Train for shooting sports at your home.

[Irving]

I'd like to share this little experiment with everyone.

Last weekend I made some IDPA-like targets out of some card board I found in the trash. I tried to make them approximately 80% of standard IDPA regulation size. I didn't put a ton of effort into making the measurements exact. I made them with the idea of practicing with smaller targets on my own time. Today I got an idea and had to try it out.

I've got this spring loaded, single shot airsoft gun at home.


I had to purchase the extra heavy pellets (.20g compared to .12g) because the lighter ammo goes so fast that they don't fly straight. It is kind of like shooting a curve ball. They go straight for a bit, then veer off in a different direction each time. The heavier stuff is much more accurate. HOWEVER, they also have mass enough to go through your blinds, even the 1/16" thick pressed wood kind, and put dents in your paint. So beware of your target and what is behind. Don't put a target in front of your flat screen tv (unless you put a towel or something over it.


Two cardboard targets taped together (with rolled up tape in between to create some space) is enough to stop the rounds though. I bet a single layer of t-shirt behind each target would be even better.


I've got 8 targets, and just doubled them all up to make 4 targets total. Now, I place them around my house.





A few things to note.

-The gun is a single shot, so the slide needs to be racked before every shot. Great way to teach your wife proper gun handling and tap, rack, bang drills.
-I only have one magazine, it holds 12 shots. You can buy more magazines, AND they are weighted so they will drop free when you release them.
-Want to do a low light match? Close the blinds or wear sunglasses. Flashlight match? Do it at night. Want every stage to be a blind stage? Invite a friend over or have your wife join you.
-Great way to learn how to clear your house while slicing the pie.
-Realize how much more short and narrow your real hallways are, compared to how they are on an IDPA stage.
-How easy is it to maneuver through your house while effectively using cover and not crowding at the same time?
-You can buy semi-auto airsoft guns that are replicas of real guns, even the magazines are the same size and weighted.
-Seems like a great way to learn how to build stages and contribute ideas to your local match.
-PLEASE wear eye protection! These plastic pellets BOUNCE all over the place, even when you hit the target. You can reuse all the ones you can find though.
-Your wife WILL make fun of you at first.
-Have fun.

[Irving]

Here are the results of my test stage.




Oops, -1 here:


This one is a failure to neutralize. I fired four shots at the head, but the gun shoots high and I missed every single shot.


One thing I'm concerned about, is when I tape up the targets with masking tape like at a match, I think the pellets will bounce off the tape instead of going through. I'll have to think of a better way to do this. Perhaps get some crate paper in bulk and tape that on top instead.

[SA Friday]

There are dozens of threads on this topic on the BE forum if you want ideas. Most use the gas operated pistols that operate just like their primary pistol. They also make 1/3 size targets for peacticing at home and steel shaped small targets that fall like steel targets. I've even seen a guy that set up his garage for this like a berm and put a treadmill in the middle to practice shooting on the move.

[Irving]

Oh man, seems I'm late to the party. I kind of like the treadmill idea, especially seeing as how I have one. The indoor steel type targets sound cool as well, but I'd probably rather spend my money on shooting additional real matches. Thanks for the tip. What is the BE forum?

[Not_A_Llama]

BE = brianenos.com , probably the single most comprehensive and in-depth action shooting forum you can find on the net.

Also check out: http://bamairsoft.com/products01.html

I run a KSC gas-powered G19. Fits my competition Uncle Mike's holster, uses real Glock sights. Trigger and slide are both ridiculously light, so it's not perfect. About $250 to get started with extra mag, gas, and 5k black pellets (other colors "tracer" and will have you looking at flying BBs)

[Irving]

$250? Yikes. I thought you could get into a gas powered semi-auto for around $50ish. That would be super sweet to have an airsoft replica of my own gun to use in the house though. I'd like to take this idea to the local park where I see kids playing airsoft, but I doubt it'd go over well.

[Graves]

$250? Yikes.

Yeah, holy crap.

[Not_A_Llama]

A lot depends on your personal situation and commitment. I mean, that $250 sets you up for 5k "rounds" that you can shoot every single day, in any weather, at (almost) any time. Set aside 5 minutes a day for some draw practice, or run some FASTs. I'll bet you'll see improvements pretty quickly. 80% of that $250 figure is upfront costs - in the long haul, your per-round cost is about $0.003/shot.

Compared to some other shit on the market you can buy for $250, I think it's one of the better expenditures you can make to further your skills.

I also think it's good for teaching some newbie skills, like watching your sights lift.

After a year of stagnation and plateauing, I've seen my performance improve a lot at FRIDPA - I think the airsoft is part of that. That, and the 250 rounds/week I can afford to shoot, now that I have my reloading setup.

[Irving]

Wait a minute, aren't you Warren? Didn't you win last month's match? I bought those dies from you, and didn't even see you there!

Also, I noticed that the barrel on my airsoft gun is rifled. Seems like it'd be pretty easy to make oblong bullets that would have much better accuracy. Anyone make anything like that? Thanks for all the tips. Oh, and what weight are the "black" rounds?

[Not_A_Llama]

Hope those bullets and dies are working out for ya. I didn't see you, either. Weird.

For the distance airsoft's good for, the lil spheres work out fine. I buy these 0.2g BBs:
http://www.airsplat.com/Items/B2-5000-B.htm

Also, I run the Surefire shot timer app on my iPhone, which picks up airsoft just fine, after the latest update. It's a pretty complete experience.

ETA more links:
http://www.tgscom.com/images/sharedi...ckFAQ/idpa.pdf - Print em out, and you have 1/3 scale targets.
http://pistol-training.com/drills/fa...acy-speed-test - the FAST drill I mentioned earlier. I really like it.