Rifle Shooting Equipment …what you need and what can wait.

Objectives Describe equipment needed by a beginning competitive shooter Describe the differences between standard, free, sport, and air rifles Explain how to select proper ammunition for beginning through advanced athletes Explain what shooting clothing is necessary and purpose for which it is used 2 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Advanced Athlete Who is this athlete? What did she do? 3 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Equipment Philosophy Start simple, use club equipment After fundamentals are learned, move to “used” equipment Work toward “state of the art” as athletes become advanced in the sport 4 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Basic Equipment Eye and hearing protection Rifle & sights Shooting mat Sling & glove Shooting jacket Ammo block Shooting diary 5 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Eye and Ear Protection Why are eye and hearing protection important? What can we do to enhance vision with eye protection? 6 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Beginning Rifles These are good beginning rifles Identify the important features that make these target rifles 7 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Intermediate Rifles These are common rifles found in many shooting programs 8 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Advanced Rifles Excellent for advanced athletes Free rifle and sport rifle Equipment for women 9 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Competition Air Rifles Sporter Precision 10 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Precision Air Rifle Precision air rifles are any type of compressed air or CO 2 rifle of conventional appearance 11 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Sporter Air Rifle Equipment Rifle – A basic factory rifle – Under 7½ pounds Metallic sights Shooting clothing – Two sweatshirts – Glove – Street type shoes 12 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Sporter Air Rifle Equipment Sling Kneeling roll Eye protection Hearing protection Ground cloth Spotting scope 13 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Sporter Rifle Slings Which slings are allowed for Sporter? 14 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Kneeling Roll Why is it important? 15 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Shooting Gloves Which are International legal? Which can be used for beginners? Which are legal for Sporter? 16 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Stock Fit Why is it important for the stock to fit? What is “length of pull?” Is “length of pull” the same for each position? – Sporter rules requires same length in all positions 17 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Air Rifle Butt Plates Precision & Sporter differences If the butt plate is moved, it is important to also check the cheek piece and adjust if needed 18 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Smallbore Butt Plates Notice differences between free and standard butt plate assemblies 19 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Equipment Rails Rifles need a sling swivel to attach sling Which hand stop is best? Is it desirable to have an equipment rail? 20 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Precision and Smallbore Rifle Slings Which are acceptable for beginners? Which kind are legal for international shooting? 21 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Cheek Piece Adjustments Why is is important to have an adjustable cheek piece or fit the cheek piece to the shooter? 22 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Palm Rests Extension of non- shooting arm to rifle There are many types of palm rests – Homemade – Commercial 23 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Sights Use globe front sights 1/4 minute or finer adjustments for rear sights Finer adjustments for advanced 24 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Shooting Jacket Leather & canvas material is great, but not necessary for beginning shooters How should the jacket fit? Can you use these jackets with sporter air rifle? 25 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Undergarments Sweat shirts Special shooting underwear Rules Thickness Stiffness 26 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Shooting Boots and Pants Are shooting boots necessary? Are shooting pants necessary? 27 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Support Accessories Support equipment is necessary What support equipment does a shooter need? What can we do to make some of this equipment? 28 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Advanced Accessory Adjustable Iris Why is it important to have an adjustable iris in the rear sight? 29 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Advanced Accessory Sight Riser Blocks Raises sights to eye level, keeping head more erect and level Lateral adjustment is also possible 30 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Advanced Accessory Weights Weights offer the chance to change the balance of the rifle for more stability 31 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Carrying Equipment What about the items - how are they used? 32 NRA Coach School: Equipment

.22 Cal. Ammunition Various grades of rimfire ammunition Cost reflects quality and accuracy Keep ammo cool and dry Do not remove lubricant from bullets 33 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Pellets Pellet cost is small compared to ammo for other shooting disciplines Pellet lots vary from rifle to rifle Precision air rifle shooters need to test for the best match 34 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Shooting Diary and Rule Book The shooter’s diary is one of the most important pieces of equipment We will discuss this later in the school We have already covered the rule book 35 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Equipment Acquisition What do we need? – Rifle – Sling – Glove – Shooting jacket – Shooting mat – Spotting scope 36 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Used Equipment Where can we find used equipment? A new tool to help find used equipment is the internet (buyer beware!) 37 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Care, Maintenance and Storage What two safety procedures must be observed? What is the most important consideration for care and maintenance of equipment? How often should rifles be cleaned? Remember to clean accessories too How are air rifles stored? How are smallbore rifles stored? 38 NRA Coach School: Equipment

Summary The equipment needed for a beginning competitive shooter should be simple Proper ammo depends on ability Shooting clothing is simple for beginners, to “state of the art” for advanced athletes 39 NRA Coach School: Equipment