Air pistol
The air pistol is a compressed air weapon that is used in shooting sports ( air pistol shooting ). Air pistol shooting is considered a sport.
construction
There are different designs for air pistols. In older versions, the barrel was pressed into the weapon, which tensioned a strong spring. When the trigger was pulled, a projectile was fired with a strong bounce. In further developments, the barrel was bent downwards and also tensioned a spring with an air compression piston. After closing the gun, the piston compressed the air when the trigger was pulled and the bullet was also shot off with a clear bounce. The efforts of the designers went there to reduce this bounce more and more.
Modern air guns are available in four different versions: with side-release lever, with compressed air or CO 2 - cartridge or Selbstkomprimierer, with current competition air guns (often called pistols Match (air) use designated) only compressed air as a propellant. The ammunition used is usually diabolos with a caliber of 4.5 mm, a diameter of 4.48 to 4.52 mm and a weight of around 0.5 g.
All modern competition pistols can be adjusted to the shooter with numerous fine adjustments (e.g. size and position of grip and trigger or trigger weight ). Custom-made handles are possible and individual processing is quite common, but regulated by the sports regulations of the German Shooting Federation and other shooting sports associations . There are further restrictions for competitions.
Air pistols have a few things in common with airsoft guns and paintball markers : They are also operated with compressed air, the legal status of guns is similar, and the prices for high-quality guns can also be over a thousand euros. However, the intended use and, accordingly, the technical design are very different: The regulations for sporty shooting with the air pistol prescribe the use of individual (in a few exceptions five) 4.5 mm pellets. Competition air pistols have high-precision, rifled barrels so that (when the pistol is clamped for test purposes) the dispersion from five shots at a distance of ten meters should result in a single hole less than five millimeters in diameter. Shoot airsoft and paintball weapons (among other things due to the round ammunition and the comparatively low projectile speed) with significantly lower precision but semi or even fully automatically .
Shooting sports
Shooting with an air pistol has been an Olympic discipline since Seoul in 1988 .
Air pistol shooting always takes place with the "standing, hands-free" attack type, i. H. the air pistol may only be held with one hand and must not be propped up anywhere. In addition, there is the discipline “Air pistol applied” for seniors (from 51 years of age). The targets (see picture "target") are 10 m away, and their most important dimensions are: 17 cm × 17 cm edge length, distance between the rings 8 mm, the diameter of the 7-circle (i.e. the black one visible from a distance Mirror ) is 59.5 mm, the circle of tens has a diameter of 11.5 mm with an additional ring called inner tens with a diameter of 5 mm.
“Free” air pistol shooting, that is, independent of the traditional rules of the rifle associations, can be divided into
- Plinking with air pistols
- Combat shooting with air pistols
Weapons law notice (Germany)
In Germany, air rifles with a muzzle energy of 7.5 joules can be freely sold ( purchased ) to people aged 18 and over , provided they have the "F-im-Fünfeck" stamp. Carrying ( carrying ) air guns, charged or uncharged, in public is prohibited. A gun license would be a prerequisite for this, but this is generally not issued for air guns . Bringing a weapon that is not ready to fire and not ready to access (packaged) z. B. to a rifle house or other shooting sports facilities is considered permission-free transport and is permitted , as is shooting on private property. When firing with air guns, it must be ensured that projectiles cannot leave a fenced-in area, i.e. generally the property ( WaffG , §12 (exception to permit requirements), paragraphs (4), 1a). The minimum age for shooting with air guns in shooting sports in Germany is 12 years, with special permits from 10 years. However, this age only applies to shooting in a supervised club. In the private area, young people under the age of 12 are prohibited from handling air guns.
See also
Web links
Official homepage of the German Schützenbund eV (DSB) discipline air pistol
