Ok, this sounds stupid I know ....

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billydjann

Member
Jun 3, 2015
460
11
New York, United States
Ok all
I am addicted to air rifles.... but when I mention my hobby all I get are smirks and giggles... and statements like... get a real gun you sissy.
Then of course they ask cost of shooting mainly pcp... then all of a sudden I am looked at as a nut...
I can explain until I am blue in the face... but nothing seems to get through to these people.
I love to hunt squirrels.... when asked what I use.... I say air rifle... The looks I get and statements I receive are upsetting... I live in ny state and can't locate many air gunners to shoot with...or people that understand.

My question
What do you tell people that act like air guns are toys...?

 
I let them shoot my rifle and that shuts them up pretty quick. And usually they want mine or start researching there own. When someone who rarely shoots can pick up and beautifully crafted rifle, hit a half inch target at 50 yards in your backyard multiple times, and not have to wear ear protection... they understand why.

Put a scope cam on and you'll have to keep your rifle under close watch or they'll walk away with it.

I wouldn't say I'm addicted (my wife says I'm in denial LOL), but I have a lot of firearms (only one PCP at the moment) and I have more fun shooting it then I do all others.
 
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"billydjann"Ok all
I am addicted to air rifles.... but when I mention my hobby all I get are smirks and giggles... and statements like... get a real gun you sissy.
Then of course they ask cost of shooting mainly pcp... then all of a sudden I am looked at as a nut...
I can explain until I am blue in the face... but nothing seems to get through to these people.
I love to hunt squirrels.... when asked what I use.... I say air rifle... The looks I get and statements I receive are upsetting... I live in ny state and can't locate many air gunners to shoot with...or people that understand.

My question
What do you tell people that act like air guns are toys...?







Im struggeling with the same to be honest , tho as i live in norway where hunting with air wepons are stricktly ilegal so fellow airgun shooters are target shooters , tho majority of airguns in norway are plinkers or op springers bought by new to the sport people.

where i used to work i tried getting a shooting meet going (a social get together with friendly competition) , but doing so with airguns was out of the question !! it was not accurate and silly and expencive and so and so .... so i let some of them shoot my hw100 177 (it goes hole in hole at 70 meters with 28 shots)

when accuracy was proven it became a question of how insanely expencive it was and how dangerous the high pressure air was +++ 

i learned something that time tho .... DONT bother argue the case , just havve fun with your hobbie and enjoy with friendly people :)
 
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It use to bother me when my friends and coworkers would give me crap like, "you spent how much on a BB gun". But I have come to realise that the fact that I'm the only one I know that is really into this sport is one of the reasons I am drawn to it,sounds weird but I like that it's kinda my own thing.
When we go pigeon hunting I am the only one going into barns a silos while they all wait outside to play clean up. I love that!

Now some of my friends that laughed at me for getting these are like "let me shot that", but I will be like "what this BB gun hell no"!
 
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"linsfreak"I own several real guns myself, and I really like the airguns better! Probably beause I can shoot them in my yard, Toys????? In reality these airguns can do just as must damage if not more.

I own a great deal more than "several real guns" and love my Marauder. It is an excellent pesting gun! It allows me to keep my shooting skills sharp by shooting in my back yard. It has allowed me to get into using mil dots and ballistics programs to develop long range shooting skills. I liken air gunning at 100 yards is like rifle shooting at 1000 yards. Its the same skill set. I recently made a believer out of my neighbor by dropping a squirrel next to him, shot out of the top of a pecan tree. All he herd was the Thwoop of the pellet hitting its mark and a rat fell 80 feet and landed right in front of him.

 
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One thing that I really see all the time is "you spent that much money on that." Then they get in their 45,000 dollar pick up truck and drive away. Personally, I spend my money on things that are both fun and useful. I drive a 20 year old vehicle because I paid cash for it and it works great and has been paid for in cash. I have been driving that truck for 6 years now. So, take a 500 dollar car payment every month and put that in the bank for five years and then who is spending a silly amount of money? Everyone spends money on things they enjoy. But truthfully, if you spend a 1,000 dollars on an air rifle and then spend 100 dollars a year on ammo and you use that gun for a decade it is probably one of the cheaper hobbies compared to: atvs, motorcycles, shooting ARs, horseback riding, and the list goes on and on and on. Sure, you can go way out there and budget 5,000 dollars a year on high end scopes/rifles/shooting ranges/etc, but that is still a fraction of what many people around here invest in a new Harley Davidson motorcycle (some of which regularly surpass 20,000). And you can hunt with it. You can target practice with your rifle (as close to meditation as I get), or just play with it.
You can try to explain and rationalize your hobby until your tongue falls off. But there is less pressure to do so when you keep in mind that a pool table costs as much or more and many people see no problem with that. My wife owns pens (fountain pen collector) that cost more than my Mrod. If you feel in the wrong or guilty about your sport/hobby that is on you. If you can let it go then you can get off of the defensive and really squash the judgements before they get out of hand. I squirrel hunt. People find out and they give me weird looks. Doesn't bother me because I like the taste of squirrels. People who agree with hunting find out that I use a shotgun to squirrel hunt and tease me about it. Doesn't bother me. I like to eat squirrel a lot, and often. In fact, my daughters and wife are fans of squirrel too, but not a fan of me spending the entire day away in the woods. So I fill my bag with my 20 gauge and am home in time for lunch. It just makes sense to me. That is all that matters.
 
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Gritz

I gave up sq. hunting with a shotgun years ago due to hearing damage. I took up using my Ruger 10/22 and modded it out with a match bbl, adjustable objective scope, match trigger and fajen laminated stock. That transformed me from a blaster to a marksman. I frequently bag more that my shotgun toting friends. It blows their minds. When they make fun of your hobby ask the Harley guy what its like to wear butt-less leather pants (chaps) and dress up like something off the Village People! That will shut them up quick. As an alternative offer to let them run a magazine through your gun. That has also worked for me.
 
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billydjann, no disrespect. I also grew up riding bikes and understand it completely. I actually understand driving expensive new vehicles as well. My point was that people spend money on things they deem to be worth the cost to themselves. I would not look down on someone with a sail boat any more than one with a Daystate. I am saying that shooting air rifles is a sport/hobby/tool and if we choose to partake in the joy of pushing lead then we should just own it and damned the naysayers. People who don't understand are not my concern, unless I think they could be convinced to join me.
Dan25, I also hunt squirrels with all sorts of weapons. I took dozens of them with the .25 mrod, and after the leaves are off it is mostly .22 rimfire (since I am still pumping my pcp by hand and it is more comforting to carry 50 rounds in your pocket...just in case). The last couple years I have been banging a lot of squirrels with 22 shorts (due in part to the availability) and I really enjoy the quiet kill. I agree that the noise of a shotgun is probably a big downside but sometimes, sometimes you just want something that goes bang. Also, being a marksman is great when you have a day to sit quietly and sneak through the woods and not really care if you get a limit of squirrels. When dinner is dependent upon dropping those barkers the gloves come off and nothing gets a second chance.
 
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When I get crap from other shooters I ask them how often they get to shoot and how many rounds a year they get to shoot. When I tell them that I shoot sometimes daily in my yard out 100+ yards and that I go through thousands of pellets a year that usually shuts them up.

And just for the record air guns are REAL guns. They are just not firearms. I hate when people say that they are not "real" guns. Ask the squirrel or the Buffalo if it can tell whether it was killed with an air gun or a firearm.
 
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I have a friend who likes giving me crap saying he would let me shoot him in the ass at 100yards thinking I wouldn't be able to even get close at that range. We were at a farm and I ranged a fence out to 78 yards, using a tree as a brace I put 3 in the 4x4 post in a nice little group. OK I will go past the fence and shoot of hand you say here right, I said to him. The look on his face said it all, shut his ass up literally lol.
 
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Dealt with that yesterday. Laughed at them and showed them a couple of the big bore take downs on big game. "No poop!? Those are air guns?!!!!! Send me that link, I need to get more details on that."

I collect Mont Blanc pens, Have a motorcycle and a 10 year old paid off vehicle I paid cash for. My bills consist of FOOD, PHONE, Insurance, Electric (soon solar), Water, and a mortgage. We offset the food bill with our hunting, fishing, & spearfishing. 
 
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