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Introduction If you’re reading this you obviously have an interest in AIRSOFT PRACTICAL PISTOL and, quite probably, have had difficulty in finding any information about the sport - what’s needed in the way of equipment, where to go, what actually happens at a shoot and so on. These pages set out to provide, in one place, the sort of information I was seeking when I started and found it so hard to obtain. Hopefully you’ll find them useful. If they encourage you to take up the sport that’s great! They’re purely a personal view, so apologies in advance for any glaring omissions or errors, and are based entirely on my own experiences - I have no direct connection, personal, financial or otherwise with any of the clubs, businesses, organisations or individuals mentioned. So, whether you already own a suitable GBB pistol and are bored with standard target shooting, or are thinking about buying one, read on…. What is APP? Unlike “normal” pistol target shooting, where you shoot over a fixed distance from a fixed firing point at a “bullseye” target, an APP competition presents you with a variety of target positions at varying distances. You won’t stand in one place to shoot - you’ll move around - and on most stages you’ll have to carry out one or more magazine changes. The stages themselves are set up as “scenarios” and I’ll describe a couple later on to illustrate what I mean. There is no “standard” stage, so every competition and every stage within a competition is different. Compared to 10M “bullseye” targets APP targets are as big as the proverbial bucket but don’t be fooled - it isn’t as easy as it looks the first time you see one. Targets can be placed high, low or partially obscured by no shoot targets (penalty score if you hit one of these) and the course designer will have put a variety of obstacles in place. You may have to shoot with the “wrong” hand to engage a target, for instance. Go to the gallery section to see what the targets actually look like. All shooting is against the clock. An electronic “beep” is your start signal and at the end of the stage you’ll have to shoot a stop plate - metal, around 6” square. It tips backwards when hit to stop the timer. Scoring is a combination of points (target hits) and time. Simplistically, you could be super accurate but slow and end up with a similar score to a shooter who was less accurate but faster around the stage. Penalty scores come into the equation too - misses, hits on no shoots or failing to engage a target at all (easily done in the heat of the moment) all have a severely detrimental effect on your final stage score! So, each stage is a combination of accuracy, speed and dexterity. Accuracy speaks for itself, but believe me you don’t have to be Wyatt Earp (or Annie Oakley) - although it helps. Speed is not about how fast you can run - it’s how quickly you can move between the stage elements, avoiding any obstacles and carrying out magazine changes at the same time - which is where dexterity comes in. Now let me correct straight away any impression that a PP stage is like some sort of Wild West shoot up with pistols blasting off in all directions - it certainly isn’t. Safety is PARAMOUNT. The course designer will have carefully checked and rechecked angles of fire. Only one person shoots at a time and will be accompanied around the stage by a Range Officer. The Range Officer will be watching for any stage infringements (moving outside a safe area from which to shoot for example) and will not hesitate to stop any further shooting by anyone acting in a dangerous manner, be it towards themselves or others. Shooters are divided up into groups, each group shooting on a different part of the range and then rotating around. Before each stage there’ll be a detailed briefing from the range officer on what is required and this is your chance to ask any questions, walk the stage (with permission) and maybe discuss with other shooters how to tackle it. You’ll need to think about the order in which you’re going to engage the targets (if the briefing says there’s an element of choice) and, most importantly, where on the stage you’re going to do your magazine changes. Typically 2 rounds are required on each target (you can fire more if you wish, but only 2 will count) so be prepared to change your reload points mid stage if you use more rounds than originally thought - it happens! My classic was arriving at the end of a stage (which I had shot quite well) and then shooting 4 times at the stop plate with no effect until it dawned on me that the magazine was empty. I’d miscounted the number of shots needed for the stage when planning my reload points! Who goes first from within the group is a random selection. The further down the order of shooters you go the better - you can watch the others shoot and the different ways in which they tackle the stage, which may cause you to quickly modify your own plan. Now for a description of a couple of stages to give you a flavour of what’s involved. These are drawn from memory, so may not be truly accurate, but nevertheless serve as reasonable examples. Stages described Stage example one You’re kneeling, Pistol in open topped cardboard box in front of you, unloaded. Loaded magazine (s) also in box. On the start signal retrieve pistol and magazine, load magazine into pistol. Remaining kneeling, engage three targets to the right of a screen, 2 rounds on each. Two low targets at approx. 5M, one 50% obscured by no shoot. One high target, approx. 8M. Remaining kneeling engage two targets to the left of the screen, 2 rounds on each. Both low at approx. 5M, one angled and 80% obscured by no shoot. (The target obscured by the no shoot was the real test here - you had to either shoot left-handed or make like a limbo dancer and shoot with your right). Stand and move down range, engaging three further targets with 2 rounds on each. Shoot from any distance. Move further down range to line on floor and engage stop plate (around 8M away) to stop timer and finish stage. Remove magazine and show Range Officer that gun is clear. Stage example two You’re standing behind a table. Pistol is loaded and holstered with safety on. On the start signal engage two targets in front of you - medium height, approx. 8M. 2 rounds on each. Move forward around table and enter one of the “rooms” either to the left or right of the screen and engage 3 targets (from any range) with 2 rounds each. Move to the other “room” and repeat. Move forward and engage two further targets with 2 rounds each, from any range. One to the left and low, one to the right and high. Move down range to the line on the floor and engage stop plate (around 8 M away) to stop timer and finish stage. Remove magazine and show Range Officer that gun is clear. Equipment As with any sport, the equipment list can be as long as you like, but the one following covers the basics. A big plus point to APP shooting is that the competitions are divided into classes so that the playing field is level - the people with optical sights, large capacity magazines and the like will be competing with each other. 1.)............ Pistol 2.)............ Extra magazines 3.)............ Holster and belt 4.)............ Magazine pouch or clip (s) 5.)............ Safety glasses 6.)............ BB’s and gas (yes, I know it’s obvious - just a reminder) Pistols What you need is a magazine fed pistol or revolver capable of firing multiple shots before reloading. The vast majority of pistols used for APP are gas powered, but a few shooters use revolvers. The standard calibre is 6 mm BBs. Practice Range practice is, of course, essential to improve your accuracy. BUT, accuracy is only part of the skill set you’ll need for competitive APP. A good deal of time is spent before shooting is establishing the “perfect grip”, so that on raising the pistol from the bench to start shooting the sights were perfectly aligned. PP is very different. Your pistol will have military style grips and you’ll have to either draw it from a holster or retrieve it from a box/drawer or similar before you start shooting. So, practice, practice, practice drawing the pistol from your holster and bringing it up on aim in one fluid movement, Remember too that you’ll have to disengage the safety catch when you come on target. You can do this at home, without firing a shot. Another thing you can usefully practice at home is magazine changes. It’s much harder than you think to accomplish whilst walking around, never mind running up range. Don’t “cheat” when practising by having a spare magazine in your hand - do it for real, with spare magazine(s) on your belt as they would be in competition. In a APP competition you may have to shoot with your weak hand at times. It’s not easy, so practice this too. Finally, remember that whereas precision style target shooting is carried out using one hand only, standing and from a fixed firing point, in APP you can use a two handed grip and may be shooting in from a variety of positions - standing, kneeling, squatting or prone. Having said all that, now a piece of “contrary” advice, DON’T PRACTICE TOO MUCH ON YOUR OWN BEFORE YOU ATTEND A BASIC COURSE. Why? Because you’ll end up, inevitably, developing bad habits and “unlearning” them and replacing with the correct procedures is a LOT harder than learning correctly in the first place. Take it from one who knows, first hand! One final reminder, If you’re practicing actual shooting at home (I use the garage) always apply the same safety procedures as you would see at a club or range. Above all, use a proper backstop and ALWAYS wear safety glasses.
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