing on the old rules because very few people (me included) fully understand the new rules.
Before I get into the specific disciplines, let me go ahead and give you a little bit more information on the distinction of "Air Rifle". The rifles shoot a .177 caliber flat nosed pellet by way of compressed air. The pellets are flat nosed in order to cut a perfect circle in the paper, making it easier to score. The targets used are either paper or electronic and are set 10 meters away from the shooter. Paper targets are far more common at the club and high school level and are a collection of 12 bullseyes (10 record bulls and 2 sighting bulls (used only to sight your rifle in)) because they are cheap and easy to get. Electronic targets are the standard for collegiate and international competitions. The target scores the shot by way of a laser or sound and can score each shot within a tenth of a millimeter. Each electronic target costs around $2500, rendering it almost impossible for most small clubs/high schools to own.
The target itself is divided up into 10 scoring rings with the 10-ring being in the very center and only being .5mm in diameter (that is about the size of the head of a push pin)! The black part of the bull (what you actually aim at) is only about the size of a quarter. On paper targets, only one shot is shot per bull, but you can shoot an unlimited amount of shots in the sighter bulls (at least until you take your first record shot), electronic targets only have one bull where all of your shots are taken. Your final score for 3-postion and Men's 60 shot is out of a possible 600 points and Women's 40 shot is out of 400 points. On top of this, if your shot completely covers the 10 ring, you are awarded a center shot. Center shots count for nothing except for in a tie breaker (the person with the most center shots wins).
The first discipline I am going to talk about is the 3-Position discipline. This discipline is favored by high-schools and junior clubs around the nation because it offers a good combination of 3 position smallbore and 10 meter air rifle without the need for different ranges and multiple rifles. It also teaches the basics of shooting to young shooters and introduces them to all three positions. I am not going to get into the rules of 3 position, but if you are interested in some further reading, check out http://www.odcmp.com/3p/rules.pdf . Each match is shot in the same way as a 3-position smallbore match; each shooter is given 30 minutes to shoot 20 record shots (plus sighters) in prone, 40 minutes for 20 record shots (plus sighters) in standing, and 30 minutes for 20 record shots (plus sighters) in kneeling. In between each position, the shooters are given 5 minutes to switch over to the new position and adjust their rifles accordingly.
Before I go on to the next section, I wanted to talk about the distinctions of 3-position rifle. Shooters shoot in one of two different "classes". The first "class" is Sporter (shot by new shooters). In Sporter, the shooters are limited in the equipment they are allowed to use. For instance, they are not allowed to wear the extra clothing and their rifles are very basic with little to no adjustments. The second class is called Precision (shot by more experienced shooters). Precision shooters are allowed to wear all of the extra clothing and their rifles are extremely adjustable allowing them to fit the rifle exactly to their body. The extra clothing and the nicer rifle give the shooter a distinct advantage, allowing them to hold steadier and shoot higher scores. Other than the equipment, there is no other difference in shooting. This also only applies to 3-position matches, there are no classes in the Men's and Women's Air Rifle.
Before I get into the specific disciplines, let me go ahead and give you a little bit more information on the distinction of "Air Rifle". The rifles shoot a .177 caliber flat nosed pellet by way of compressed air. The pellets are flat nosed in order to cut a perfect circle in the paper, making it easier to score. The targets used are either paper or electronic and are set 10 meters away from the shooter. Paper targets are far more common at the club and high school level and are a collection of 12 bullseyes (10 record bulls and 2 sighting bulls (used only to sight your rifle in)) because they are cheap and easy to get. Electronic targets are the standard for collegiate and international competitions. The target scores the shot by way of a laser or sound and can score each shot within a tenth of a millimeter. Each electronic target costs around $2500, rendering it almost impossible for most small clubs/high schools to own.
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| Flat nosed pellets |
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| 12 bull target |
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| size of bull with a 5 shot group |
The first discipline I am going to talk about is the 3-Position discipline. This discipline is favored by high-schools and junior clubs around the nation because it offers a good combination of 3 position smallbore and 10 meter air rifle without the need for different ranges and multiple rifles. It also teaches the basics of shooting to young shooters and introduces them to all three positions. I am not going to get into the rules of 3 position, but if you are interested in some further reading, check out http://www.odcmp.com/3p/rules.pdf . Each match is shot in the same way as a 3-position smallbore match; each shooter is given 30 minutes to shoot 20 record shots (plus sighters) in prone, 40 minutes for 20 record shots (plus sighters) in standing, and 30 minutes for 20 record shots (plus sighters) in kneeling. In between each position, the shooters are given 5 minutes to switch over to the new position and adjust their rifles accordingly.
Before I go on to the next section, I wanted to talk about the distinctions of 3-position rifle. Shooters shoot in one of two different "classes". The first "class" is Sporter (shot by new shooters). In Sporter, the shooters are limited in the equipment they are allowed to use. For instance, they are not allowed to wear the extra clothing and their rifles are very basic with little to no adjustments. The second class is called Precision (shot by more experienced shooters). Precision shooters are allowed to wear all of the extra clothing and their rifles are extremely adjustable allowing them to fit the rifle exactly to their body. The extra clothing and the nicer rifle give the shooter a distinct advantage, allowing them to hold steadier and shoot higher scores. Other than the equipment, there is no other difference in shooting. This also only applies to 3-position matches, there are no classes in the Men's and Women's Air Rifle.
Sporter
Precision
Men's and Women's Air Rifle are the two disciplines shot internationally and at the Olympics. The only difference between the two are the number of shots and the time allowed. All of the shots are shot in the standing position and at the international level, it is not uncommon to see scores in the high 590's out of 600 points (actually it is nearly impossible to get into a final with a score lower than 596/600). At major competitions, all shooters shoot as individuals and the winner is determined by a combination of a 60 or 40 shot match plus a 10 shot final (yes, i know this has changed with the new rules, but I am not going to get into that now. If you are interested in the new rules, check them out http://www.issf-sports.org/theissf/rules/english_rulebook.ashx ). To enter into a final, a shooter must be one of the top 8 shooters in the competition. After the competition, the top 8 shooters take a short break and then go on to shoot 10 shots (you are given 75 seconds per shot and each shot taken one at a time). After the 10 shots have been fired, the winner is known and any ties result in a 1-shot shoot off until there are no more ties.
In college, the only rifle discipline shot is the 60-shot Men's Air Rifle. This is shot by both men and women with the same basic rules as international shooters. The only difference is that there is no final and the winner is a specific team of 4 shooters instead of a single person. I will delve deeper into college shooting in a later article, so stay tuned.
I hope this proved helpful to anyone interested in shooting air rifle. I highly recommend starting your kids in air rifle instead of smallbore because it is much cheaper, easier to learn, and there are quite a few clubs and high schools that shoot this discipline. Stay tuned for next week's article: 50 Meter Three Position Rifle.
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