A Guide to the Equipment in Pistol Shooting.

When you think of the equipment required for a competitor to excel in Target Pistol Shooting, you might compare it to any specialised sport. While one only needs the bare essentials to get started in this sport, to become truly competitive he must obtain special equipment. For example, a cricket bat and a ball is all that a youngster needs to begin a lifelong affinity with the sport of Cricket and to learn the most basic skills. However, to participate in competition and at the same time further develop his skills, he will need pads, gloves, a helmet and more. The same is true with the developing newcomer to the sport of Target Pistol Shooting.

Use this article as a guide to selecting and acquiring equipment to participate in this sport. You certainly may get involved in this sport with only some of the equipment described in this article. However, that if you truly wish to become a competitor, and possibly a champion, you may eventually obtain every item in the list. On the other hand, gadgetry can be an obsession, and unneeded expenses can be avoided by using a little logic.

Selecting a .22 Target Pistol

More words than you could ever have time to read could be dedicated to the process of selecting your pistol for competitive target shooting. You should do your own research, studying not only the facts and figures, but also how the gun "feels" to you. Assuming that you are looking for a .22 calibre pistol for conventional Pistol Shooting, consider the following factors critical in the purchase of a target pistol.

Extra Magazines
It is a good idea to have an extra magazine close at hand. The reason is to have a replacement if one stops functioning during a match. Remember - loading your magazine is not allowed until the command to load is given.

Shooting Box
By design, pistol cases solve several problems: They allow secure transport of your valuable firearms in a lockable case as required by regulations and they provide the space and means to keep all your shooting accessories organised and handy. On some specialised shooting cases, the opened lid serves as a stable and easily accessible holder for your spotting scope. Most pistol boxes are designed to accommodate these needs of the competitive pistol shooter. It is simply your decision to find the case that is right for you. Therefore, choosing a pistol box should be more important than it seems. The following factors are certainly worthy of consideration:

A Suitable Spotting Scope
A spotting scope is an invaluable tool for the target shooter. It allows you to verify where each shot hits in slow fire and where your five shot strings group are in timed and rapid fire. You will want a scope of the 20x or 25x power and the largest objective lens and best clarity you can afford. This is a one-time investment that is worth spending a few extra bucks. An inexpensive scope can cause eyestrain and may make seeing .22 holes at 50 meters difficult or impossible.

Ear and Eye Protection
If you are blessed with good vision and you don't already wear glasses, you will need to buy shooting glasses. Protection from a rare shattered case fragment or bullet splatter from the backstop easily justifies the expense of glasses. As another benefit, yellow-tinted lenses may improve contrast outdoors and seemingly brighten and clarify the target. Regardless of colour, the quality of the optics is the most important factor. Do not buy wrap-around polycarbonate goggles although they may look "cool," they can distort your vision, regardless of what the manufacturers purport.

Ear protection is equally important! Besides preventing the obvious long-term damaging effects of gunfire, maximum ear protection will help eliminate flinching due to the noise. The unmuffled roar of gunfire during rapid fire would cause anyone to get a little shaky! You have several options in this matter: sonic earplugs, ear muffs, or both. Don't consider any product with less than 20dB of reduction as ear protection. Spend the extra two dollars and get something that works.

Another item that will assist in optimising your vision is a cap. The peak of the cap can help keep light from reflecting off the inside of your glasses and may also prevent an ejected case from a pistol from falling between your glasses and your face. (The cases are a little on the hot side.)

Electronic StopWatch or Timer
For under twenty dollars, you should purchase an electronic stopwatch or timer. This little gadget will make sure that you make the best use of the time allotted in slow fire. Without it, you will probably shoot too quickly, wasting the opportunity to wait for the wind to stop blowing or for your arm strength to be restored after a shot. The inverse is a bigger problem, having taken too much time and still having two rounds left unfired at the end of the time.

Scoring Aids
A scoring overlay, a clear piece of plastic with "circles" of common bullet sizes, is a valuable tool in scoring targets. It allows you to determine whether those borderline shots are actually touching the scoring ring. Some overlays have a small arc of a few inches of the four innermost rings of the target. Tight groups that make a big hole, thus "erasing" part of the scoring ring, can be scored by reconstructing the scoring ring with the overlay. A second overlay on top shows which shots are touching the "restored" ring. They are cheap. Get a set.

Also use a notepad for recording your scores. This can be an invaluable training aid. As you keep track of your scores, you should also make notes during the course of the competition that may be referred to later on. The effects of lighting, wind or general conditions for a particular range may save you having to 're-learn' the same things next time you visit that range.

Tools for Repairs or Adjustments
A complete toolkit for your pistol is like the American Express card: Don't leave home without it! Make certain that you have every Allen wrench or screw driver you might need for every adjustable part on your gun. If you need to adjust your sights, you will have the proper size screwdriver for the job. If your sights move or your pistol's grip loosens, you can tighten it back up properly.

Targets for Competition
While the correct targets are furnished by the officials at a competition or league event, you should provide your own when you practice. You should always practice with the correct targets used for the event you are shooting. Not doing so will create bad habits and a variety of sighting problems, and it will give incorrect scoring feedback of your shooting.

Selecting .22 Calibre Ammunition
The task of selecting ammo for your .22 pistol is an important one. Regardless of the pistol, the following factors must be considered in the selection process:

Accuracy (and consistency from lot to lot)
Functioning (some types malfunction in certain guns)
Cost (the biggest variable)

If certain ammo does not function well in your pistol, change to another. It is the only of the three factors of which you have no control. Beyond that, selection is really a matter of how much accuracy you can afford.

Cleaning Supplies
Here is an area where I do not advocate spending a lot of money! Non-corrosive priming and smokeless powders have made cleaning your pistols a lesser priority. Although a .45 calibre pistol should be field stripped and cleaned thoroughly fairly often, by design a .22 pistol barely needs cleaning. Overcleaning your guns will create excessive wear and should be discouraged. Just as detrimental is improper cleaning techniques.

Gun supply manufacturers are diverse and they each make dozens of cleaning solutions that they give "technical" names and package in colourful cans or bottles. Don't be fooled! Guns have been cleaned with everything from kerosene, petrol, and turpentine to carburettor cleaner and brake cleaner! Although they all work, concerns of flammability, fumes, and damage to bluing and plastic parts must be considered. The task of a cleaner is simple: dissolve and float away powder and lead residue. Hope's formula No. 9, whose main ingredient is kerosene, is a great all-purpose cleaner for all parts of a pistol. Spray-on cleaners such as Gun Scrubber seem to dissolve thick powder residue, but because they evaporate so quickly, they just leave a thinner, less visible crusty residue in its place. Just remember, whatever you use, try not to get it on your grip.

Cleaning tools are just as misadvertised. A toothbrush labelled "Powder Removal System" is still just a toothbrush. Do not pay for the labelling; buy the real thing for less. A mere fortune could be spent on an elaborate cleaning kit, housed in its own maple brief case, with fancy brass and hickory cleaning rods and other useless stuff. Nonsense! An inexpensive aluminium rod works just like the most expensive one and still will not scratch your bore. The only note here is that the rod should be long enough so you can push a patch through the breech and have it come out through the muzzle, going one way only, never through and back.

Here is the list of cleaning supplies that I feel you should have...

Other Hints and Tips:

Thin Knitting Needle: This will do the trick for removing a pellet from an Air Pistol. Saves the problems of wondering if you have loaded one or two pellets. (This can happen in the 'newer' Air Pistols.)

Sight Black: a commercial Spray pack or Camphor. This is handy to ensure a 'black' sight picture - without reflections on the sights.

Staple Gun: for those times you run out of clips to hold down the targets

Extracts from John Dreyer www.bullseyepistol.com

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