SHOOTING AT AERIAL TARGETS.

A challenging and fun way to improve your shooting skill and at home, is to use an airsoft pistol to shoot at empty pop cans tossed up in the air.

Of course, it should be done in your garage, and only if doing so is "legal" where you live.

It's a simple way to find out just how effective a shooting method is for Close Quarters use, since it is at close quarters where your chance of being shot and/or killed is the greatest.

If you can consistently hit small rapidly moving aerial targets at Close Quarters with a shooting method, you also should be able to hit much larger targets at Close Quarters.

The question for you is: How many aerial targets do you think you could hit in-a-row using your method of shooting with an airsoft pistol, and consistently?

0 - 2 - 4 - 6 - 8 or more?

I found that it is not easy to hit cans tossed into the air using an airsoft pistol, and even at 6 to 10 feet.

However, after a fair amount of practice (1 hour per day for a week), I was able to "consistently" hit 4+ cans in a row, and even more at times. For example, I have hit 10 in a row, and 11 in a row.

AIRSOFT SHOOTING BAY

Because airsoft BB's go all over the place, I put together a simple, cheap, and temporary shooting bay to help keep them in one area.

The bay consists of 4 old sheets. One was used as a backdrop, and 2 were used as sidewalls. The forth along with two fluffy bath rugs which catch and hold the BB's, were used for that. Small alligator clips were used to "stitch" the sheets together.


Note the 2 boxes in the pic that are used to hold up a board with cans on top of it. One grandson used a spring airsoft gun to shoot the cans off of it, and thought it was great fun.

POP CAN DISPENSER

To hold the pop cans for tossing, I used a small box that was placed on top of a step stool. It and the step stool are at the left in the picture.

I stood back from the bay with the pop can dispenser placed by my weak hand, so I could easily grab the cans and toss them up in the air and to the front of the bay. The speed of the cans, their height, distance in front of me, and their direction varied with each toss.

As any type of shooting can be dangerous, try this only at your own risk and expense. And always use safe gun handling practices.

Also, WEAR EYE PROTECTION and suitable clothing. I have had a BB hit my glasses and hard.

DO NOT TRY THIS WITH A REAL FIREARM.

After I had been practicing about 1 hour per day for a week in July 2006, I was hitting 4 cans in a row.

I made a video and found based on the time line in the video that the time for both aiming and shooting, was .2 to .3 of a second. I tried not to shoot until a can was below the top of the sheet used as a back drop, and also before it hit the floor.

In Oct, I thought that I should try again, and hit 7 cans in a row. That video is 15 seconds long, and it is linked to below.

Watch it, and ask yourself if you would have time to align/use the sights, or even get a flash sight picture. Also, note that my arm is not fully extended and neither is a sight picture used.

I just pointed at the target and pulled the trigger. You will hear the 'wonk' or 'braank' sound of the cans being hit in the air as the gun is pointed and the trigger pulled.

Here is the 15 sec video in WMV (Windows Media) format.

Here is a series of pics from that showing the throwing and shooting at cans 2, 3, and 4.

At 2:47 sec. the can is at the top of the backdrop. At 2:60 sec., which is .23 sec. later, you can hear the sound of the can being hit.

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At 4:67 sec. the can is at the top of the backdrop. At 4:87 sec., which is .20 sec. later, you can hear the sound of the can being hit.

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At 7:20 sec. the can is at the top of the backdrop. At 7:33 sec., which is .13 sec. later, you can hear the sound of the can being hit.



Note: In going thru the video frame by frame, the gun can be seen pointing at the cans just before they drop down below the top of the backdrop. That can add .10 sec or so to the aiming-tracking time before firing. Still, there was just not enough time for me to use the sights or a flash sight picture to aim, track, and shoot these small and fast moving targets.

Here is the 15 sec video in MOV (Quick Time) format.

Click here for faster loading and viewing via YouTube.

Here is a pic of one of the pistols used. I used this one sometimes, and the other, at other times. Both are "airsoft" BTUG -161 made by UHC and purchased for about $40 a few years ago from Blazing toys in CA http://blazingtoys.com.

The aiming aid add attachment is positioned so that when I grip the pistol, which has a big fat grip, the web of my hand will be up against the the "inner" most part of the back strap, and my index finger knuckles will be pressed against the aiming aid. That assures index finger and barrel alignment.

I cut off part of the trigger guard and added a trigger extension to make it easy to pull the trigger with my middle finger. I would prefer to use a gun as is, but then I don't design or make them.


Another Note: After receiving 2 new gas airsoft guns in 9/06, I tried them out shooting at pop cans tossed into the air and in their stock configurations.

In my testing, I shot 2 strings of 9 hits in a row on pop cans.

So I asked myself, "Why do you think you need your aiming aid since it is obvious, that you can shoot and hit small aerial targets using AIMED Point Shooting, and without the aid?"

I answered myself with: "well a real firearm will be jumping and bucking in your hand when you are shooting multiple times and fast, so anything which can help you mechanically and automatically aim naturally and accurately is good, and could be your life saver."

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Here's some added technical info. in response to questions received.
The garage ceiling is about 10 feet high.

The top of the backdrop sheet is about 9 feet high at the ends, and 8 feet high in the middle.

I was standing about 11+ feet from the back drop sheet.

To keep the BB's in the shooting bay, I tried not to shoot until a can was around 8 feet or less off the ground.

From 7 off the ground, to 4 feet off the ground, seemed to be best window for shooting.

Also I used a mirror that was positioned so that my tossing the cans into the air and shooting at them, and the pop cans coming down in the shooting bay, would be captured in the video. That required my tossing the cans in a restricted shooting lane with my weak hand, which complicated the tossing process.

It is way more relaxing and easier to just grab a can, and toss it up in the air and to the front, and shoot at it. And even if the height, distance, and direction varies more.

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Try shooting at aerials, and I think you will find that it will make you a better, if not a much better close range shooter.

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