Yes, you’ve now bought an air gun from your nearest air gun shop, and you are wondering what to do with your gun, especially during this period when most people are staying indoors because of the COVID-19 pandemic. But, did you know that you can practice target shooting with your air gun at home? In this post, we shall discuss the safety tips to follow when shooting your air gun to ensure everyone stays safe. Read on for more information.
Safety first
Safety is paramount when handling BB guns. However, it’s important to be extra vigilant when handling BB guns, particularly inside your house. Here are some of the safety tips to follow:
- Anyone who’s not shooting should stay out of the downrange area. If you choose to place the pellet trap near the hallway or door, make sure that no one goes to that area until you finish your target shooting. This is very important, especially for your kids. In case you are shooting down the hallway, always pause when a person is using the hallway.
- Small dogs and cats are mostly attracted by the noise of pellets hitting the trap. Therefore, you should keep your pets away from the pellet trap.
- If a pellet is shot at a velocity of 600 fps and above, it can easily shatter into fragments, especially if it hits a hard surface. Therefore, it’s advisable to set your pellet trap inside a large box tray (cardboard preferably). This should help to keep the fragments in place. Don’t forget to clean up the area after each session to reduce the risk of your kids and pets ingesting the lead particles.
- Steel BBs have a high chance of rebounding from pellet traps. So if you plan to use steel BBs, choose a pellet trap with ballistic curtains to help in keeping stray BBs in place. Most of these traps can be found at an air guns warehouse and they have an impact putty, which holds the BBs tight. Once you finish your target shooting, use a strong magnet to sweep the floor to collect any stray BBs before they get eaten by your kids or pet, or sucked by your vacuum cleaner.
- Everyone in the shooting range should always have safety glasses.
- Always use an approved BB or pellet trap. Although cardboard boxes stuffed with newspapers are effective, they don’t last long. Also, they cannot contain a single shot from a powerful BB gun.
Tips to set up your shooting range
Distance
The recommended distance for an indoor range is at least 33 feet. However, you shouldn’t be limited in case you don’t have a lot of space—you can utilize the distance you have and smaller targets.
Pellet trap
Your pellet trap should be at the same height as your gun’s muzzle. In case several people are using the shooting range, and are shooting while standing or from a bench, make sure that the pellet trap is around 4 feet from the floor. Also, the trap should be straight, not at an angle—this will prevent pellet rebounds.
Lighting
Always make sure your target has good lighting. Reduce the light on the shooting area to make the shooting target brighter. You can place one 75-watt flood light bulb around 8 feet of the shooting target and it will provide the lighting you need for shooting.
Shooting table
You will need a surface to place your guns, BBs, and other accessories needed for shooting. Therefore, ensure you have a table at your firing lane. Your table should also indicate the line not to be crossed during the shooting session.
Bottom Line
Shooting your BB guns at home is fun. However, it’s important to follow the safety precautions indicated in this article to keep everyone safe. At the end of the day, you’ll be amazed by how much fun you will have at your shooting range. You can also buy air guns at a warehouse.