The Paralympics Took place in Rio earlier this month (Sept 2016), with competitors from around the world all contributing to the success of the games.
Team GB performing particularly well in the archery events. Jess Stretton won gold, defeating fellow Brit Jo Frith in the individual archery by 137-124. The 16 year old spoke to the BBC. “I had to try to tell myself to keep calm because I did feel under pressure and sometimes I can freak out because of that,” she said.
“I had to trick myself into thinking it was just another shooting session which was quite difficult – but I managed it.”
Frith’s appearance in the event was made all the more impressive by her health prior to the event. As she told World Archery:
“I’ve got a neurological problem. I couldn’t move and I was in more pain than usual. It was really chronic pain. The doctors here did everything they could and in the end it was getting pretty serious so they sent me off to the hospital for about two days,” Jenkins told the website.
“And then we came this morning to see whether I could pull my bow back and to see Whether I could shoot. It looked okay and not too painful. And so I just went for it really.”
Victoria Jenkins won bronze in the event, completing an impressive three medal haul for Team GB in the event.
Paralympics Shooting
Meanwhile, Iran’s female sporting shooter Sareh Javanmardi won a second gold in the P4 mixed 50-meter pistol SH1 in Rio, scoring 189.5 points to finish champion in the event. China’s Yang Chao, finished second with 186.5 to win silver, while Oleksii Denysiuk of Ukraine finished in third place to win bronze.
Indeed, women were strongly represented throughout the shooting events. Out of the six mixed shooting events, four gold medals went to the ladies, including Slovakia’s Veronika Vadovicova in R3 (mixed 10m air rifle prone SH1) and Slovenia’s Veselka Pevec in R4.
#GirlsWithGuns is now a thing! If you’re passionate about shooting, you can’t have failed to notice that it’s often a man dominated hobby and sport. From hunting, to sport to pest control, it’s usually guys who are wielding the shotgun or airgun. But things are changing. With female shooting clubs and female shooters popping up in the media and all around the country, women’s participation in shooting has increased massively. Here we take a look at 5 of the biggest and best female shooters and clubs around.
Amber Hill
Amber Hill on target at an ISSF event
The 18 year old British Skeet Shooting representative at this year’s Rio Olympics isn’t just a pretty face. She’s now seen doing glamorous photoshoots in tabloids and has 39k Instagram followers. But to passionate shooters like ourselves she’s better known as the girl who won Gold at her first Senior Olympic Skeet World Cup in 2013. Two years later she repeated the feat at ISSF World Cup Final in Cyprus. She capped it off by winning BBC Young Sports Personality that year, a major accolade.
Unfortunately she wasn’t able to hit her usual standards at Rio earlier this year in the Olympics, but she has time on her side, and will now be targeting silverware at the Tokyo Olympics in 2020.
Femme Fatale Airsoft
Midlands Airsofter Kelly Louise Hardwick is a passionate shooter and blogger who has built up a huge online following for this underground sport. Almost 29k Instagram followers keep up to date with her exploits in the world of MilSim, at airsoft get togethers around the country. She also does regular Youtube Q & As, like this one here.
If you want to learn about the hyper realistic world of airsoft combat, it’s worth looking out for her content. Her blog is here.
Shotgun And Chelsea Bun Club
This pioneering ladies shooting club recently celebrated its 5 year anniversary:
Set up by Victoria Knowles Lacks in 2011, the club has risen to success, providing a welcoming and inclusive place where women can experience up to 50 clay pigeon shooting events a year, hosted up and down the country.
With a strong social media presence, the club has made huge strides in encouraging ladies into the sport. They’ve even branched out into fly fishing events and have their own annual awards ceremony. You can learn more at their official site.
Jodie Marsh
Infamous glamour model, body builder, and TV personality Jodie Marsh recently took her hand to hunting, in a recent documentary for TLC, ‘Jodie Goes Hunting’. An unlikely advocate for the sport, Jodie is a fierce vegetarian who met famous game hunter Rachel Carrie (who co-founded Femme Fatales, see below) for the show, going on hunts, meeting people from her family and learning more about humane culling of animals. The show certainly raised the profile for hunting, reaching her 606k Twitter followers and opening up viewers unfamiliar with it.
Femme Fatales
Going by the handle @shewolfshoot on Twitter, like SCBC, Femme Fatales is another UK female-online shooting community. Their website states that they wish to ‘challenge the misconception that shooting is a man’s sport’ and challengers them to ‘‘not use being a girl as an excuse – use it as ammunition! – or more accurately: glammunition!”
With regular events up and down the country, as far apart as Northumberland and Somerset, the club provides an excellent method of entry for women looking for an exciting outdoor hobby into the world of clay shooting. You can learn more by heading to their official site, here.
This week, we take the opportunity to chat to our brave army veteran and Help For Heroes fundraiser, Steven Richardson…..
Afghanistan 2010, Operation Herrick 12: the role of mentoring and advising the Afghan army fell to the 1st Battalion Royal Regiment of Scotland, Royal Scots Borderers. Among them was a young 22-year-old Steven Richardson (pictured opposite), whose life changed forever when an IED (improvised explosive device) exploded under his feet. He awoke, four days later, in The Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Birmingham, to discover that both of his legs had been amputated above the knee, and that he’d lost five fingers.
It had always been Steven’s ambition to serve in the British army. Impatient for recruitment, he’d asked his parents to give their consent when he was just 16 years old. They refused. But in 2006, when Steven turned 18, he was free to follow his dream, and he joined up immediately. His army career came to an end just four years later.
The Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Birmingham, is home to The Royal Centre for Defence Medicine (RCDM) – the primary receiving hospital for service personnel injured on operations. After a week of drifting in and out of consciousness, Steven began to take some small steps towards recovery. The first hurdle was sitting up.
“I’d been lying down for 10 days”, Steven explained. “When I first tried to sit up in bed, I nearly fainted; I just toppled over.”
During his four weeks at the Queen Elizabeth, Steven received a lot of physiotherapy, and he was soon ready to try out his first wheelchair. As a soldier, Steven had been a competent driver of all land vehicles; however, due to the loss of so many fingers, now even his handling of a wheelchair was somewhat erratic.
“I was like a ping-pong ball bouncing off the walls,” he told me, laughing.
Steven pictured here on his hand bike
A month at the RCDM was followed by physiotherapy and occupational therapy at Headley Court, a military-run rehabilitation centre for wounded service personnel, opened in June 2010 by HRH Prince William of Wales. Steven would spend four or five weeks at Headley Court, followed by two or three weeks at home. This pattern continued throughout his three years of rehabilitation.
In 2012, Steven met Jon-Paul Nevin, head of Strength and Conditioning at the Phoenix House Recovery Centre gym, at Tedworth House, in Wiltshire – a centre operated by Help for Heroes. Steven and JP (as he is known by his friends) were surprised to discover that they had a connection.
“We’d never met before,” Steven told me, “but it turned out we’d grown up in the same village – East Calder – and we went to the same schools. JP’s younger brother was in the year above me.”
JP had big plans: He intended to enter an eight-man team of injured soldiers into the 3,000-mile cycle relay race across the United States of America in June 2012. This would be the very first disabled team to enter the race. Steven wanted to be a part of it.
Training for this event took place at Tedworth House. Steven would spend a weekend or a week at a time at Tedworth, working out in the Phoenix Centre gym. Lots of men began training, hoping to be selected for the team. As Steven would be using a hand bike, it was important for him to build up his upper-body strength as well as his stamina. By the end of his training period, he was doing a bike ride every day. Steven was now in excellent shape – thoroughly deserving of his place in the team.
Steven pictured with Help For Heroes Race Across America team
Steven was one of four athletes in Team Battle Back to use a hand bike; the other three – Simon Harmer, Steve Arnold, and Joe Townsend – had all lost legs in explosions in Afghanistan. Between them, the eight men cycled 3051 miles over hilly terrain, crossing 12 states from Oceanside, California to Annapolis, Maryland. They raised almost £100,000 for Help for Heroes.
I asked Steven about his prosthetic legs – something along the lines of: “Do you have a pair?” With a chuckle, Steven said, “I have more legs now than I’ve ever had. In fact, I have a wardrobe full of them, lined up in pairs – it’s rather like a graveyard in there.” Knowing that Steven had been an expert marksman during his army career, I asked whether he still did any shooting. “A bit of pest control. I’m going out tonight, actually. I’ll take my five dogs with me for a run.”
“Five dogs?”
“Yes – springer spaniel, Labrador, Staffordshire terrier, German shepherd, and a collie-cross.”
I asked Steven if the loss of so many fingers caused difficulties in handling his rifle. “Well, I have four fingers on my left hand,” he told me, “and as I’m left-handed anyway, it’s not too awkward. I bought a .22 Rat Sniper air rifle from Pellpax, and I get on really well with that.”
Now Steven is moving on to the next phase of his life: he’s about to begin a course in sea kayaking at Glenmore Lodge, Scotland’s National Outdoor Training Centre. His plan is to set up in business as a sea kayaking guide, conducting day trips and overnight excursions around the Scottish coast.
“The thing is,” he said, “most of the best paddling is over on the west coast of Scotland, and I live on the east coast. But rather than move house, I’ll be mobile: I’ll meet clients wherever they wish to explore.” Steven Richardson is a strong and determined man. We wish him every success in his new career.
Here at Pellpax, we are really proud to announce that we will be sponsoring 19-year-old Amy Brown.
Determined, intelligent, focused, and diligent, she’s a champion in the making. Look out for her at the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo; we believe she’ll be there.
After passing ‘A’ levels in Maths, Further Maths, Physics, and Chemistry, Amy decided to take a gap year before starting university in order to dedicate her time and effort to Olympic Skeet.
Last year, Amy was travelling all over the country to train and compete with other top-quality shooters, including Olympic competitor, Amber Hill. But with the help of her supportive parents, who bought a touring caravan, Amy was able to train with her coach, Steve Bramley, for a week at a time at Doveridge Clay Sports Club in Derbyshire, which has hosted some of the world’s most prestigious clay shooting events.
Amy is now coached by Iain McGregor, who is based at Auchterhouse, in Dundee – voted by Clay Shooting Magazine readers as Scotland’s Favourite shooting ground. Iain is also coach to Drew Christie, a commonwealth silver medallist, and Sian Bruce, an international medallist who shoots for team GB.
Amy says, “Being able to train and compete alongside these excellent shots has provided me with great insight into how vital it is to maintain a high level of training at all times.”
Amy’s first step on her shooting career ladder was success at the Target Tokyo trials after being scouted by an APSI (Association of Professional Shooting Instructors) coach during the summer of 2015. During the autumn, Amy competed in the British Championships (Olympic Skeet), taking 2nd place in the Junior Ladies’ category.
This summer, representing England, Amy took first place in the Junior category at the Captain’s Cup against Scotland. She also achieved two personal bests. In September, Amy will be competing in the Serbia Grand Prix – her first international competition.
Amy’s intensive training stands her in good stead. She says, “It’s made me mentally stronger and more capable of holding my nerve in competitions.”
But Amy’s focus isn’t restricted to her own advancement. She and her 16-year-old sister, Erin, run a ladies’ and girls’ shooting club that meets monthly to raise funds for various charities, including the Great North Air Ambulance and Bloodwise, an organisation that is striving to defeat all 137 types of blood cancer.
So when you attend local, national, and international shooting competitions, look out for our Amy, who will be wearing logoed Pellpax clothing.And keep an eye on the Pellpax blog page for updates on Amy’s progress.
So what does Amy hope to achieve by the end of this year?
“My goals for 2016 are to make a senior ladies’ final at the GB selection shoot in September, and also get into the top ten senior ladies for Olympic Skeet in Great Britain.
And in the next couple of years?
“I have my sights set on being selected for the commonwealth games in Australia 2018, and by the end of 2018 I want to be in the top ten for skeet women in Europe.”
Choosing a shotgun is something that can be both a long and enjoyable process, with so many brands and models out there it is easy to get overwhelmed. Resident shooting enthusiast Steph Brooks is here to help you to navigate you through this maze of terminology and make the right choice….
There are 5 kinds of shotgun available that are all used for slightly different disciplines :
Over and Under : These shotguns were once considered horrible aberrations compared to side by side shotguns but eventually won people over thanks to their single sight plane. They are mechanically similar to the single barrel shotgun, but over and under shotguns feature a break barrel mechanism, and often come with ejectors, making reloading them easy. These shotguns are so called because they feature one barrel mounted over the top of the other and are often used for serious clay pigeon shooting such as skeet and trap shooting disciplines. Check out our range of Over and Under shotguns here.
Pump Action : These types of shotgun are used all across the world and feature some of the most versatile models in existence. They are used for everything. For example, the police in some American states use a Remington Model 870. Pump actions have traditionally been derided for their mass production and use of cheap materials. However, this is no longer the case, as people continue to want a versatile all useful shotgun all the way up the price range. Check out out our range of pump action shotguns here.
Semi Automatic : Semi automatic shotguns are perhaps the most recognisable of all and are just as versatile as pump actions. The main advantage over pump actions is the semi auto mechanism which will fire shells as fast as you can pull the trigger. Gas cycling shotguns are also great at minimising recoil especially into the shoulder. “If you start to flinch, you might as well go home”, the saying goes, among shooters. Semi automatics definitely help to reduce this, and makes them suitable for all activities and can keep you in the field for longer. Check out our range of semi automatic shotguns here.
If your shotgun has a capacity of more than 3, you will require a firearms license (FAC) to possess it. To see which one is for you, the easiest thing is to try. Very few gun shops worth their salt will try to pigeonhole you into a type of shotgun before you know what you want to do with it.
Gauge the Situation
Shotguns are typically chambered in gauges instead of calibres and this is the next thing you must decide when picking your shotgun. The gauge, sometimes called bore, is a measure of how many lead balls it takes in the barrel to make a pound, and therefore smaller gage numbers equals a bigger chamber. Gauges usually range from 10 up to 28 but the most common gauges are 12, 20 and .410 so I’ll take you through those. Here’s the full range of our shotguns….
12 Gauge : Over 50% of all shotguns sold are 12 gauge, making it by far the most popular choice. This is due to a good balance between accuracy and power, and makes this gauge extremely easy to find ammunition for. Birdshot, slugs, buckshot, they are all found in abundance in 12 gauge ensuring these shells can be used for almost all applications.
20 Gauge : This is the second most popular choice of gauge and is designed to be just as effective as a 12, but with greatly reduced recoil and makes this type or shotgun more suitable for younger or smaller shooters. Essentially if you can’t handle the recoil of a 12 gauge, try a 20 although note you are sacrificing some lethality by doing this.
410 Gauge : A newer, American invention, the .410 gauge is based on the .45 Colt round and even come in subsonic varieties. The recoil of these shotguns are even less than their 20 gauge counterparts, but often contain less shot. For example a 12 gauge 000 shell contains 10 pellets where as a .410 gauge contains just 3.
Shotgun Shells
Shotgun cartridges come in multiple varieties with varying loads and shot sizes that are all used for different activities, so your choice of cartridge largely comes down to this.
Birdshot : Similar to gauge, when categorising bird shot shells, the smaller the number, the larger the shot. This, as the name suggests is for birds such as pheasant, partridge or quail, but can also be used for clay pigeon shooting. Birdshot is also used for targeting waterfowl as well, but steel shot must be used due to the animal’s proximity to water. When shooting steel shot, lower power or larger shot size should be considered, as steel shot, being significantly harder than lead, has a tendency to pass through an animal. This leads to a slow death rather than a humane one. Also check that your barrel has been proofed for steel shot, most modern shotguns have been, as the harder shot can damage the internal chamber.
Buckshot : Used to hunt larger game, such as deer, buckshot contains larger sizes of shot that must be carefully packed into cartridges rather than being poured. Different countries use different systems for sizing, but in the UK it goes : LG, MG, SG, SSG, SSSG, SSSSG, AAAA, AAA, from biggest to smallest. Why not use numbers? Who knows, but learn it because it’s important. The larger size of this shot decreases spread but vastly improves lethality. Because of the size of the projectiles that are moved in buckshot, the recoil felt by these cartridges is significantly greater than birdshot shells. Reduced recoil cartridges have recently become available and are made for practising without shoulder fatigue.
Slugs : Unlike the other cartridges on this list, slugs are not made from multiple balls of lead shot but are instead one large projectile that are used to hunt large game in populated area where rifles are of a concern because of their long range. Slugs have devastating power but have maximum ranges of around 400 years compared to up to 2 for rifles. Slugs are often rifled which aids their accuracy as shotgun chambers are usually smooth. Slugs are usually shot from shotguns with a straight choke, or even no choke at all, and are usually just 12 gauge, although there are also .410 slugs available.
It is worth noting that as slugs exceed 0.36 in diameter they require a firearms certificate (FAC) to posses. You can find a good choice of ammunition if you wish to buy shotgun cartridges here.
Shotgun Added Extras
There are also several items that are designed to improve your shotguns performance. These are not essential to be able to shoot shotguns but could improve your shooting and make the difference between a hit and a miss.
Chokes : A choke is a tapered constriction of the end of a shotguns barrel that is designed to tighten the spread of the pellets and increase range and accuracy, chokes are almost always used when hunting to ensure humane, one shot kills. There are many different sizes of choke ranging from Cylinder, which offers no constriction and is usually reserved for slugs, to Turkey, which constrict the barrel by over 0.05 inches. This may not seem like a lot but this constriction is magnified over the shotguns range and can produce incredibly tight spreads. Check our our shotgun chokes here.
Silencers : Depending on where you are shooting, a silencer, or moderator may not be necessary. But in residential areas noise is a valid concern, and the muzzle noise from a shotgun can also cause considerable damage to hearing. Even though hearing protection is recommended, a silencer can also help drastically reduce noise. Only shotguns with 1 barrel (single barrel, semi auto, pump action) shotguns are capable of having silencers attached, and some of them require modification due to a vented top rib.
Cleaning Kits : Shotguns usually experience a build up of lead and other deposits inside the barrel that needs to be removed every so often. The amount of and the speed at which this builds up largely depends on your choice of cartridge, but if left unchecked this build up can drastically affect accuracy, and even cause misfires and other problems. Most cleaning kits will be set to a particular gauge and will consist of either a chamber brush or a pull through, which has stiff wire bristles to scrape the chamber clean.
Keeping a shotgun well maintained is one of the most important aspects of ensuring a long working life and consistent shooting accuracy. Gun oil is ideal for all the moving parts and stock finish is also a good ideal if you shotgun features a wooden stock that needs protecting. You can take you pick by perusing our range of shotgun cleaning kits here.
Protective Clothing : If shooting at serious competitions, you might want to consider your apparel. Padded gun vests can help negate the fatiguing effect of recoil, whilst ear defenders and ballistic glasses protect your eyes and ears against things going wrong. Glasses are even sometimes colour to help you pick out clays against the sky. You can check out our range of ear defenders here.
Hopefully this has guided you through some of the tricky terminology that can make picking a shotgun difficult. For more help and advice, stayed tuned on our blog, or give us a call!
Once you’re proficient in the sport of shooting an airgun accurately and consistency, whether for field target shooting, or match shooting where each millimetre counts, you might want to look for an airgun that will serve you reliably for the years to come.
This fantastic Buyer’s Guide by our resident airgun enthusiast Joe Meakin covers some of the best air rifles and best air pistols that are currently available on the market. We hope it will guide you along the right path to you buying one with everything you need, and nothing you don’t.
Best Spring Air Rifles
If spring is your thing then we have a great range of top quality models from the finest makers around today such as Air Arms and Weihrauch. Air Arms is a British based airgun firm who make everything in house to an incredibly high standard and this certainly does show when on the target range. Their range of spring powered air rifles consist of the TX200 and the Pro-Sport.
Air Arms
The internals of the TX200 feature some very advanced features that would normally only be found on a ‘tuned’ target rifle such as the bearing rings on the piston itself. This means the piston has very low friction and a constant contact surface which makes each firing cycle very similar, to minimise any fluctuations in the muzzle output.
Air Arms also install one of their CD trigger systems which can be finely adjusted to your requirements to eliminate any trigger creep and the possibility of you ‘pulling’ the shot if the trigger is set too heavy.
Air Arms also offer the Pro-Sport which is very similar to the TX200 in terms of the internals, but differs on the exterior. The TX200 has a standard underlever, positioned under the barrel out the front, and the Pro-Sport has an underlever which is smartly incorporated into the underside of the stock. This dramatically improves the balance of the rifle which helps in target acquisition and steadiness when shooting. If you’re looking for Air Arms’ top model, then the Pro Sport is the model to go for.
Weihrauch is a marque of quality in the world of airguns
Weihrauch are a German airgun manufacturer, and are one of the longest established airgun firms around today. Through being in business for many years, they have seen how the airgun market has changed throughout the years and refined their products to a remarkably high standard and matched them to the needs of today’s shooters.
Their top end spring air rifles consist of the HW97K, which comes in many different models with different stocks and action finishes, and the HW98. The HW97 is an under lever air rifle, similar to the TX200, and has a standard spring and piston system on the inside. The HW98 is a break barrel rifle, but has features such as an over sleeved barrel, and target stock, to cater for the target shooters.
The HW97 is a heavy rifle, which most shooters prefer, as it helps steady the rifle on each shot. The 97 is also available with a thumbhole stock so you can get a really solid grip when taking each shot. Of course, it is fitted with the Weihrauch Rekord trigger unit for an excellent shot release each and every time.
The HW98 has a target stock, which has an adjustable cheek piece, adjustable rubber butt pad, and textured inserts on the fore stock and pistol grip for a really affirmative hold in damp conditions. This stock makes it the perfect choice for target shooters as it can be tailored to the individual, and the action with the over sleeved barrel offers great accuracy as all the Weihrauch air rifles do.
PCP rifles offer advantages over spring rifles because they have no recoil, and the high pressure air that they use provides excellent shot to shot consistency. The main drawback to PCP rifles is that they do need an air source to recharge them such as a dive bottle or a stirrup pump, but once you’re all set up the ongoing costs are minimal. There are quite a few top manufacturers for PCP rifles and these consist of Air Arms and Weihrauch again, as well as Daystate.
Air Arms
Air Arms’ top offerings in the PCP range are the HFT500 and the FTP900. The latter is an out and out target rifle, with a multi adjustable stock and regulated action.
Both rifles are only available in .177 calibres and have a shot count of around 100 shots. The HFT 500 has a match grade Lothar Walther Barrel for superb accuracy, whereas the FTP900 has a specially selected match grade Lothar Walther, to give it a slight edge over the HFT.
Both rifles have a laminated stock in colours that are unique to Air Arms, and the stock of the FTP 900 is adjustable in about every angle possible to allow the rifle to fit the shooter, whereas the HFT 500 does have some degree of customization in the cheek piece and butt pad, but nowhere near as much as the FTP does.
Weihrauch has the HW100 PCP air rifle, which is a truly excellent piece of engineering, and when you purchase one of their rifles it comes complete with 2 magazines, and on selected models a silencer is fitted. The rifle is available in several different options with either carbine or rifle length, with a choice of stocks such as Sporter and Thumbhole, so you can choose the perfect model for yourself. Weihrauch also recently released this air rifle quite with a laminate stock and an adjustable cheek piece, and it has been a firm favourite with top shooters since its release.
The action of the rifle is regulated and it sources air from a quick fill, detachable air reservoir. This air then fires pellet down one of Weihrauchs own barrels, which offers awesome accuracy, as you would expect. Plus, if you pick a model that comes with a silencer, they are one of the quietest air rifles that I’ve ever heard!
Daystate are a British based manufacturer, and combine Italian design and production with quality British craftsmanship, to assemble and fine tune the rifles here in the UK. Daystate are also one of the few airgun companies to offer an electronically controlled action, which increases shot count and consistency, and should definitely be considered by all you top end shooters out there.
The current line-up of electronically controlled air rifles in Daystates line up consists of the Daystate Pulsar, and the Daystate Airwolf. The Pulsar is the latest release from Daystate and incorporates the latest electronics for a super quick firing cycle, which leads to an incredibly low lock time. The Pulsar is a Bullpup-style rifle, which means the action is seated at the rear of the stock to improve the balance, and make it a lot more manoeuvrable.
The Airwolf is based on a standard airgun frame and has a large 400cc bottle, which can be upgraded to a 500cc to improve the shot count, but the 400cc offers 400 shots in .22, which is nothing to be sniffed at! Another advantage of the lightning lock time of the electronics is also the trigger. This is because it’s a switch which activates the action, so the pull weight is incredibly light, and is far less than is achievable with a mechanical action.
Some accessories that you’ll need for your top end air rifle, if you don’t have them already, are a scope, and depending on whether you go for a PCP rifle or not, a dive bottle or pump. Other accessories that I’d recommend are a gun bag / hard case, to keep your purchase safe in storage and transportation.
Air Rifle Scopes
Your choice of discipline will ultimately determine what type of scope you’ll need. A good ‘all-rounder’ option is scopes such as the Hawke Airmax 30, which come in a few different models with varying magnifications. The good thing about the Airmax 30 is that they were specifically designed for use with airguns, and as such the reticle, and all the features about them, work effortlessly on top of an airgun.
Another choice is the MTC Viper Connect which bucks the trend completely and has zero eye relief. This basically means that you have to put your eye right up against the ocular lens so that the image has a much wider field of view than a traditional scope. A word of warning on this scope though, as the eye piece is right up against your eye – it’s not suitable for recoiling rifles, and really only suited to PCPs.
As well as a scope you might need an air bottle, or if your budget permits, a compressor, to recharge your PCP rifle when it’s low on air. Dive bottles are charged up to 300 BAR, and the number of fills that they provide depends on how large the air cylinder is on the rifle. Once they won’t charge the rifle above 200 BAR, then they need a refill which is normally around £5 at a local dive shop. Of course, if you purchase a compressor then you’re completely self-sufficient.
I hope this guide has steered you in the correct direction for purchasing a long term air rifle, which will hopefully become your shooting companion for many years to come, and help you win many competitions!
If you’re planning a stag do and fancy trying something a little different instead of (or in addition to!) the usual strip bar and excessive amounts of alcohol, why not try archery?! Grab a bow and get back to your primal roots with a little friendly competition.
Archery is the ultimate macho man sport, requiring accuracy, power and a keen eye. After all – at one stage bows were the number one weapon of choice for the Army and a pretty effective one they were too! You don’t need any prior skills or knowledge and you tend to stay together for the day, so it really is a great way of everyone getting to know each other.
Perfect for groups big or small, archery is a great way of starting off the weekend, getting the lads together, and having fun before a big night out. Archery is the perfect stag weekend activity, as it is available up and down the country, and in all weathers – don’t let the rain dampen your day.
Either set it as the main event, or as part of an action packed stag weekend for fun for all. Most companies will provide all your archery equipment, as well as an instructor to show you the best techniques before setting you off to compete.
There are some companies who offer archery lessons specifically for stag parties, so alongside learning your technique etc, you are pit against one another to find out which members of your team were made to hunt and which are just Maid Marion. Set prizes and forfeits to make it all a little more interesting, and of course dress your stag up for ultimate embarrassment (something cool like Robin Hood if you’re feeling kind, or something completely ridiculous if you’re not!).
Some providers, such as Robin Hood Events offer stag do packages which focus on fun and competition with huge 3D animal targets, a zombie themed area and various mini games and competitions.
It’s important to decide, when looking for a company to host your archery stag event, whether you want silly, competitive fun, or more serious archery lessons with an element of competition.
Different places will offer a different focus and perhaps if you are looking for the latter, just a normal archery club might offer a group discount at a cheaper rate than a stag event specific company. You can check your local area for archery clubs on the Archery GB site.
If you find yourself a bit of an archery natural, or want an original gift for your stag, don’t forget to check out our archery shop to grab the right equipment. And to start planning your archery day out, head to Robin Hood Events, or Stagweb. And head to ArcheryGB to find your local archery club.
Thanks to Hawkeye, Disney’s Brave and Katniss Everdeen, Archery is finally being given the recognition it deserves for being a pretty cool sport.
It can be a whole lot of fun from being a beginner learning the ropes, right up to the intense skill and power it takes to partake in competitive archery.
That said, there’s a lot more to archery that meets the eye, so we have compiled some facts about the sport that you may not know!
Archery is the national sport of the Kingdom of Bhutan, a sovereign state in South Asia. Their focus on archery is as a social sport (a little like football is here) and villages compete with each other, making the event full of food, drink and dancing. To add to the lightheartedness of the competitions, competitors are allowed to try to distract the other team whilst they are aiming – something which is almost as enjoyable to watch as the sport itself.
Hawkeye uses a recurve bow in The Avengers, despite the fact that a compound bowwould provide much greater power and accuracy. Perhaps it’s because his Hoyt bowlooks good on camera, or he’s just showing off, either way he seems to be doing just fine. Maybe he read our How to Choose a Compound Bow guide?!
If you are an archer, you could also be referred to as a “toxophilite” a word which literally means ‘lover of the bow’, and originates from Ancient Greece. The word for archery however, comes from the latin word ‘arcus’ and means ‘bows and arrows’.
To put the level of skill and accuracy needed into perspective, getting within the ‘gold ring’ involves hitting a beermat-sized target from a distance of seven buses – no mean feat! Best grab your archery supplies and get practising!
The recurve bow looks so sleek and modern you could be forgiven for assuming it was a new design, however, it is actually based on designs from over 3500 years ago. There has never been much of a need to update the design as it works well – if it ain’t broke, don’t try to fix it!
Geena Davis, of Thelma and Louise fame, was a skilled archer and ranked 24th of the whole US women’s archery championship in 1999. She narrowly missed out on her dream of being representing the national team team in a major international event, but she did win an Oscar.
Archery isn’t just a sport. In Japan they perform Kyudo, which is a style of archery, as more of an art form than a sporting activity.
If you manage to perform a rather impressive feat of splitting the arrow of your competitor, this is known as ‘Robin Hood’ and is incredibly difficult.
If this list has whet your appetite for learning archery or improving your archery skills, don’t forget to stay tuned to our blog. It’s the perfect time to set yourself a ‘target’ of mastering a new sport!
We have an extensive range of products in our archery store, and it can be intimidating for the newcomer. Where do you start? Buying your first bow is very exciting. A recurve bow is a beautiful object, and arrows come with various colours of fletches. But do you really know what you need for an enjoyable and rewarding archery experience?
First of all, you need to know what sort of bow you need. Let’s assume that we’re just looking at recurve bows, although we can help with How to Choose a Compound Bow guide too.
Left- or Right-Handed Bow?
If you’re right-handed, you’ll need a right-hand bow. This is a bow that you hold in your left hand. Your right (dominant) hand will pull back the string. On the left of the riser (the middle bit that you hold) is the arrow rest.
If you’re left-handed, you will shoot with a left-handed bow, held in the right hand. Your left (dominant) hand will pull back the string, and the arrow rest is on the right of the riser.
Bow Length
The next consideration is height. If you stand a strung bow in front of you, with the tip of the lower limb on the floor, the tip of the upper limb should reach the middle of your forehead, give or take an inch or so.
Draw Weight
The draw weight is the measurement of the force needed to pull the centre of the bowstring back to the corner of your mouth, with your bow arm fully extended. A man shooting for the first time will typically use a 28lb bow, and a woman will begin with a 24-poundage. As archers become stronger and more proficient, they increase the draw weight of their bows by changing the limbs.
Materials and design vary in the making of bow limbs. Stronger, stiffer limbs that have less give in them take more force to push away from the bowstring, and therefore the power in the arrow’s release is greater.
Arrow Length
It’s vital to source the right archery supplies, and there’s none more important than picking the right arrows. To find out how long your arrows should be, hold out your arms in front of you, fingers outstretched, and ask someone to measure the distance from your chest to fingertips. Add one inch, and this is approximately the length your arrows should be.
A person’s arm span is virtually equal to his own height. So a tall person will have a longer arm span than a short person. Basically, this means: long bow, long arrows; short bow, short arrows.
However, if you are in doubt, or are sharing arrows, it’s safest for everyone to use long arrows, avoiding the possibility of somebody tall using an arrow that’s too short. When an archer draws back his bowstring, the longer his arms, the further back the string (and arrow) will go. So if the arrow is not long enough, it will be drawn back beyond the riser and drop. There have been some very nasty accidents involving pierced hands and arms, caused by using arrows that are too short.
Other Archery Supplies
A bracer is worn on your bow arm (left arm if you are right handed, and vice versa). Its purpose is to protect the shooter’s inner forearm from the bowstring.
A finger tab is a cheap item – a partial glove, made of leather, to prevent soreness on the fingers of your pulling hand.
A bow stringer is a simple item, essential for assembling a bow correctly.
A bow rest isn’t an absolute must, but it’s a good idea to have somewhere safe to put your bow down when you’re not using it. A bow can get damaged when left leaning against a wall or lying on the ground.
At Pellpax’s archery store, we have a wide selection of recurve bows, arrows, accessories, and clothing. We also have a lot of expertise. Just ask!
Have you got a passion for air rifle and air pistol shooting? Technical advancement in gun mechanics means that changes in shooting have been swift and numerous. Here are a few historical and scientific facts behind the popular sport.
Airguns Before Target Shooting
It’s known that airguns were used for hunting in the 15th and 16th century. They were expensive items, and therefore a rich man’s toy. The oldest preserved airgun dates from around 1580 and is housed in The Royal Armoury Museum in Stockholm, established in 1628 by King Gustavus Adolphus, who felt that his clothes from his campaign in Poland should be preserved for posterity. (The Swedish monarchy was never noted for its modesty.)
In 1780, Italian watchmaker and gunsmith, Girandoni Bartolomeo, invented a 51-calibre rifle, capable of firing up to 20 bullets a minute. The Girandoni rifle was widely used in Europe for big game hunting. A single shot could take down a deer or wild boar.
These early airguns had significant advantages over the primitive firearms of the times: they were quieter; they had no smoke or muzzle flash; they could be discharged in wet weather; and they could be discharged faster – i.e. more times per minute.
First Target Shooting with Airguns
Birmingham is the cradle of airgun target shooting.
In the 1890s, public houses in Birmingham began holding competitions, with prizes for the winning team (leg of mutton, for example) paid for by the losing team. By 1900, there were more than 4,000 rifle clubs and associations in Britain. A large number of these were in Birmingham. You may have even seen the likes of BSA mentioned in the Netflix series of Peaky Blinders.
The National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA)
The Society of Working Men’s Rifle Clubs (SWMRC) was established in 1901 to promote civilian rifle clubs in Britain. Its first president was Earl Roberts of Kandahar, who was also the first president of The Pilgrims Society, established in 1902 ‘to promote good will, good fellowship, and everlasting peace between the United States of America and Great Britain’. In 1903, the SWMRC amalgamated with the British Rifle League to become the Society of Miniature Rifle Clubs (SMRC).
In 1947, the SMRC changed its name to the National Smallbore Rifle Association (NSRA). Based at The Lord Roberts Centre, in the grounds of the National Shooting Centre, Bisley Camp, Surrey, the NSRA is the governing body for all small-bore rifle and pistol target shooting in the UK.
The Diabolo Pellet
Picking the right shooting accessories for the job can make all the difference.
The diabolo pellet is designed with a forward weight bias, a pinched waist (or ‘wasp waist’), and a hollow skirt. The heavy nose keeps the pellet pointing in the right direction, while the pinched waist and hollow skirt produce a high air drag on the tail, which stabilises the pellet. A rifled bore provides additional stability by spinning the pellet, but a diabolo pellet can be fairly accurate even when discharged from a smoothbore gun. The word ‘diabolo’ originates from the Latin diabolus, meaning the Devil.
Supersonic Velocity
When the speed of sound is broken, a shock wave is created. So when a pellet is discharged at or above supersonic velocity (in normal conditions, that’s about 1,100 feet per second), it produces a shock wave behind it. As the pellet loses speed, the shock wave catches up with the pellet, causing it to tumble. This turbulence, of course, is detrimental to accurate shooting.
Experienced shooters ensure that their pellets leave the barrel at no more than about 900 feet per second, because turbulence can be created even when the sonic barrier is approached. Some guns are built for supersonic muzzle velocity, and when using one of these guns, an experienced shooter will select the heaviest pellets available in order to reduce muzzle velocity.
A wide range of air rifles and air pistols can be purchased from Pellpax, as well as pellets, specialist clothing, and all shooting accessories.
The Paralympics Took place in Rio earlier this month (Sept 2016), with competitors from around the world all contributing to the success of the games.
Thanks to Hawkeye, Disney’s Brave and Katniss Everdeen, Archery is finally being given the recognition it deserves for being a pretty cool sport.