I'm no expert. And yes, my wife and I shoot firearms too. There are
several advantages to practiing with .177-caliber airguns. Single or
mulit-pump pneumatics can be dry-fired without damage. And they have the
advantage that, under supervision, young people, or adults new to shooting,
can begin by shooting "real" guns (real in the sense of shooting a hard
projectile as opposed to Airsoft guns the kids are more likely to consider
to be toys). Except for the 1377, my five pneumatic pump guns have all been
from Daisy Outdoor Products. The only one I have worn out was the
"remanufactured" 880 and that was after fireing it tens of thousands
of times.
My Crossman 1377 seems to be well made, but the three Crossman CO2 guns
I have had were of disappointing quality.
If you have or want guns for hunting or self-defence, I'd suggest
practicing no more than 70% of the time with airguns.
R.M.


On Wed, Apr 22, 2009 at 10:41 AM, chemsoldier2001 <el_jefe99@...>wrote:

>
>
> Maybe it is because my gun collection has been at the size it needs to be
> (though I would always like more), maybe it is because I am in the military,
> but I have been on a training kick for the last few years. When I first got
> into guns it was all about the metal (and wood and polymer) I read lots of
> reviews and shot lots of different guns and was looking for those 1-4%
> increases in performance.
>
> Now I am more into the software side. I train, I compete (when work allows)
> and try to attend formalized trianing when circumstances (and money) allow.
> Two easy things I would like the advocate to everyone is:
>
> 1. Dry fire- Once you know the basics and you have been shown how to do it
> right, you can improve dramatically with dry fire practice in your own home.
> With the exception of rimfires all modern quality handguns can be dry fired
> thousands and thousands of time with no issues. However if you are anal you
> can get snap caps. You would be amazed how much you can improve without
> spending a dime or driving anywhere. Make sure the bloody gun is unloaded!
>
> 2. Airsoft- They are not cheap toys anymore. High end airsoft guns are the
> same size, controls, some have the same triggers as real guns. The compact
> glock airsoft I own is the same size, weight and controls of my carry gun.
> It fits in the same holsters. I use it in my garage when I want to accuracy
> check without a range trip. The pellets and gas cost peanuts. A great way to
> practice perishable skills before you expend costly ammo at the range. I use
> it to work on my one handed and weak handed shooting before I go to the
> range. Saves me much embarassment.
>
> Anyone else with ideas or techniques to keep to the skills sharp?
>
>
>


[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]