Thread: Backyard plinking

Hi All,

Not being an air rifle / pistol anything expert, what are good options for backyard plinking in a built up area? I don’t only anything other than actual firearms, so would ideally want something that can be used - safe being the main thing.

Are the likes of airsoft actually accurate enough at very short range to be interesting, or are they just junk / toys?

As soon as lockdown is over I do want to grab something to keep me entertained- not shooting anything for a month is a real struggle!

Any ideas?

Slingshot is really good fun, and takes a lot of skill too. completely silent and entirely up to you in terms of speed and energy of the projectile

I do remember many years ago a mate of mine and I got an airsoft pistol each. I didn't use it like he did though-alright I did have a couple of goes
He put them on the back of the sofa and shot the crap out of them. it was a hoot until he realised they were putting little dents in the gib board wall.
Plus those little bouncy bugger pellets went everywhere. PITA to clean up. I think if you has a sheet or something behind them it would've stopped a lot of that

Have a look on trade me would be my advice , it seems a lot of people buy them brand new and then barely use them. They then loose intrest in the slug gun/air rifle and put it on trade me .
Hey presto a cheap barely used slug gun / air rifle .
Im a frequent browser of trade me for these items. Just a hint , do some research on the gun before you buy it so you don't buy a complete shitter.

a couple or three sheets of ply over 6mm thick set up as backstop BEHIND AND OVER whatever you intend to use should satisfy the safety aspect,as does shooting down into lawn with somesort of backstop behind it...eg the blackbird on lawn with posts horizontally around edge of garden with tin fence behind that....air rifles are fun and quite good as keeping muscle memory...BUT be aware of the nosey neighbour who is fearful of those horid dngerous things...discretion is highly advised. noise is also a factor in the nosey neighbour thing...the odd single shot could go unnoticed but sustained plinking session could be problomatic.

Noise is definitely a factor. Unfortunately garage is too small for anything interesting either. Hence why I wondered about airsoft rather than air rifle. I will do a bit more dry firing, but obviously not quite the same.

ive got a blowdart gun/tube just for something i bit different i really like using it i use a dart board surprising amount of penetration as wel

how long is your hallway??? Ive used air rifle inside the house before...got to make plurry sure you have good soft backstop and DONT MISS...lol

Risk Assessment.
The main problems are ricochets and nosy neighbours.

Ricochets
look carefully where you're going to shoot for hard surfaces like bricks, fence palings, concrete, wire fence or steei.
Cover with bark chip or something.
Hasrd grass ground could ricochet too, so try asnd have a proper backstop not shoot at stuff sitting on the ground ..

Penetration too far
Unlikely but best backstop is a sandbag in a wooden or plastic box and you can chuck it out with the lead in it every now and then.
Use cor flute rather than corrugated cardboard to pin your target to. Saves confetti. Also needs to be replaced regularly. Carpet is also said to be good and is quieter.
Don't shoot up into the air of course. Don't shoot into end grain wood. The pellet can bounce back where it came from.

Neighbors
You can shoot an airgun in a backyard but not "annoy, endanger or frighten" anyone. It's the time to be kind.
A lot of clear long spaces on a suburban section happen to lie alongside boundary fences.
I make it a rule to stop shooting if I hear voices behind the fence and to never wear hearing protection at home.
Of course, arrange it so you aren't visible from next door. Some of those futuristic air guns and airsoft gear looks pretty mean !

Consider your firing zone
Specially whether anyone could quickly unexpectedly step into your line of fire. This specially goes if you're shooting down the hall inside.

If using lead pellets, wash your hands before eating.

And remember you won't get pregnant dry firing. It can be the best option for practice at home.