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Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 1:18 pm
by harshvardhan
Air-rifles come in multiple catagory in case of Caliber
Most Popular 4.5/.177 and 5.5/.22
But,only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs,
I know that 4.5 is having flatter trajactory making it suitable for Target Shooting
But i dont think in 10 meter 5.5 will make much difference
5.5 is very popular among enthusiast Air-Gunners.
Do you think 5.5 should be allowed in Rifle Shooting
Or It should be Continued only in 4.5 Catagory
Post your suggestions/Comment Justifying your Thinking,
Hope we will see a healthy discussion......./
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 2:22 pm
by BowMan
Are you aware that ISSF/Olympic events only allow .177 mm Air Rifles to be used?
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 4:46 pm
by pratik_mahale
Harshvardhan still your heartbeats to word .22
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Fri Dec 14, 2012 5:40 pm
by harshvardhan
No, I just want to know the reason behind the fact
Do not you think it is a valid question ,
why there is No Entry Board for 5.5/.22
Only 4.5 /.177 is allowed.
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:38 am
by essdee1972
Why is the cricket pitch 22 yards? Why is the 100 m race 100 m and not, say 112 m? Why are the basketball hoops, tennis / badminton / volleyball nets so many feet / metres high?
Why do the stars shine? Who made the Easter Island statues? Does astrology work? Can a man ever understand a woman? What is the meaning of life? Does God exist?............
And so on....... even the famous Japanese 5-whys can't find the answer to these!!
No offence meant, Harshvardhan! Even I am a 0.22 owner, finding myself like MF Hussain - not allowed inside a club because he wasn't wearing shoes!!

But then, the choice for 0.22 was mine!
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 1:39 pm
by harshvardhan
Dear Friend,
These are standards and universal truth you are talking about,
I have asked the question for knowing is there any technical specification/Bindings behind the matter,
You answered like pressure cooker exhausting extra pressure throug Whistle,
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 2:12 pm
by tiwariarrun
Dear Harshvardhan,
I hope my explanation would help you clear your doubts. First and foremost, Olympics, and competition shooting is all about Target Shooting, NOT air gunning. Competition shooters are not air gunners. So no one really gives a damn about what's popular among the AIR GUNNERS.
You can't shoot a caliber OTHER THAN .177 in any competition or Olympics. All the "target" match-guns are made in .177 caliber ONLY.
The reason .177 caliber is used exclusively in competitions is that everything in the competition is geared to that caliber. All the measuring devices are calibrated to work with that caliber.
Obviously, no airgun manufacturer is going to make a target gun in a caliber other than .177 because no one would buy it (because they can't use it in competition). This is not a difficult concept to grasp.
Back when the rules were being developed they surely took a look at all the calibers and selected the most accurate one- that's .177 4,5mm.
International competition grew out of European (read German) competition in the early 1960s, which had its start in Germany in the 1950s. And what THEY started with was what THEY had at the time, which was a long-standing tradition of using the .177 caliber. In England, at the same time, Webley was building .22-caliber target rifles called the Osprey and in US people were shooting 25-foot target with the Crosman 160.
FIELD TARGET
Once again, .177 is the caliber of choice for this sport for a similar reason to bullseye competition. This time, the size of the pellet matters because it has to fit through a very small hole in the field target. The kill zone is crucial because when the pellet nicks the side of the hole while passing through to hit the paddle, it will lock the target and prevent it from falling. That costs a point, which can lose a match.
The kill zones of some field targets are as small as one-quarter inch, so the smallest pellet has the best chance of getting though untouched. If .14 caliber was available, .177 would lose its place in this sport.
Thanks,
AT
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 2:52 pm
by harshvardhan
Thanks a Lot,
Lots Of Information
Thats the answer I was Lookin For
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:21 pm
by raghu
Hi friends i am yet to begin my air pistol shoot....i have ordered .177 air pistol frm ihp..so pls tell me abt those??
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 3:27 pm
by essdee1972
Harsh, do you know that the width of the space shuttle rockets are linked to the width of the butt of horses used in Roman chariots? The reason for 0.177 is the same. And so is the reason for a 22 yard cricket pitch. Now if this seems like a pressure cooker whistle to you, I can do a nice imitation of a steam engine whistle for your edification, too!
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:01 pm
by pratik_mahale
harshvardhan wrote:Thanks a Lot,
Lots Of Information
Thats the answer I was Lookin For
Hey Essdee you are fail in harshvardhan's exam

Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 4:39 pm
by brihacharan
[quote="tiwariarrun"]
Dear Harshvardhan,
I hope my explanation would help you clear your doubts. First and foremost, Olympics, and competition shooting is all about Target Shooting, NOT air gunning. Competition shooters are not air gunners. So no one really gives a damn about what's popular among the AIR GUNNERS.
Back when the rules were being developed they surely took a look at all the calibers and selected the most accurate one- that's .177 4,5mm.
Once again, .177 is the caliber of choice for this sport for a similar reason to bullseye competition. This time, the size of the pellet matters because it has to fit through a very small hole in the field target. The kill zone is crucial because when the pellet nicks the side of the hole while passing through to hit the paddle, it will lock the target and prevent it from falling. That costs a point, which can lose a match.
The kill zones of some field targets are as small as one-quarter inch, so the smallest pellet has the best chance of getting though untouched. If .14 caliber was available, .177 would lose its place in this sport.
> Good reasoning & explanation
Briha
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 10:24 pm
by tiwariarrun
Thank you, Briha ji..

Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Mon Dec 17, 2012 11:12 pm
by airgun_novice
Dear Harshvardhan, The pellets used in clubs and competitions also have to be flatheads (wad-cutters) in addition to the .177 cal.
Re: Why Only 4.5/.177 is allowed in Rifle Clubs
Posted: Tue Dec 18, 2012 11:57 am
by essdee1972
I am still not clear as to why 0.177. Of course, the targets, etc. would be tailored to 0.177 once that caliber has been decided. Why 0.177 and why not 0.180, for example?
Where are the tests which show that 0.177, flatheads, etc, are the way to go? Where is the science??
Because some omniscient clown(s) donkey's years back, decided arbitrarily that 0.177 was the way to go. And all of us later, being sheep, just followed it. I have heard somewhere that the cricket pitch length depends upon the expected throw of a grenadier in the army!! Similarly stupid!!
Now for the steam engine: toooooooooot..... pufpufpufpuf! pufffff pufffff..... toooot toooot tootootootoooooooooooooooo!