Air Rifle Shooting

Air rifle shooting is a target sport where a rifle powered by compressed air, not gunpowder, fires a small pellet at a target. It's all about precision: a steady hand, slow breathing and a calm head. Speed and strength don't come into it. Air rifle is an Olympic shooting event, and it's a brilliant, surprisingly absorbing way to switch off from everything else.

The break-barrel, or break-action, rifle is the classic. You bend the barrel down to cock a spring and piston inside, snap it back and you're ready. Simple, reliable and the one you'll most likely learn on.

The pre-charged pneumatic rifle, better known as a PCP, stores air in a cylinder filled in advance, so you get lots of shots before a top-up. Serious target shooters swear by them.

The CO2 rifle runs on small gas canisters. Pellets come in sizes called calibres, and the two you'll hear about most are .177 and .22.

First up, a safety briefing and the range rules. Rifles point down the range and nowhere else, they're only loaded on the firing line and everyone stops the moment the Activity Leader calls it. Then your Activity Leader shows you how to hold the rifle, set it into your shoulder and line up the sights. Paper targets tell the honest truth about every shot. Reactive targets spin, drop and ping, which is far better for your ego.

Get comfortable and steady, with the rifle tucked into your shoulder. Line up the front and rear sights on the target, known as the sight picture. Breathe out slowly, pause, then squeeze the trigger smoothly rather than yanking it. Hold still for a beat afterwards, which shooters call follow-through. The goal is a tight group of shots, not one fluky bullseye. Although the fluky bullseye does count.

Perfect, you've got no bad habits to unlearn. Beginners often do far better than they expect, because calm beats macho every time. It's a quiet kind of thrill: slow your breathing, focus on one small spot and watch your group tighten shot by shot. Add a bit of friendly rivalry with your mates and it gets competitive quickly.

You might also like Crossbow Shooting, Laser Clay and Archery.

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