Junior Air Rifle
Three-Position Air Rifle Shooting is the most popular and fastest growing form of shooting sports competition for youth of high school age or younger. Two different Three-Position Air Rifle events are available. Precision Air Rifle is modeled after Olympic-style shooting and allows the use of specialized target rifles and equipment. Sporter Air Rifle is designed for new competitors or those who desire to compete with a minimum of equipment and expense.
In both types of shooting, competitors fire at targets at a distance of 10 meters in three different positions, prone, standing and kneeling. Sporter and precision air rifle classes may also be combined into one “open” class. Three-Position Air Rifle provides young competitors with competitive shooting sports opportunities that can be offered on a wide variety of easily accessible or easily constructed ranges, with equipment that is commonly available at affordable costs.
Skill awards are an essential part of any developmental sports program. Motivating campers to work to achieve established skill levels and recognizing their achievements are important. Skill awards show parents and friends how they did in camp and remind campers of the fun they had long after camp is over. The awards focus attention on the results of their own personal efforts - not on how they do in competition with other campers.
Camp Rifle Skill Awards are earned in Air Rifle. The face of the medal is the same for all disciplines; it shows an Olympic style rifle and a target. The reverse side of the medal can be personalized to show the discipline and performance levels achieved by the camper. One medallion can be used to recognize any of the three shooting disciplines and all levels of accomplishment.
A four-page progress record details the criteria for each award level and provides instructors area for comments. There are 12 skill award levels which gradually increase in difficulty. The highest skill level requires the camper to demonstrate mastery of all the fundamentals of position shooting.
At the end of each training session, campers place their fired targets in the progress record which the instructor can grade after campers depart the range. After the first day, the progress records with the graded targets are passed out to the campers at the start of each range period. Campers know where they stand on the skill awards ladder and what they need to work on next. The skill awards program is coordinated with the instructional package for each rifle discipline.
Group size rather than score is the best indicator of entry-level skill development in rifle target sports. All but four skill levels are determined by group size. Targets can be quickly and accurately graded using an acetate template to determine if a target qualifies for posting in the progress record. Grading templates are part of the program package.
The highest award level for each shooting position (prone, standing, kneeling) is based on score and requires the shooter to demonstrate both skill and the ability to adjust sights to center a shot group in the bull's-eye. The final awards level requires that the camper achieve an established minimum score in a 30-shot three-position course of fire where the maximum score is 300 points.
Shoot Right offers Jr. Shooting gun safety & air rifle shooting 6 hour clinics or 4 Day 3 position summer air rifle camps for kids aged 7-18 contact Coach Potter with Shoot Right info@shootrightaz.org
This shooting program is based from the CMP JROTC & CMP Camp Riflery program.
RULES FOR SAFE GUN HANDLING:
Clear Barrel Indicator - CBI
demonstrate that gun actions are open and barrels or
chambers are unloaded. Safety indicators used for air
rifles are called Clear Barrel Indicators or CBI's. Air rifle
CBI's are cut from orange or bright-colored weed-eater
cord (.065-.095” dia.) and must be long enough so that
when inserted in the air rifle barrel 4-6 inches of the cord
projects out of both ends of the barrel.
Here are some rules for the proper use of CBI's in air rifles:
1. Insert CBI before bringing rifle to range or when removing
the rifle from a gun case.
2. Remove CBI only on the firing line after the Range Officer instructs you to handle rifles and begin preparation for firing or dry firing.
3. When you finish firing, immediately open the action, ground the rifle and insert the CBI.
When all firers are finished, the Range Officer can quickly and accurately verify that all air rifles have open actions and empty barrels by looking for CBI's in each rifle on the firing line.
1. MUZZLE. Always keep gun muzzles pointed in a safe direction. Gun muzzles must never be pointed at other persons under any circumstance. On a range, the safest directions to point a gun muzzle are usually upward or downrange towards he target.
2. RIFLE ACTION. When handling any rifle or firearm, the action must be open with a CBI inserted. Gun actions must remain open except when the gun is on the firing line and preparation or firing periods have begun. When shooting is finished, the action must be open and a CBI must be inserted, even when the gun is on the firing line. The gun action may be closed when it is placed in a gun case or storeroom, but must be opened and a CBI inserted as soon as it is picked up again.
3. TRIGGER. Keep your finger off of the trigger until after placing the gun in the shooting position and preparing to fire a shot. It is especially important to keep the finger outside of the trigger guard when loading the gun and placing it in the shooting position.
RANGE AND SAFETY PROCEDURES
Ready Area. Most ranges also have an area behind the firing line that is designated as a preparation or ready area. If there are other shooters who are waiting their turn to fire, this is the area where they should remain. If there are spectators, this also is the area where they should stand or sit. Individuals in the Ready Area must remain in that area and not go forward to the firing line until instructed to do so by the Range Officer. be open and guns must be unloaded. After shooters get into their shooting positions and are ready to begin firing, the Range Officer gives a series of commands to start and stop firing.
LOAD. No one may load any rifle until the Range Officer gives the command LOAD. Then shooters may charge their rifles, insert a pellet in them and close the actions. It is a serious offense to load a rifle on a range before the command LOAD is given.
START. The next command tells shooters that they can begin to aim and fire at their targets and that they may continue loading and firing until the firing exercise is finished. No one may fire a shot until this command is given, even if the command LOAD was given. Whenever shooters finish
their firing exercise, they must open their air rifle actions, ground their rifles and insert CBI's.
STOP. When shooting is finished, the Range Officer commands STOP. If the command STOP is given during firing, every shooter must immediately stop firing, open the actions on their rifles and wait for further instructions. No one is authorized to fire a shot after the command STOP is given. The Range Officer or any other person on the range can command STOP if they become aware of a dangerous or unsafe condition.
UNLOAD. If anyone on a range has a loaded air rifle after the command STOP-UNLOAD is given, they must notify the Range Officer by raising their hand and calling out Loaded Rifle. The Range Officer will then give directions for unloading that rifle.
After firing is completed, the Range Officer will check each rifle to be sure it is grounded with a CBI inserted. When that check is completed, the Range Officer will declare that the line is clear and instruct shooters to change or retrieve targets or to leave the firing line so the next group of shooters can move up to the firing line.