I went looking for video of any kind of air rifle or pistol competitions using SSP equipment.
The reason is that I've found muzzle control while cocking takes extra care with these, and I wanted to see how competitors do it with people on both sides, and maybe their most efficient cocking methods over a long match. Especially if there was any 3 position air rifle competition, those positions are challenging to cock.
All the youtube videos I found were using precharged. Maybe I couldn't figure out good search terms. Any suggestions?
Found a video of the 1988 Olympic 10-meter women's competition with a brief shot of a competitor charging the rifle. She rested its fore arm on her shooting stand, pointed straight downrange and slightly upward; then slightly rotated the gun to the left, to operate the lever on the right.
Couldn't find anything on air rifle 3P, but I'd guess similarly firmly resting the gun on something solid is a key.
I'm mostly shooting an Avanti 753 rifle and an AV 46M pistol.
I'm extra careful with muzzle control after an experience with some friend's kids that could not grasp the concept. In the basement I usually shoot alone but still, the muzzle should always be in a safe direction. That isn't as hard with the 46M as it is with the P3 because of how hard that one cocks.
Couldn't find anything on air rifle 3P, but I'd guess similarly firmly resting the gun on something solid is a key.
That would be tricky prone, you probably really break position. I don't do that much though.
Thanks for finding those.
@ck Those are an awesome couple of videos! Thanks for finding them.
The '84 LA Olympics was the last top-level competition won with spring-piston guns. Pat Spurgin's rifle in the women's video is an Anschutz 380, the last of the breed and considered the best.
The rifles in the men's video are a Walther LGR and FWB 600. The former was the first successful SSP, with a rear-pivot lever and pretty stiff charging stroke, but fantastic accuracy and like all pneumatics very quick "shot time." It was highly successful in competition, high scores becoming so commonplace that the ISSF shrank the 10M target!
The 600 eliminated the LGR's one weakness - the first SSP with a geared, front-pivot lever that was vastly easier to use. Walther, Anschutz, and Steyr followed with their own geared SSP's and bulk CO guns, which ruled the roost until PCP's came along.
I have a geared FWB 603, their last SSP Model. I will never sell. A joy to shoot.
I also have a geared Parker Hale Dragon that achieves 10.5 foot pounds. Also a joy to shoot.
The 88 Olympics. At around 1.51 is the bit @mdriskill was referring to in an earlier post.
What a great question and thanks for those who linked the videos. First I own a FWB 601 and it is superbly accurate but wondered how they managed a 60 shot match coming out of position to cock the rifle. The second half of the first video linked showed the laborious scoring protocol. All of that, with PCP rifles and electronic scoring, has been eliminated. My daughter shoots in college and I followed her thru the modern rifles and targets era. Really interesting to see how it was done when I was still in high school.
It's already clear in the videos, but a key was the small sturdy high shooting stand that each shooter has. You don't have to swing about, set the gun down on a low surface, etc. to operate the charging lever, just move it over a few inches. The stand is also used as a rest between shots.
