Plinking Help

[Weaze]

Had an 'impulse buy' at the Sussex Game fair last week-end. My son Andrew (12) bullied me into buying him a Gamo Delta (Springer .177) so he can practice in the garden.

I must say how impressed I am with the rifle and now spend as much time as Andrew shooting away in the back garden.

However need a bit of advice.

The rifle is set at aprox 6lbs - so what sort of distances should we be firing at? (currently shotting across the garden and getting lots of rebounds, almost hitting us).

What makes a good / safe backdrop? (to stop rebounds)

What make good fun targets?

Thanks, Weaze.

[Muddy Gumboots]

If you have a look at the air gun press, or your local gundealer, you should find metal 'pellet traps', into which you fit a target card, and which collect the pellets. I use one of these, with a backstop made from heavy card packing crates packed tightly with old carpet offcuts. This seems to hold stray pellets in a very satisfactory way.

It's difficult to say what sort of range you should shoot at without knowing the layout of your garden and the circumstances. I would have thought 15-20 metres is a good safe distance, if you're lucky enough to have a garden that long. Certainly not below 10 metres?? Just my view - interesting to see what other people think.

[Bob1957]

For that sort of power I would suggest a large box stuffed with newspaper, and for added safety a piece of old carpet hanging behind it, you don't say how big your garden is, but around 20-25yds is o.k. for a rifle of this type in my opinion.

Bob

[corkscrew]

for the garden i use an old cardboard box and stuff it with old clothes. then just sellotape or glue A4 targets on to it.
this goes in front of the compost heap at the bottom of the garden ( about 18 yards in my case).

[Ray J]

Have a look here for some targets
http://warhammer.mcc.virginia.edu/ty/targets_pcl.html

But there are dozens of sites that give freebies.

Stick an old A4 size magazine behind the target.

Ray

[Ravenskull]

my ORIGINAL mod 35 is about 8ftlbs
an argos cataloge makes the perfect pellet trap, as the pellets get stuck 1/3 the way into the cataloge.
should work for 6ftlbs too. plus its free, easily replacable, and environmentally freindly!

[Dirty-Harry]

For short-range (garden) plinking I just managed to pick up some plastic pellets. The bag is marked SMK plinkers and they're bullet shaped with a small depression in the base

Like this



For metal I'm using a wooden box, with a thick ply base, hung from the garage wall and covered in a replaceable sheet of thick cardboard to which I stick the targets with a 'Pritt-Stick'.
The ply is getting well chewed up and will have to be replaced before too long.

[clubshot]

Weaze,
If Free on a Saturday , pop over to Lea Valley Air Gun Club - Hertford

www.lvagc.com

Web site a a how to find us link

First Visit free

Our Back Stops are many metres thick

With any back stop @ home , they can and do fall apart
Boxes or plates or bricks.
And one rebound round landing in another property can many a problem.

I strongly suggest Sand Bags, as easy and cheap to replace and can seived to recoup shot lead pellets.
now worth collecting as Lead prices increase.
Also quiter when rounds hit them.

BOB/R