It has been a long time since a totally new, unexpected, endeavour has come into my life. A thing i have never attempted that would totally focus me on the mastery of something previously unknown.This new endeavour is the Olympic air rifle and 10 meter Standing Olympic air rifle competition. The demon squirrel addicted me to this new subject matter. Originally a tool simply to dispose of the demon squirrel the air rifle became something else altogether.Target shooting with my Gamo, scoped, .177 caliber, air rifle became so interesting, I had to learn and do more with the entire air rifle genre.

I found myself prowling the Internet reading anything on competition air rifles. The Olympic games offical 10 meter men's air rifle event suddenly became my addicted focus.I found myself drooling over photo's of Olymic competition air rifles..the high tech accessories, shooting jackets, the quiet beauty of shooting the perfect, perfect 600 target....comparing rifle prices...Although my mind screamed that this--this is what I want to do--the Olympic 10 meter mens Air Rifle

I could not yet justify the expense of the type of Olympic air rifle I really truly desire that I truly need:

The Feinwerkbau 600 T-----(pictured at the left) so in an attempt to practice, to learn, to advance my skills and then go nuts money wise..So this week I purchased a Daisy Avanti 853CM air rifle shown below--The Avanti is not cheap in itself but compared to the $2000 to $4000 standard Olympic quality air rifles it definitively is the place to begin this quest to shoot this event.

Iron precision competition sights, movable barrel weights, composite stock, equipped with a German manufactured Walther barrel in .177 caliber and regulated to a muzzle velocity of 550 f.p.s just like the Olympic competition air rifles. The Avanti has the correct fundamentals to investigate this strange desire of mine.The Avanti 853M was the least expensive, beginners, competition air rifle I could purchased from a reputable source.

Combined with the Avanti where two other items I had to have to get started--first match grade .177 wadcutter pellets--no problem--ordered them with the rifle..the second item was much more difficult. A specific target shooting jacket is absolutely required for training in this discipline...the problem is two fold..finding one and then affording one. The ISSF shooting jacket is regulated, specific and really expensive. Way too expensive for a beginner to justify. So although the jacket doesn't fit the international rules--I found a $65.00 canvas and rubber shooting jacket from champion's choice that will allow me to practice with the absolute necessary support of a precision shooting jacket. If I ever compete in the 10 meter i cannot use this jacket...but if i ever get to that point the purchase of an authorized jacket will be something i will have to do. Way good enough for now though.

One of many excellent qualities of the air rifle discipline is the ability to practice a real Olympic event IN YOUR BACKYARD----my first step was researching to determine the exact parameters of the ranges/heights of the Olympic 10 meter air rifle event to be able to set up a practice area in the back yard. They are: 33-1/3 feet from an Olympic specific target standing 55" (plus or minus 2") off the ground are the exact distance/height target requirements of the event. I am in the process of designing a target stand consisting of an old shower curtain and a cardboard box--real Olympic potential eh? There again that is the beauty of the thing--that a 57 year old geezer, practicing in his backyard on a target stand made from a shower curtain with a beginner's rifle and a canvas and rubber illegal shooting jacket might actually be able to do the 10 meter air rifle event. I am sort of my own Jamaican Olympic Bobsledding team in action. Just practicing for the Olympics, nothing to see here.....

Marksmanship--the ability to hit a mark on demand.