N/A New to forum + Question about getting into air pistol 10m

Something you can do now - "free hand" target shooting, but in your house, no gun, just your finger. You have watched the Olympics so practice that stance. Place your feet like you are shooting @ the Olympics, then use your finger extended like your pistol pointing at a spot on the wall, find this comfortable position. Now close your eyes. Turn your head to look straight ahead of your body, not at the target. Relax your arm to your side keep your eye's close. Breathe a few times, arm is straight, lift your gun (finger) up slightly above your head and slowly lower to point your finger at the target, ALL WITH YOUR EYES CLOSED! Turn your head to look down your arm and open your eyes. Are you pointing to the spot on the wall? This is a wonderful way to have your body and arm memorize your stance /position so that you are relaxed but on target. Your finger now points to the spot, or very very close, every time .

Stan in KY
This is an awesome description!

I would add that pistol shooters use the same process when customizing the grips on their gun. With the pistol in your hand, raise the gun "blind." You want the sights to be perfectly aligned with the target when you turn your head, without any need to twist or tilt the wrist or hand at all.

I have to add that the only pistol I own that does this for me with its factory grips, is NOT a gun I'd take to a match: the lowly Webley Tempest! 🤓
 
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This is an awesome description!

I would add that pistol shooters use the same process when customizing the grips on their gun. With the pistol in your hand, raise the gun "blind." You want the sights to be perfectly aligned with the target when you turn your head, without any need to twist or tilt the wrist or hand at all.

I have to add that the only pistol I own that does this for me with its factory grips, is NOT a gun I'd take to a match: the lowly Webley Tempest! 🤓
I bought a Tempest back in the 70's , shot pidgins in warehouses near by , Then the neighborhood got a bunch of Opossums , with a lot of small children "we" decided to get rid of them . Not the best thing to do but i just shot them any POA and they would freeze then it was Gangland style several pellets in the head . now i wish i had not sold it .
 
This is an awesome description!

I would add that pistol shooters use the same process when customizing the grips on their gun. With the pistol in your hand, raise the gun "blind." You want the sights to be perfectly aligned with the target when you turn your head, without any need to twist or tilt the wrist or hand at all.

I have to add that the only pistol I own that does this for me with its factory grips, is NOT a gun I'd take to a match: the lowly Webley Tempest! 🤓
Exactly !
 
I may not be phrasing correctly how I thought scoring was documented for matches. Are the shooters aware of how they are performing while they shoot or is it calculated and displayed at the end of the event? The grouping example I can give is the 9 ring has an outside diameter of 27.5mm. The shots could be anywhere in that ring and score at least 9 for all shots. They may be in any spot of the 9 ring and not display a good group pattern. Group size and precision are my goals, but not necessarily scoring. Trajectory questions may not be relevant to the 10M discipline. I use it to calculate arc height variance for longer close-range (0-25yards) shooting. It also gives me additional input on sight height effects. As an example, Daisy BB Gun Championships are shot at 5M. A 10M pistol would need to be adjusted to shoot at that shorter range. I actually target with sights closer than that with very good results. My designs are unique, but as long as they perform well, that is all that matters.

I did know that target paper was designed to punch smoothly with wad cutters versus other paper. 400 FPS minimum is something I didn't know. I always like to learn new stuff. Thanks again for your time and help. I hope we can talk about theory more in the future.
Thanks, and again apologies if I came off as brusque before.

You are aware of your score as you progress through a 10M match. Older/smaller ranges have a mechanical system for the shooter to retrieve the targets after the specified number of shots per bull; these days it's done electronically at top-level matches. I think in the Olympic finals round, everyone's scores are all up on a big screen the audience can see, which must be unnerving!

IMHO the best way to measure groups is to set up and shoot with that expressly in mind. Nothing at a formal match does that for you. Dividing your score by the number of shots and correlating to target ring diameters of course gives an approximation for the session, but that seems at odds with what you seek.

I am an old hack of a target shooter, and calculating trajectories for such short distances would make me nuts! Offhand pistol work with iron sights just has so many other variables. I'll shoot groups off a rest to dial in a particular gun/pellet/distance combination, but after that I prefer to just set up, sight in, and move along...think less, shoot more if you will. 🙂
 
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On the FWB P11: I had one briefly and it is very small - really a child's air pistol. Yes you could use it but the full size AP's (as used in the Olympics) are the way to go if you want to learn, progress, and maybe compete. In addition AP will improve your fundamentals for all pistol shooting, with ammo at a small fraction of the cost of even 22LR.

I have a FWB P44. It is crazy accurate and has been perfectly reliable. Like other brands (Morini, Steyr, etc) the grip and sights are adjustable and you can customize your pistol to fit you. Plus you can often shoot at home (garage, yard, etc).
 
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Thanks, and again apologies if I came off as brusque before.

You are aware of your score as you progress through a 10M match. Older/smaller ranges have a mechanical system for the shooter to retrieve the targets after the specified number of shots per bull; these days it's done electronically at top-level matches. I think in the Olympic finals round, everyone's scores are all up on a big screen the audience can see, which must be unnerving!

IMHO the best way to measure groups is to set up and shoot with that expressly in mind. Nothing at a formal match does that for you. Dividing your score by the number of shots and correlating to target ring diameters of course gives an approximation for the session, but that seems at odds with what you seek.

I am an old hack of a target shooter, and calculating trajectories for such short distances would make me nuts! Offhand pistol work with iron sights just has so many other variables. I'll shoot groups off a rest to dial in a particular gun/pellet/distance combination, but after that I prefer to just set up, sight in, and move along...think less, shoot more if you will. 🙂
The details you have passed on to me have been a big help. I add these concepts to my theory and make it better. I didn't try to shoot close range before I was 61. I needed to shoot rodents from 2-20 yards with a 22 pistol. That was a skill I did not possess. I have been creative all my life, so I tackled the idea of developing a sight that would work using these parameters. I had to go outside of conventional thinking to accomplish this goal. I am satisfied with the results and the designs for my new sight. It has taken over 8 years to work through all the concepts of the theory, attaining 2 patents and learning 3D drawing and printing of prototypes. I teach kids <5-12 yrs old that close range shooting can be very accurate. On their first day, all these kids can shoot hanging 1/4" beads and 1/2" caps from 2-13 yards using zero hold method. That is why I was asking about trajectory data. Pellets at 550FPS drop out of that +/- zone. This sight is capable of hitting bug size targets at various yardage. This sounds like a tall tale, so I won't drag you down this rabbit hole any further. Once again, thanks for the help. Brad
 
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