Of course, it only should be done in your garage, and only if doing so is "legal" where you live.
It also is a simple way to measure just how effective any given shooting method is for Close Quarters use.
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 and stationary or slower moving targets in Close Quarters situations.
So the question is: How many aerial targets in-a-row do you think you could hit using your method of shooting with an airsoft pistol, and on a consistent basis?
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, I can "consistently" hit 4+ cans in a row, and even more at times. For example, I recently hit 10 in a row, and then 11 in a row.
Because airsoft BB's can go all over the place, I put together a simple and cheap shooting bay to help keep them in one area.
The bay consists of 3 old sheets that make up back and side drops. See the pic below. Another sheet and two fluffy bath rugs were used as a BB catch basin. 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 uses a spring airsoft gun and thinks shooting the cans off of it, is great fun.
To hold the pop cans for tossing, I use a small box that is placed on top of the old step stool shown in the photo. I place it back from the bay and by my weak hand, so I can easily grab one can after another, and toss them up. The speed of the cans, and their distance, height, and direction varies with each toss.
The stand from which the target and pop can are hanging was cobbled together with some "old" pieces of pipe, and some fittings and duct tape. Hangers and alligator clips can be used to hold up targets.
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. Recently, 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, I made a video in July 2006. I hit the first 4 cans, and I believe one out the last two also was hit. You could hear a sound when a can was hit (clank or wonk), but they didn't move much.
The time for making a shot, was .2 to .3 of a second, as I tried to keep all shots below the top of the flannel sheet used as a back drop.
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.
To better see what was happening, I "lightened up" the video using Windows movie maker, as the "real" lighting was dimmer.
I also was able to edit out the part of the video that shows the first hit, and slow it down by one half. That video is about 2 seconds long.
Here is a series of pics from that view showing the throwing and shooting at cans 2, 3, and 4.
Here is the 15 sec video in MOV (Quick Time) format.
Click here for faster loading and viewing via YouTube.
Here is a link to the slowed down part showing the first hit in MOV format.
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 from Blazing toys in CA http://blazingtoys.com.
Note the aiming aid add attachment with a shim. It 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 knuckels 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.
Other pages on my site show guns that don't require such changes. However, they are not "airsoft" guns.
As a general point of interest, 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 configuarations (with no changes to the trigger guard or trigger).
In my testing, I shot 2 strings of 9 hits in a row on pop cans which I consider to be pretty good.
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 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, naturaly, automatically, and accurately aim is good. It truely could be your life saver."
..........
Lastly, here is some added info based on a question received in regard to shooting distances.
The garage ceiling is about 10 feet high.
The top of the backdrop sheet is about 9 feet at the ends, and 8 feet 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 down to 4 feet seems to be best window for shooting.
Also I had to use a constricted shooting lane so that both the cans in the air and my shooting at them, would be seen in the video. That added a complication in that the cans had to be thrown so that they would come down within the constricted shooting lane.
It is way more relaxing and easier to just grab a can, and toss it up and to the front. Also, the height, distance, and direction will vary more.
Try doing this, and I think you will find that it will make you a better, if not much better close range shooter.