Friday, February 27, 2009

Mini-Sniper

Saturday! The weekend is here and it’s time for fun.

And for fun, the mini-sniper is great. I didn’t invent it. I first saw it in a Beeman’s Airgun catalog in the mid-1980s. That’s right. The mini-sniper is designed for air rifles—an essential part of training the Elk Hunter.




If you shoot in competition, dry-firing and air rifle shooting are important elements in training the eyes, hands, fingers, body and mind to shoot a good shot. Without recoil and a loud report, your eyes have a chance to SEE EXACTLY WHERE YOUR SHOT IS GOING. (future link here).


The word “training” may have a negative connotation, but that is where the mini-sniper comes in. Not only is it “training,” it is also fun, fun, fun, and can be done anywhere you have 35 yards of open space.


Mini-sniper is shot from the prone position. The targets consist of five-9mm shell casings (expended). Some people say the shell casings should be seated in modeling clay—I just set them on a two-by-four.


You can make up rules as you see fit. It’s challenging. If you miss your target, there is no paper to tell you were that missed shot went.


The reason it is called mini-sniper, and the theory behind it, is (supposedly) a 9mm shell casing at 35 yards is equivalent to a man-sized target at 900 to 1000 yards shot with a highpower sniping rifle.


Options with this are limitless. You can compete with yourself, your son, brother, wife, whatever. If 35 yards is too challenging, you can shorten the distance. If it is too easy, you can increase it. Some people find that painting the shell casing dark green or black makes them more visible. Others go to a toy store and purchase packs of the little green army men that are about the size of a 9mm casing.


By combining fun, training and your imagination your skill as an Elk Hunter will improve. I promise.

Have a fun Saturday and Weekend.


TTFN

1 comment:

Oswald Bastable said...

Looks like I just found a use for all those steel 9mm cases lying around on the range!