by B.B. Pelletier
Metallic Silhouette began in Mexico many years ago. It was originally only for centerfire rifles, but, over time, classes for rimfire, handguns and airguns were established. In fact, the fastest-growing segment of the International Handgun Metallic Silhouette Association (IHMSA) is airguns!
The chicken, pig, turkey and ram are the four silhouette targets.
The targets are metallic silhouettes (well, duh!) of a chicken, pig, turkey and ram. In air rifle matches, they are placed at 20, 30, 36 and 45 yards, respectively. In an air pistol match, the distances are 10, 12.5, 15 and 18 yards.
Each class of silhouette shooting has unique characteristics. For example, in the centerfire class it’s not enough to just hit the target, you have to hit it with enough force to knock it completely off its stand. A .243 Winchester might be able to hit a ram at 500 yards, but it will have a hard time moving it as much as necessary.
In airgun silhouette, the problem is not moving the target. (You could send them into orbit if you hit them too hard.) The problem is hitting them! The chicken is the worst because, even though it is closest, it still seems too small to hit.
Set ’em up, knock ’em down!
The best way to find out about airgun silhouette is to try it. That’s what I did. I bought a set of targets and set them up outdoors. Then, I proceeded to find out how much fun this sport can be. Right off the bat, I learned not to shoot the chicken too close with a rifle, or you might send it into the next county! I used a Benjamin 397 with four pumps for chickens, five for pigs, six for turkeys and eight for rams.
I shot with a friend (it was his 397). We had a ball. And, no, it isn’t that easy. You shoot standing up and have to hold steady to hit what you aim at. We used open sights, but you can use whatever you want – no one’s looking. I thought I would have an advantage because I’d been shooting field target and my friend had not, but field target isn’t an offhand game. He was more accustomed to his gun, so we had a pretty fair contest.
How to start your own club in 3 easy steps!
Here’s how you can grow your own airgun club:
1. Start with a set of silhouettes and invite a friend to shoot with you.
2. He or she (there are LOTS of great female silhouette shooters!) gets interested and buys a set of targets to add to yours.
3. You both find other people to shoot with you. When you have five of each animal, you have one-half of a small match!
With five sets, one person can shoot the chickens, another the pigs and so on. Squad two shooters together so one can score. Before you know it, you’ll have lots more shooters and be able to hold a full-fledged match.
Resources
IHMSA is a great place to start. They publish the rules right on their site, though they are handgun only. Check out the NRA site for info about air rifle and air pistol silhouette. They don’t publish the rules online, but they do have contact numbers.
I bet you can do it!
This sport takes very few resources and provides endless fun. Clubs in cold areas shoot indoors in cold weather, so don’t let that stop you. At the very least, you’ll end up being able to correctly spell the word “silhouette” – and that’s quite an accomplishment!
There is an active silhouette air rifle shooting community here in my part of the Philippines. It must have been fun but I can never hold my CO2 rifle steady enough to competition level. They hold regular matches here, in fact one is coming up on the 14th of November. But I think field target discipline is more fun. I am more comfortable even with a 20mm target zone at 45 meters.
Here’s a little secret: Buy the beeman trap and it comes with silhouettes. They can be outfitted with the included hangers for use in the trap or you can stand them up as well for traditional silhouette shooting. Two target systems in one for under 30 bills.
By the way, if you’re shooting in an urban setting get some sound dampening material from a car audio dealer and put some in the pellet trap. It really quiets it down, making it less likely to scare the neighbors. It doesn’t take much.
bob,
Thanks for the tip.
B.B.
This is a great way to improve your shooting skill. My wife and I shoot with Beeman P17 air pistols. Boat load of fun.
Snagy,
Welcome to the blog.
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B.B.
I have thought about owning a silhouette set just as i have put off getting some tune in a tube. Well Pyramyd just started a contest, but i am not into making videos however it made sense to me to go ahead and take advantage as i lack the funds for good knock down targets.
I get the feeling i am going to end up with bunches of these.